The Download: funding a CRISPR embryo startup, and bad news for clean cement
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Crypto billionaire Brian Armstrong is ready to invest in CRISPR baby tech
Brian Armstrong, the billionaire CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, says he’s ready to fund a US startup focused on gene-editing human embryos. If he goes forward, it would be the first major commercial investment in one of medicine’s most fraught ideas.
In a post on X June 2, Armstrong announced he was looking for gene-editing scientists and bioinformatics specialists to form a founding team for an “embryo editing” effort targeting an unmet medical need, such as a genetic disease.
The announcement from a deep-pocketed backer is a striking shift for a field considered taboo following the 2018 birth of the world’s first genetically edited children in China—a secretive experiment that led to international outrage and prison time for the lead scientist. Read the full story.
—Antonio Regalado
Over $1 billion in federal funding got slashed for this polluting industry
The clean cement industry might be facing the end of the road, before it ever really got rolling.
Last week, the US Department of Energy announced that it was canceling $3.7 billion in funding for 24 projects related to energy and industry. That included nearly $1.3 billion for cement-related projects.
Cement is a massive climate problem, accounting for roughly 7% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. What’s more, it’s a difficult industry to clean up, with huge traditional players and expensive equipment and infrastructure to replace. This funding was supposed to help address those difficulties, by supporting projects on the cusp of commercialization. Now companies will need to fill in the gap left by these cancellations, and it’s a big one. Read the full story.
—Casey Crownhart
This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.
MIT Technology Review Narrated: How DeepSeek became a fortune teller for China’s youth
AI-powered BaZi analysis has become the new oracle for a disillusioned generation seeking answers.
This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which
we’re publishing 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 Reddit is suing Anthropic
Reddit claims the AI company kept accessing its site after claiming it had stopped. (WSJ $)
+ Reddit says AI companies should not scrape the web without limitations. (NYT $)
+ It claims that other AI giants have played by its rules. (NBC News)
2 Inside the rise and rise of deepfake scams
The best way to protect yourself is to back up and think who (or what) you’re trusting. (Wired $)
+ An AI startup made a hyperrealistic deepfake of me that’s so good it’s scary. (MIT Technology Review)
3 A lawsuit accuses DOGE of exploiting “error-riden” data to fire workers
It claims the department knew its records were inaccurate, but used them to fire 10,000 employees anyway.(Ars Technica)
+ Unlike Elon Musk, Russ Vought knows the federal government inside out. (NY Mag $)
+ The first wave of DOGE staffers are becoming full-time government workers. (Wired $)
+ DOGE’s tech takeover threatens the safety and stability of our critical data. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Can we make AI behave how we want it to?
Looking all the way back to Asimov’s Laws can offer us some clues. (New Yorker $)
5 Abuse is rife in Taiwan’s semiconductor factories
Workers were threatened with deportation and regular 16-hour shifts. (Rest of World)
+ The Trump administration is renegotiating chip grants, apparently. (Reuters)
6 Amazon wants to use humanoid robots to deliver packages
It’s planning to test its bipedal machines’ ability to tackle an obstacle course.(The Information $)
+ Why the humanoid workforce is running late. (MIT Technology Review)
7 We don’t know how to archive the digital age properly
Historians worry that they may lose access to intimate materials. (The Atlantic $)
+ The race to save our online lives from a digital dark age. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Here’s how major AI helpers tackled a rigorous reading test
Bearing in mind, they all still hallucinated. (WP $)
9 Christians really love AI slop
A major Christian media company is using new tools to spread the word. (404 Media)
+ AI-generated garbage will make ads creepier and worse. (Bloomberg $)
+ It’s also warping media metrics beyond recognition. (Digiday)
10 What we can learn from potty-mouthed robots 🤬
A lot of people swear. Why shouldn’t robots, too? (IEEE Spectrum)
Quote of the day
“Anthropic bills itself as the white knight of the AI industry. It is anything but.”
—Reddit takes aim at Anthropic in a legal filing against the AI company, the Verge reports.
One more thing
Maybe you will be able to live past 122
How long can humans live? This is a good time to ask the question. The longevity scene is having a moment, and research suggests that we might be able to push human life spans further, potentially even reversing some signs of aging.
Researchers can’t even agree on what the exact mechanisms of aging are and which they should be targeting. Debates continue to rage over how long it’s possible for humans to live—and whether there is a limit at all.
But it looks likely that something will be developed in the coming decades that will help us live longer, in better health. Read the full story.
—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 or skeet ’em at me.)
+ There’s something so uplifting about this user-generated collection of videos of parks.
+ I could get on board with living in a cabin in the woods if it was this one.
+ You should probably let go of that grudge you’re holding onto.
+ Looking for some seasonal recipe inspo? Look no further.
