The Download: worms fight pollution, and geoengineering faces reality

The Trump administration lifted restrictions on OpenAI's GPT 5.6 after additional testing, allowing the company to launch the model globally. The rollout had been delayed due to security concerns. Separately, China is considering curbing overseas access to its top AI models, with Alibaba, ByteDance, and Z.ai attending related meetings.

The Download: worms fight pollution, and geoengineering faces reality Plus: The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on OpenAI's GPT 5.6. 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. Why worms and microbes are catching on as a manure pollution solution Anthony Agueda, a third-generation California dairy farmer, pulls a rake through a bed of dark, wet wood chips to reveal a half-dozen squirming red earthworms. There are likely hundreds of thousands more wriggling just under the surface. The worms and microbes are part of a "vermifiltration" system that cleans manure wastewater. The approach may dramatically cut methane, nitrous oxide, and water pollution. Vermifiltration is just one of a variety of methods that farmers, companies, and scientists are employing to drive down manure pollution as the livestock industry faces growing pressure to address the environmental harms from one of the smelliest parts of the business. Explore how the humble earthworm could reshape the future of sustainable farming https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/07/1140142/why-worms-and-microbes-are-catching-on-as-a-manure-pollution-solution/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —James Temple MIT Technology Review Narrated: geoengineering gets a reality check Solar geoengineering, the controversial idea that we could deliberately intervene in the climate system to counteract global warming, is moving beyond computer simulations and into the practical engineering challenges required to make it real. Researchers are now working on aircraft, materials, and other systems for solar geoengineering. But as they delve into these details, they’re finding that even early deployment would require significant new infrastructure, time, and investment https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/17/1138743/hacking-atmosphere-geoengineering-reality-check/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —James Temple 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. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on OpenAI's GPT 5.6 The green light came after additional testing and meetings. Axios https://www.axios.com/2026/07/08/openai-gpt-trump-ban-lifted + OpenAI subsequently said it will launch widely tomorrow. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-08/openai-to-roll-out-top-ai-model-globally-after-limited-preview $ + The rollout had been delayed due to security concerns. Verge https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/957372/openai-will-delay-gpt-5-6-after-trump-administration-request + Does AI know too much? MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135000/does-ai-know-too-much/?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 China is looking at curbing overseas access to its top AI models Alibaba, ByteDance, and Z.ai attended meetings about the plan. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-deepseek-developing-its-own-ai-chip-sources-say-2026-07-07/ $ + Beijing is also weighing the security risks of open-weight AI. SCMP https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3359791/china-weighs-open-weight-ais-security-risks-against-national-tech-innovation-strategy-researchers?utm source=feedly feed + And has issued a “backdoor” security alert over Claude Code. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/08/china-anthropic-ai-claude-code-backdoor-security-threat.html 3 European NATO allies have unveiled a $50 billion high-tech missile plan They will engineer stealth and high-speed hypersonic weapons. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg4e3lwzqzo + Which can strike targets at least 300 km away. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/uk-unveil-50-billion-nato-effort-deep-strike-weapons-2026-07-07/ $ + The Dutch and British are also developing amphibious ships. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-08/netherlands-and-uk-sign-3-2-billion-deal-on-amphibious-ships $ 4 Meta is testing “super sensing” AI glasses that record every moment It plans to disable privacy LEDs that alert people when they're "on." FT https://www.ft.com/content/ac282450-91a8-4597-8f60-9e6ef416865a $ + It’s also released an AI image generator. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/07/technology/meta-ai-muse-image.html $ + Which lets anyone use your Instagram photos in AI images . Wired https://www.wired.com/story/meta-now-lets-anyone-use-your-instagram-photos-in-ai-images-unless-you-opt-out/ $ 5 China's DeepSeek is developing its own AI chip, sources say It could reduce the company’s reliance on Nvidia and Huawei. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-07/chinese-ai-startup-deepseek-developing-own-ai-chip-reuters-says $ + DeepSeek V4 was a win for Chinese chipmakers. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/24/1136422/why-deepseeks-v4-matters/?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 Wikipedia is fighting to survive the internet’s next era It’s under attack from MAGA, AI raids, and repressive regimes. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/business/media/wikipedia-ai-elon-musk.html $ + AI has given Wikipedia a language problem. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/25/1124005/ai-wikipedia-vulnerable-languages-doom-spiral/?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 SpaceX plans to launch its first model coproduced with Cursor The new frontier model could arrive as soon as this week. Information https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/exclusive-spacexai-plans-launch-new-model-cursor-soon-wednesday $ + It’s built with AI startup Cursor, which SpaceX is buying for $60 billion. FT https://www.ft.com/content/d23bd03a-92ac-4e81-8460-3b867a833860?syn-25a6b1a6=1 $ 8 A new academic “humanizer” tool can erase signs of AI-written text But researchers are very divided over its potential impact. Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02105-3 $ 9 Scientists have detected a mystery chemical on Pluto and Titan It appears to absorb light in a way we don’t currently understand. Wired https://www.wired.com/story/mysterious-compound-detected-on-pluto-and-titan/ $ 10 A Waymo robotaxi reportedly called the cops on drinking teens Officers then approached the vehicle with guns drawn. 404 Media https://www.404media.co/waymo-called-police-on-teens-san-mateo/ Quote of the day “Parents do you know where your teens are? Waymo does ” —Local police post on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CityofSanMateoPolice/posts/pfbid0oZgz37UUtDyNHAKPJMeKVGe16ZAm4xc4DJu8mGFNizL5NBYxSHMYgxFSoZ94h9JZl that a Waymo in California called the cops on two teenagers for “drinking and shooting from the vehicle.” One More Thing Your boss is watching Your boss is watching Dora Manriquez has spent nine years driving for Uber and Lyft, where every ride she accepts or rejects is tracked by the apps she relies on for work. Having found herself unable to score enough better-paying rides, she has had to file for bankruptcy. App-based employers aren’t the only ones keeping a very close eye on workers today. Jobs today—whether in an office, a warehouse, or your car—can mean constant electronic surveillance with little transparency, and potentially with livelihood-ending consequences if your productivity flags. All that data is shifting the relationships between workers and managers—and protections are lagging. Read the full story on the widening power imbalance it’s created https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/24/1111664/worker-monitoring-employee-surveillance/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Rebecca Ackermann 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 . + Literary worlds collide in this marvellous Dr Seuss/Stephen King https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvuF4uFDPdQ mashup. + A daring snorkeler saved a dolphin from a suckerfish https://www.instagram.com/p/DUD4xPqkXAc/?hl=en —and then celebrated with its whole pod. + This clever musical project seamlessly constructs an original song from vocal snippets of 50 artists singing US city names https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZHr1ck8bNQ . + A long-lost wallet from 1970 was recently unearthed, creating a cute time capsule https://abcnews.com/US/wallet-lost-1970-turned-amazing-1970-time-capsule/story?id=56340663 from its owner's high school years. 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.