The Download: the Kids issue arrives, and Bill Gates reveals his AI fears

MIT Technology Review has released a special 'Kids issue' exploring how childhood is changing in the age of AI, featuring contributions from the teen magazine Anyway and exclusive fiction from AI ethicist Jenny Williams. The issue addresses topics such as kids' feelings about AI, the death of a child's robot best friend, and whether monitoring apps keep children safe online, amid a global trend of banning children from social media and schools ditching iPads for books.

The Download: the Kids issue arrives, and Bill Gates reveals his AI fears Plus: Trump’s EPA aims to exempt data centers from disclosing air pollution. 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. Introducing: the Kids issue If the desire to limit kids' use of technology was once a subcurrent, it has become a raging flood. Countries around the world are banning children from social media. Schools across the US are ditching iPads and Chromebooks for actual books. Kids themselves seem to be embracing this tech skepticism too: the hottest gadget for Gen Alpha is a vintage Sony Walkman. A surprising—maybe troubling—number of people who work in big tech also keep their kids at arm’s distance from technology. They lock down their phones, if they have phones at all, and keep them off social media. Hell, even Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t publicly post his children’s faces on Facebook or Instagram. Yet there is no hiding from technology. It permeates nearly everything, everywhere. We have to prepare our children to live in the actual world we have actually created, not the one we wish we had. How can we help kids survive and thrive in what we have wrought? That's what the new Kids issue https://www.technologyreview.com/magazines/the-kids-issue/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C of MIT Technology Review is all about. With the help of the editors of Anyway https://anywaymag.com/ , a fantastic magazine for teens and tweens, we explore how young people really feel about AI https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/13/1141410/how-kids-feel-about-ai-own-words/?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 support networks helping kids through the polycrisis https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/20/1141686/support-networks-help-kids-polycrisis/?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 happens when a child's robot best friend dies https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/17/1141568/moxie-when-kids-robot-best-friend-dies/?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 ask why kids outlearn AI https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/24/1141740/kids-machines-language-learning/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C , whether monitoring apps are really keeping children safe online https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/19/1141623/child-monitoring-apps-need-reboot/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C , how schools can encourage smarter AI use https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/24/1142630/ai-school-classroom-policies/ , and what happens when technology begins to reshape childhood itself, courtesy of exclusive new fiction https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/21/1141726/mother-tongue-fiction/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C from author and AI ethicist Jenny Williams. Together, these stories examine how childhood is changing in an age of AI—and how we can help kids navigate the world we've made. Subscribe 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 read the print issue in full. Bill Gates says we’ve passed AI’s danger thresholds. Now what? —Mat Honan It’s a glorious day in Kirkland, Washington, an affluent Seattle suburb on the eastern shore of Lake Washington. The temperature is in the mid-80s, the sky is incapable of being any more blue, and the view is gorgeous. And vaguely terrifying. Because if the scene is placid, the messenger is not. Seated across from me at a conference room table, Bill Gates is rocking back and forth in his chair. And the more he has to say—about the threats of terror or economic collapse or just losing control of our AI systems—the more agitated I find myself becoming, too. The philanthropist and former Microsoft CEO says he has been growing increasingly alarmed by the rate at which AI technology is advancing, especially since guardrails are not keeping pace. “We’ve crossed the threshold in terms of AI’s bio-capabilities, cyber-capabilities, psychosocial capabilities, job-market-destruction capabilities, and even the lack of control,” he said. “I’m just stunned at the lack of concern and discussion outside of the industry.” The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Trump’s EPA aims to exempt data centers from disclosing air pollution The EPA would also remove requirements for public input. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/climate/epa-data-centers-public-comment.html $ + The move is likely intended to curb criticism and oversight. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/25/datacenters-air-pollution-epa + Texas’s attorney general has joined the data-center backlash. WP https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/08/24/ken-paxton-unveils-anti-data-center-plan-gop-voter-anger-mounts-texas/ $ + We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1116327/ai-energy-usage-climate-footprint-big-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 2 SpaceX plans $100 billion launch site in Louisiana—its largest yet Construction of the “Starbase, Louisiana” project is due to start next year. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5xel4v642o + It would be SpaceX’s second private launch site, after the original Starbase. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/technology/spacex-louisiana-spaceport.html $ + The company said it will “support thousands of launches” annually. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/25/spacex-louisiana-spaceport.html + But it’s cutting launches from Florida until Starship arrives. Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/08/the-worlds-busiest-spaceport-is-about-to-get-a-lot-quieter-at-least-for-now/ 3 China’s Z.AI has confirmed it’s behind the mystery AI model Ox Alpha The model has surged to the top of online usage charts. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-26/china-s-z-ai-made-ox-alpha-stealth-model-that-rivals-deepseek $ + China’s Moonshot is discussing a landmark deal with US hyperscalers. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/chinas-moonshot-talks-with-microsoft-amazon-google-over-k3-revenue-sharing-2026-08-26/ $ + Here’s what’s next for Chinese open-source AI. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/12/1132811/whats-next-for-chinese-open-source-ai/?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 Meta is discussing a settlement in its landmark teen-addiction trial The case involves 29 states seeking penalties and changes. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/meta-us-states-have-discussed-settling-teen-social-media-harm-case-bloomberg-2026-08-26/ $ + A loss at trial could saddle Meta with $1.4 trillion in penalties. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-26/meta-states-have-discussed-settling-teen-social-media-harm-case $ 5 Huawei wants to build data centers in Egypt The US is alarmed and is preparing a counteroffer. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-26/huawei-egypt-ai-ascend-chips-test-us-tech-diplomacy-nvidia-amd-microsoft $ + HP has signed a licensing deal for Huawei WiFi tech. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/25/hp-partners-huawei-wifi-tech-us-entity-list.html 6 Trump is upping the price of Big Tech’s favorite visa He’s implementing a fee of over $103,000 on H-1B visas . Verge https://www.theverge.com/policy/984723/trump-h1b-fee-asylum-legal-immigration + His immigration policies are hurting young researchers. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/08/1123166/trumps-policy-early-career-scientists/?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 Beijing fears that AI companions are replacing human intimacy New rules aim to limit emotional dependence on chatbots. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/26/china-ai-companion-relationships-marriage-birth-rate-concern + It’s surprisingly easy to fall for a chatbot. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/24/1123915/relationship-ai-without-seeking-it/?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 Israel is running a synthetic think tank to influence AI search results It’s using AI-generated content to shape chatbot responses. 404 Media https://www.404media.co/israel-is-running-a-synthetic-think-tank-to-influence-ai-search-results/ 9 Physicists are closing in on a way to test string theory A proposed dark dimension could be detectable within five years. Economist https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/08/25/the-universe-is-peculiar-but-it-may-soon-become-less-so $ 10 AI music has been barred from the Australian charts, thanks to Madonna An AI-assisted cover of “Like a Prayer” helped prompt the ban. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/ai-generated-music-barred-australian-charts-after-madonna-cover-controversy-2026-08-26/ $ Quote of the day “ It is such an Orwellian technology being utilized by such comic book villain forces of evil trying to do dastardly things.” —Anthony Ralphs, an events producer who dressed up as Darth Vader to ironically praise Flock at a San Diego City Council meeting, tells 404 Media https://www.404media.co/darth-vader-flock-san-diego-city-council-interview/ why he sees parallels between the Dark Lord and the surveillance firm. One More Thing No one’s sure if synthetic mirror life will kill us all In February 2019, a group of scientists proposed a high-risk, cutting-edge, irresistibly exciting idea that the National Science Foundation should fund: making “mirror” bacteria. These lab-created microbes would be organized like ordinary bacteria, but their proteins and sugars would be mirror images of those found in nature. Researchers believed they could reveal new insights into building cells, designing drugs, and even the origins of life. But now, many of them have reversed course. They’ve become convinced that mirror organisms could trigger a catastrophic event threatening every form of life on Earth. Find out why they believe this could trigger a catastrophe 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 . —Stephen Ornes 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 brainy little piglet is proving he can outsmart domestic dogs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL-LBN3MRGE . + Two dinner ladies have turned the Prodigy’s “Firestarter” into a burst of lip-syncing joy https://www.instagram.com/p/DbEnOBFvza7 . + Tour an apartment that celebrates the wonders of common technologies at Ordinary Abundance https://ordinaryabundance.com/ . + This visual essay on Utrecht https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2026/07/01/utrecht-seventeen-years-of-change/?ref=DenseDiscovery-400 shows how to transform a city built around cars into one built around people. 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: Anthropic launches Claude Science, and California’s carbon manure math Plus: The US has lifted restrictions on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models. 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. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.