The Download: selling battlefield drone data and AI reshaping language

Plus: OpenAI has launched Astra, its most capable model yet. 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. Data from drones in Ukraine is fueling a new Wild West marketplace —Cory Alpert, a researcher at the University of Melbourne studying AI's impact on democracy, who previously served in the Biden White House. Battlefields in Ukraine are littered with the remnants of drones. But behind all that wreckage, there’s a new gold mine for the defense sector: the data those drones generate. Ukraine has begun making millions of data points gathered during tens of thousands of drone flights available to military contractors and commercial companies. It’s a quick way to attract funding and partnerships, but it turns the front line into a model training site, using the chaos of war to create conditions that AI companies struggle to reproduce. As this new industry takes shape, we need a regulatory system that ensures battlefield data isn’t treated like ordinary commercial material. Read the full op-ed on why battlefield data needs new rules. Mother tongue —“Mother Tongue” is a short fiction story by author and AI ethicist Jenny Williams “Daddy?” Theo curled against my side in bed. “Where do words go when they die? “Well, kiddo,” I said, scratching my beard. “Words aren’t really alive to begin with. Not like you and I are alive.”Inside, Theo’s AI companion teaches him strange songs in a language his father doesn’t understand. But outside, the world is edging toward disaster. A mysterious agentic system called Tingsu has emerged in a nuclear-armed country, and no one seems to understand what it wants. Read the full short story about what happens when AI begins to reshape language. This story is from our latest print magazine, which is all about kids. Subscribe now to get every issue as soon as it lands. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 OpenAI has launched Astra, its most capable model yetThe firm says boosted capabilities are being paired with stronger safeguards. (Verge)+ OpenAI’s president claims that AI is now as capable as humans. (WP $)+ But the company is also warning that Astra can evade human monitoring. (Reuters $)+ It’s OpenAI’s first model to hit its “critical” risk level. (Quartz)+ Bill Gates says we’ve lost control of AI. (MIT Technology Review) 2 Automakers have urged Congress to ban Chinese cars permanentlyOn the basis of unfair trade, market dumping, and surveillance. (The Hill)+ The group wants legislation barring them from the US this year. (Reuters $)+ It includes GM, Ford, Toyota, VW, Hyundai, Honda, and Stellantis. (CNBC)+ China’s EV boom has a recycling problem. (MIT Technology Review) 3 Tesla has launched the Cybercab, starting with rides in AustinThe company has 45 of the robotaxis registered in Texas. (AP)+ It was an unusually muted launch. (Verge)+ Regulators are already evaluating the steering-wheel-free service. (Reuters $) 4 Republicans are increasingly breaking from Trump’s pro-AI agendaThe most striking shift is a data center backlash in Texas. (Reuters $)+ Should we move data centers to space? (MIT Technology Review) 5 Bernie Sanders wants a permanent ban on “superintelligent” AIHe also renewed his call to pause advanced AI development. (Politico)+ Rep. Greg Casar is cosponsoring the bill. (Axios) 6 The Pentagon and Commerce Department are split over AnthropicAn official said Anthropic is still considered a “supply chain risk.” (Axios)+ A day earlier, the commerce chief said the firm was back onside. (Quartz) 7 A transplanted pig kidney worked in a human for a record 271 daysIt enabled the recipient to stay off dialysis while waiting for a donor.(BBC)+ Supercooling is keeping pig kidneys alive longer. (MIT Technology Review) 8 A fly-inspired algorithm that remembers smells could lead to better AIIt mimics how fruit flies remember new smells.(Ars Technica) 9 Did “technofascist” laws bring Peter Thiel to Argentina?Critics say the proposals echo his techno-libertarian ideas. (Guardian) 10 Splash-free urinals and nose-blowing research have won Ig NobelsThe awards honor unusual research with genuine scientific value. (CNN) Quote of the day “Despite its potential deadly consequences, cutting-edge AI technology is less regulated than the average food truck. That must change.” —Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) calls for a ban on "superintelligent" AI in a press release issued alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). One more thing Is fake grass a bad idea? The AstroTurf wars are far from over. In 2001, Americans installed just over 7 million square meters of synthetic turf. By 2024, that number was 79 million square meters—enough to carpet all of Manhattan and then some. The increase worries folks who study microplastics and environmental pollution. While the plastic-making industry insists that synthetic fields are safe if properly installed, lots of researchers think that isn’t so. Find out why AstroTurf has ignited heated debates. —Douglas Main 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.) + “Weird Al” Yankovic has performed a delightfully offbeat Tiny Desk concert.+ Step inside the sound world of The Price Is Right with broadcast mixer Henry Muehlhausen.+ Ease your fears of AI uprisings with these fails from the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games.+ A floating island that nature lovers feared had sunk has reemerged about 20 miles from where it was last spotted. 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