This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

China has approved the world’s first invasive brain-computer chip—here’s what’s next

Sitting in the courtyard of his house in China’s Henan province last October, Dong Hui decided to try holding a pen. Six years after a car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, he slowly wrote his name, “Thank you,” and the date.

The breakthrough was made possible by a brain implant called NEO. In March, it became the world’s first invasive brain-computer interface approved for use beyond clinical trials. The approval is expected to accelerate China’s push to become a global leader in brain implants.

Read the full story on how China reached this milestone—and what it means for the future of brain-computer interfaces.

—You Xiaoying

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Nvidia is launching its first AI chip for personal computers
The RTX Spark will power laptops from Dell, HP, Microsoft, and others. (BBC)
+ They’re being designed specifically to run AI agents. (WSJ $)
+ The first devices are set to launch on Windows PCs in the fall. (CNBC)
+ The move marks a challenge to Apple and Intel. (FT $)

2 The US is stopping exports of AI chips to Chinese firms abroad
It’s closed a loophole allowing exports to Chinese subsidiaries. (Reuters $)
+ Which may have enabled unlicensed access to Nvidia chips. (Al Jazeera)
+ Export curbs have led China to redesign its chip industry. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Surgeons have transplanted pig liver and kidneys into a living person
The clinically dead recipient’s organs worked for almost five days. (Nature)
+ Pig organs could ease transplant shortages. (Guardian)
+ Putin says organ transplants could grant immortality. (MIT Technology Review) 

4 The US, Australia, and UK will defend seabed cables with underwater drones
They’re developing the vehicles via the trilateral AUKUS defense ⁠pact. (CNN)
+ Undersea internet cables face growing threats. (BBC)

5 A new study has revealed chatbots’ manipulative ‘dark patterns’ 
It found they prey on emotions to encourage harmful behavior. (404 Media)
+ They can also sway voters better than political ads. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Apple plans to disrupt the traditional glasses market
Its smart glasses target the broader spectacles industry. (Bloomberg $)
+ Smart glasses are also gaining traction in warfare. (MIT Technology Review)

7 AI super PACs are dueling over the midterms
Split between Anthropic and OpenAI, they’re fighting to shape AI regulation. (NYT $)

8 SoftBank has overtaken Toyota as Japan’s most valuable company
The AI boom pushed SoftBank’s market value above $305 billion. (Bloomberg $) 

9 A botnet of more than 17 million devices has been dismantled in Europe
Dutch authorities linked the network to a Russian proxy service. (Ars Technica)

10 Tech leaders are uniting around a transhuman vision for AI
They’re working toward a post-human agenda. (Guardian)

Quote of the day

“It’s just been shoved down their throats in secrecy. And that makes them upset.” 

—Legendary environmental activist Erin Brockovich tells “The Jim Acosta Show” why citizens are angry about data centers expanding into their communities.

 One More Thing

What happens when you donate your body to science

Rebecca George doesn’t mind the vultures. At Western Carolina University’s body farm, forensic anthropologists monitor donors—sometimes for years—as they become nothing but bones.

Around 20,000 people donate their cadavers to scientific research and education each year. At anatomy labs and body farms, they help train doctors, advance research, and teach scientists more about the human body long after death.

But what actually happens after a body is donated? Read the full story to find out.

—A.W. Ohlheiser

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)

+ This map of moments turns the planet into a shared diary.
+ Let editors curate your ideal podcast moments with this app.
+ Architecture lovers will enjoy this encyclopedia of famous buildings.
+ Get in touch with your emotions through this map exploring more than 100 feelings.

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

How a new extraction process could unlock the world’s lithium

A new method for extracting lithium could cut costs and emissions from one of the world’s most important materials for EVs and energy storage. 

The technique uses a weak acid to dissolve silicate minerals. That frees not only the lithium but also other useful materials, including alumina and silica. 

“At scale, we believe this will be the lowest-cost way of sourcing lithium in the world,” says Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor who co-authored a study of the process published yesterday in Science. 

Startup Rock Zero is already working to commercialize the research. Read the full story on a new way to unlock the world’s lithium.

—Casey Crownhart

The deadly Ebola outbreak is proving difficult to control

The alert was raised on May 5. Four health-care workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had died from an unknown illness within four days. Tests in Kinshasa revealed the culprit: the Bundibugyo virus, one of the causes of Ebola.

A couple of weeks ago, an outbreak of hantavirus erupted aboard a cruise ship. Three people died, but the outbreak was kept under control. The picture for Ebola is bleaker for several reasons, including the disease itself, the available treatments, and the local environment.

Find out why the outbreak is causing alarm.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

How the Pope’s Magnifica Humanitas offers a template for individuals to meet the AI moment

——Father Séamus Finn, a leader in faith-based and socially responsible investing with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and Sister Susan Francois, assistant congregation leader and treasurer of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace

Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence includes a statement that warrants serious attention from technologists and policymakers: “Technology is never neutral.” 

Magnifica Humanitas is a call to act with courage and solidarity as AI transforms human life, framing the choice ahead as one between the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of our common humanity. It warns that corporations alone cannot set the direction of such a transformation.

With governments slow to regulate AI, institutional investors are stepping into the gap. Here’s how they can build a better future.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Anthropic is now valued higher than OpenAI
It hit a $965 billion valuation after a new funding round. (AP News)
+ Claude demand has driven annualized revenue to $47 billion. (WSJ $)
+ The funding round may be Anthropic’s last before an IPO. (TechCrunch)
+ What even is the AI bubble? (MIT Technology Review)

2 A Blue Origin rocket has exploded in a setback to NASA’s Moon plans
New Glenn burst into flames during testing on a Florida launchpad. (CNBC)
 + Blue Origin is heavily involved in NASA’s Moon base plans. (The Verge)
 + It also wants to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. (Reuters $)
 
3 Adversaries are tracking US troop locations via mobile phone data
The Pentagon has long ignored warnings of this exact threat. (Reuters $)
+ The targeting uses commercially available location data. (Wired $)
+ LLMs could supercharge mass surveillance. (MIT Technology Review)
 
4 Anthropic plans a broad rollout of Mythos AI in the coming weeks
Despite concerns over its cybersecurity capabilities. (CNET)
+ Claude Opus 4.8 is now out, with a promise to be more honest. (The Verge)
 
5 Grok oversaw a crime spree in an AI safety test
Models were tasked with governing a simulated society. (Fortune)
+ Grok committed 180 crimes, while Claude ruled with restraint. (Gizmodo)

6 Amazon has scrapped an AI leaderboard after worker gaming
Employees were artificially inflating usage scores. (FT $)
+ We can build better AI benchmarks. (MIT Technology Review)
 
7 Political spending by AI and crypto groups is shifting elections
They’ve pushed their preferred candidates closer to power. (Axios)

8 China’s tech boom is fueling a new wave of industrial tourism
Visitors are touring AI labs and EV factories. (Rest of World)

9 Alibaba’s MuleRun aims to replicate the OpenClaw craze
The AI agent platform is positioned as a safer alternative. (SCMP)

10 Mysterious changes have emerged in the Sun’s magnetic field
They could reshape space weather forecasts. (404 Media)

Quote of the day

“What Peter Thiel is doing is terrible. His settling in Argentina is even worse.”

—Elisa Lilita Carrió, an Argentine politician, writes on X that Peter Thiel’s relocation to her country has angered her even more than his leadership of Palantir.

One More Thing

How the James Webb Space Telescope broke the universe

When the James Webb Space Telescope began full operations in 2022, astronomers were in awe of the flood of data that arrived.

“Every hour we were looking at a galaxy or an exoplanet or star formation,” says NASA scientist Heidi Hammel. “It was like a firehose.”

Since then, JWST has delivered nonstop discoveries, from distant galaxies to new planetary atmospheres. “We’re cracking open an entirely new window on the universe,” says Hammel. 

Discover how JWST has transformed astronomy.

—Jonathan O’Callaghan

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)

+ Kubrick fans will love this Lego recreation of Dr Strangelove.
+ Here’s a fascinating explanation of why seven landlocked countries have navies.
+ This mesmerizing 4K remaster of a super typhoon turns weather data into cinematic art.
+ Go inside the genius of Queen with this track-by-track breakdown of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Climate tech companies are going public. What’s next?

Solar and battery company Solv Energy went public in February, hitting a $6 billion valuation. X-energy, which builds small modular nuclear reactors, followed at $11.5 billion. Then came geothermal company Fervo Energy, reaching a market cap of about $12.4 billion.

All three have been IPO success stories. And it doesn’t feel like a coincidence that they’re racing to provide electricity in an era of rising demand, driven partly by data centers.

What does this boom reveal about the future of the grid? And what comes next? Read the full story to find out.

—Casey Crownhart

This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.

The AI Hype Index

Separating AI reality from hyped-up fiction isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve created the AI Hype Index—a simple, at-a-glance summary of what’s shaping the industry right now.

The latest edition includes billionaire road trips, students booing, made-up quotes, and too much sci-fi. See where it all landed on this month’s index.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Illinois just passed what could become America’s strongest AI safety law
It would require third-party safety audits. (Wired $)
+ But it still needs the governor’s approval. (NBC News)
+ The US is divided over AI regulation. (MIT Technology Review)

2 A Google engineer has been charged with insider trading
He allegedly bet on who’d be the most-searched people of 2025 on Polymarket. (BBC)
+ And used internal data to rack up more than $1.2 million in winnings. (Verge)
+ He’s been charged with fraud and money laundering over the bets. (NPR)

3 ByteDance is developing custom CPUs amid a massive AI chip squeeze
The TikTok owner is struggling with severe supply shortages. (Reuters $)
+ Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are also building custom CPUs. (CNBC)
+ Taiwan’s “silicon shield” could be weakening. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Four tech giants have backed a clean energy push for AI data centers
Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have joined the initiative. (Quartz)
+ Investor Elemental Impact will deploy up to $5 million per project. (Axios)

5 Nvidia’s CEO is joining the board of Beijing’s Tsinghua University
His appointment comes as Nvidia struggles to export chips to China. (FT $)
+ President Xi is an alumnus of Tsinghua, aka “China’s Harvard.” (Reuters $)

6 The Trump administration is in talks to fund drone firms
One of which counts Donald Trump Jr. as a shareholder. (WSJ $)
+ Drone dominance has been described ​as a “presidential priority.” (Reuters $)

7 London has reclaimed its position as Europe’s leading tech hub
It’s overtaken Paris in new global rankings. (Euronews)
+ And now sits fourth, behind the Bay Area, New York and Boston. (Reuters $)

8 OpenAI and Anthropic disagree over AI’s impact on jobs
Anthropic is emphasizing the risks, while OpenAI is sounding rosier. (Axios)
+ The AI jobs hysteria needs a reality check. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Researchers claim to have achieved perfect randomness for the first time
Thanks to entangled quantum chips. (Interesting Engineering)
+ The milestone could lead to better cybersecurity. (Scientific American)

10 Embryo organoids are showing why many pregnancies fail
They’ve led to improvements in IVF and pregnancy treatments. (New Scientist $)
+ New tech is transforming reproductive medicine. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“How can we be happy about Google coming? We’ll all be scattered. It feels very sad.”

—Pyla Kondamma, a 42-year-old in Visakhapatnam, India, tells the Wall Street Journal her concerns about Google building data centers in her city.

One More Thing

Why venture capital doesn’t build the things we really need

Venture capital has been the engine of US innovation for years. This largely white, largely male corner of finance has backed software companies that grow fast—but generate large amounts of money for a shrinking number of Americans.

It’s also creating fewer jobs for ordinary people. And recently, venture capitalists have struggled to find ideas that fit their preferred pattern.

Here’s what’s going wrong with the funding model that made Silicon Valley a global hub.

—Elizabeth MacBride

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)

+ Never miss a great movie again with this worldwide release tracker.
+ These quirky word puzzles use emoji hints to help you find answers.
+ The digital museum of plugs and sockets is a treasure trove of global connectors.
+ Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” becomes a Bach-style fugue played on classical guitar.

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Stay on top of what’s going on in AI this summer

Here at MIT Technology Review, we understand exactly how relentless the pace of news from the world of artificial intelligence feels. New models and capabilities crop up as fast as we can cover them, and the ripple effects they send through tech and wider society are never far behind.

Our unique strength lies in cutting through the day-to-day noise to help you understand what’s really happening, and what lies around the corner.

That’s why we created our list of 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, unveiled at our flagship AI event EmTech AI a few weeks back (check the list out if you haven’t already!) And it’s why we publish so many stories dedicated to explaining how AI works, and what’s coming next. We also regularly run live subscriber-only Roundtables events—you can still catch up on last week’s session, where we explored how AI might enter the physical realm via world models.

Right now, there’s a 25% discount on subscriptions. Sign up now to deepen your understanding of AI this summer. You can also join the conversation by subscribing to The Algorithm, our free weekly newsletter all about the latest in AI.

MIT Technology Review Narrated: what’s next for IVF

IVF has brought millions of babies into the world over the last four decades. But the process can still be slow, painful, and expensive—and far from guaranteed to work. Now, a wave of new technologies aims to change that. 

Researchers are using AI to identify promising sperm and embryos, developing robotic systems that could automate parts of the IVF process, and even exploring controversial genetic editing techniques designed to prevent inherited disease.

The technologies could make IVF more effective and accessible. But they’re also raising difficult ethical questions about how far reproductive medicine should go.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This is our latest story to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 NASA unveiled plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this year
They’re part of preparations for a crewed landing in 2028. (The Verge)
+ And steps to build the first lunar base at the Moon’s south pole. (NBC News)
+ Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin will lead the first uncrewed mission. (WP $)
+ NASA is building the first nuclear reactor-powered spacecraft. (MIT Technology Review)

2 Samsung’s largest unions have approved a landmark bonus scheme
The deal averts a massive strike at the world’s largest memory-chip maker. (WSJ $)
+ Chip workers will get an average bonus of about $340,000. (Bloomberg $)
+ The dispute centered on who profits from the AI boom. (BI)
+ Resistance to AI is growing. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Elon Musk accused the Pentagon of misusing Starlink for drones
He says military use of the system violates SpaceX rules. (Ars Technica)
+ The DoD is disputing a Starlink price hike during the Iran war. (Reuters $)
+ Stratospheric internet could take off this year. (MIT Technology Review)

4 China has overhauled the world’s biggest surveillance network with AI
Beijing is pushing law enforcement towards predictive policing. (FT $)
+ Police use of smart glasses is also booming in China. (Gizmodo)
+ LLMs could supercharge mass surveillance. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Space Force is awarding SpaceX $2 billion for a military data network
It will connect military sensors and weapons platforms worldwide. (Reuters $)
+ The contract comes amid concerns about SpaceX’s AI business. (WSJ $)
+ Speculation is growing around a possible SpaceX-Tesla merger.  (CNBC)

6 Taiwan suspects Nvidia chips were smuggled to China via Japan
To circumvent US restrictions. (Bloomberg $)
+ Is China about to win the AI race? (MIT Technology Review)

7 Booming AI chip demand has created two new $1 trillion companies
South Korea’s SK Hynix and the US’ Micron have hit the landmark. (BBC)

8 AI has sparked a surge in demand for cybersecurity experts
Thanks to a glut of new code and alarm over powerful models. (NYT $)
+ AI is making online swindles easier. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Internet is coming back in Iran after a three-month blackout
Although it isn’t clear if the reconnection is permanent. (Wired $)

10 Physicists are rethinking the role of gravity in quantum mechanics
There’s a new theory for how our everyday world emerges. (New Scientist $)

Quote of the day

“AI and its capabilities represent something analogous to the Second Coming.” 

—Jeremy Nixon, the cofounder of AGI House and a former Google Brain researcher, tells the New York Times how Silicon Valley’s innovations could affect the pope.

One More Thing

Inside the experimental world of animal infrastructure

In the mid-2000s, toads were meeting a gruesome end near Ede, a leafy old town in the Netherlands. Residents responded by building wildlife tunnels beneath the road to help them reach their breeding ponds safely.

The crossings became popular. But a few years later, researchers found the local toad population had crashed from more than 10,000 to fewer than 1,000.

The case reflects a wider global push to build wildlife crossings and other forms of “animal infrastructure.” But do they actually help animal populations recover? Read the full story to find out.

—Matthew Ponsford

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)

+ The votes for “International Mollusc of the Year” are finally in.
+ Track aircraft in real time across a gorgeous 3D digital globe using live flight data.
+ NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has delivered breathtaking new close-up images of Mars.
+ This deep dive into instant coffee reveals the extraordinary engineering effort behind making it vaguely drinkable.

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

A reality check on the AI jobs hysteria

Despite the growing hysteria over AI’s threat to white-collar jobs, there’s still scant evidence that the technology has had a large-scale impact on the labor market.

Analysis of US labor data shows that unemployment in occupations most exposed to AI is actually lower than in less-exposed jobs. There are also no signs that large numbers of workers are shifting from AI-threatened professions into supposedly safer manual-labor jobs.

It’s true that things aren’t great in the job market—but the question is why. Here’s what the data really says about AI and jobs.

—David Rotman

Opinion: It’s time to address the looming crisis in entry-level work

—Georgios Petropoulos, an assistant professor at the USC Marshall School of Business

AI has not yet produced mass unemployment. But it may be quietly weakening the first rung of the career ladder.

A recent Stanford study found that young workers in AI-exposed occupations suffered a sharp decline in employment after the spread of generative AI. The same pattern didn’t appear in low-exposure jobs, suggesting AI is replacing junior tasks that once gave young workers their first foothold.

It’s time to rethink how we train, prepare, and support young people entering the workforce. Read this op-ed on how job seekers, businesses, and society can adapt.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 The Pope has called for governments to regulate AI 
In his first major teaching document, Pope Leo said AI must be “disarmed.” (BBC)
+ He warned that AI fuels war and misinformation. (CNN)
+ But could also “open up a horizon extending in all directions.” (Engadget)
+ Anthropic cofounder Chris Olah also spoke at the event. (Reuters $)

2 SpaceX has launched its biggest and most powerful rocket
The Starship V3 made its test flight debut two days after Elon Musk announced SpaceX’s IPO.(Guardian)+ SpaceX pulled off the launch, but not the landing. (Ars Technica)
+ The rocket could be key to SpaceX’s valuation. (Fortune $)
+ But rivals to the company are rising. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Huawei says it can make industry-leading chips within five years
The Chinese tech giant announced a breakthrough in chip design. (Reuters $)
+ Its progress underscores Beijing’s push to neutralize US sanctions. (NBC)
+ Chinese chip stocks rallied after the announcement. (Bloomberg $)

4 A new vaccine may protect against the Ebola strain behind the current crisis
Tests have shown promising results for the mRNA vaccine. (New Scientist)
+ Another Ebola vaccine that could be ready for trials in months. (BBC)
+ But vaccines face a new problem: their name. (MIT Technology Review)

5 A swimmer broke a world record at the ‘Steroid Olympics’
Athletes at the Enhance Games were encouraged to take dope. (Wired $)
+ Silicon Valley elites have backed the competition. (WP $)
+ Which fits right into 2026’s longevity vibes. (MIT Technology Review)

6 The EU plans to fine Google a massive antitrust penalty
For allegedly favoring its own services in search results. (CNBC)
+ It would be the largest penalty for breaching the Digital Markets Act. (Reuters $) 

7 US quantum computing subsidies may not be legal
Congressional critics say the funding has been misused. (Ars Technica)

8 AI is minting new billionaires—and workers want their share
The Samsung labor showdown reflects global concerns. (Rest of World)

9 China has launched artificial human embryos into orbit
To find out whether we can reproduce beyond Earth. (Gizmodo)

10 Jony Ives has designed Ferrari’s first fully-electric car
The legendary Apple designer has created a polarizing aesthetic. (FT $) 

Quote of the day

“Technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate, and use it.” 

—Pope Leo issues a warning about AI in his first encyclical letter, entitled ‘Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.”

One More Thing

How climate vulnerability and the digital divide are linked

In Anacostia, a historic African-American section of Washington, DC, Monica Sanders is measuring Wi-Fi speeds. It’s below the FCC’s minimum to qualify as a broadband service. She then checks the temperature: 46.9 °F.

Sanders, an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, frequently records this combination of weak internet access and environmental conditions. Her work shows how underinvestment in infrastructure can leave underserved communities more exposed to climate risks like extreme heat and flooding.

Discover how the digital divide is shaping climate vulnerability in the US.

—Colleen Hagerty

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)

+ Here’s a joyful way to settle sibling squabbles: a mandatory dance-off.
+ Build the metropolis of your dreams in this browser-based city simulation game.
+ Watch this hypnotic tiny train move in a perfect, endless loop on a rotating turntable.
+ Take a nostalgic look at early computing history with this curated gallery of vintage punch cards.