The Download: AI agents for science, and the “censorship-industrial complex”

Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and cofounder of Schmidt Sciences, and Suhas Mahesh, who leads the AI for science work at the AI Center of Schmidt Sciences, argue in an op-ed that AI agents, not neural networks like AlphaFold, are the key to accelerating scientific discovery, because agents can model the iterative research process rather than relying on massive datasets. Separately, MIT Technology Review reports that the 'censorship-industrial complex' theory has moved from right-wing online circles into the Trump administration, and a new Amazon data center in Texas could become the US's most polluting power plant, with a permit to release up to 33 million tons of CO2.

The Download: AI agents for science, and the “censorship-industrial complex” Plus: A new Amazon data center could become the US’s most polluting power plant. This is today's edition of The Download https://forms.technologyreview.com/newsletters/briefing-the-download/? ga=2.179569122.736533416.1649661040-405833893.1649413289 , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. AI for science needs reasoning, not just data —Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and the cofounder of Schmidt Sciences, and Suhas Mahesh, who leads the AI for science work at the AI Center of Schmidt Sciences In 2024, Google DeepMind scientists shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for a neural network, AlphaFold, which predicts the structures of proteins. It showed that AI could make groundbreaking scientific discoveries, but AlphaFold may not be the best template for accelerating science. Instead, another approach may hold the key: AI agents. AlphaFold relied on a dataset of roughly 170,000 experimentally validated protein structures that took 53 years and roughly $21 billion worth of experimental work to assemble. Comparable datasets will be difficult or impossible to create in many fields. AI agents can instead model the iterative, highly contingent process of actual research. While tools like AlphaFold apply a powerful approach to a limited question, agents are inherently generalists. They do not represent a new way to do science—instead, they digitally model the human process of discovery. Read the full op-ed on how agents could accelerate scientific discovery https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/10/1141384/ai-agents-for-science/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . Inside the "censorship-industrial complex" idea shaping US policy For years, the idea of a “censorship-industrial complex” that suppressed conservative and populist speech spread in right-wing circles online. But now, the theory has made its way into the Trump administration. Over the past nine months, MIT Technology Review investigated its origins and traced its rise https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/07/1141105/how-ideas-of-a-vast-censorship-network-moved-from-the-online-fringe-to-trump-policy/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . In a virtual Roundtables session on Thursday, August 13, senior reporter Eileen Guo and executive editor Amy Nordrum will explore what they discovered, where the theory is going, and what it could mean for the future of democracy and the internet. Register here to join the session at 19:00 GMT / 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT https://www.technologyreview.com/supertopic/roundtables/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A new Amazon data center could become the US’s biggest polluter The Texas facility has a permit to release up to 33 million tons of CO2. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/climate/amazon-data-center-texas-pollution.html $ + It will be Amazon’s first off-grid AI data center. Cleanview https://newsletter.cleanview.co/p/scoop-amazon-is-behind-one-of-the + The gas plant will generate up to 7.65 gigawatts of power. Verge https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/977124/amazon-data-center-worst-polluting-power-plant 2 OpenAI has paused work on its Astra AI model over security concerns Tests found it could launch cyber-attacks autonomously. FT https://www.ft.com/content/9b8383b1-a28d-4940-8c4e-2f0cd21556ef?syn-25a6b1a6=1 $ + Critics warn such disclosures could be designed to spark hype. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/08/openai-astra-security-concerns + AI doesn’t need to be that smart to make online crimes easier. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/12/1132386/ai-already-making-online-swindles-easier/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 3 North Korean hackers have built AI tools for cyberattacks A new report says they’re used in spear-phishing campaigns. Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/10/north-koreas-hackers-using-ai-for-attacks-cybersecurity-firm-says + They’re attributed to the state-linked group Kimsuky. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/north-korean-hacking-group-builds-ai-tools-cyberattacks-report-says-2026-08-10/ $ + Which could automate attacks and analyse stolen data. TNW https://thenextweb.com/news/north-korea-kimsuky-ai-tools-cyberattacks 4 China’s firms control 97% of global humanoid shipments Global shipments have more than tripled since last year. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-10/china-humanoid-makers-hold-97-of-global-shipments-report-says $ + Chinese humanoid manufacturers are racing to public listings. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/what-is-unitree-why-are-chinas-humanoid-robot-makers-racing-list-2026-08-10/ $ + Gig workers are training humanoids at home. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/01/1134863/humanoid-data-training-gig-economy-2026-breakthrough-technology/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 5 Taiwan has expanded its use of aerial and maritime drones to deter China The approach draws on lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/world/asia/taiwan-drone-china-invasion.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share $ + Taiwan’s “silicon shield” could be weakening. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/15/1121358/taiwan-silicon-shield-tsmc-china-chip-manufacturing/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 6 Apple is testing Chinese memory chips as the supply squeeze bites But any deal with CXMT would be politically sensitive. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-tests-chinese-memory-chips-as-supply-squeeze-bites-d292bb97 $ 7 An Israeli startup is tied to rogue AI hacks at OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta Irregular’s tests allowed the models to access the public internet. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/09/israeli-startup-irregular-linked-to-ai-hacks-openai-anthropic-meta.html 8 NASA is flying into wildfire storms to understand them The mission will study their effects on fires and the atmosphere. Economist https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/08/09/nasa-takes-aim-at-fire-storms $ 9 A chatbot-free childhood may become a status symbol AI is like ultra-processed food for developing brains. Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/08/ultra-processed-childhood-ai/688217/?utm source=feed $ + Are chatbots making us lose control of our brains? MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/05/1138427/are-ai-chatbots-making-us-lose-control-of-our-brains/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 10 MySpace is eyeing a comeback as an “antidote” to social media fatigue But the nostalgic plan looks like a long shot. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g64152v71o Quote of the day “It’s the humans that we need to watch out for. AI is just the tool.” —Oren Etzioni, professor emeritus at the University of Washington and former CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, tells CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/09/tech/ai-cybersecurity-people that people are still the main threats in cybersecurity. One More Thing Meet the man building a starter kit for civilization Meet the man building a starter kit for civilization Marcin Jakubowski lives in a house he designed and built himself. He relies on the sun for power, heats his home with a woodstove, and farms his own fish and vegetables. Jakubowski is the founder of Open Source Ecology, a collection of 50 machines capable of building civilization from scratch. It includes everything from a tractor to an oven to a circuit maker, all designed to be reconfigured however you see fit. The ultimate goal is a “zero marginal cost” society, where producing an additional unit of a good or service costs little to nothing. Jakubowski hopes to get there by eradicating licensing fees, decentralizing manufacturing, and fostering collaboration through education. Take a look inside his starter kit for civilization https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/16/1125146/civilization-start-kit-open-source-essential-machines/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Tiffany Ng 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 . + A rhythmic doggie https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaGnUJegHUw/ is proving that not only humans can play the drums. + Catch a glimpse of the internet’s future at the Awwwards https://www.awwwards.com/ , the Oscars of web design. + Explore the ocean year-round with this immersive experience https://nautiluslive.org/ of the Nautilus vessel’s expeditions. + Earth once or twice had supermountains. This fascinating video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUDvZYXxMuQ explores their links to evolutionary shifts in the history of life. Deep Dive The Download The Download: Claude’s inner workings and OpenAI’s “super app” Plus: OpenAI has unveiled its long-awaited "super app." The Download: Claude’s inner workings, and the future of world models Plus: New York has become the first state to enact a data center moratorium. The Download: the future of chipmaking and Anthropic’s government clash Plus: Meta is pausing an AI training program that tracks workers’ keystrokes. The Download: a reality check for geoengineering and the science of interoception Plus: SpaceX is now valued higher than Amazon. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.