The Download: a donor conception cap and world models for AI

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. Ties van der Meer doesn’t know how many siblings he has. The 47yearold was conceived at a private fertility clinic using sperm from an anonymous donor. He eventually tracked down one sibling, but he may have others he’ll never find. Other donorconceived people have found they have tens or even hundreds of them. “It does make you feel a bit massproduced,” said one who discovered they had 25 halfsiblings.In response, a European fertility organization says we need international limits on the number of children a single donor can contribute to. Find out what their proposal could achieve—and where it may fall short. —Jessica Hamzelou**This story is from The Checkup, our weekly biotech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.**LLMs have transformed what AI can do with language, but helping machines understand and operate within physical spaces presents a different challenge. In response, researchers are developing a new form of artificial intelligence: world models.At a LinkedIn Live event tomorrow, MIT Technology Review will explore how this technology could shape the future of robotics and open one of AI’s next major frontiers. Join Will Douglas Heaven, our senior editor for AI, and Sam Sinha, founding AI researcher and head of world models at 1X Technologies, for the conversation on Tuesday, July 14. Register here to attend the free session at 9:30 PDT, 12:30 PM EDT, and 5:30 PM BST. The mustreads*I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.*1 Apple has sued OpenAI for allegedly stealing trade secrets OpenAI purportedly stole IP to develop its own consumer hardware. (CNBC) *+ The suit claims OpenAI poached Apple staff to access the information. *(BBC) + And requested trade secrets in job interviews with Apple workers. (Guardian) + Apple also sued two former employees, Chang Liu and Tang Tan. (Reuters $)

2 A Nobelwinning chemist is leaving the US to lead an AI lab in China Omar Yaghi will head an institute using AI to discover new materials. (LA Times $) *+ He won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating “molecular sponges.” *(NYT $) + His departure comes as China tries to woo US scientists. (Nature) *+ The White House has slashed science spending. *(MIT Technology Review)

3 The EU is moving closer to banning children from social media It’s proposed barring under13s unless supervised by an adult. (NYT $) *+ And limiting access for older children. *(Bloomberg $) *+ The EU has also told Meta to disable autoplay and infinite scroll. *(Politico $)

4 Meta scrapped an AI image feature on Instagram after a backlash It allowed users to generate images based on public accounts. (TechCrunch) *+ And automatically opted in any Instagram user with a public account. *(NYT $) + AI memories are privacy’s next frontier. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Phoebe Gates’ shopping app claimed credit for sales it didn’t drive Phia claimed unearned affiliate sales through fake clicks. (Bloomberg $) + Cofounder Gates is the daughter of Microsoft cofounder Bill. (Engadget)

6 Leaked police drone footage exposes the new reality of surveillance Hours of San Francisco Police video were accidentally released. (Wired $) + Surveillance from drones is on the rise in the US. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Over twothirds of Americans back a Sandersstyle AI ownership plan A poll found strong support for public ownership of AI stock. (Gizmodo) *+ Tech firms have their own takes on the idea. *(MIT Technology Review)

8 AI may soon make campaign text messages more potent—and irritating AI platforms are training bots to sound like political candidates. (NPR)

**9 An orbiting disco ball gave Einstein’s theory its most precise test yet ** It measured Earth’s twisting of spacetime more precisely. (Rest of World)

10 Australia’s biggest radio hit may be the product of GenAI Musicians are questioning how the song was made. (Guardian)Quote of the day—A text message sent by former Apple engineer Chang Liu to a colleague, which a new lawsuit alleges was part of a scheme to steal hardware IP for OpenAI.One More ThingOn a bright April morning in 2025, a surveillance plane operated by the Colombian military spotted a 40footlong “narco sub” idling in the Caribbean Sea. The stealthy vessel, used by drug cartels to move cocaine north, could sail with its hull almost entirely underwater.After seizing the boat, the coast guard noticed something unusual: there was no one on board. This was Colombia’s first confirmed uncrewed narco sub, operable by remote control, but also capable of a degree of autonomous travel.Uncrewed subs could move more cocaine over longer distances, and they won’t put human smugglers at risk of capture. Find out how they may transform the drug trade.— Eduardo Echeverri LópezWe can still have nice thingsA place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)+ Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” has been reinvented as a yacht rock track.

• Two superpuff planets lighter than cotton candy have been spotted floating through space.
• An inventor has given Tic Tac fans (like Donald Trump) a solution to the box’s annoying rattling in their pockets.
• Imbibe a dose of adrenaline with this firstperson footage of a rider on heartpounding Red Bull Genova Cerro Abajo. Plus: Meta is pausing an AI training program that tracks workers’ keystrokes.Plus: OpenAI has unveiled its longawaited "super app."Plus: Anthropic has called for a global slowdown in AI development.Plus: NASA unveiled plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this year.Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.