Plus: Anthropic has confidentially filed for IPO ahead of OpenAI.June 2, 2026 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. How small businesses can leverage AI From accounting to design to market research and product development, there’s a staggering breadth of skills needed to run a business. Large companies can hire experts to handle these tasks, but small businesses don’t always have that luxury. That’s where AI comes in. Today’s models can already take on a range of basic administrative work, from organizing notes and summarizing meetings to invoicing, goal-setting, and social media planning. Find out how small-business owners can put AI to work. —Peter Hall
This article is from Making AI Work, MIT Technology Review’s limited-run newsletter examining how to apply LLMs across industries. To receive it in your inbox, sign up here. The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Anthropic has confidentially filed for IPO ahead of OpenAIIt aims to go public as early as this fall. (CNN)+ The company did not disclose its target valuation. (Guardian)+ It’s expected to list shortly after a trillion-dollar IPO by SpaceX. (BBC)+ Beating OpenAI in the IPO race could have a big impact. (WSJ $) 2 The EU may exclude US cloud giants from critical contractsThe likes of Amazon, Microsoft, and Google could be shut out. (Reuters $)+ The EU aims to reduce its dependence on US tech. (FT $)+ Trump supercharged this sovereignty push. (Politico $)3 Florida has become the first state to sue OpenAIThe lawsuit targets ChatGPT's alleged child safety risks. (NPR) + Florida says OpenAI put profit ahead of safety. (Reuters $)+ Chatbots are now starting to check user ages. (MIT Technology Review) 4 Hackers stole Instagram accounts just by asking Meta AI for themThey easily broke into a host of celebrity profiles. (404 Media)+ The exploit shows the risk of offloading support to AI. (TechCrunch)+ AI is making online crimes easier. (MIT Technology Review) 5 Chinese universities with military ties are seeking Nvidia chipsTwo are blacklisted by the US Commerce Department. (Bloomberg $)+ The Chinese military has sought restricted Nvidia chips for years. (NYT $)+ US senators have slammed a loophole in chip export rules. (Reuters $) 6 Blue Origin and NASA disagree on a crucial rocket’s next flight+ Blue Origin says the rocket will fly again this year. (Engadget)+ But NASA is less optimistic. (CNBC)+ The rocket’s failure cast doubt on NASA’s moon plans. (BBC) 7 Moderna has won funding to develop an Ebola mRNA vaccineThe CEPI has pledged over $60 million to the effort. (Ars Technica)+ To fight an outbreak raging out of control. (MIT Technology Review) 8 China is using AI to predict future political dissentA company called Geedge Networks is developing the tech. (NYT $)
