The Download: a startup has a solution for AI’s groupthink problem

<p><em>This is today&#8217;s edition of </em><a href="https://forms.technologyreview.com/newsletters/briefing-the-download/?_ga=2.179569122.736533416.1649661040-405833893.1649413289"><em>The Download</em></a>,<em> our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what&#8217;s going on in the world of technology.</em><br></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>LLMs are stuck in a groupthink groove. This startup is trying to get them out.</strong></h3> <p>Open up your chatbot of choice—Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini—and type “Give me a random number between 1 and 10.” You’re going to get 7. Almost always.&nbsp;</p> <p>That won’t work every time—but if it did for you, you may wonder if I have superpowers. I don’t.</p> <p>The truth is that most large language models are stuck in a rut. They are far more predictable and far less creative in their responses than you might expect. That’s fine for tasks like coding or research, but groupthink is a problem when you’re brainstorming or planning your next vacation.</p> <p>The Australian startup Springboards has a solution. It built an LLM called Flint, which has been trained to come up with a wider variety of responses than mainstream LLMs to open-ended questions such as “Where should I go in Europe?”</p> <p><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/01/1140003/llms-are-stuck-in-a-groupthink-rut-this-startup-is-trying-to-get-them-out/?utm_source=the_download&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&amp;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&amp;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*">Meet the company pushing chatbots away from the obvious</a>.</p> <p><em>—Will Douglas Heaven</em></p> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The must-reads</strong></p> <p><em>I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.</em></p> <p><strong>1 Scientists say they have built a cell from scratch for the first time</strong><br>Built with lab-made DNA, it can feed, grow, and multiply. (<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/01/science/synthetic-cell-research">CNN</a>)<br><em>+ It brings us closer to creating synthetic life</em>. (<a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/for-the-first-time-a-cell-built-from-scratch-grows-and-divides-20260701/">Quanta</a>)<br><em>+ And is arguably the greatest feat of bioengineering yet.</em> (<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2532689-what-is-spudcell-arguably-the-greatest-bioengineering-feat-yet/">New Scientist</a> $)<br><em>+ But also raises concerns over the dangers of synthetic biology.</em> (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/science/spudcell-scientists-reaction.html">NYT</a> $)<br><em>+ Mirror organisms could threaten life on Earth. </em>(<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/15/1135197/synthetic-mirror-life-microbes-kill-us-all/?utm_source=the_download&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&amp;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&amp;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*">MIT Technology Review</a>)</p> <p><strong>2 OpenAI has proposed giving the Trump administration a 5% stake</strong><br>Talks over a public ownership deal come amid rising political pressure.(<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/7c803eab-8e80-4431-9a87-e943bf00e00b?syn-25a6b1a6=1">FT</a> $)<br><em>+ OpenAI also proposed other US AI giants providing a 5% stake. </em>(<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/02/openai-proposes-us-government-own-5percent-stake-to-address-political-blowback.html">CNBC</a>)<br><em>+ That could include Anthropic, Google, and Meta.</em> (<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-02/openai-proposes-giving-the-us-government-a-5-stake-ft-says">Bloomberg</a> $)<br><em>+ President Trump says he wants the public to have a stake in AI.</em> (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98r8r7dz5no">BBC</a>)</p> <p><strong>3 Singapore has seized a $42 million mansion tied to Nvidia chip smuggling</strong><br>It was seized as part of an investigation into alleged illegal trading. (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2d9y18g73o">BBC</a>)<br><em>+ Days earlier, Supermicro’s Taiwan offices were raided in the probe.</em> (<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a033c2fb-6c0b-4d25-9795-a04b95964e23?syn-25a6b1a6=1">FT</a> $)</p> <p><strong>4 Anthropic&#8217;s Fable 5 is back online</strong><br>But queries posing security risks may be routed to less powerful models. (<a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/01/anthropic-fable-5-back-online-trump-export-controls-lifted">Axios</a>)<br><em>+ Anthropic restored access yesterday after the US lifted an export ban.</em> (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdr42623e1do">BBC</a>)<br><em>+ But the battle over how to tame AI has just begun. </em>(<a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-anthropic-fable-ban-is-over-the-battle-over-how-to-tame-ai-has-just-begun-e93f51d6?mod=rss_Technology">WSJ</a> $)<br><em>+ Anthropic has launched a new AI science product.</em> (<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/30/1139987/claude-science-is-anthropics-newest-flagship-product/?utm_source=the_download&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&amp;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&amp;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*">MIT Technology Review</a>)</p> <p><strong>5 Meta is building its own cloud infrastructure business</strong><br>It’s exploring two ways of monetizing AI compute and models. (<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-01/meta-is-building-a-cloud-business-to-sell-excess-ai-compute">Bloomberg</a> $)<br><em>+ One is selling access to models hosted on Meta’s infrastructure. </em>(<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/01/meta-stock-cloud-ai-compute.html">CNBC</a>)<br><em>+ The other is selling “raw” computing power. </em>(<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/01/meta-like-spacex-looks-to-turn-excess-ai-compute-into-cash/">TechCrunch</a>)</p> <p><strong>6 PlayStation will stop releasing games on discs in 2028</strong><br>Future PS5 games will be digital-only releases. (<a href="https://www.theverge.com/games/960212/sony-playstation-killing-discs-digital-preservation">Verge</a>)<br><em>+ The news comes days after reports that GTA VI will have no disc. </em>(<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6210nj8gpro">BBC</a>)<br><em>+ It’s put a nail in physical media’s coffin.</em> (<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/sony-playstation-puts-a-nail-in-physical-medias-coffin/">Wired</a> $)</p> <p><strong>7 A low-cost Chinese AI model is catching up with US giants on their home turf</strong><br>Western customers are drawn to GLM-5.2’s cheap but powerful model. (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/a-new-inexpensive-chinese-ai-model-is-catching-up-with-anthropic-openai-their-2026-07-02/">Reuters</a> $)<br><em>+ Chinese open-source models are spreading fast.</em> (<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/12/1132811/whats-next-for-chinese-open-source-ai/?utm_source=the_download&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&amp;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&amp;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*">MIT Technology Review</a>)<strong><br><br>8 Google has lost its fight against a record €4.1 billion EU antitrust fine<br></strong>It was charged in 2018 for using Android to ‌block rivals. (<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/02/alphabet-google-android-eu-antitrust-fine-4-1-billion-euro-appeal.html">CNBC</a>)</p> <p><strong>9 The UN has launched an &#8220;AI for Good&#8221; commission</strong><br>Salesforce CEO Benioff and Rwandan President Kagame will co-chair it. (<a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/01/un-ai-commission-ceos-world-leaders">Axios)</a></p> <p><strong>10 People prefer AI impersonators over politicians</strong><br>The study’s findings raise alarm bells around potential public deception. (<a href="https://www.404media.co/untitled-28/">404 Media</a>)</p> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Quote of the day</strong></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>“If AI overdelivers, it will impact financial stability. If AI underdelivers, it will impact financial stability.”</strong></h2> <p>—Torsten Slok from Apollo Global Management shares common concerns about AI at the European Central Bank’s annual conference, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/ai-hopes-fears-dominate-global-central-bank-meet-2026-07-01/">Reuters</a> reports.</p> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>One More Thing</strong></p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/260626_LLMhallucinations.jpg?fit=2128,1196" alt=""/></figure> <p><strong><br>America was winning the race to find Martian life. Then China jumped in.<br><br><br></strong>In July 2024, after more than three years on Mars, the Perseverance rover came across a peculiar rocky outcrop. Instead of the usual crystals or sedimentary layers, this one had spots. Those specks were the best hint yet of alien life.  </p> <p>NASA began a new mission to bring the rocks back to Earth to study. But now, just over a year and a half later, the project is on life support. As a result, those oh-so-promising rocks may be stuck out there forever.&nbsp;</p> <p>This also means that, in the race to find evidence of alien life, America has effectively ceded its pole position to its greatest geopolitical rival: China. Beijing is now moving full steam ahead with its own version of NASA’s mission.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/26/1133584/america-china-mars-sample-return-space-race-nasa/?utm_source=the_download&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&amp;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&amp;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C">Here’s how the search for Martian life has become a contest between two superpowers</a>.</p> <p><em>—Robin George Andrews</em></p> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>We can still have nice things</strong></p> <p><em>A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? </em><a href="mailto:[email protected]"><em>Drop me a line</em></a><em>.)</em></p> <p>+ The classic arcade game <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePi8tDdKuWw">Crazy Taxi is returning</a>.<br>+ Thom Yorke&#8217;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKI-YlBPmMQ&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com">live set from the Sydney Opera House</a> is a reminder of what an extraordinary performer he is.<br>+ Peer into 1,000 gloriously illuminated New York apartment windows at night in <a href="https://www.davekrugman.com/windows/explore">this generative photography project</a>.<br>+ The Orion constellation dazzlingly <a href="https://esawebb.org/images/potm2605a/">displays every stage of star formation</a> in this image from the James Webb Space Telescope.<br></p> <p><em>Top image credit: Sarah Rogers/MITTR | Photos Getty</em></p> <p>Please send gloriously illuminated New York apartments to <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>You can follow me on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmacaulay/">LinkedIn</a>. Thanks for reading!</p> <p>—Thomas</p> <p></p>