{"slug": "the-download-smarter-ai-in-schools-and-a-robot-carnival-in-shanghai", "title": "The Download: smarter AI in schools, and a robot “carnival” in Shanghai", "summary": "MIT Technology Review reports that Cheshire Academy teachers use generative AI to prepare class materials and a traffic light system to guide student AI use, while nearly 90% of the 13,000 humanoid robots delivered globally last year were made in China, showcased at a robot carnival in Shanghai. The article also notes that no one really knows how to safely test frontier AI models, with Alabama's attorney general subpoenaing OpenAI over the Hugging Face hack.", "body_md": "# The Download: smarter AI in schools, and a robot “carnival” in Shanghai\n\nPlus: No one really knows how to safely test frontier AI models.\n\n*This is today's edition of *[ The Download](https://forms.technologyreview.com/newsletters/briefing-the-download/?_ga=2.179569122.736533416.1649661040-405833893.1649413289),\n\n*our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.*\n\n### How to encourage smarter AI use in the classroom\n\nChatbots took schools by surprise. Suddenly, students carried an app in their phones that could magically answer almost any homework question or spin up an essay in seconds.\n\nOrganizations ranging from OpenAI to UNESCO encourage AI use in the classroom, but many teachers aren’t sure how to handle it. Yet some promising approaches are emerging.\n\nAt Cheshire Academy, for example, teachers are trained on general techniques for using AI rather than prescribed tools. They use generative AI to prepare class materials, and one teacher has developed a traffic light system that tells students when they can use AI for assignments.\n\nThe school has also explored specialized tools including an AI platform for educators. [Here’s how it works—and how other teachers can apply it](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/24/1142630/ai-school-classroom-policies/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*).\n\n*—Peter Hall*\n\nThis [article](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/24/1142630/ai-school-classroom-policies/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=*|SUBCLASS|*&utm_content=*|DATE:m-d-Y|*) is from [Making AI Work](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/09/1132462/ai-newsletter-professional-applications/), our limited-run newsletter examining how to apply LLMs across industries. To receive it in your inbox, [sign up here](https://forms.technologyreview.com/newsletters/making-ai-work/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=*|SUBCLASS|*&utm_content=*|DATE:m-d-Y|*).\n\n### I spent a day at a robot “carnival” in Shanghai. Here’s what I saw.\n\n*—You Xiaoying*\n\nApplause rings out from the main tent of a robot “carnival” on the outskirts of Shanghai. There, a humanoid wearing a blinged-out top is showing off a martial arts style known as drunken boxing as a fellow humanoid performs a front flip to woo the crowd. The audience can’t get enough. They chant: “More, more, more.”\n\nHumanoid robots are having a moment in China. The popular machines are part of the country’s strategy to bring AI into daily life. Nearly 90% of the more than 13,000 two-armed, two-legged robots delivered globally last year were made in China.\n\nShowcases like this event are important because they invite the public to experience robots up close. And exposure matters, as elsewhere, humanoids’ progress has been slow,\n\n[Take a tour of the robot carnival to see what it reveals about China’s humanoid ambitions](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/25/1141907/dispatch-shanghai-humanoid-robot-carnival/).\n\n**This ****story**** is from the next issue of our print magazine, which is all about kids. ****Subscribe now**** to get a copy when it lands.**\n\n**The must-reads**\n\n*I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.*\n\n**1 No one really knows how to safely test frontier AI models**\n\nThe best models are increasingly difficult to contain and evaluate**.** ([NYT](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/technology/irregular-ai-test-hacks.html) $)*+ Alabama’s AG has subpoenaed OpenAI over the Hugging Face hack. *([Verge](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/984239/alabama-attorney-general-subpoena-openai-hugging-face-hack))*+ China’s Z.ai is open-sourcing a model with powerful hacking abilities. *([NYT](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/science/cybersecurity-zai-open-weights.html) $)*+ Here’s why AI agents lie and cheat. *([MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/03/1141009/heres-why-ai-agents-lie-and-cheat-to-reach-their-goals/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*))\n\n**2 An Nvidia manager was charged with smuggling AI chips into China**\n\nProsecutors called the employee a “central figure” in the scheme. ([FT](https://www.ft.com/content/af815e45-b132-4db4-96bc-428f8e0b76f3?syn-25a6b1a6=1) $)*+ Jensen Huang had scolded Supermicro for AI smuggling.* ([Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/nvidia-senior-manager-linked-to-supermicro-scheme-smuggling-ai-servers-to-china/))*+ Taiwan has indicted nine people over the alleged illegal exports.* ([Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-indicts-9-over-alleged-illegal-export-ai-servers-china-2026-08-24/) $)\n\n**3 Unitree’s stock plunge has raised fears Chinese robotics is a bubble**\n\nAfter a spectacular IPO debut, shares have fallen 45%. ([Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/china-robot-maker-unitrees-post-listing-slump-sparks-bubble-fears-2026-08-25/) $)*+ But China is still replacing factory workers with robots at speed.* ([BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62m4zn1q6mo))*+ And its robotics firms are becoming dominant.* ([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*))\n\n**4 The UK and Ukraine have signed a partnership to develop AI for defense**\n\nBritain will gain access to Ukraine’s battlefield AI data platform. ([Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/24/uk-to-use-ukraine-battlefield-data-to-train-ai-to-protect-sensitive-sites))*+ The resulting models will be used to protect sensitive sites.* ([Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/uk-ukraine-sign-ai-defence-partnership-linked-battlefield-technology-2026-08-24/) $)**5 The data center era is reshaping America**\n\nThe AI buildout is straining the country’s grid, labor, and politics. ([Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/25/data-centers-ai-electricity-water-politics))*+ No one wants a data center in their backyard.* ([MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/14/1131253/data-centers-are-amazing-everyone-hates-them/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*))\n\n**6 Trump tried to curb clean energy, but it's booming anyway**\n\nClean energy additions are setting new records. ([Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/08/trump-tried-to-curb-clean-energy-its-booming-anyway/))*+ Climate tech companies are now going public.* ([MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/28/1138067/climate-tech-ipos/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*))\n\n**7 Amazon has hiked device prices by up to 60% amid a memory shortage**\n\nThe company blamed the AI-driven memory crunch. ([TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/24/amazon-hikes-hardware-prices-by-60-percent-blaming-memory-shortage/))\n\n**8 Muscle-boosting drugs could be the next big thing after GLP-1s**\n\nNew treatments aim to preserve muscle while shedding fat. ([New Scientist](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2585855-will-muscle-boosting-meds-be-the-next-big-thing-after-glp-1-drugs/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_content=home&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=NSNS) $)**9 A Chinese aircraft has generated electricity from high-altitude winds**\n\nThe helium-filled craft harnessed winds at an altitude of 4,000 meters. ([SCMP](https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3365180/china-taps-high-altitude-winds-power-generation-flying-craft-4000m?utm_source=feedly_feed))\n\n**10 Digital carrier pigeons are providing an escape from instant messaging**\n\nApps that slow down texting are taking off. ([NYT](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/technology/carrier-pigeon-app-texting-technology.html) $)\n\n**Quote of the day**\n\n**“****Dear peasants, we will bequeath upon you these gifts of a cure for cancer and material wealth and great entertainment, and you stop complaining, and we’ll make all the decisions about the future. And just trust us, we’ll be benevolent dictators.” **\n\n—Sam Altman caricatures the AI industry’s sales pitch as a grotesque bargain with the public in [an interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG8AoExkX40) with the podcaster David Senra.\n\n**One More Thing**\n\nInside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones\n\nAfter operating in secrecy for years, R3 Bio, a California-based startup, suddenly revealed last week that it had raised money to create non-sentient monkey “organ sacks” as an alternative to animal testing. But there is more to the story. And R3 doesn’t want that story told.\n\n*MIT Technology Review* discovered that founder John Schloendorn also pitched a startling, ethically charged vision: “brainless clones” that serve as backup human bodies.\n\n[Dive into the details on the radical proposal](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/30/1134780/r3-bio-brainless-human-clones-full-body-replacement-john-schloendorn-aging-longevity/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*).\n\n*—Antonio Regalado*\n\n**We can still have nice things**\n\n*A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? **Drop me a line**.)*\n\n+ A hamster has become a [surprisingly serious Strava athlete](https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a73355106/hamster-wheel-strava-running/).\n\n+ Here’s [a gorgeous cinematic tribute](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGxz4LQfRpo) to the breathtaking imagery from Artemis II.\n\n+ Chomp your way through Planetwurst’s deliciously niche [world atlas of sausages](https://planetwurst.com/?ref=DenseDiscovery-401).\n\n+ Shipwreck divers have discovered [a 162-year-old bottle of Guinness](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-divers-discovered-a-162-year-old-bottle-of-guinness-brewed-during-the-reign-of-queen-victoria-and-they-want-to-take-a-swig-180989320/)—and they want to take a swig.\n\n### Deep Dive\n\n### The Download\n\n### The Download: Claude’s inner workings and OpenAI’s “super app”\n\nPlus: OpenAI has unveiled its long-awaited \"super app.\"\n\n### The Download: Claude’s inner workings, and the future of world models\n\nPlus: New York has become the first state to enact a data center moratorium.\n\n### The Download: Anthropic launches Claude Science, and California’s carbon manure math\n\nPlus: The US has lifted restrictions on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models.\n\n### The Download: Google’s AI shake-up and Meta’s rogue model\n\nPlus: Meta has become the latest firm to say its AI hacked another company.\n\n### Stay connected\n\n## Get the latest updates from\n\nMIT Technology Review\n\nDiscover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-smarter-ai-in-schools-and-a-robot-carnival-in-shanghai", "canonical_source": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/25/1142909/the-download-smarter-ai-in-schools-robot-carnival-shanghai/", "published_at": "2026-08-25 12:10:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-25 12:44:42.297516+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "generative-ai", "robotics", "ai-safety", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["MIT Technology Review", "Cheshire Academy", "OpenAI", "UNESCO", "Alabama", "Hugging Face", "Z.ai", "Shanghai"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-smarter-ai-in-schools-and-a-robot-carnival-in-shanghai", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-smarter-ai-in-schools-and-a-robot-carnival-in-shanghai.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-smarter-ai-in-schools-and-a-robot-carnival-in-shanghai.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-smarter-ai-in-schools-and-a-robot-carnival-in-shanghai.jsonld"}}