The Download：开放模型的取舍与地热发电的前景

Anthropic recently released a report arguing that a powerful new model released by the Chinese company Z.ai, poses a major cyberattack risk. Its core concern was that it is freely available for anyone to download and modify.

The warning was the latest flashpoint in a debate over whether frontier AI models should be open or kept behind the doors of frontier labs. Safety advocates warn that open models can be misused by bad actors, while supporters argue they could prevent a handful of companies from controlling this powerful technology.

Here’s why the debate over open AI is more complicated than it seems .

—Grace Huckins

Fervo Energy wants to expand geothermal power beyond the handful of places where it has traditionally been practical. The company uses horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to open pathways through underground rock, potentially making geothermal development possible in far more places.

—Eshan Raul

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 A cyberattack overheated fridges at hundreds of French supermarkets Temperatures rose to 120°F, spoiling food and sparking fires. ( BBC ) + The attack has sparked alarm about cyber threats to food security. ( FT $) + It joins a recent wave of cyberattacks and cybercrimes. ( CNBC ) + AI is exacerbating the threats. ( MIT Technology Review )

2 Meta has launched a bunch of new AI models It hopes the models, built for complex, multi-step tasks, will rival OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s.( BI ) + They scored well on tests of reasoning, writing, and coding. ( NYT $) + Mark Zuckerberg says they bring Meta to the “frontier” of AI. ( FT $) + And will soon power the Muse agent. ( Verge )

3 Anthropic warns that AI models may soon self-replicate across devices Without even requiring access to data centers. ( Reuters $) + It says models could spread through smart TVs and appliances. ( CNBC ) + We’re putting too much faith in AI saying no. ( MIT Technology Review )

4 Police have a new AI tool that finds homes from interior photos It can match single pictures to Airbnb and Zillow listings. ( 404 Media ) + Police-tech giant Flock is tightening its rules. ( MIT Technology Review )

5 The world’s first utility-scale enhanced geothermal plant is online Fervo Energy’s Utah facility will supply carbon-free electricity. ( IEEE ) + AI is uncovering hidden geothermal resources. ( MIT Technology Review )

6 Did drone strikes on Yandex data centres blitz Russian bots? Zelenskyy claims the attacks quietened Kremlin-funded social media accounts. ( Euronews ) + But troll farm experts aren’t convinced. ( Verge )

7 NASA’s Perseverance rover has set a Mars driving record It’s covered 28 miles since landing in 2021. ( Reuters $) + The rover passed Opportunity after detouring to study ancient rocks. ( NYT $)

8 Elon Musk has become the 2026 midterms’ biggest known donor He gave $158 million to a Republican Senate super PAC. ( AP News )

9 Anduril and Palantir founders have backed execution livestreams Palmer Luckey and Joe Lonsdale support Pete Hegseth’s plan. ( Mother Jones )

10 A spacecraft has traced how a mysterious solar switchback formed The Solar Orbiter’s discovery could improve space weather forecasts. ( Gizmodo )

Quote of the day

—Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar tells CBS News that Silicon Valley’s “social delusion” has convinced researchers to smoke because they expect AI to cure cancer.

One more thing

Sticking an electrode inside a person’s brain can do more than treat a disease. Take the case of Rita Leggett, an Australian woman whose experimental brain implant changed her sense of agency and self. She told researchers that she “became one” with her device.

She was devastated when, two years later, she was told she had to remove the implant because the company that made it had gone bust. Her case highlights the need for a new category of legal protection: neuro rights. Explore how they could be protected .

—Jessica Hamzelou

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 .)

+ Astronomers have captured the clearest image yet of a medieval supernova. + Watch centuries-old Chinese paper-cutting techniques create a spectacular work of art . + Artist Josh Gluckstein creates astonishing animal sculptures from recycled cardboard, including this great white shark . + An endangered sea turtle named Pancake has returned to the ocean for the first time in months after recovering from hypothermia.

Plus: 22 nations have called for a new global body to oversee AI.