The Download: keeping up with AI, and the future of IVF | MIT Technology Review
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By Thomas Macaulayarchive pageMay 27, 2026 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. Stay on top of what’s going on in AI this summer Here at MIT Technology Review, we understand exactly how relentless the pace of news from the world of artificial intelligence feels. New models and capabilities crop up as fast as we can cover them, and the ripple effects they send through tech and wider society are never far behind. Our unique strength lies in cutting through the day-to-day noise to help you understand what’s really happening, and what lies around the corner. That’s why we created our list of 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, unveiled at our flagship AI event EmTech AI a few weeks back (check the list out if you haven’t already!) And it’s why we publish so many stories dedicated to explaining how AI works, and what's coming next. We also regularly run live subscriber-only Roundtables events—you can still catch up on last week’s session, where we explored how AI might enter the physical realm via world models.
Right now, there’s a 25% discount on subscriptions. Sign up now to deepen your understanding of AI this summer. You can also join the conversation by subscribing to The Algorithm, our free weekly newsletter all about the latest in AI. MIT Technology Review Narrated: what’s next for IVF IVF has brought millions of babies into the world over the last four decades. But the process can still be slow, painful, and expensive—and far from guaranteed to work. Now, a wave of new technologies aims to change that.
Researchers are using AI to identify promising sperm and embryos, developing robotic systems that could automate parts of the IVF process, and even exploring controversial genetic editing techniques designed to prevent inherited disease. The technologies could make IVF more effective and accessible. But they’re also raising difficult ethical questions about how far reproductive medicine should go. —Jessica Hamzelou 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 NASA unveiled plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this yearThey’re part of preparations for a crewed landing in 2028. (The Verge)+ And steps to build the first lunar base at the Moon’s south pole. (NBC News)+ Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin will lead the first uncrewed mission. (WP $)+ NASA is building the first nuclear reactor-powered spacecraft. (MIT Technology Review) 2 Samsung’s largest unions have approved a landmark bonus schemeThe deal averts a massive strike at the world’s largest memory-chip maker. (WSJ $)+ Chip workers will get an average bonus of about $340,000. (Bloomberg $)+ The dispute centered on who profits from the AI boom. (BI)+ Resistance to AI is growing. (MIT Technology Review)3 Elon Musk accused the Pentagon of misusing Starlink for dronesHe says military use of the system violates SpaceX rules. (Ars Technica)+ The DoD is disputing a Starlink price hike during the Iran war. (Reuters $)+ Stratospheric internet could take off this year. (MIT Technology Review)
4 China has overhauled the world’s biggest surveillance network with AIBeijing is pushing law enforcement towards predictive policing. (FT $)+ Police use of smart glasses is also booming in China. (Gizmodo)+ LLMs could supercharge mass surveillance. (MIT Technology Review) 5 Space Force is awarding SpaceX $2 billion for a military data networkIt will connect military sensors and weapons platforms worldwide. (Reuters $)+ The contract comes amid concerns about SpaceX’s AI business. (WSJ $)+ Speculation is growing around a possible SpaceX-Tesla merger. (CNBC)6 Taiwan suspects Nvidia chips were smuggled to China via JapanTo circumvent US restrictions. (Bloomberg $)+ Is China about to win the AI race? (MIT Technology Review)7 Booming AI chip demand has created two new $1 trillion companiesSouth Korea's SK Hynix and the US’ Micron have hit the landmark. (BBC)8 AI has sparked a surge in demand for cybersecurity expertsThanks to a glut of new code and alarm over powerful models. (NYT $)+ AI is making online swindles easier. (MIT Technology Review) 9 Internet is coming back in Iran after a three-month blackoutAlthough it isn’t clear if the reconnection is permanent. (Wired $)10 Physicists are rethinking the role of gravity in quantum mechanicsThere’s a new theory for how our everyday world emerges. (New Scientist $) Quote of the day “AI and its capabilities represent something analogous to the Second Coming.” —Jeremy Nixon, the cofounder of AGI House and a former Google Brain researcher, tells the New York Times how Silicon Valley’s innovations could affect the pope. One More Thing ANDREW MERRITT Inside the experimental world of animal infrastructure In the mid-2000s, toads were meeting a gruesome end near Ede, a leafy old town in the Netherlands. Residents responded by building wildlife tunnels beneath the road to help them reach their breeding ponds safely. The crossings became popular. But a few years later, researchers found the local toad population had crashed from more than 10,000 to fewer than 1,000.
The case reflects a wider global push to build wildlife crossings and other forms of “animal infrastructure.” But do they actually help animal populations recover? Read the full story to find out. —Matthew Ponsford
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.) + The votes for “International Mollusc of the Year” are finally in.+ Track aircraft in real time across a gorgeous 3D digital globe using live flight data.+ NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has delivered breathtaking new close-up images of Mars.+ This deep dive into instant coffee reveals the extraordinary engineering effort behind making it vaguely drinkable. by Thomas MacaulayShareShare story on linkedinShare story on facebookShare story on emailPopularA woman’s uterus has been kept alive outside the body for the first timeJessica HamzelouWant to understand the current state of AI? Check out these charts.Michelle KimInside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clonesAntonio Regalado10 Things That Matter in AI Right NowAmy NordrumDeep DiveThe DownloadThe Download: DeepSeek’s latest AI breakthrough, and the race to build world modelsPlus: China has blocked Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus.
By Thomas Macaulayarchive pageThe Download: introducing the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right NowPlus: An unauthorized group has reportedly accessed Anthropic’s Mythos.
By Thomas Macaulayarchive pageThe Download: supercharged scams and studying AI healthcarePlus: DeepSeek has unveiled its long-awaited new AI model.
By Thomas Macaulayarchive pageThe Download: inside the Musk v. Altman trial, and AI for democracyPlus: the Pentagon has struck sweeping AI deals for classified work.
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The provided text from MIT Technology Review’s newsletter addresses the accelerating pace of developments in artificial intelligence and touches upon the future of reproductive medicine, alongside a curated selection of significant and fascinating technological news items. The publication asserts its mission to cut through the noise of the technology world to explain current events and future trajectories, often exploring concepts like world models.
A central focus is the intersection of artificial intelligence and reproductive medicine, specifically in the context of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Researchers are actively employing AI to enhance this field by identifying promising sperm and embryos, developing robotic systems capable of automating segments of the IVF process, and investigating controversial genetic editing techniques aimed at preventing inherited diseases. While these technologies promise to make IVF more effective and accessible, they simultaneously introduce complex ethical questions regarding the boundaries of reproductive medicine.
Beyond this specific application, the newsletter highlights numerous major developments across technology and geopolitics. Key points covered include NASA’s plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this year, preparing for a crewed landing in 2028 and the establishment of a lunar base at the South Pole, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin leading the initial uncrewed mission. Developments in the aerospace sector also involve NASA building a nuclear reactor-powered spacecraft.
In the realm of the semiconductor industry, significant economic and geopolitical tensions are noted. Samsung's largest unions approved a landmark bonus scheme, stemming from disputes over the distribution of profits generated by the AI boom. Furthermore, geopolitical concerns are evident in the scrutiny surrounding technology transfer, such as Taiwan’s suspicions regarding the smuggling of Nvidia chips to China to circumvent U.S. restrictions. The explosive demand for AI chips has fueled the emergence of new trillion-dollar companies, evidenced by the milestones achieved by South Korea's SK Hynix and the U.S. Micron.
The influence of AI is also reshaping surveillance and defense systems. China is actively overhauling its global surveillance network with AI, pushing law enforcement toward predictive policing methods, and exploring the potential for large language models (LLMs) to supercharge mass surveillance. Simultaneously, there is growing resistance to AI, as demonstrated by Elon Musk’s accusations against the Pentagon regarding the misuse of Starlink for drones and related disputes over pricing during the Iran conflict. In a related defense context, the Space Force is awarding SpaceX two billion dollars for a military data network designed to connect global military sensors and weapons platforms.
The article also touches on broader scientific and infrastructure issues. Discussions involve the ongoing effort to develop animal infrastructure, such as wildlife tunnels, to facilitate safe crossings, and a reflection on whether such efforts successfully lead to population recovery. Furthermore, physics is reevaluating fundamental concepts, with new theories emerging regarding the role of gravity in quantum mechanics. Finally, the text incorporates a philosophical reflection on current technological capabilities, quoting Jeremy Nixon, cofounder of AGI House, who compared AI's emergent capabilities to the "Second Coming." |