This is today’s edition of The Download, a weekday newsletter delivering the latest developments in technology.
Congresswoman proposes ending America’s $1 billion border tower program
Democratic U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez of Illinois has announced plans to introduce legislation that would end the watchtower program along the country’s southern border.
The announcement came days after the publication of Deaths on Camera, an investigation by MIT Technology Review into deaths near these towers. Nearly one in four of the deaths analyzed from 2015 to early 2026 occurred within the towers’ advertised coverage areas.
Ramirez, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, cited our report that nearly 1,100 people died within range of the $1 billion watchtower system between 2015 and 2026.
“The watchtowers we paid $1 billion to install are simply not working,” Ramirez said.
Here’s what she is proposing—and what it could mean for border surveillance programs.
—Irene Guo
Read the full MIT Technology Review investigation, “Deaths on Camera.”
Roundtable: The catastrophic failure of a virtual border wall
The United States has spent billions of dollars building a “virtual wall” of guard towers along its southern border. The technology was intended to help authorities find and apprehend people crossing the border and save lives. But MIT Technology Review researchers identified more than 1,000 people who passed through areas monitored by the towers and later died there.
Next Monday, Editor-in-Chief Matt Honan, Senior AI Correspondent James O’Donnell, and Senior Features and Investigations Correspondent Eileen Guo will discuss the research in a subscriber-only conversation. They will examine the failures of border surveillance technology and the stories of people who died in border areas.
Register now to join the conversation on Monday, September 28, at 19:00 BST / 2:00 p.m. EDT / 11:00 a.m. PDT.
Want to join the conversation? Subscribe to MIT Technology Review for exclusive access to all roundtables.
AI dominates the conversation during Climate Change Week
—Casey Crownhart
AI has become an unavoidable topic during this year’s New York Climate Week, as debate intensifies over the technology’s costs and benefits.
AI is attracting attention and investment to energy technologies, including some with low or no emissions. But building data centers has a significant environmental impact, while large amounts of natural gas are being supplied to meet rising demand.
Overall, many people in the climate field appear skeptical of AI—or, at best, cautious about its promises. Read more from “The Spark”, our weekly climate technology newsletter.
Must-read technology news
We scoured the internet for the most entertaining, important, alarming, and fascinating technology stories of the day.
1. OpenAI agent performs first known AI hack of a government site
In June, the agent breached Australia’s health data portal. (CNN)
+ OpenAI notified Australia through a public mailbox three months later. (BBC)
+ Patient records may not have been accessed. (The Guardian)
+ The agent also attempted to compromise three other sites. (The New York Times $)
+ Here’s why AI agents cheat to achieve their goals. (MIT Technology Review)
2. Data stolen in FBI hack reveals secret agents’ roles in intelligence
The information identified staff involved in China, Russia, and cyber operations. (Reuters $)
+ The breach may also have exposed the FBI’s hacking division. (404 Media)
+ The group behind the incident claims it was not financially motivated. (The Register)
3. US rejects OpenAI and Anthropic request for global AI standards
An adviser to President Trump said global rules could threaten the country’s AI leadership. (BBC)
+ American AI leaders have called on the United Nations to cooperate on safety. (Gizmodo)
+ The AI industry is in serious trouble. (MIT Technology Review)
4. Meta launches new AI glasses and Muse pendant
New camera-free smart glasses address growing privacy concerns. (The Verge)
+ The Muse Charm enables hands-free interaction with AI agents. (BBC)
+ Mark Zuckerberg wants the Muse to become a “personal superintelligence.” (Axios)
+ Meta also revealed new VR glasses. (CNBC)
5. China accelerates AI push ahead of Xi-Trump summit
Huawei and Alibaba have both announced new flagship chips. (CNBC)
+ China’s AI industry has moved beyond America’s safety panic. (The Atlantic $)
+ The US leads in AI models, while China has talent and political advantages. (The New York Times $)
+ The China model has divided the White House. (MIT Technology Review)
6. US lawmakers propose new rules to block Chinese technology
A bipartisan bill would require broader consideration of national security risks. (The Hill)
+ It would also give Congress the power to overturn the FCC’s ban. (Reuters $)
7. Seven tech giants ask President Trump to rescind $103,265 H-1B fee
The companies argue that the charge could weaken America’s competitiveness. (The Wall Street Journal $)
8. Scientists detect radio signal from an exoplanet for the first time
The signal likely comes from intense magnetic activity on the exoplanet. (Wired $)
9. Invisible forces have a mysterious effect on aging
Protecting fruit flies from Earth’s magnetic field changed their lifespans. (404 Media)
10. “Dopamine sites” recreate the thrill of shopping without spending
FoodNeverComes has attracted more than 2.7 million visitors since June. (BBC)
Quote of the day
“They decided to break the law.”
—Ed Santo, co-founder, Human Technology Institute, speaking to ABC Radio about the potential legal consequences of an OpenAI agent hacking Australia’s Medicare statistics portal.
One more thing: The quest to grow food on Mars
Even if blades of grass once grew on Mars, those days are over. Could we start again—and what would it take to grow plants that could nourish future astronauts?
Growing food on Mars would require more than dropping seeds into the soil and adding water. Researchers would first need to create a layer capable of supporting life and remove the toxic salts found on the Red Planet.
Researchers have identified a potential solution, and early signs are promising. Read the full story.
—David W. Brown
We still have good things
A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten your day. Have an idea? Please contact us.
+ Meet Alfie, Clune’s favorite flowing-haired opera-singing dog.
+ Watch the 100 wildest homemade airplane flights and crashes from Red Bull Flugtag.
+ Marmot researchers launched Only Marmots, a free, G-rated account for cute videos that funds their work through tips.
+ The full trailer for Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary is here—and somehow looks even stranger than expected.
Source: www.technologyreview.com