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.
Three reasons why DeepSeek’s new model matters
On Friday, Chinese AI firm DeepSeek released a preview of V4, its long-awaited new flagship model. Notably, the model can process much longer prompts than its last generation, thanks to a new design that handles large amounts of text more efficiently.
While the model remains open source, its performance matches leading closed-source rivals from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. It is also DeepSeek’s first release optimized Huawei’s Ascend chips—a key test of China’s dependence on Nvidia.
Here are three ways V4 could shake up AI.
—Caiwei Chen
The rise of world models
AI systems have already gained impressive mastery over the digital world, but the physical world remains humanity’s domain. As it turns out, building an AI that composes novels or code apps is far easier than developing one to fold laundry or navigate city streets. To bridge this gap, many researchers believe you need something called a world model.
Proponents like Stanford professor Fei-Fei Li and AMI Labs founder Yann LeCun argue these models can overcome the well-known limitations of LLMs—and realize AI’s promise for robotics. Find out why they’ve brought world models to the forefront of the field.
—Grace Huckins
World models are on our list of the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, our essential guide to what’s really worth your attention in the field.
Subscribers can watch an exclusive roundtable unveiling the technologies and trends on the list, with analysis from MIT Technology Review’s AI reporter Grace Huckins and executive editors Amy Nordrum and Niall Firth.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 China has blocked Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus
Regulators cited national security grounds. (WSJ $)
+ Beijing called the deal a “conspiratorial” attempt to hollow out its tech base. (FT $)
+ The country is tightening its grip on AI firms that try to leave. (TechCrunch)
+ The decision escalates China’s AI rivalry with the US. (Bloomberg $)
+ But there will be no winners in their competition. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Google is investing up to $40 billion in Anthropic
In a deal valuing the AI firm at $350 billion. (CNBC)
+ The funding will support the firm’s growing computing needs. (TechCrunch)
+ Anthropic and OpenAI are fighting for compute capacity. (Axios)
3 President Trump just fired the entire National Science Board
The NSF has played a crucial role in developing technology. (The Verge)
+ The move heightens fears over political interference in US science. (Nature)
4 Conspiracy theories about the Washington shooting are proliferating online
Over 300,000 posts appeared on X using the keyword “staged.” (NYT $)
+ The theories are also swirling on Bluesky and Instagram. (Wired)
5 The AI compute crunch is starting to hit the broader economy.
It’s affecting jobs, gadgets, and electricity prices. (404 Media)
+ The AI compute explosion is the tech story of our time. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Elon Musk says a new banking tool brings X close to a “super app”
He’s pledged to launch the tool this month. (Bloomberg)
7 AI optimism is surging across Asia while US sentiment cools
The divide could shape where adoption happens fastest. (Rest of World)
8 Apple is tying its new CEO’s ascent to its first foldable iPhone
It wants to build the buzz around John Ternus. (Gizmodo)
9 Twelve firms are developing the Golden Dome’s space-based interceptors
They’ve won contracts worth up to $3.2 billion. (Ars Technica)
10 NASA has shared promising results from Artemis II
The spacecraft and rocket fared well. (Engadget)
Quote of the day
“Getting out the truth and establishing facts and reliable information takes time. But our audiences really don’t have that kind of patience.”
—Amanda Crawford, associate professor at the University of Connecticut, tells the NYT why conspiracy theories are gaining traction online.
One More Thing
MIRIAM MARTINCIC
Welcome to Kenya’s Great Carbon Valley: a bold new gamble to fight climate change
Kenya’s Great Rift Valley is home to five geothermal power stations, which harness clouds of steam to generate about a quarter of the country’s electricity. But some of the energy escapes into the atmosphere, while even more remains underground for lack of demand. That’s what brought Octavia Carbon here.
Last year, the startup began harnessing some of that excess energy to remove CO2 from the air. The company says the method is efficient, affordable, and—crucially—scalable. But the project also faces fierce opposition.
Read More
Thomas Macaulay