The Download: online safety’s future and climate tech’s big pivot

The Download: online safety’s future and climate tech’s big pivot Plus: SpaceX has filed for an IPO expected to be the largest ever. 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. Tech researchers are suing the Trump administration over the future of online safety For months, the Trump administration has been going after researchers who study and try to counter hate speech, harassment, propaganda, and disinformation online. Now, some of those researchers are fighting back. In a new lawsuit, they’re seeking to strike down a visa restriction policy against “foreign officials and other persons” announced last year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They say the policy violates the speech and due process rights of foreign-born workers whose “work supports greater moderation of content on the [tech] platforms." Find out how the case could impact online safety and free speech. —Eileen Guo Climate tech companies are pivoting to critical minerals We’re over a year into the second Trump administration, and support for climate causes in the US is weak. But climate tech companies are finding ways to survive and even thrive in this new environment, including by looking beyond decarbonization. One example is Boston Metal. The startup has raised a $75 million round to produce critical metals, MIT Technology Review can exclusively report. The company is best known for its efforts to clean up steel production, an industry that's responsible for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But the new focus and fresh funds could help it survive a period of waning support for industrial decarbonization. Read the full story on its high-stakes shift. And discover more about the new strategy for climate tech companies in our analysis of how they’re reframing their missions. —Casey Crownhart Our story on the climate tech pivot is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. Can AI learn to understand the world? As the limits of LLMs become clearer, researchers are developing a new kind of AI designed to understand the physical environment: world models. Recent developments from Google DeepMind, Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs, and Yann LeCun’s new startup have pushed these systems to the forefront of AI. At an exclusive virtual event today, MIT Technology Review will examine the progress—and what comes next. Join editor in chief Mat Honan, senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven, and AI reporter Grace Huckins for the subscriber-only Roundtables discussion on world models. Register here to take part in the session at 19:30 GMT / 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT. World models are one of our 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, MIT Technology Review’s new list of the technologies and ideas shaping the future of AI. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 SpaceX has filed for an…