The Download: the “steroid olympics” and a safer Mythos

<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>The “steroid olympics” were a circus—and a window into our culture</strong></h3> <p><em>—Amit Katwala</em></p> <p>A couple of weeks ago, at a $50 million arena built in a casino parking lot in Las Vegas, I witnessed a libertarian thought experiment come to life. The inaugural Enhanced Games were the first sporting competition where participants were encouraged to take performance-enhancing drugs.</p> <p>For supporters of the event, the Enhanced Games offered a glimpse of a future in which medical advances push the human race to new heights—and they never have to get old. As I watched the games unfold, two questions bounced around my head: were they right? And what does that mean for the rest of us?</p> <p><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/10/1138670/enhanced-games-doping-steroids-hormones-supplements-longevity/?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 the full story to understand the answers</a>.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>MIT Technology Review Narrated: a reality check on the AI jobs hysteria</strong></h3> <p>Despite the growing hysteria over AI’s threat to white-collar jobs, there’s still scant evidence that the technology has had a large-scale impact on the labor market.</p> <p>Analysis of US labor data shows that unemployment in occupations most exposed to AI is actually lower than in less-exposed jobs. There are also no signs that large numbers of workers are shifting from AI-threatened professions into supposedly safer manual-labor jobs.</p> <p>It’s true that things aren’t great in the job market. <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/26/1137855/a-reality-check-on-the-ai-jobs-hysteria/?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*">But the reason isn’t simply the rise of AI</a>.</p> <p><em><br>—David Rotman</em></p> <p><strong>This is our latest </strong><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/26/1137855/a-reality-check-on-the-ai-jobs-hysteria/?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*"><strong>story</strong></a><strong> to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6QefEeY1IKYVn5w6nUV83Y"><strong>Spotify</strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/mit-technology-review-narrated/id1523584878"><strong>Apple Podcasts</strong></a><strong>. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released.</strong></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 Anthropic has released a &#8220;safe&#8221; version of Mythos</strong><br>It promises it has enough guardrails and user limitations to be safe. (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg701v1dp6o">BBC</a>)<br><em>+ It has a price tag twice as high as the previous flagship system. </em>(<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/technology/anthropic-ai-claude-fable-mythos.html">NYT</a> $)<br><em>+ Anthropic previously claimed Mythos was too dangerous to release. </em>(<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/anthropic-project-glasswing-mythos-preview-claude-gets-limited-release-rcna267234">CNBC</a>)<br><em>+ But critics suspect that was a marketing play. </em>(<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/13/ai-tech-marketing">Guardian</a>)<br><em>+ Selective access has become a key strategy for AI labs. </em>(<a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/09/anthropic-openai-mythos-ai-model-access">Axios</a>)</p> <p><strong>2 Seattle has banned new data centers for a year<br></strong>It’s the largest US city to have passed such a moratorium.(<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/09/seattle-ai-datacenters-ban">Guardian</a>)<br><em>+ Its biggest tech firm, Amazon, has tried to stop the ban. </em>(<a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/945809/amazon-employees-seattle-data-center-moratorium">The Verge</a>)<br><em>+ The movement to stop data centers is growing.</em> (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/climate/data-center-bans.html">NYT</a> $)</p> <p><strong>3 Democratic senators are pushing for a military AI restriction law</strong><br>They want a human commander to have the final say. (<a href="https://gizmodo.com/democrats-want-a-military-ai-restriction-law-following-anthropics-pentagon-fallout-2000768990">Gizmodo</a>)<br><em>+ But humans in the loop in an AI war is an illusion.</em> (<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/16/1136029/humans-in-the-loop-ai-war-illusion/?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>4 SpaceX plans to launch space data center tests by late 2027</strong><br>Orbital compute is central to the company’s growth pitch. (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/spacex-aims-launch-orbital-ai-computing-tests-by-end-next-year-sources-say-2026-06-09/">Reuters</a> $)<br><em>+ It’s also shared new designs for its space data centers. </em>(<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-ai-data-centers-spacex-will-send-into-space-2026-6">BI</a>)<br><em>+ We’d need these four things to put them in orbit. </em>(<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/03/1135073/four-things-wed-need-to-put-data-centers-in-space/?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 China has been accused of escalating AI espionage</strong><br>A report claims Beijing is hacking tech firms to catch up with the US. (<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/10/crowdstrike-warns-of-increasing-chinese-ai-cyberattacks-on-us-tech.html">CNBC</a>)<br><em>+ There are no winners in a US-China AI arms race.</em> (<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/21/1110269/there-can-be-no-winners-in-a-us-china-ai-arms-race/?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><strong><br>6 The Trump family has made about $2.3 billion from crypto<br></strong>While investors lost about the same amount. (<a href="https://gizmodo.com/trump-family-reportedly-made-about-2-3-billion-on-crypto-while-investors-lost-about-2-3-billion-on-trump-related-crypto-2000769825">Gizmodo</a>)<br><em>+ The Trumps risked next-to-nothing on their crypto ventures. </em>(<a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigations/parsing-trumps-crypto-profits-investors-losses-2026-06-09/">Reuters</a> $)</p> <p><strong>7 Apple isn’t launching Siri AI in the European Union</strong><br>It’s blaming EU interoperability requirements. (<a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/947051/apple-europe-dma-siri-ai">The Verge</a>)<br>+<em>Brussels says Apple didn’t try to find a compliance solution. </em>(<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/apple-failed-make-its-ai-tool-comply-eu-regulations-eu-commission-says-2026-06-09/">Reuters</a> $) </p> <p><strong>8 China’s new drone rules have spooked its thriving industry </strong><br>Drone firms face new commercial barriers. (<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/0294bfda-fe85-495a-b664-9f015b3e11cd?syn-25a6b1a6=1">Financial Times</a> $)<br><em>+ China’s drone sector leads the world.</em> (<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=china+drone+industry&amp;oq=china+drone+industry&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIKCAQQABgKGBYYHjIICAUQABgWGB4yCAgGEAAYFhgeMgoIBxAAGAoYFhgeMg0ICBAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0ICRAAGIYDGIAEGIoF0gEIMzIzOGowajeoAgCwAgA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">NYT</a> $)</p> <p><strong>9 A judge has cancelled a trial after finding both legal teams used AI</strong><br>The case descended into GenAI tools arguing against each other. (<a href="https://www.404media.co/judge-learns-lawyers-on-both-sides-of-case-used-ai-cancels-trial-kicks-everyone-off-the-case/">404 Media</a>)<br><em>+ Courts have been flooded with AI-generated lawsuits</em>. (<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/04/1138391/courts-coping-ai-lawsuits/?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>10 The dinosaur-killing asteroid created a thriving new ecosystem<br></strong>Microscopic life flourished in the extended heat. (<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2529627-dinosaur-killing-asteroid-impact-site-stayed-hot-for-millions-of-years/">New Scientist</a> $)</p> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Quote of the day</strong></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>“AI technologies today are designed by and for WEIRD societies—Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic.”&nbsp;</strong></h2> <p>—Aditya Vashistha, an assistant professor at Cornell University, tells <a href="https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-divide-america-china-world/">Rest of World</a> why AI systems don’t serve global needs.</p> <p><strong>One More Thing</strong></p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1321" height="743" src="https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LSBerke_DesignIntro-thumb.jpeg?w=1321" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="wp-image-1068425" srcset="https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LSBerke_DesignIntro-thumb.jpeg 1321w, https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LSBerke_DesignIntro-thumb.jpeg?resize=300,169 300w, https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LSBerke_DesignIntro-thumb.jpeg?resize=768,432 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1321px) 100vw, 1321px" /><div class="image-credit">LAUREN SIMKIN BERKE</div> </figure> </div> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><br>Why the definition of design might need a change</strong></h4> <p>The word “design” once carried a far wider set of meanings than it does today. They ranged from the literal and material (like tracing) through the tactical (to contrive and achieve a goal) to the organizational and institutional—the “designation” of people and objects.</p> <p>Over centuries, as designing became increasingly separated from making, that broader understanding faded. But now there is a growing case for reclaiming the word’s original sense: not just the search for a more beautiful shape, but the shaping of a more beautiful and sustainable world.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/22/1068297/design-definition-needs-change/?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 why we should retool the word “design.”</a></p> <p><em>—Nicholas de Monchaux</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.universetoday.com/articles/a-brief-ish-history-of-seti-part-i-where-is-everybody">history of humanity’s search for alien life</a> is fascinating.<br>+ Watch a damaged painting slowly return to life in this<a href="https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-art-conservator-julian-baumgartner-restores-damaged-paintings"> art restoration video</a>.<br>+ Admire young stars across every stage of cosmic formation in this stunning space <a href="https://esawebb.org/images/potm2605a/">picture of the month</a>.<br>+ Daredevil divers have captured <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cd6p6zqzj6do">the first-ever underwater footage</a> of an adult great white in the Mediterranean Sea.</p>