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요약
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 breakthroughs in robotics won’t change your life any time soon
The hype around humanoid robots is reaching fever pitch. Much of it comes from the idea that the same AI advances behind ChatGPT and Claude could enable robots to imitate human movement the way chatbots imitate human language. But many researchers are skeptical.
They argue that such assumptions minimize the challenges of using an intelligence built on language and images to master the infinite variability of the physical world. They also point out that conflating humanoids with so-called generalist machines is misleading.
Across robotics labs, tensions have emerged over whether current forms of AI are all that’s needed to perfect all-purpose humanoids or whether an entirely new path is required.
Read the full story on what it will take to build truly general-purpose robots.
—Jamie Condliffe
This story is a collaboration between MIT Technology Review and Aventine, a non-profit research foundation that creates and supports content about how technology and science are changing the way we live.
10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch: WaveSave and its portable rubber dam
WaveSave is one of MIT Technology Review’s10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch 2026, available exclusively to subscribers.
As sea levels rise and flood risks worsen, WaveSave has emerged with an ingeniously simple tool: a portable rubber dam that’s quick to install when flooding starts.
Anyone can unfurl the SlamDam on the ground along a riverbank or shoreline and pump it full of water until it swells into place. And there it stands, up to 1.3 meters high, shielding nearby property or structures from damage as waters rise.
WaveSave now plans to take its unusual approach to flood protection much further.
—Amy Nordrum
Subscribers can now access the full 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch, spanning everything from smart turbines and sustainable cement to carbon dioxide batteries.
Why we’re watching these climate tech companies
—Casey Crownhart
Our Climate Tech Companies to Watch list is always a little ray of hope for me—there are some fascinating ideas out there about how we power our world or move away from fossil fuels.
Our chosen companies also reflect several aspects of the current moment. One is that China is the center of the climate and energy tech world. Another is that everybody wants a piece of the data center pie. And then there’s the fact that the grid needs support, with energy storage a key piece moving forward.
Here’s what this year’s list reveals about the state of climate tech.
This story is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Scientists in Austria and China have built the first nuclear clocks
They could become the world’s most precise timekeepers. (NYT $)
+ They could also help scientists search for dark matter. (Reuters $)
+ China’s nuclear clock is six times more stable than Austria’s. (SCMP)
+ A space clock could help measure Earth. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Three fired OpenAI researchers want to protect AI reasoning monitoring
They warn that AI companies could lose a key safety tool. (WSJ $)
+ OpenAI fired them for allegedly sharing sensitive information. (Gizmodo)
+ Don’t be fooled—LLMs don’t reason. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Samsung has forecast the highest quarterly profit ever for a tech firm
The AI chip boom has sent its projected profits to $80 billion. (CNBC)
+ Can AI labs ever turn a profit? (Reuters $)
+ What even is the AI bubble? (MIT Technology Review)
4 OpenAI’s math breakthroughs point beyond mathematics
AI is progressing into increasingly specialised fields. (Axios)
+ OpenAI is catching up with Anthropic on coding. (WSJ $)
+ A new AI tool could speed up math research.(MIT Technology Review)
5 A 194-year-old tortoise has had its genome sequenced
His longevity could reveal ways to extend human lifespan. (Guardian)
+ Jonathan is the world’s oldest known land animal. (404 Media)
+ His youthful mitochondria may help repair DNA. (New Scientist $)
6 A fraudster who used AI to outstream Taylor Swift has been jailed
He used AI-generated songs and bots to earn $8 million. (NYT $)
+ But prosecutors said he stole royalty payments. (Ars Technica)
7 TikTok allegedly gave kids fake safety features to study engagement
The tests measured time spent and ad revenue. (Reuters $)
8 Burglars could be identified from DNA floating in the air
Thanks to a new device that collects airborne genetic material. (Economist $)
9 Pioneers of mirror-image molecules have won the chemistry Nobel
Their work has become a key tool in developing medicines. (Guardian)
10 California has declared a human-vs-robot fight illegal
The state’s combat-sports laws were never written for machines. (NYT $)
Quote of the day
“We grew a mind.”
—David Robinson, who last week quit his job as OpenAI safety transparency lead, tells The New York Times that his former company has built models that develop capabilities their creators did not explicitly design.
One more thing
We need a moonshot for computing
The US government is organizing itself for the next era of computing. Ultimately, it has one big choice to make: adopt a conservative strategy that aims to preserve its lead for the next five years—or orient itself toward genuine computing moonshots.
There is no shortage of candidates, including quantum computing, neuromorphic computing and reversible computing. And there are plenty of novel materials and devices. These possibilities could even be combined to form hybrid computing systems.
The National Semiconductor Technology Center can drive these ideas forward. To be successful, it would do well to follow DARPA’s lead by focusing on moonshot programs. Read the full story.
—Brady Helwig & PJ Maykish
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.)
+ An experimental pair of contact lenses can repair themselves with UV light.
+ Meet Rich, the rescued squirrel who visits the woman who saved him every day.
+ Reminisce about the lost joy of music piracy with this wistful reflection on a time before streaming.
+ What would rainbows look like on Tatooine? Randall Munroe, a former NASA roboticist, has the answer.