The Download: Google’s AI shake-up and Meta’s rogue model

<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>Google’s AI empire is being reshaped. Here’s what’s changed.</strong></h3> <p>After a wave of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-ai-talent-wars-anthropic-jumper-shazeer-karpathy-openai-2026-6">painful losses in the tech talent wars</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/16/alphabet-stock-gemini-3-5-pro-ai.html">delays to its next flagship model</a>, and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/23/googles-deep-mind-ai-model-race">murmurings of poor morale</a>, Google has announced a major shake-up to its AI operations. Here&#8217;s a quick rundown of what’s happened and why it matters.</p> <p><strong>DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis is stepping back from running the unit day-to-day</strong><br>He’s becoming <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/05/google-deepmind-demis-hassabis-ai">the unit’s chairman and Alphabet&#8217;s chief scientist</a>, a broader role. DeepMind will now be led by CTO Koray Kavukcuoglu, under the title of senior vice-president.</p> <p><strong>DeepMind may be absorbed into Google&#8217;s wider business</strong><br>Google is expected to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/61d41764-f2f7-4906-a112-ff3073972c51?syn-25a6b1a6=1">tighten its control over the AI lab</a>, which it acquired 12 years ago.</p> <p><strong>Jeff Dean is leaving to start a new AI company<br></strong>After 27 years at Google, the company’s former chief scientist is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/technology/google-researchers-ai-startup.html">launching Discovery Loop with three former colleagues</a>. The startup’s goal is to fully automate the process of scientific research, and Google is one of its early investors.</p> <p><strong>The changes come amid financial concerns at Google AI</strong><br>In the latest quarter, the company <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/05/google-chief-scientist-jeff-dean-leaving-company-after-27-years.html">turned cash flow negative</a> for the first time on record. Google is now <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-06/google-shifts-ai-power-to-california-in-race-against-anthropic-openai">concentrating its AI leadership in California</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>The company is now shifting its AI science strategy</strong><br>It’s moving from specialized tools, like DeepMind’s AlphaFold, toward agentic AI systems that can conduct research more autonomously. <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/22/1137813/google-i-o-showed-how-the-path-for-ai-science-is-shifting/?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*">Find out more in our recent story</a>.<br></p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-default" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"/> <p></p> <p>We&#8217;re excited to share that <em>MIT Technology Review</em> is now on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/technologyreview/reels/">Instagram Reels</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@technologyreview/shorts">YouTube Shorts</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/mit-technology-review/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaYJXzgChq6Dm1g6od0L">WhatsApp</a>. You can hear straight from <em>MIT Technology Review</em> journalists in the channels and formats you prefer as they help you understand what’s happening next in the ever-changing world of technology—and what it means for you—all while offering a behind-the-scenes look at their reporting.<br><br>To get you started, let our senior climate reporter Casey Crownhart <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/14UBFdNkQOo?feature=share">fill you in on how lasers could help provide fuel for nuclear power</a>, or have senior investigative reporter Eileen Guo <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXr83EzCVF-/">help you understand what World’s new push into identity verification means for our privacy.</a></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 Meta has become the latest firm to say its AI hacked another company</strong><br>It blamed a “misconfiguration” by an independent cybersecurity tester. (<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/05/tech/meta-ai-hacking">CNN</a>)<br><em>+ The model reportedly involved was Muse Spark ​1.1. </em>(<a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/meta-ai-model-hacked-another-company-cybersecurity-testing">The Information</a> $)<br><em>+ It follows similar breaches by OpenAI and Anthropic models.</em> (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/05/meta-ai-model-hack-training">Guardian</a>)<br><em>+ This is why AI agents can lie to reach their goals. </em>(<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/03/1141009/heres-why-ai-agents-lie-and-cheat-to-reach-their-goals/?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>)<br><br><strong>2 Samsung and SK Hynix are testing Chinese chip tools amid US export curbs</strong><br>The Korean chip giants are hedging against tighter restrictions. (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/samsung-sk-hynix-test-chinese-chip-tools-hedge-against-us-risks-2026-08-05/">Reuters</a> $)<br><em>+ Beijing has launched a probe into Palo Alto Networks.</em> (<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-06/china-launches-cybersecurity-review-into-palo-alto-networks?srnd=phx-technology">Bloomberg</a> $)<br><em>+ US-China tech tensions are rising ahead of the Xi-Trump summit.</em> (<a href="https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3363062/disputes-over-ai-robotics-trade-mount-ahead-planned-xi-trump-summit-us?utm_source=feedly_feed">SCMP</a>)<br> <br><strong>3 London just granted robotaxis a license to operate</strong><br>On the condition that they still have a human driver, for now. (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w07qg43j6o">BBC</a>)<br><em>+ Uber plans to spend over $10 billion expanding its robotaxi network.</em> (<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/04d6fcb4-03e4-4ee5-9017-ccaa7808c934">FT</a> $)<br> <br><strong>4 Scientists have created gene-edited dogs that don’t trigger allergies</strong><br>They used CRISPR to remove a reaction-causing protein. (<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/gene-edited-puppies-wont-trigger-allergies/">Wired</a> $)<br><em>+ And now want approval to start selling the beagles. </em>(<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2583502-two-dogs-lack-the-protein-that-causes-allergies-thanks-to-gene-editing/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&amp;utm_content=home&amp;utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_source=NSNS">New Scientist</a> $)<br><em>+ Other firms are planning gene-edited babies. </em>(<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/31/1127461/heres-the-latest-company-planning-for-gene-edited-babies/?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>)<br> <br><strong>5 OpenAI has asked a judge to toss Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit</strong><br>The ChatGPT maker called Apple’s allegations “meritless.” (<a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/976042/openai-apple-trade-secrets-lawsuit-dismissal-request">Verge</a>)<br><em>+ And claimed the suit is an attempt to stem an employee exodus. </em>(<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d9e9cbbe-8443-4c10-821a-1834e4965236?syn-25a6b1a6=1">FT</a> $)<br><br><strong>6 AI is reviving Silicon Valley&#8217;s super-app dream</strong><br>Tech giants are merging products into all-in-one assistants. (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-super-app-vision-google-openai-microsoft-silicon-valley-2026-8">Business Insider</a>)<br><em>+ Is a secure AI assistant possible? </em>(<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/11/1132768/is-a-secure-ai-assistant-possible/?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>)<br> <br><strong>7 A mystery book-buying spree has sparked new AI fears</strong><br>The buyers’ identities remain unclear amid data concerns. (<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/08/ai-companies-buying-used-books-for-data/688167/?utm_source=feed">Atlantic</a> $)<br><br><strong>8 Restaurants, pubs, and theatres are banning Meta’s “spy glasses” </strong><br>The venues have cited privacy threats to customers. (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/06/restaurants-pubs-and-theatres-ban-metas-spy-glasses-over-privacy-fears">Guardian</a>)<br> <br><strong>9 The SpaceX moon crash has created a unique scientific experiment</strong><br>It could reveal more about lunar soil and space debris. (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62q0xerzrno">BBC</a>)<br><br><strong>10 AI is helping to perfect the Pringle </strong><br>It involves over 200 data points, from humidity to harvest location. (<a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/inside-the-long-ai-powered-quest-to-perfect-pringle-making-ab37a231">WSJ</a> $)</p> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Quote of the day</strong></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>“</strong><strong>This could be the first real crisis moment for a company that has been stalwart for a long time.”&nbsp;</strong></h2> <p>—Jeremy Nixon, a former Google Brain researcher and the founder of AI infrastructure company Infinity, tells <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/technology/google-ai-leadership.html">the New York Times</a> that Jeff Dean’s departure jeopardizes Google’s future.</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/2025/04/2_digitalselves_photocredit_JonathanReus.jpg?fit=2128,1196" alt=""/></figure> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How AI can help supercharge creativity&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></h4> <p>Generative tools put out by companies like OpenAI and Google DeepMind can automate a striking range of creative tasks and offer near-instant gratification—but at what cost? Some artists and researchers fear that such technology could turn us into passive consumers of yet more AI slop.</p> <p>And so they are looking for ways to inject human creativity back into the process. The aim is to develop AI tools that augment our creativity rather than strip it from us—pushing us to be better at composing music, developing games, designing toys, and much more—and lay the groundwork for a future in which humans and machines create things together.</p> <p><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/10/1114256/ai-creativity-art-collaboration-music/?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">Read how generative models could push artists to make things that couldn’t have been made before, and give all of us creative superpowers.&nbsp;</a></p> <p><em>—Will Douglas Heaven</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>+ This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTQVZuBV9oA">timelapse of the universe</a> condenses 13 billion years into 10 extraordinary minutes.<br>+ Japanese artist Miwa Ito <a href="https://www.designboom.com/art/japanese-miwa-ito-molten-glass-forbidden-treats-food/">turns molten glass into tempting treats</a> that really are too good to eat.<br>+ This <a href="https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/cartoons/74117/stephen-collinss-cartoon-dating-the-algorithm">cartoon</a> about dating an algorithm is almost painfully on point.<br>+ What would happen if philosophers designed games? Writing teacher Ryan Weber has <a href="https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/descartes-against-humanity-and-other-games-designed-by-famous-philosophers">some ingenious answers</a>.</p>