The Download: metric weaknesses and AI elephant warnings

The US government has allowed Anthropic to release its Mythos 5 AI model to approximately 100 trusted US companies and federal agencies, reversing previous restrictions over national security concerns. Meanwhile, a Chinese AI model from Zhipu AI has matched Mythos in cybersecurity bug detection, raising alarms that US restrictions may be boosting China's progress.

The Download: metric weaknesses and AI elephant warnings Plus: The US has allowed Anthropic to release Mythos 5 to “trusted” orgs. 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. The inevitable weakness of metrics There are plenty of useful things a metric can reveal. There are even more that it can obscure or corrupt. Like a lot of people bitten by the self-quantifying bug, I started gathering personal data to pursue a nebulous collection of goals and desires. I wanted to feel better physically and emotionally, get outside more, and bring order to the messiness and uncertainty of my daily existence. But external metrics and data can never capture what's truly important. Worse, they inevitably redefine your core sense of what's important, whether you're aware of the trap or not. Dive into the dangers of quantifying our lives with metrics https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/19/1138778/inevitable-weakness-metrics-quantified-life-book-review/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Bryan Gardiner This story is from the next edition of our magazine, which is all about engineering. Subscribe now to get a copy when it lands Elephant alert AI warning systems aim to avoid deadly clashes India is home to about 60% of the world’s wild Asian elephants, and around 80% of their habitat lies outside protected areas. That brings them into close contact with people, and clashes can turn lethal: there have been some 3,000 human casualties in the last five years and over 1,000 elephant deaths since 2014. In response, state forest departments, NGOs, and locals are designing, testing, and deploying a range of AI systems that cut response and warning times to minutes—or even seconds. They range from wildlife eyes in Maharashtra to infrared drones in Chhattisgarh. —Kanika Gupta The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The US has allowed Anthropic to release Mythos 5 to “trusted” orgs About 100 US companies and federal agencies now have access. Semafor https://www.semafor.com/article/06/27/2026/us-releases-powerful-anthropic-model-mythos-to-some-us-companies + The White House said appropriate safeguards were now in place. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/trump-administration-rolls-back-part-of-anthropic-model-ban-e8284434 $ + The US had restricted both models over national security concerns. BBC http://bbc.com/news/articles/c932g3v3e13o + Which raised new questions about AI safety. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/22/1139424/three-things-to-watch-amid-anthropics-latest-feud-with-the-government/?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 A Chinese AI model has matched Mythos in finding security bugs Security researchers say Zhipu AI is poised to reset the AI race. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chinese-ai-anthropic-mythos-cybersecurity-574b02c2?mod=tech lead pos5 $ + It’s sparked alarm that US restrictions are boosting China's progress. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/technology/zai-china-artificial-intelligence-models.html $ + Although it still can’t match Anthropic or OpenAI on general tasks. Verge http://v + In the AI race, China is eyeing a come-from-behind victory. WP https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/06/26/ai-race-china-aims-be-tortoise-with-come-from-behind-win-over-us/ $ 3 Apple is seeking approval to buy chips from a blacklisted Chinese firm It’s lobbying the White House for clearance to buy from ChangXin. FT https://www.ft.com/content/d72a25e2-7bde-4aa9-bd8d-0c4f3d6cb2cb?syn-25a6b1a6=1 $ + ChangXin is on a Pentagon list of firms with Chinese military ties. WP https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/01/06/pentagon-blacklist-china-technology-ev/ $ + Chipmakers are profiting off AI at the expense of everyone else. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chip-makers-are-profiting-off-ai-at-the-expense-of-just-about-everyone-else-fe893bdd?mod=tech lead pos4 $ + The US is banning imports of more Chinese technology. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-launches-new-chinese-tech-crackdown-will-ban-some-imports-2026-06-26/ $ + But Chinese tech companies feel optimistic. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/12/1131193/ces-showed-me-why-chinese-tech-companies-feel-so-optimistic/?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. South Korea plans to train its entire military as “drone warriors” It wants to train all 500,000 personnel. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-expand-drone-forces-train-500000-operators-ministry-says-2026-06-26/ $ + And produce 110,000 drones by 2029. Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/south-korea-plans-to-train-entire-military-as-drone-warriors/ 5 Google has limited Meta’s use of its Gemini AI models Meta wanted more compute than Google could provide. FT https://www.ft.com/content/c5d52f72-71ef-40bc-bad3-61afdba8b378?syn-25a6b1a6=1 $ + The cap has disrupted and delayed some Meta AI projects. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-28/google-caps-meta-s-use-of-gemini-ai-financial-times-reports $ 6 Zuckerberg wants Meta to work with Polymarket and Kalshi Meta wants its own prediction market, but without real-money bets. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/technology/zuckerberg-meta-polymarket-kalshi.html $ + The partnerships could hedge risks and accelerate development. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/zuckerberg-asks-meta-explore-working-with-polymarket-kalshi-nyt-reports-2026-06-26/ $ 7 Extreme heat is putting already hot data centers under pressure Severe weather is now the leading cause of loss for data centers. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/29/ai-data-centers-heatwave-climate-risk-weather.html + Heat waves also mess with your brain. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/26/1139760/heat-waves-mess-with-your-brain-scientists-are-trying-to-figure-out-why/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 8 Android phones alerted millions moments before Venezuela’s earthquakes They gave users between seconds and up to two minutes’ notice. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/27/world/americas/venezuela-earthquakes-android-alerts.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share $ 9 Scientists think Uranus and Neptune may not be the icy giants we imagined They may have a magma ocean brewing on the inside. Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/scientists-think-uranus-and-neptune-may-not-be-the-ice-giants-we-imagined-2000778382 10 Too much sleep may be as harmful as too little A new study suggests 6.4–7.8 hours is the sweet spot. Economist https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/06/26/is-too-much-sleep-as-bad-as-too-little $ Quote of the day “This kind of powerful weapon that can alter the landscape of cyberwarfare can’t remain solely in American hands.” —360 Security CEO Zhou Hongyi tells a cybersecurity conference in Beijing why Chinese AI firms need to match the capabilities of their rivals in the US, The Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chinese-ai-anthropic-mythos-cybersecurity-574b02c2 reports. One More Thing Why Generation Z falls for online misinformation Why Generation Z falls for online misinformation Research shows that young people are more likely to believe and pass on misinformation if they feel a sense of common identity with the person who shared it in the first place. Offline, teenagers are likely to draw on the context that their communities provide. Social media, however, promotes credibility based on identity rather than community. And when trust is built on identity, authority shifts to influencers. As young people participate in more political discussions online, those who have successfully cultivated identity-based credibility could become de facto community leaders, attracting like-minded people and steering the conversation. While that has the potential to empower marginalized groups, it also exacerbates the threat of misinformation. Find out what we can all learn about how young people evaluate truth online https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/06/30/1026338/gen-z-online-misinformation/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Jennifer Neda John 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 Euclid space telescope has captured the most detailed image yet of the Milky Way https://www.engadget.com/2201136/european-space-agency-euclid-captures-the-star-filled-center-of-the-milky-way/ . + Here’s a lovely, lilting medieval bardcore cover of Daft Punk's electronic classic Veridis Quo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doFb4uNGfsY&time continue=4&source ve path=MjM4NTE&embeds referring euri=https%3A%2F%2Fkottke.org%2F . + A toilet plunger becomes an unlikely engineering breakthrough in this quest to build a better blowgun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycLc5omx9fQ&utm source=chatgpt.com . Deep Dive The Download 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: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains Plus: Anthropic has called for a global slowdown in AI development. The Download: keeping up with AI, and the future of IVF Plus: NASA unveiled plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this year. 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.