{"slug": "the-download-the-steroid-olympics-and-a-safer-mythos", "title": "The Download: the “steroid olympics” and a safer Mythos", "summary": "Anthropic has released a \"safe\" version of its Mythos AI model, promising sufficient guardrails and user limitations after previously claiming the system was too dangerous to release. The new model carries a price tag twice as high as the company's previous flagship system, though critics suspect the earlier safety warnings were a marketing strategy.", "body_md": "# The Download: the “steroid olympics” and a safer Mythos\n\nPlus: Anthropic has released a \"safe\" version of Mythos.\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**The “steroid olympics” were a circus—and a window into our culture**\n\n*—Amit Katwala*\n\nA couple of weeks ago, at a $50 million arena built in a casino parking lot in Las Vegas, I witnessed a libertarian thought experiment come to life. The inaugural Enhanced Games were the first sporting competition where participants were encouraged to take performance-enhancing drugs.\n\nFor supporters of the event, the Enhanced Games offered a glimpse of a future in which medical advances push the human race to new heights—and they never have to get old. As I watched the games unfold, two questions bounced around my head: were they right? And what does that mean for the rest of us?\n\n[Read the full story to understand the answers](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/10/1138670/enhanced-games-doping-steroids-hormones-supplements-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**MIT Technology Review Narrated: a reality check on the AI jobs hysteria**\n\nDespite the growing hysteria over AI’s threat to white-collar jobs, there’s still scant evidence that the technology has had a large-scale impact on the labor market.\n\nAnalysis of US labor data shows that unemployment in occupations most exposed to AI is actually lower than in less-exposed jobs. There are also no signs that large numbers of workers are shifting from AI-threatened professions into supposedly safer manual-labor jobs.\n\nIt’s true that things aren’t great in the job market. [But the reason isn’t simply the rise of AI](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/26/1137855/a-reality-check-on-the-ai-jobs-hysteria/?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—David Rotman\n\n**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.**\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 Anthropic has released a \"safe\" version of Mythos**\n\nIt promises it has enough guardrails and user limitations to be safe. ([BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg701v1dp6o))*+ It has a price tag twice as high as the previous flagship system. *([NYT](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/technology/anthropic-ai-claude-fable-mythos.html) $)*+ Anthropic previously claimed Mythos was too dangerous to release. *([CNBC](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/anthropic-project-glasswing-mythos-preview-claude-gets-limited-release-rcna267234))*+ But critics suspect that was a marketing play. *([Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/13/ai-tech-marketing))*+ Selective access has become a key strategy for AI labs. *([Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/06/09/anthropic-openai-mythos-ai-model-access))\n\n**2 Seattle has banned new data centers for a year** It’s the largest US city to have passed such a moratorium.(\n\n[Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/09/seattle-ai-datacenters-ban))\n\n*+ Its biggest tech firm, Amazon, has tried to stop the ban.*(\n\n[The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/945809/amazon-employees-seattle-data-center-moratorium))\n\n*+ The movement to stop data centers is growing.*(\n\n[NYT](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/climate/data-center-bans.html)$)\n\n**3 Democratic senators are pushing for a military AI restriction law**\n\nThey want a human commander to have the final say. ([Gizmodo](https://gizmodo.com/democrats-want-a-military-ai-restriction-law-following-anthropics-pentagon-fallout-2000768990))*+ But humans in the loop in an AI war is an illusion.* ([MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/16/1136029/humans-in-the-loop-ai-war-illusion/?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 SpaceX plans to launch space data center tests by late 2027**\n\nOrbital compute is central to the company’s growth pitch. ([Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/spacex-aims-launch-orbital-ai-computing-tests-by-end-next-year-sources-say-2026-06-09/) $)*+ It’s also shared new designs for its space data centers. *([BI](https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-ai-data-centers-spacex-will-send-into-space-2026-6))*+ We’d need these four things to put them in orbit. *([MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/03/1135073/four-things-wed-need-to-put-data-centers-in-space/?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**5 China has been accused of escalating AI espionage**\n\nA report claims Beijing is hacking tech firms to catch up with the US. ([CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/10/crowdstrike-warns-of-increasing-chinese-ai-cyberattacks-on-us-tech.html))*+ There are no winners in a US-China AI arms race.* ([MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/21/1110269/there-can-be-no-winners-in-a-us-china-ai-arms-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*))**6 The Trump family has made about $2.3 billion from crypto** While investors lost about the same amount. (\n\n[Gizmodo](https://gizmodo.com/trump-family-reportedly-made-about-2-3-billion-on-crypto-while-investors-lost-about-2-3-billion-on-trump-related-crypto-2000769825))\n\n*+ The Trumps risked next-to-nothing on their crypto ventures.*(\n\n[Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/investigations/parsing-trumps-crypto-profits-investors-losses-2026-06-09/)$)\n\n**7 Apple isn’t launching Siri AI in the European Union**\n\nIt’s blaming EU interoperability requirements. ([The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/947051/apple-europe-dma-siri-ai))\n\n+*Brussels says Apple didn’t try to find a compliance solution. *([Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/apple-failed-make-its-ai-tool-comply-eu-regulations-eu-commission-says-2026-06-09/) $)\n\n**8 China’s new drone rules have spooked its thriving industry **\n\nDrone firms face new commercial barriers. ([Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/0294bfda-fe85-495a-b664-9f015b3e11cd?syn-25a6b1a6=1) $)*+ China’s drone sector leads the world.* ([NYT](https://www.google.com/search?q=china+drone+industry&oq=china+drone+industry&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIKCAQQABgKGBYYHjIICAUQABgWGB4yCAgGEAAYFhgeMgoIBxAAGAoYFhgeMg0ICBAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0ICRAAGIYDGIAEGIoF0gEIMzIzOGowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) $)\n\n**9 A judge has cancelled a trial after finding both legal teams used AI**\n\nThe case descended into GenAI tools arguing against each other. ([404 Media](https://www.404media.co/judge-learns-lawyers-on-both-sides-of-case-used-ai-cancels-trial-kicks-everyone-off-the-case/))*+ Courts have been flooded with AI-generated lawsuits*. ([MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/04/1138391/courts-coping-ai-lawsuits/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*))\n\n**10 The dinosaur-killing asteroid created a thriving new ecosystem** Microscopic life flourished in the extended heat. (\n\n[New Scientist](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2529627-dinosaur-killing-asteroid-impact-site-stayed-hot-for-millions-of-years/)$)\n\n**Quote of the day**\n\n**“AI technologies today are designed by and for WEIRD societies—Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic.” **\n\n—Aditya Vashistha, an assistant professor at Cornell University, tells [Rest of World](https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-divide-america-china-world/) why AI systems don’t serve global needs.\n\n**One More Thing**\n\nWhy the definition of design might need a change\n\nWhy the definition of design might need a change\n\nThe word “design” once carried a far wider set of meanings than it does today. They ranged from the literal and material (like tracing) through the tactical (to contrive and achieve a goal) to the organizational and institutional—the “designation” of people and objects.\n\nOver centuries, as designing became increasingly separated from making, that broader understanding faded. But now there is a growing case for reclaiming the word’s original sense: not just the search for a more beautiful shape, but the shaping of a more beautiful and sustainable world.\n\n[Find out why we should retool the word “design.”](https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/22/1068297/design-definition-needs-change/?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*—Nicholas de Monchaux*\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+ This [history of humanity’s search for alien life](https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-brief-ish-history-of-seti-part-i-where-is-everybody) is fascinating.\n\n+ Watch a damaged painting slowly return to life in this[ art restoration video](https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-art-conservator-julian-baumgartner-restores-damaged-paintings).\n\n+ Admire young stars across every stage of cosmic formation in this stunning space [picture of the month](https://esawebb.org/images/potm2605a/).\n\n+ Daredevil divers have captured [the first-ever underwater footage](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cd6p6zqzj6do) of an adult great white in the Mediterranean Sea.\n\n### Deep Dive\n\n### The Download\n\n### The Download: DeepSeek’s latest AI breakthrough, and the race to build world models\n\nPlus: China has blocked Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus.\n\n### The Download: introducing the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now\n\nPlus: An unauthorized group has reportedly accessed Anthropic’s Mythos.\n\n### The Download: supercharged scams and studying AI healthcare\n\nPlus: DeepSeek has unveiled its long-awaited new AI model.\n\n### The Download: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains\n\nPlus: Anthropic has called for a global slowdown in AI development.\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-the-steroid-olympics-and-a-safer-mythos", "canonical_source": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/10/1138739/the-download-steroid-olympics-enhanced-games-anthropic-mythos/", "published_at": "2026-06-10 12:10:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-11 19:34:01.005572+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-safety", "ai-ethics", "ai-policy", "ai-research"], "entities": ["Anthropic", "Mythos", "Amit Katwala", "Enhanced Games", "MIT Technology Review"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-the-steroid-olympics-and-a-safer-mythos", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-the-steroid-olympics-and-a-safer-mythos.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-the-steroid-olympics-and-a-safer-mythos.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-download-the-steroid-olympics-and-a-safer-mythos.jsonld"}}