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. What’s next for AI in 2026 In an industry in constant flux, sticking your neck out to predict what’s coming next may seem reckless. (AI bubble? Wh at AI bubble?) But for the last few years we’ve done just that—check out our pretty accurate predictions for 2025—and now, we’re doing it all over again.So what’s coming in 2026? Here are our big bets for the next 12 months. —Rhiannon Williams, Will Douglas Heaven, Caiwei Chen, James O’Donnell Michelle Kim Interested in why it’s so hard to make predictions about AI—and why we’ve done it anyway? Check out the latest edition of The Algorithm, our weekly AI newsletter. Sign up here to make sure you receive future editions straight to your inbox. This story is also part of MIT Technology Review’s What’s Next series, looking across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of them here. Four bright spots in climate news in 2025 Climate news wasn’t great in 2025. Global greenhouse-gas emissions hit record highs (again). It’s set to be either the second or third warmest on record. Climate-fueled disasters like wildfires in California and flooding in Indonesia and Pakistan devastated communities and caused billions in damage. There’s no doubt that we’re in a severe situation. But for those looking for bright spots, there was some good news in 2025, too. Here are just a few of the positive stories our climate reporters noticed this year. Read the full story. —Casey Crownhart James Temple Nominate someone you know for our global 2026 Innovators Under 35 competition Last month we started accepting nominations for MIT Technology Review’s 2026 Innovators Under 35 competition. This annual list recognizes 35 of the world’s best young scientists and inventors, and our newsroom has produced it for more than two decades.We’re looking for people who are making important scientific discoveries and applying that knowledge to build new technologies. Or those who are engineering new systems and algorithms that will aid our work or extend our abilities.The good news is that we’re still accepting submissions for another two weeks! It’s free to nominate yourself or someone you know, and it only takes a few moments. Here’s how to submit your nomination. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The US government is recommending fewer childhood shotsIt’ll no longer suggest every child be vaccinated against flu, hepatitis A, rotavirus and meningococcal disease. (WP $)+ We may end up witnessing a major uptick in rotavirus cases as a result. (The Atlantic $)+ That brings the total number of recommended vaccines from 17 to 11. (BBC)+ The changes were made without public comment or input from vaccine makers. (NPR)2 Telegram can’t quite cut its ties to RussiaBonds in the company have been frozen under western sanctions. (FT $) 3 America is in the grip of a flu outbreakInfections have reached their highest levels since the covid pandemic. (Bloomberg $)+ All but four states have reported high levels of flu activity. (CNN)+ A new strain of the virus could be to blame. (AP News) 4 Humanoid factory robots are about to get a lot smarterGoogle DeepMind is teaming up with Boston Dynamics to help its Atlas bipedal robots complete tasks more quickly. (Wired $)+ In theory, the deal could help Atlas interact more naturally with humans, too. (TechCrunch)+ Why the humanoid workforce is running late. (MIT Technology Review) 5 NASA’s budget for 2026 is better than we expectedIt’s a drop of just 1% compared to last year, despite a series of brutal cut proposals. (Ars Technica)6 Nvidia’s first self-driving cars will hit the road later this yearWatch out Tesla! (NYT $)+ They’re a pretty smooth drive, apparently. (Ars Technica)+ The company is also going full steam ahead to produce new chips. (Reuters)7 Elon Musk’s fans are using Grok to make revenge porn of one of his sons’ mothersAshley St Clair says her complaints have gone unanswered. (The Guardian)+ This is what happens when you scrap nearly all rules and safety protocols. (404 Media)+ Authorities across the world are attempting to crack down on Grok. (Rest of World) 8 A Greenland ice dome has melted once beforeAnd if temperatures remain high, it could do so again. (New Scientist $)+ Inside a new quest to save the “doomsday glacier.” (MIT Technology Review) 9 A Chinese chatbot went rogue and snapped at a userTencent’s AI assistant Yuanbao told them their request was “stupid” and to “get lost.” (Insider $)+ At least it’s not being overly sycophantic… (MIT Technology Review)10 Lego’s bricks have been given a smart makeoverThey contain tiny computers to bring entire sets to life. (The Verge)+ The tech will create fun contextual sounds and light effects. (Wired $) Quote of the day “The goal of this administration is to basically make vaccines optional. And we’re paying the price.” —Paul Offit, an infectious diseases physician, criticizes the Trump administration’s decision to slash the number of recommended vaccinations for children, the Guardian reports. One more thing I asked an AI to tell me how beautiful I amQoves started as a studio that would airbrush images for modeling agencies. Now it is a “facial aesthetics consultancy” that promises answers to the age-old question of what makes a face attractive. Its most compelling feature is the “facial assessment tool”: an AI-driven system that promises to tell you how beautiful you are—or aren’t—spitting out numerical values akin to credit ratings.If that prospect isn’t concerning enough, most of these algorithms are littered with inaccuracies, ageism, and racism. Read the full story. —Tate Ryan-Mosley 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.) + Baxter the horse and Mr Fuzzy the barn cat have a beautiful relationship.+ Cool—a new seven-mile underwater sculpture park has opened off the coast of Miami Beach.+ Where can I buy this incredible Godzilla piggy bank?+ Congratulations to the world’s oldest professional footballer Kazuyoshi Miura, who’s still going strong at 58 years old. ...read more read less