The Download: preserving minds and weighing open AI risks

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. As we age, we forget most of what we’ve experienced, yet there’s still undeniable continuity: At 30, or 50, or 70, you will still be you. To preserve that elusive continuity of self, some far-thinking technologists are exploring ways to keep the brain going, even beyond death. Their ideas range from freezing brains in liquid nitrogen to augmenting living ones and uploading our memories to the cloud. Here are six possible paths for keeping your mind going, and how feasible they might be. This storyis fromtheImpossibleeditionof our print magazine.Subscribe nowto get every issue as soon as it lands. Anthropic recently released a report arguing that a powerful new model released by the Chinese company Z.ai, poses a major cyberattack risk. Its core concern was that it is freely available for anyone to download and modify. The warning was the latest flashpoint in the debate over open frontier AI models. Critics warn that bad actors can misuse them, while supporters argue they prevent a handful of companies from controlling the technology.The debate, however, is more complicated than it seems. This isour latest storyto become an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week onSpotifyandApple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released. I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 COP31’s flagship pledge to electrify 35% of energy use is sinkingOnly around a dozen nations are reportedly ready to sign it. (Politico)+ It requires quadrupling the pace of electrification.(New Scientist$)+ John Kerry says the US must follow China on clean energy.(Guardian)+ But the US skipped the talks entirely for a second year.(NYT$)+ What’s the future of electricity?(MIT Technology Review) 2 The Nvidia spy scandal reportedly involves $7.5 billion of chipsAlice Huang allegedly obtained 240,000 restricted chips. (Information$)+ Trump was told of Huang’s spy link on Air Force One. (NYT$)+ Experts warn the scandal could erode America’s AI lead.(Verge)+ Nvidia’s slide has let Microsoft overtake it in value.(Reuters$) 3 Studies found AI agents go rogue because they’re “incorrigible”Their training rewards them for finishing tasks at any cost. (NYT$)+ This is why AI agents lie and cheat to reach their goals.(MIT Technology Review) 4 Anthropic has scaled back its IPO valuation to$1.4 trillionIt aimed for $2 trillion before the recent AI jitters. (Guardian) 5 Drone strikes have wiped out 3$)+ Ukraine’s drones are fighting data centers for fiber.(Ars Technica) 6 Moderna says its new vaccine could prevent cancer in high-risk peopleThe company’s CEO calls it the “holy grail” of cancer prevention. (FT$)+ Hong Kong is testing a next-gen ultrasound cancer treatment.(SCMP) 7 Scientists have slowly reversed human cells’ ages by decadesOne age marker was set back as far as 60 years. (Wired$)+ “Reprogramming” is the buzziest de-aging idea.(MIT Technology Review) 8 Robot vessels are hunting for mines in the Strait of HormuzAI helps them spot mines camouflaged on the seabed. (BBC) 9 Life may have started inside a tiny bubbleThat’s the idea behind the “lipid first” origin theory. (Quanta) 10 As Voyager 1 reaches a light day from Earth, here's what it's taught usIts discoveries rewrote textbooks in real time. (New Scientist$) —Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader,accuses President Donald Trumpof ignoring warnings about the alleged relationship between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and a Chinese spy. Bananas may not be chilled in the grocery store, but they’re the ultimate refrigerated fruit. It’s only thanks to a network of thermal control that they’ve become a global commodity. And that salad bag on the shelf? It’s not just a bag but a highly engineered respiratory apparatus. According to Nicola Twilley—a contributor to The New Yorker and cohost of the podcast Gastropod—refrigeration has wrecked our food system. Thankfully, there are promising alternative preservation methods. A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?Drop me a line.) + Awhisky made like wineis wowing the spirits world.+ Britain lost in the fog makes forhauntingly beautiful photos.+Chronophotois a fiendishly addictive game that challenges you to date old photos to the year.+ Dozens of saxophonistsmet up in New Yorkto play the gloriously cheesy riff from George Michael's “Careless Whisper.” Plus: 22 nations have called for a new global body to oversee AI. Plus: Hackers have disrupted the US Federal Election Commission’s website. Plus: Hackers exposed 41,000 Homeland Security workers. Plus: OpenAI has released 377 new math findings, further rattling the field. Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.