The Download: your stake in OpenAI, and the Treasury’s AI warning
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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.
Your family’s $300 stake in OpenAI
Sam Altman’s proposal that Americans should share in the wealth created by AI is back in the spotlight, with reports that he is discussing giving the US government a 5% stake in OpenAI. At the company’s current valuation, that stake would be worth roughly $320 per American household.
The idea is meant to address concerns that AI companies are benefiting from human-generated work without compensating creators, while also easing fears that AI will cause a collapse of the labor market by providing a safety net.
The details, however, remain unclear. Indeed, the offer may be more powerful as a political narrative than as a policy plan.
Read the full story on what the dividend proposal reveals about the future of AI.
—James O’Donnell
This article is from The Algorithm, our weekly AI newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 A leaked Treasury report compares the AI market to the dotcom bubble
Which contradicts the administration’s public optimism about AI. (NOTUS)
+ Fears that the market is overinflated are growing. (Reuters $)
+ And AI profits are hiding bigger risks in earnings reports. (FT $)
+ What even is the AI bubble? (MIT Technology Review)
2 Samsung profits have jumped 1,800% on booming AI chip sales
It just reported its third consecutive record quarterly profit. (BBC)
+ But its shares slumped over fears that the AI boom will stall. (Reuters $)
+ That boom has turned Samsung into a $1 trillion company. (CNBC)
3 A US cyber agency is using Mythos to audit government code
Sources say CISA is tapping Anthropic’s model to search for bugs. (Reuters $)
+ Agencies are using it despite Anthropic’s feud with the White House. (Axios)
4 Illinois’ governor has signed the nation’s strongest frontier AI law
It’s designed to protect citizens from AI risks. (Gizmodo)
+ US lawmakers are clashing over AI rules. (MIT Technology Review)
5 A hidden tracker in Claude Code has been exposed and removed
It secretly monitored users in China. (WP $)
+ Critics said it shows Anthropic’s willingness to surveil users. (Ars Technica)
+ The company has also found a hidden “thinking” space in Claude. (Axios)
6 Russia is suspected of flying drones over Europe from a shadow fleet
The flights were reportedly launched from commercial ships. (Ars Technica)
+ Europe has a drone-filled vision for future wars. (MIT Technology Review)
7 A controversial AI “actor” is set to star in its first feature film
Tilly Norwood will debut in a comedy-drama called “Misaligned.” (Variety)
+ A major actors union has lambasted the AI creation. (NBC News)
8 AI costs are driving US companies toward Chinese models
Businesses are hunting for cheaper model alternatives. (CNBC)
+ Chinese AI labs are betting big on open source. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Researchers have shown quantum proofs can beat classical ones
They found a problem that classical proofs can’t solve. (Quanta)
10 Earth will never be swallowed by the sun, according to new models
But it probably won’t be much fun to live here by that point anyway! (Wired $)
Quote of the day
“The goal might be to make machines in our image. But what I fear is that—perhaps without even quite noticing—we remake ourselves in theirs.”
—Reporter Sarah O’Connor sounds a note of caution in her new book, We Are Not Machines, the Guardian reports.
One More Thing
Adventures in the genetic time machine
Eske Willerslev, a specialist in recovering DNA from old bones and objects, has made numerous breakthroughs. These include recovering the first more or less complete genome of an ancient human and 2.4-million-year-old genetic material from Greenland, revealing that today’s Arctic desert was once a forest with poplar, birch, and mastodons.
These findings are part of a wave of discoveries from what’s being called an “ancient-DNA revolution.”
Beyond revealing stories of human migration and vanished ecosystems, scientists believe ancient DNA can unearth clues about modern diseases. It could even lead to a better food supply for our warming world. “And can we get that?” Willerslev asks. “Yes, I believe we can.”
Discover how ancient DNA could rescue the future.
—Antonio Regalado
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.)
+ Underworld’s electric set from EDC Las Vegas 2026 has been released as a full concert video.
+ This photographic journey through global soccer culture captures the mad passion of fandom around the world.
+ Feeling unhinged? Me too. This playlist of gloriously intense classical music sympathetically captures the mood.
+ If you’re looking for visual inspiration, this collection of graphic design archives from across the web is a goldmine.