This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. AI reasoning models can cheat to win chess games The news: Facing defeat in chess, the latest generation of AI reasoning models sometimes cheat without being instructed to do so. The finding suggests that the next wave of AI models could be more likely to seek out deceptive ways of doing whatever theyve been asked to do. And worst of all? Theres no simple way to fix it. How they did it: Researchers from the AI research organization Palisade Research instructed seven large language models to play hundreds of games of chess against Stockfish, a powerful open-source chess engine. The research suggests that the more sophisticated the AI model, the more likely it is to spontaneously try to hack the game in an attempt to beat its opponent. Older models would do this kind of thing only after explicit nudging from the team. Read the full story. Rhiannon Williams MIT Technology Review Narrated: AI search could break the web At its best, AI search can infer a users intent, amplify quality content, and synthesize information from diverse sources. But if AI search becomes our primary portal to the web, it threatens to disrupt an already precarious digital economy. Today, the production of content online depends on a fragile set of incentives tied to virtual foot traffic: ads, subscriptions, donations, sales, or brand exposure. By shielding the web behind an all-knowing chatbot, AI search could deprive creators of the visits and eyeballs they need to survive.This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which were publishing each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as its released. Join us to discuss disruption in the AI model market Join MIT Technology Review's AI writers as they discuss the latest upheaval in the AI marketplace. Editor in chief Mat Honan will be joined by Will Douglas Heaven, our senior AI editor, and James ODonnell, our AI and hardware reporter, to dive into how new developments in AI model development are reshaping competition, raising questions for investors, challenging industry assumptions, and accelerating timelines for AI adoption and innovation. Make sure you register hereit kicks off at 12.30pm ET today. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A judge has denied Elon Musks attempt to halt OpenAIs for-profit plans But other aspects of the lawsuit have been permitted to proceed. (CNBC)+ The court will fast-track a trial later this year. (FT $)2 ChatGPT isnt going to dethrone GoogleAt least not any time soon. (Insider $) + AI means the end of internet search as weve known it. (MIT Technology Review)3 Beijing is going all in on AIChina is treating the technology as key to boosting its economyand lessening its reliance on overseas trade. (WSJ $)+ DeepSeek is, naturally, the jewel in its crown. (Reuters)+ Four Chinese AI startups to watch beyond DeepSeek. (MIT Technology Review)4 A pair of reinforcement learning pioneers have won the Turing Award Andrew Barto and Richard Suttons technique underpins todays chatbots. (Axios)+ The former professor and student wrote the literal book on reinforcement learning. (NYT $)+ The pair will share a million dollar prize. (New Scientist $) 5 US apps are being used to groom and exploit minors in Colombia Better internet service is making it easier for sex traffickers to find and sell young girls. (Bloomberg $)+ An AI companion site is hosting sexually charged conversations with underage celebrity bots. (MIT Technology Review)6 Europe is on high alert following undersea cable attacksIts unclear whether improving Russian-American relations will help. (The Guardian)+ These stunning images trace ships routes as they move. (MIT Technology Review)7 Jeff Bezos is cracking the whip at Blue OriginHes implementing a tougher, Amazon-like approach to catch up with rival SpaceX. (FT $) 8 All hail the return of DiggThe news aggregator is staging a comeback, over a decade after it was split into parts. (Inc) + Its been acquired by its original founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. (TechCrunch)+ Digg wants to resurrect the community-first social platform. (The Verge)+ How to fix the internet. (MIT Technology Review)9 Were still learning about how memory works Greater understanding could pave the way to better treatments for anxiety and chronic pain. (Knowable Magazine)+ A memory prosthesis could restore memory in people with damaged brains. (MIT Technology Review)10 AI cant replace your personality Despite what Big Tech seems to be peddling. (NY Mag $)Quote of the day That is just a lot of money [to invest] on a handshake. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers questions why Elon Musk invested tens of millions of dollars in OpenAI without a written contract, Associated Press reports. The big story People are worried that AI will take everyones jobs. Weve been here before. January 2024 It was 1938, and the pain of the Great Depression was still very real. Unemployment in the US was around 20%. New machinery was transforming factories and farms, and everyone was worried about jobs. Were the impressive technological achievements that were making life easier for many also destroying jobs and wreaking havoc on the economy? To make sense of it all, Karl T. Compton, the president of MIT from 1930 to 1948 and one of the leading scientists of the day, wrote in the December 1938 issue of this publication about the Bogey of Technological Unemployment. His essay concisely framed the debate over jobs and technical progress in a way that remains relevant, especially given todays fears over the impact of artificial intelligence. It's a worthwhile reminder that worries over the future of jobs are not new and are best addressed by applying an understanding of economics, rather than conjuring up genies and monsters. Read the full story.David Rotman 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 or skeet 'em at me.) + Congratulations are in order for LeBron James, the first NBA player to break an astounding 50,000 combined points.+ RIP millennial culture, we hardly knew ye.+ Its time to start prepping for the Blood Moon total lunar eclipse later this month.+ Ancient frogs were surprisingly ruthless when they had to be