Curated from MIT Technology Review — Here’s what matters right now:
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. Introducing: the Security issue It would be naïve to think we are going back to a world without AI. We’re not. But it’s only one of many urgent problems we need to address to build security and prosperity for coming generations. The latest print issue of our magazine is all about our attempts to make the world more secure. From missiles. From asteroids. From the unknown. From threats both existential and trivial. We’re also introducing three new columns in this issue, from some of our leading writers: The Algorithm , which covers AI; The Checkup , on biotech; and The Spark, on energy and climate. You’ll see these in future issues, and you can also subscribe online to get them in your inbox every week. Here’s a taster of what else you can expect from this edition : + President Trump has proposed building an antimissile “golden dome” around the United States. But do cinematic spectacles actually enhance national security ? + How two UFO hunting brothers became the go-to experts on America’s “mystery drone” invasion . + Both Taiwan’s citizens and external experts are worried that the protection afforded by its “silicon shield” is cracking. Read the full story . + How the humble pigeon paved the way for today’s advanced AI. Read the full story . + A group of Starlink terminal repair volunteers in Ukraine is keeping the country connected throughout the war. Read the full story . MIT Technology Review Narrated: Cyberattacks by AI agents are coming Agents are the talk of the AI industry—they’re capable of planning, reasoning, and executing complex tasks on your behalf. But the same sophisticated abilities that make agents helpful assistants could also make them powerful tools for conducting cyberattacks. They could readily be used to identify vulnerable targets, hijack their systems, and steal valuable data from unsuspecting victims. At present, cybercriminals are not deploying AI agents to hack at scale. But researchers have demonstrated that agents are capable of executing complex attacks, and cybersecurity experts warn that we should expect to start seeing these types of attacks spilling over into the real world. This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we’re publishing 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 The family of a teen who died by suicide is suing OpenAI ChatGPT deterred Adam Raine from seeking help when he desperately needed it. ( NYT $) + An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself—but the company doesn’t want to “censor” it. ( MIT Technology Review ) 2 SpaceX finally successf
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Original reporting: MIT Technology Review