The Download: keeping up with AI, and the future of IVF

MIT Technology Review released a list of 10 key AI trends at its EmTech AI event, aiming to help readers navigate the rapid pace of developments in artificial intelligence. Separately, the publication reported on new technologies, including AI and robotics, that are being developed to improve the slow, painful, and expensive IVF process. NASA also announced plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this year.

The Download: keeping up with AI, and the future of IVF Plus: NASA unveiled plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this year. 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. Stay on top of what’s going on in AI this summer Here at MIT Technology Review, we understand exactly how relentless the pace of news from the world of artificial intelligence feels . New models and capabilities crop up as fast as we can cover them, and the ripple effects they send through tech and wider society are never far behind. Our unique strength lies in cutting through the day-to-day noise to help you understand what’s really happening, and what lies around the corner. That’s why we created our list of 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135643/10-ai-artificial-intelligence-trends-technologies-research-2026/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C , unveiled at our flagship AI event EmTech AI a few weeks back check the list out https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135643/10-ai-artificial-intelligence-trends-technologies-research-2026/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C if you haven’t already And it’s why we publish so many stories dedicated to explaining how AI works https://www.technologyreview.com/tag/tech-review-explains/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C , and what's coming next https://www.technologyreview.com/tag/whats-next-in-tech/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . We also regularly run live subscriber-only Roundtables 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 events—you can still catch up on last week’s session https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/21/1137756/roundtables-can-ai-learn-to-understand-the-world/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C , where we explored how AI might enter the physical realm via world models. Right now, there’s a 25% discount on subscriptions. Sign up now https://www.technologyreview.com/subscribe?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C to deepen your understanding of AI this summer. You can also join the conversation by subscribing to The Algorithm https://forms.technologyreview.com/newsletters/ai-demystified-the-algorithm/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C , our free weekly newsletter all about the latest in AI. MIT Technology Review Narrated: what’s next for IVF IVF has brought millions of babies into the world over the last four decades. But the process can still be slow, painful, and expensive—and far from guaranteed to work. Now, a wave of new technologies aims to change that https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/07/1136946/whats-next-for-ivf-ai-robot-pgt-gene-editing/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . Researchers are using AI to identify promising sperm and embryos, developing robotic systems that could automate parts of the IVF process, and even exploring controversial genetic editing techniques designed to prevent inherited disease. The technologies could make IVF more effective and accessible. But they’re also raising difficult ethical questions about how far reproductive medicine should go. —Jessica Hamzelou This is our latest story to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts . Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 NASA unveiled plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this year They’re part of preparations for a crewed landing in 2028. The Verge https://www.theverge.com/science/937775/nasa-moon-base-moonfall-updates + And steps to build the first lunar base at the Moon’s south pole. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasa-announces-moon-missions-prepare-build-base-rcna346349 + Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin will lead the first uncrewed mission. WP https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/05/26/nasa-picks-blue-origin-deliver-lunar-rovers-moon/ $ + NASA is building the first nuclear reactor-powered spacecraft. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/14/1135848/nasa-nuclear-powered-spacecraft/?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 Samsung’s largest unions have approved a landmark bonus scheme The deal averts a massive strike at the world’s largest memory-chip maker. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/samsung-electronics-union-approves-bonus-pay-deal-d0f7d9ca $ + Chip workers will get an average bonus of about $340,000. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-27/samsung-union-votes-in-favor-of-deal-averting-chip-plant-strike?srnd=phx-technology $ + The dispute centered on who profits from the AI boom. BI https://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-ai-chip-trillion-dollar-boom-profit-sharing-worker-strike-2026-5 + Resistance to AI is growing. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135665/resistance-ai-artificial-intelligence-backlash-protests/?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 Elon Musk accused the Pentagon of misusing Starlink for drones He says military use of the system violates SpaceX rules. Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/musk-says-us-military-suicide-drones-used-starlink-in-violation-of-spacex-rules/ + The DoD is disputing a Starlink price hike during the Iran war. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/pentagon-spars-with-spacex-over-starlink-price-hike-during-iran-war-2026-05-26/ $ + Stratospheric internet could take off this year. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/27/1131780/stratospheric-internet-take-off/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 4 China has overhauled the world’s biggest surveillance network with AI Beijing is pushing law enforcement towards predictive policing. FT https://www.ft.com/content/f8fa4739-4359-4720-af77-9be1e8370f82 $ + Police use of smart glasses is also booming in China . Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/police-in-china-sure-love-smart-glasses-2000763598 + LLMs could supercharge mass surveillance. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135919/ai-surveillance-privacy-llms-bulk-data/?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 Space Force is awarding SpaceX $2 billion for a military data network It will connect military sensors and weapons platforms worldwide. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/science/us-space-force-awards-spacex-229-billion-contract-military-space-data-network-2026-05-26/ $ + The contract comes amid concerns about SpaceX’s AI business. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/spacexs-ai-pursuits-have-yet-to-take-off-3c25e91e?mod=tech lead story $ + Speculation is growing around a possible SpaceX-Tesla merger. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/26/spacex-tesla-merger-chatter-reignites-as-musk-rocket-company-nears-ipo.html 6 Taiwan suspects Nvidia chips were smuggled to China via Japan To circumvent US restrictions. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-27/taiwan-said-to-suspect-nvidia-chips-smuggled-to-china-via-japan?srnd=phx-technology $ + Is China about to 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 7 Booming AI chip demand has created two new $1 trillion companies South Korea's SK Hynix and the US’ Micron have hit the landmark. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnvp9dq0p3go 8 AI has sparked a surge in demand for cybersecurity experts Thanks to a glut of new code and alarm over powerful models. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/technology/ai-cybersecurity-jobs.html $ + AI is making online swindles 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= |SUBCLASS| &utm content= |DATE:m-d-Y| 9 Internet is coming back in Iran after a three-month blackout Although it isn’t clear if the reconnection is permanent. Wired https://www.wired.com/story/internet-in-iran-starts-to-return-after-3-month-blackout/ $ 10 Physicists are rethinking the role of gravity in quantum mechanics There’s a new theory for how our everyday world emerges. New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2526507-does-gravity-create-reality-a-shocking-path-to-a-theory-of-everything/ $ Quote of the day “AI and its capabilities represent something analogous to the Second Coming.” —Jeremy Nixon, the cofounder of AGI House and a former Google Brain researcher, tells the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/technology/pope-leo-ai-religion.html how Silicon Valley’s innovations could affect the pope. One More Thing Inside the experimental world of animal infrastructure Inside the experimental world of animal infrastructure In the mid-2000s, toads were meeting a gruesome end near Ede, a leafy old town in the Netherlands. Residents responded by building wildlife tunnels beneath the road to help them reach their breeding ponds safely. The crossings became popular. But a few years later, researchers found the local toad population had crashed from more than 10,000 to fewer than 1,000. The case reflects a wider global push to build wildlife crossings and other forms of “animal infrastructure.” But do they actually help animal populations recover? Read the full story to find out https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/06/16/1053631/inside-animal-infrastructure/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Matthew Ponsford 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 . + The votes for “ International Mollusc of the Year https://moty.senckenberg.science/en/ ” are finally in. + Track aircraft in real time across a gorgeous 3D digital globe https://aeris.edbn.me/city/sfo?ref=DenseDiscovery-386 using live flight data. + NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has delivered breathtaking new close-up images of Mars https://www.nasa.gov/missions/psyche-mission/nasas-psyche-mission-aces-mars-flyby-targets-metal-rich-asteroid/ . + This deep dive into instant coffee https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/the-creation-of-instant-coffee reveals the extraordinary engineering effort behind making it vaguely drinkable. Deep Dive The Download The Download: DeepSeek’s latest AI breakthrough, and the race to build world models Plus: China has blocked Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus. The Download: introducing the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now Plus: An unauthorized group has reportedly accessed Anthropic’s Mythos. The Download: supercharged scams and studying AI healthcare Plus: DeepSeek has unveiled its long-awaited new AI model. The Download: inside the Musk v. Altman trial, and AI for democracy Plus: the Pentagon has struck sweeping AI deals for classified work. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.