The Download: AI and coding, and Waymo's aggressive driverless cars | MIT Technology Review
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By Rhiannon Williamsarchive pageDecember 3, 2025 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. Everything you need to know about AI and coding AI has already transformed how code is written, but a new wave of autonomous systems promise to make the process even smoother and less prone to making mistakes. Amazon Web Services has just revealed three new “frontier” AI agents, its term for a more sophisticated class of autonomous agents capable of working for days at a time without human intervention. One of them, called Kiro, is designed to work independently without the need for a human to constantly point it in the right direction. Another, AWS Security Agent, scans a project for common vulnerabilities: an interesting development given that many AI-enabled coding assistants can end up introducing errors.
To learn more about the exciting direction AI-enhanced coding is heading in, check out our team’s reporting: + A string of startups are racing to build models that can produce better and better software. Read the full story.
+ We’re starting to give AI agents real autonomy. Are we ready for what could happen next? + What is vibe coding, exactly? + Anthropic’s cofounder and chief scientist Jared Kaplan on 4 ways agents will improve. Read the full story.+ How AI assistants are already changing the way code gets made. Read the full story. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Amazon’s new agents can reportedly code for days at a time They remember previous sessions and continuously learn from a company’s codebase. (VentureBeat)+ AWS says it’s aware of the pitfalls of handing over control to AI. (The Register)+ The company faces the challenge of building enough infrastructure to support its AI services. (WSJ $)2 Waymo’s driverless cars are getting surprisingly aggressiveThe company’s goal to make the vehicles “confidently assertive” is prompting them to bend the rules. (WSJ $)+ That said, their cars still have a far lower crash rate than human drivers. (NYT $)3 The FDA’s top drug regulator has stepped downAfter only three weeks in the role. (Ars Technica)+ A leaked vaccine memo from the agency doesn’t inspire confidence. (Bloomberg $)4 Maybe DOGE isn’t entirely dead after allMany of its former workers are embedded in various federal agencies. (Wired $)5 A Chinese startup’s reusable rocket crash-landed after launchIt suffered what it called an “abnormal burn,” scuppering hopes of a soft landing. (Bloomberg $)6 Startups are building digital clones of major sites to train AI agentsFrom Amazon to Gmail, they’re creating virtual agent playgrounds. (NYT $) 7 Half of US states now require visitors to porn sites to upload their IDMissouri has become the 25th state to enact age verification laws. (404 Media)
8 AGI truthers are trying to influence the PopeThey’re desperate for him to take their concerns seriously.(The Verge)+ How AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time. (MIT Technology Review) 9 Marketers are leaning into ragebait adsBut does making customers annoyed really translate into sales? (WP $)10 The surprising role plant pores could play in fighting droughtAt night as well as daytime. (Knowable Magazine)+ Africa fights rising hunger by looking to foods of the past. (MIT Technology Review) Quote of the day "Everyone is begging for supply." —An anonymous source tells Reuters about the desperate measures Chinese AI companies take to secure scarce chips. One more thing
The case against humans in spaceElon Musk and Jeff Bezos are bitter rivals in the commercial space race, but they agree on one thing: Settling space is an existential imperative. Space is the place. The final frontier. It is our human destiny to transcend our home world and expand our civilization to extraterrestrial vistas.This belief has been mainstream for decades, but its rise has been positively meteoric in this new gilded age of astropreneurs.But as visions of giant orbital stations and Martian cities dance in our heads, a case against human space colonization has found its footing in a number of recent books, from doubts about the practical feasibility of off-Earth communities, to realism about the harsh environment of space and the enormous tax it would exact on the human body. Read the full story. —Becky Ferreira
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 or skeet 'em at me.) + This compilation of 21st century floor fillers is guaranteed to make you feel old.+ A fire-loving amoeba has been found chilling out in volcanic hot springs.+ This old-school Terminator 2 game is pixel perfection.+ How truthful an adaptation is your favorite based-on-a-true-story movie? Let’s take a look at the data. by Rhiannon WilliamsShareShare story on linkedinShare story on facebookShare story on emailPopularWe’re learning more about what vitamin D does to our bodiesJessica HamzelouHow AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our timeWill Douglas HeavenOpenAI’s new LLM exposes the secrets of how AI really worksWill Douglas HeavenMeet the man building a starter kit for civilizationTiffany NgDeep DiveThe DownloadThe Download: the AGI myth, and US/China AI competitionPlus: China is considering cutting its native data centers a deal
By Rhiannon Williamsarchive pageThe Download: AI’s impact on the economy, and DeepSeek strikes againPlus: OpenAI is sounding the "code red" alarm
By Rhiannon Williamsarchive pageThe Download: Big Tech’s carbon removals plans, and the next wave of nuclear reactorsPlus: ChatGPT is getting erotic
By Rhiannon Williamsarchive pageThe Download: how to fix a tractor, and living among conspiracy theoristsPlus: DOGE is no more
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The Download, a daily newsletter from MIT Technology Review, focuses on the rapidly evolving intersection of artificial intelligence, coding, and autonomous systems. The newsletter’s core coverage centers around Amazon’s new “frontier” AI agents, particularly Kiro, designed for prolonged, autonomous coding tasks, and AWS’s awareness of potential pitfalls within AI-driven development. A key theme is the advancement of AI agents from simple assistance to genuine autonomy, prompting questions about the readiness of society for such development.
Several standout stories highlight the aggressive pursuit of driverless technology by Waymo, notably their focus on “confidently assertive” driving behavior, alongside the company’s efforts to address safety concerns. The newsletter also covers broader technological trends, including the FDA’s recent leadership changes, the resurgence of Dogecoin among federal agencies, and the increasing prevalence of digital clones of major websites for AI training.
A significant portion of the Download addresses the growing influence of artificial general intelligence (AGI) as a conspiracy theory, and the ensuing competition between the United States and China in the field of AI. The piece also delves into several other noteworthy developments. This included an analysis of plant pore function in drought resistance, a story about Africa combating rising hunger by returning to traditional foods and a segment on the rising influence of ragebait advertisements.
Finally, the newsletter concludes with a deep dive into the complex and deeply rooted debate surrounding human space colonization, exploring the growing skepticism surrounding the feasibility and ethics of establishing permanent human settlements beyond Earth. This section underscores the escalating tension between visions of expansive space exploration and a more grounded assessment of the challenges and costs associated with such endeavors. |