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. Material Cultures looks to the past to build the future Despite decades of green certifications, better material sourcing, and the use of more sustainable materials, the built environment is still responsible for a third of global emissions worldwide. According to a 2024 UN report, the building sector has fallen “significantly behind on progress” toward becoming more sustainable. Changing the way we erect and operate buildings remains key to tackling climate change. London-based design and research nonprofit Material Cultures is exploring how tradition can be harnessed in new ways to repair the contemporary building system. As many other practitioners look to artificial intelligence and other high-tech approaches, Material Cultures is focusing on sustainability, and finding creative ways to turn local materials into new buildings. Read the full story . —Patrick Sisson This story is from our new print edition, which is all about the future of security. Subscribe here to catch future copies when they land. MIT Technology Review Narrated: How a top Chinese AI model overcame US sanctions Earlier this year, the AI community was abuzz over DeepSeek R1, a new open-source reasoning model. The model was developed by the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which claims that R1 matches or even surpasses OpenAI’s ChatGPT o1 on multiple key benchmarks but operates at a fraction of the cost. DeepSeek’s success is even more remarkable given the constraints facing Chinese AI companies in the form of increasing US export controls on cutting-edge chips. Read the full story.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 Google won’t be forced to sell Chrome after all A federal judge has instead ruled it has to share search data with its rivals. ( Politico ) + He also barred Google from making deals to make Chrome the default search engine on people’s phones. ( The Register ) + The company’s critics feel the ruling doesn’t go far enough. ( The Verge ) 2 OpenAI is adding emotional guardrails to ChatGPT The new rules are designed to better protect teens and vulnerable people. ( Axios ) + Families of dead teenagers say AI companies aren’t doing enough. ( FT $) + An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself—but the company doesn’t want to “censor” it. ( MIT Technology Review ) 3 China’s military has showed off its robotic wolves Alongside underwater torpedoes and hypersonic cruise missiles. ( BBC ) + Xi Jinping has pushed to modernize the world’s largest standing army. ( CNN ) +
Next step: Stay ahead with trusted tech. See our store for scanners, detectors, and privacy-first accessories.
Original reporting: MIT Technology Review