MIT - The Download

The Enhanced Games fit right in with the rest of 2026’s longevity vibes

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This Sunday, 42 athletes will gather in Las Vegas for the inaugural Enhanced Games, a controversial sporting competition that allows the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The goal? To “push the boundaries of human performance.” The event embodies a zeitgeist of peptide-crazed looksmaxxing, where consumers are encouraged to get thinner than ever, optimize for longevity, and have their “best baby.” In 2026, if you’re not enhancing, what are you even doing? Find out how the competition reflects our enhancement-obsessed era., —Jessica Hamzelou, This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

Google I/O showed how the path for AI-driven science is shifting

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

—Grace Huckins, During Tuesday’s Google I/O keynote, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind, proclaimed that we are “standing in the foothills of the singularity.” But what struck me as I listened in the audience was the context in which he said those words. The contrast reflects two directions for AI in science. One builds specialized systems like WeatherNext for specific problems. The other pushes toward agentic, LLM-based systems that could eventually execute cutting-edge research projects without human involvement. The big scientific announcement at I/O was Gemini for Science, which leans further into this agent-driven future. It can still call on specialized systems, but Google appears to be transitioning away from them. Here’s how the shift could affect science.

Can AI learn to understand the world?

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Many leading AI researchers have turned their attention to a new kind of system that understands the physical environment: world models. Backed by researchers at Google DeepMind, Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs, and Meta’s former chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, the idea is gaining serious momentum. Could it change how AI understands reality? MIT Technology Review editor in chief Mat Honan, senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven, and AI reporter Grace Huckins unpacked it all in an exclusive Roundtables discussion yesterday. Subscribers can watch the full recording now. World models are also one of MIT Technology Review’s 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, our list of what’s really worth your attention in the busy, buzzy world of AI.

The future is disabled

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Technologies for disability, access, and mobility are often portrayed as objects of empowerment or heroic, life-changing panaceas for social ills. But their benefits are often temporary, lopsided, or reliant on constant investment, care, and attention. Often, accessibility tech assumes levels of access that don’t exist: reliable internet, smartphones, or affordable devices. Projects frequently overlook the very communities they claim to serve. Yet there’s another way: opening ourselves up to all-access thinking and disabled expertise. Discover how that approach could create a more livable world for everyone., —Ashley Shew

We can still have nice things

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.), + Treat your eyes to this magical footage of a lake floating above an ocean. + Test your visual recall with this clever game that recreates colors from memory. + Take back control of your internet with this dashboard that brings together your favourite social feeds. + Peer into the heart of a barred spiral galaxy in this stunning new capture from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Climate tech companies are pivoting to critical minerals

Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

We’re over a year into the second Trump administration, and support for climate causes in the US is weak. But climate tech companies are finding ways to survive and even thrive in this new environment, including by looking beyond decarbonization. One example is Boston Metal. The startup has raised a $75 million round to produce critical metals, MIT Technology Review can exclusively report. The company is best known for its efforts to clean up steel production, an industry that's responsible for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But the new focus and fresh funds could help it survive a period of waning support for industrial decarbonization. Read the full story on its high-stakes shift. And discover more about the new strategy for climate tech companies in our analysis of how they’re reframing their missions., —Casey Crownhart, Our story on the climate tech pivot is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.

Can AI learn to understand the world?

Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

As the limits of LLMs become clearer, researchers are developing a new kind of AI designed to understand the physical environment: world models., Recent developments from Google DeepMind, Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs, and Yann LeCun’s new startup have pushed these systems to the forefront of AI. At an exclusive virtual event today, MIT Technology Review will examine the progress—and what comes next., Join editor in chief Mat Honan, senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven, and AI reporter Grace Huckins for the subscriber-only Roundtables discussion on world models. Register here to take part in the session at 19:30 GMT / 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT. World models are one of our 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, MIT Technology Review’s new list of the technologies and ideas shaping the future of AI.

The new US border wall is an app

Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

At the US southern border in 2023, asylum seekers had to request appointments with immigration officials via a mobile app. The Biden administration said the app, named CBP One, would make migration more orderly and discourage unauthorized crossings. But for many migrants, it became another obstacle. While waiting in dangerous border cities, they reported frozen screens, facial recognition issues, spotty connectivity, and difficulty securing appointments. Advocates argue that requiring vulnerable people to rely on smartphones, internet access, and digital literacy creates a system that leaves many behind. Find out how CBP One endangered some of the people most in need of protection., —Lorena Ríos

We can still have nice things

Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.), + See how big countries really are with this interactive tool. + Explore the entire Star Wars galaxy in detail through this interactive map. + Chart the origins of historical events with this interactive cause-and-effect explorer. + Discover the surprising origins of global currency symbols in this deep dive into financial history.