The Download: whole-body rejuvenation drugs and five things to know about AI

OpenAI has confidentially filed for a US initial public offering, targeting a valuation of up to $1 trillion and a potential listing as early as September. The move follows similar IPO filings from rival AI labs Anthropic and SpaceX, testing investor appetite for artificial intelligence companies. The Pentagon added Chinese tech firms BYD, Baidu, and Alibaba to a list of military-linked companies, accusing them of aiding China's military.

The Download: whole-body rejuvenation drugs and five things to know about AI Plus: OpenAI has confidentially filed for a US IPO. 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. David Sinclair plans to test whole-body rejuvenation drugs in the XPrize competition The outspoken longevity scientist David Sinclair has predicted that, one day, you’ll go to the doctor and get a prescription that will make you 10 years younger. MIT Technology Review has learned of his latest step toward this: human tests of a “reprogramming” drug. Sinclair, a biologist at Harvard Medical School, plans to launch the tests in a $101 million competition organized by the XPrize Foundation. The winners will “restore” a person to an earlier apparent age, as measured by improvements in immune, cognitive, and muscle function. The grand prize goes to any team able to show a 10-year or greater relative improvement after one year of treatment. Sinclair says he plans to give an oral drug mixture to volunteers, in a bid to seek “evidence for age restoration in humans.” Find out how he hopes to reverse ageing through chemical reprogramming https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/09/1138545/david-sinclair-plans-to-test-whole-body-rejuvenation-drugs-in-the-xprize-competition/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Antonio Regalado Five things you need to know about AI —Will Douglas Heaven At SXSW London last week, I gave a talk called “Five things you need to know about AI,” in which I shared what I think are the biggest themes in AI right now. I pulled a few things from our first AI10 list, an annual guide to the top trends in this buzzy world 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 , but I also veered off on several tangents. In my half-hour slot, I tried to cover the key talking points that I think help to make sense of what’s going on in tech—and thus the economy—today. Five key thoughts emerged: AI is everywhere all at once, it’s getting scary, a backlash is growing, it’s becoming a big deal for science—and I didn’t even need to show up at the talk. Read the full story for all the details https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/09/1138582/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-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 . The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 OpenAI has confidentially filed for a US IPO The listing could come as early as September. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/technology/openai-files-us-ipo-after-anthropic-ai-giants-head-public-markets-2026-06-08/ $ + OpenAI is targeting a valuation of up to $1 trillion. Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/a347e00a-2952-41ad-9f12-88c01ba199d6?syn-25a6b1a6=1 $ + The IPO will test investor appetite for AI companies. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openai-kicks-off-ipo-process-in-test-of-investor-appetite-for-top-ai-labs-eb7bebe1?mod=hp lead pos2 $ + The move follows IPO filings from Anthropic and SpaceX. CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/08/tech/openai-files-for-ipo 2 The US claims BYD, Baidu, Alibaba, and others are aiding China's military The Pentagon added them to a list of military-linked companies. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-expands-list-of-chinese-tech-companies-it-says-assists-beijings-military-a2c6c6b9?mod=tech lead pos1 $ + The designations limit their operations in the US. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75y6e5p9reo + The new additions also include humanoid firm Unitree. TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/08/pentagon-says-alibaba-baidu-byd-and-unitree-support-chinas-military/ + The Pentagon is adapting to China’s tech rise. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/07/1114242/kathleen-hicks-on-china/?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 Apple’s long-awaited AI overhaul of Siri is finally here“ Siri AI” promises to be a more conversational assistant. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/technology/apple-ai-siri.html $ + It includes a standalone app and screen-reading features. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/apples-wwdc-conference-kicks-off-investors-want-know-if-ai-will-save-siri-2026-06-08/ $ + And arrives after two years of repeated delays. Axios https://www.axios.com/2026/06/09/apple-siri-ai-agents-wwdc 4 The White House and Congress are working to limit state AI laws A new deal would curb state rules for federal legislation. Axios https://www.axios.com/2026/06/08/white-house-hill-relaunch-effort-block-state-ai-laws + AI regulation has divided US politicians. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/23/1131559/americas-coming-war-over-ai-regulation/?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 Meta is launching a “workforce academy” for building data centers The five-week program is free of charge and guarantees a job. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta-launches-workforce-academy-to-train-workers-to-build-data-centers-35470a80?mod=tech lead pos4 $ + It arrives shortly after Meta laid off 8,000 employees. NPR https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/nx-s1-5826917/meta-layoffs-ai-jobs 6 Taiwan is mulling curbs on AI chip exports to China 6 Taiwan is mulling curbs on AI chip exports to China The new controls would further align with US restrictions. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-09/taiwan-mulls-curbs-on-ai-chip-exports-to-china-to-align-with-us?srnd=phx-technology $ + Future AI chips could be built on glass. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/13/1134230/future-ai-chips-could-be-built-on-glass/?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 Meta has quietly removed face-recognition code from its smart glasses app The code identified by investigators has disappeared. Wired https://www.wired.com/story/meta-removes-face-recognition-code-meta-ai-app-smart-glasses/ $ 8 Humanoid robots are edging towards the battlefield American and Chinese militaries are pursuing the tech. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedpxwe26l1o 9 The world’s first wind-powered underwater data center has launched It uses less power and water than land-based equivalents. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/09/worlds-first-wind-powered-underwater-datacentre-starts-operating-in-china 10 You could get some benefits of sleep without having to nod off If new brain stimulation works as well on humans as on mice, that is. New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2529507-you-could-get-some-of-the-benefits-of-sleep-without-having-to-nod-off/ $ Quote of the day “You’re on the train, but you know that there’s no destination.” —Clara Shih, a former top AI executive at Salesforce and Meta, tells the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/magazine/ai-jobs-workforce-labor.html that AI training can’t keep up with the field’s advances. One More Thing Inside the race to make human sex cells in the lab Inside the race to make human sex cells in the lab An embryo forms when sperm meets egg. But what if we could start with other cells—if a blood sample or skin biopsy could be transformed into “artificial” sperm and eggs? What if those were all you needed to make a baby? That’s the promise of a radical approach to reproduction. Scientists have already created artificial eggs and sperm from mouse cells and used them to create mouse pups. Artificial human sex cells are next. The advances could herald the end of infertility, but they raise major scientific and ethical challenges. Read the full story on the new recipes for sperm and eggs https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/23/1056921/lab-made-human-sex-cell/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Jessica Hamzelou 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 . + These chefs turn Pop-Tarts into the desserts that inspired them https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVBywPAEV9n/ . + A choir has beautifully transformed System of a Down’s “Chop Suey ” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbxPvnR40NE& + Scientists finally traced crabs’ sideways walk in this fascinating study of evolution https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-did-crabs-evolve-their-iconic-sideways-scuttle-scientist-traced-it-to-a-200-million-year-old-common-ancestor-180988765/ . + This nostalgic essay on the family computer https://mudmapmagazine.com/the-utopia-of-the-family-computer/ is a touching throwback to early internet life. Top image credit: Stephanie Arnett/MIT Technology Review | Getty Images Please send Pop-Tarts to hi@technologyreview.com mailto:hi@technologyreview.com . You can follow me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmacaulay/ . Thanks for reading —Thomas 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: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains Plus: Anthropic has called for a global slowdown in AI development. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.