The Download: Pokémon Go to train world models, and the US-China race to find aliens

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.

How Pokemon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world

Pokemon Go was the world's first augmented-reality megahit. Released in 2016 by Niantic, the AR twist on the juggernaut Pokemon franchise fast became a global phenomenon. 500 million people installed that app in 60 days," says Brian McClendon, CTO at Niantic Spatial, an AI company that Niantic spun out last year.

Now Niantic Spatial is using that vast trove of crowdsourced data to build a kind of world model-a buzzynew technologythat grounds the smarts of LLMs in real environments. The firm wants to use it to help robots navigate more precisely.Read the full story.

-Will Douglas Heaven

MIT Technology Review Narrated:Americawaswinning the race to find Martian life. Then China jumped in.

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.

NASA began a new mission to bring the rocks back to Earth to study. But now,justover 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.

This also means that, in the race to find evidence of alien life,Americahas effectively ceded its pole position to its greatest geopolitical rival: China. The superpower is moving full steam ahead with its own version of NASA's mission.

-Robin George Andrews

This is our lateststoryto be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, whichwe'republishing each week onSpotifyandApple Podcasts.Justnavigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform,andfollow us to get all ournew contentasit'sreleased.

The must-reads

I'vecombed the internet to find you today's most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1ViralAI fakes of the Iran war are flooding X
And Grok isfailing to flagthem. (Wired$)
+ The conflict could wreak havoc on datacentersand electricity costs.(The Verge)
+ Pro-Iran bots are weaponizing posts about Epstein.(Gizmodo)
+ AI is turning the Iran conflict into a show.(MIT Technology Review)

2 Anthropic fears the loss of billions due to the Pentagon's blacklisting
That's what the company has told a judge as it seeks to block its designation as a supply-chain risk. (Bloomberg$)
+ Microsoft has backed the company in its legal fight with the Pentagon.(FT$)
+ OpenAI's compromise" with the DoD dealt a big blow to Anthropic.(MIT Technology Review)

3 Meta has bought a social networkthat'sexclusively for bots
Moltbook is a Reddit-like site where AI agents interact with each other. (NYT$)
+ The platformis AItheater.(MIT Technology Review)

4 Ukraine is eagerly offering the US itsexpertiseand tech to counter Iranian drones
Kyiv has sent drones and UAV specialists to military bases in Jordan. (WSJ$)
+ A radio-obsessed civilian is shaping Ukraine's dronedefense.(MIT Technology Review)

5OnlyFans chatters" are earning $2 per hour to impersonate models
A worker in the Philippines described the job as heartbreaking" and icky." (BBC)

6 The DHS has removed officials who objected to illegal" orders about surveillance tech
The officers had refused to mislabel records about the technologiesin order toblock their release. (Wired)

7 This startup is building datacentersrun on brain cells
The biological datacenters" are coming to Melbourne and Singapore. (New Scientist$)

8 Anduril is expanding into spacedefense
The company is buyingExoAnalytic, which specializes in missiledefensetracking. (Reuters)
+ We saw a demo of an AI system powering Anduril's vision for war.(MIT Technology Review)

9 Bigtechhas a new big idea: AI compute as compensation
Silicon Valley is pitching it as a jobperk.(Business Insider)

10 Wordle's creator is back with a new game
It's inspired by cryptic crosswords. (The New Yorker$)

Quote of the day

You come for the Epstein content, and you stay for the propaganda."

-Bret Schafer, an expert on information manipulation, tellsthe Washington Posthow pro-Iran networks are gaining traction with posts about Epstein.

One More ThingMEREDITH MIOTKE | PHOTO: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS

The quest to figure out farming on Mars

If ever a blade of grass grew on Mars, those days are over. But could they begin again? What would it take to grow plants to feed future astronauts on Mars?

To grow food there, wecan'tjustdrop seeds in the ground and add water. We will need to create a layer of soil that can support life. And to do that, we firsthave toget rid of the red planet's toxic salts.

Researchers recently discovered a potential solution-and the early signs are promising.Read the full story.

We can still havenice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?Drop me a line)

+ Finally, a rebellion arises against mint's tyranny over our teeth:Peanut Butter Cup toothpaste.
+DIY decorators rejoice! Thehumble paint trayhas received an ingeniously simple renovation.
+Saudi surgeons havesuccessfully separatedtwo conjoined twins.
+Ifyou'relooking for real innovation, check outBritish Pie Week'sbeef rendang, jerk chicken, and double-size pasties.