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.
AI’s recursive self-improvement might not come so quickly after all
The AI industry’s boldest promise right now is that AI will soon improve itself, with almost no need for human oversight. But a new study suggests it might take a while to get there.
Researchers found that AI agents still can’t conduct open-ended AI research—free-form investigations with no clear-cut answers that require the judgment and creativity needed to make genuine breakthroughs.
The big question now is how crucial open-ended research is to recursive self-improvement—and whether AI systems can grind their way there without it, simply by improving on narrower tasks.
Find out why the results may temper claims that recursive self-improvement is on the horizon.
—Michelle Kim
MIT Technology Review Narrated: what’s behind this summer’s heat, and why 2027 could be worse
This summer has been a scorcher for much of the Northern Hemisphere. June and July marked the hottest two-month stretch in Europe since record-keeping began, the contiguous US endured its hottest month on record in July, and South Korea saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.
Climate change makes heat waves more likely and more intense. But there’s another factor at play: El Niño, which is already ramping up and is expected to have a bigger effect on global temperatures next year.
Here’s what’s behind this summer’s extreme heat—and why 2027 could be even hotter.
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 OpenAI has paused some model work over safety concerns
It says its Astra model reached a “critical” risk threshold. (Guardian)
+ The slowdown sets it apart from Anthropic’s approach. (Axios)
+ OpenAI has made security updates after the Hugging Face hack. (Verge)
+ It’s also introduced a version of ChatGPT for teenagers. (AP News)
2 Chinese humanoid maker Unitree surged 629% in its stock market debut
The IPO has underscored China’s lead in humanoid robots. (Bloomberg $)
+ Unitree has become a key player in the Sino-US tech war. (Reuters $)
+ It’s the world’s biggest humanoid firm and is already profitable. (BBC)
+ There’s hidden human labor behind humanoids. (MIT Technology Review)
3 China is allowing Nvidia’s H200 chips into the mainland
ByteDance and Tencent each recently received about 10,000 processors. (FT $)
+ A new Chinese AI model could help defenders and hackers alike. (Wired $)
4 5 Flock’s new AI tool lets police identify drivers by their movements
It goes much further than tracking license plates. (Wired $)
+ Here’s what Flock’s defenders are missing. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Prosecutors argue Meta deliberately hooked children on Facebook and Instagram
The claim was made on the first day of a landmark trial. (BBC)
+ A scientist is building a missing map of childhood. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Even ICE has ethical issues with Meta’s smart glasses
It’s banned them from the workplace over privacy concerns. (NYT $)
+ Anduril and Meta are building smart glasses for warfare. (MIT Technology Review)
8 X’s algorithm learns what you hate—and shows you more of it
A study found the impact was even stronger among Democrats. (404 Media)
9 A physicist proposes that the universe may repeat itself forever
The same galaxies, lives and events could recur endlessly. (New Scientist $)
10 A blind Egyptian developer has built an AI app that helps others “see”
It uses cameras to answer questions about users’ surroundings. (Reuters $)
Quote of the day
“Arizona is Arizone. Illinois starts with a V. I mean, it’s crazy.”
—Stacey Morris, a Kentucky mom whose son brought home a packet of AI-generated educational materials, tells local station WDRB about some of the errors.
One More Thing
The astonishing embryo models of Jacob Hanna
When the Palestinian stem-cell scientist Jacob Hanna was stopped while entering the US last May, he knew the routine. Anything to declare? Any biological samples? But this time the agents’ questions touched on a specific new topic: embryos.
Hanna didn’t have any specimens, but if he had, it would have been surprisingly hard to say what they were. That’s because he specializes in creating synthetic embryo models, structures that resemble real embryos but don’t involve sperm, eggs, or fertilization.
They could provide unprecedented views of the earliest stages of human development, while also creating a new way to produce cells for transplant medicine. But as these models become more realistic, they are raising difficult questions about how far the science should go.
Take a closer look at Hanna’s astounding embryo models—and where they could lead.
— Antonio Regalado
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.)
+ Take a guided virtual tour through Spain’s astonishing cave paintings.
+ Explore almost 2,000 prehistoric giants with the internet’s largest dinosaur database.
+ The humble convenience store has been lovingly reimagined as a floating public artwork.
+ If you’re looking to reflect on life or create a personal time capsule, you can write an email to your future self at FutureMe.
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