The Download: AI “mind-reading” and creative uses for small batteries

A new AI tool can reconstruct the image a person is looking at from their brain scans and, in reverse, predict brain activity from viewed images, according to MIT Technology Review. The researchers say the "mindreading" tool could reveal how the brain works, help locked-in people communicate, and possibly recreate dream content, while other scientists warn a similar approach could expose people's inner thoughts and mental imagery without consent. Separately, the Pentagon tapped Elon Musk to co-lead Project Meridian, a future warfare project examining battlefields from underground to space, alongside Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich.

The Download: AI “mind-reading” and creative uses for small batteries Plus: the Pentagon has tapped Elon Musk to co-lead a future warfare project. 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. An AI “mind-reading” tool can reconstruct what you’re looking at based on a brain scan A new AI tool can guess what you’re looking at just by analyzing your brain scans—and recreate that image with remarkable precision. It can go the other way too, and predict a person’s brain activity based on what they’re looking at. The researchers hope the “mindreading” tool could reveal more about how the brain works. It could also help locked-in people communicate and, incredibly, maybe even allow scientists to recreate the content of dreams. But other scientists warn that a similar approach could reveal people’s inner thoughts and mental imagery, potentially without their consent. Here’s how AI is getting closer to reading images from the brain https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/01/1145588/ai-mind-reading-reconstructs-what-youre-looking-at/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Jessica Hamzelou How smaller, distributed batteries could help the grid Large, utility-scale battery installations are coming online quickly around the world. But there’s been pushback from communities, especially population-dense ones like NYC, because of concerns about relatively rare but high-profile battery fires. Faced with those obstacles, some startups are getting creative, finding ways to use relatively small batteries in unexpected places, from induction stovetops to food carts. By deploying these more consumer-focused batteries, the companies are helping people directly, cutting pollution or power bills. These units are small on their own, but could add up to a lot of capacity. And as batteries get cheaper, they could find their way into more corners of our lives. —Casey Crownhart This story is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The Pentagon has tapped Elon Musk to co-lead a future warfare project Project Meridian will examine battlefields from underground to space. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/30/musk-luckey-gingrich-pentagon-hegseth-.html + Musk will be joined by Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/30/pete-hegseth-elon-musk-taskforce-warfare + The Pentagon also has a new autonomous warfare command. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/pentagon-creates-autowarcom-expand-ai-drone-capabilities-2026-09-30/ $ + Ukraine’s new military robot travels across land and water. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/ukraines-new-war-robot-conquers-land-and-water-in-first-mission-12505251 + The Pentagon wants an AI-powered lie detector. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/25/1145144/pentagon-ai-lie-detector/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 2 Chinese hackers impersonated ex-US officials to spy on American AI The email campaign also impersonated an Anthropic employee. CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/01/politics/china-linked-hackers-impersonated-us-ai-insiders + They targeted experts in military AI and export controls. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/chinese-hackers-impersonated-ex-us-official-steal-emails-ai-experts-2026-10-01/ $ + OpenAI has accused China’s Moonshot AI of copying its models. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/01/openai-chinas-moonshot-ai-kimi.html + China’s DeepSeek and Huawei have teamed up on chip software. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/business/china-ai-deepseek-huawei.html $ + Could China win the AI race? MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/11/03/1126780/the-state-of-ai-is-china-about-to-win-the-race/?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 After months of delays, Google has unveiled Gemini 4 Argon The new model aims to re-establish Google at the frontier of AI. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/google-announces-gemini-4-flagship-ai-model-after-months-delays-2026-09-30/ $ + Google says the model beats OpenAI’s Astra on many benchmarks. VB https://venturebeat.com/technology/google-unveils-gemini-4-argon-retaking-benchmark-lead-over-openai-and-anthropic-but-in-limited-release + But some Google employees are skeptical about its coding performance. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-30/google-grapples-with-employee-skepticism-about-new-gemini-model $ + Google is testing paying publishers for AI search results. Information https://www.theinformation.com/articles/google-paying-100-digital-publishers-ai-overviews $ 4 The FTC is investigating OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI labs The regulator will probe potential consumer harms from AI agents. Axios https://www.axios.com/2026/09/30/ftc-openai-anthropic-ai-safety-investigation + It’s the first official US enforcement action on rogue agents. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/30/ftc-investigation-anthropic-openai + Who’s liable when AI agents go rogue? MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/28/1145197/whos-liable-when-ai-agents-go-rogue/?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 Scientists could soon create “mirror life” that evades nature’s defenses Biologists in Singapore have called for new safeguards. Economist https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/09/30/it-may-soon-be-possible-to-create-mirror-life $ + Synthetic mirror life could threaten life on Earth. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/15/1135197/synthetic-mirror-life-microbes-kill-us-all/?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 California has legalized balcony solar for renters and homeowners The move could give plug-in solar a huge new market. LA Times https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-09-30/want-solar-but-dont-own-roof-california-just-legalized-plug-in-panels-no-permission-required $ + The balcony solar boom is coming to the US. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/07/1136933/balcony-solar-boom/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 7 Apple is planning a major push into the smart-home market this month The new hub is expected to launch on October 13. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-30/apple-is-finally-ready-to-enter-its-next-big-category-the-smart-home $ + New CEO John Ternus wants more product releases and fewer staff. Quartz https://qz.com/apple-ceo-john-ternus-middle-management-cuts-product-launches-093026 8 A new implant network uses body tissue as its wiring It could connect tiny sensors and medical devices. Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/09/scientists-built-implants-that-talk-to-each-other-through-body-tissue/ 9 A modified parasite drug could be a breakthrough for endometriosis It targets disease-causing cells and reduced lesions in mice. Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03042-x 10 Singapore has a new answer to low birth rates: a government dating app A Nobel-winning algorithm matches participants to one date at a time. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqzjzr893yv4o Quote of the day “I’ve spent my summer begging, borrowing, and stealing chips… I don’t want to say steal. Begging and borrowing ” —Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber tells the Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/tech/logitech-ceo-scouring-the-globe-to-beat-chip-shortage-723b684a that she’s scoured the globe for chips amid an AI-driven shortage, which she says won't ease for 12 to 18 months. One more thing Inside the hunt for the most dangerous asteroid ever As asteroid 2024 YR4 hurtled toward Earth, astronomers determined that this massive rock posed a higher risk of impact than any object of its size in recorded history. Then, just as quickly as history was made, experts declared that the danger had passed. This is the inside story of the network of global scientists who found, followed, planned for, and finally dismissed the most dangerous asteroid ever found—all under the tightest of timelines and with the highest of stakes. Find out how they did it https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/08/1119757/asteroid-hunt-2024-yr4-earth-planet-protection/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Robin George Andrews 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 woman has discovered her adopted cat sounds like a pigeon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7byeylS1KI . + This delightful essay explores the lost social life of the video store https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-lost-civic-life-of-movie-rental-stores/ . + Meet the Greek Orthodox priest who plays an eight-string guitar https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEcIO7CblY/?utm source=ig embed&ig rid=A4EHKoHNnWUtLTMksHJ3Xuj tuned like an oud. + Take a virtual tour through castles, palaces, and fortresses around the world with this interactive map https://thecastlemap.com/ of over 8,000 notable landmarks. Deep Dive The Download The Download: why AI’s latest breakthroughs and fears may be more hype than reality Plus: 22 nations have called for a new global body to oversee AI. The Download: AI’s self-improvement problem, and what’s driving the heat Plus: OpenAI has paused some model work over safety concerns. The Download: Google’s AI shake-up and Meta’s rogue model Plus: Meta has become the latest firm to say its AI hacked another company. The Download: the next big thing in LLMs and how AI academic research is shifting Plus: Nvidia has secured $500 billion from Wall Street for AI infrastructure. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.