The Download: how the World Cup ball will fly and OpenAI’s “super app”
The Download: how the World Cup ball will fly and OpenAI’s “super app”
《下载》：世界杯足球如何飞行，以及 OpenAI 的“超级应用”
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. 这是今日份的《下载》，我们平日更新的简报，为您提供每日科技世界的动态。
Why this year’s World Cup ball may not fly as far
为什么今年的世界杯足球可能飞得没那么远
Much is new about this month’s FIFA World Cup tournament. It hosts more teams than ever before. It’s the first to occur in three different host countries. And, like every World Cup for over half a century, it will employ a football with a brand-new design. 本月的国际足联世界杯有很多新变化。参赛球队数量创下历史新高。这是首次由三个不同国家共同举办。而且，像半个多世纪以来的每一届世界杯一样，它将采用一款全新设计的足球。
Through wind-tunnel experiments, researchers found that long-distance kicks with Adidas’s new Trionda ball might not travel as far as they did in the past. The payoff is a more predictable flight path, something players have not always enjoyed from World Cup balls. Find out how a few grooves and seams can change the way the game is played. —Jenna Ahart 通过风洞实验，研究人员发现，使用阿迪达斯新款 Trionda 足球进行长距离踢球时，球的飞行距离可能不如以往。作为回报，它拥有更可预测的飞行轨迹，而这正是球员们在以往世界杯用球中并不总能体验到的。了解一下几个凹槽和接缝是如何改变比赛方式的吧。——Jenna Ahart
The must-reads
必读内容
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 我已为您搜罗了互联网上今天最有趣、最重要、最令人担忧以及最引人入胜的科技新闻。
1 OpenAI plans to turn ChatGPT into a ‘super app’ before its IPO 1 OpenAI 计划在 IPO 前将 ChatGPT 转型为“超级应用” The revamp would combine coding tools and AI agents. (Financial Times $)+ The super app ambitions first emerged last year. (Fast Company)+ OpenAI is also building a fully automated researcher. (MIT Technology Review) 此次改版将结合编程工具和 AI 智能体。（《金融时报》$）+ 超级应用的雄心最早于去年浮出水面。（《快公司》）+ OpenAI 还在构建一个全自动研究员。（《麻省理工科技评论》）
2 Trump wants the US government to take a stake in AI companies 2 特朗普希望美国政府入股 AI 公司 He will meet AI leaders to discuss the plan. (BBC)+ Which would create “a partnership with the American public.” (Reuters $)+ He wants a slice of the AI boom. (Axios) 他将与 AI 行业领袖会面讨论该计划。（BBC）+ 这将创造“与美国公众的伙伴关系”。（路透社 $）+ 他想在 AI 热潮中分一杯羹。（Axios）
3 Google has agreed to pay SpaceX $30 billion for AI computing power 3 谷歌同意向 SpaceX 支付 300 亿美元购买 AI 计算能力 The $920 million-a-month contract runs through June 2029. (NYT $)+ Google will use about 110,000 Nvidia GPUs owned by SpaceX. (CNBC)+ It comes days after Anthropic struck a SpaceX data center deal. (WSJ $) 这份每月 9.2 亿美元的合同将持续到 2029 年 6 月。（《纽约时报》$）+ 谷歌将使用 SpaceX 拥有的约 11 万块英伟达 GPU。（CNBC）+ 此举发生于 Anthropic 与 SpaceX 达成数据中心协议的几天后。（《华尔街日报》$）
4 AI is set to make everyday life more expensive 4 AI 将使日常生活变得更加昂贵 Its insatiable thirst for resources is likely to push up inflation. (WP $)+ We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. (MIT Technology Review) 其对资源的贪婪渴求可能会推高通胀。（《华盛顿邮报》$）+ 我们计算了 AI 的能源足迹。（《麻省理工科技评论》）
5 Europe is accelerating its withdrawal from US Big Tech 5 欧洲正在加速脱离美国大型科技公司 New analysis reveals dozens of moves to alternative providers. (Wired $) + Last week, the EU launched a “made in Europe” drive. (Reuters $) 最新分析显示，已有数十项转向替代供应商的举措。（《连线》$）+ 上周，欧盟发起了“欧洲制造”运动。（路透社 $）
6 ICE plans to give local police a new facial recognition app 6 美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）计划为当地警察提供一款新的面部识别应用 It would allow them to verify a person’s immigration status. (404 Media)+ Is the Pentagon allowed to surveil Americans with AI? (MIT Technology Review) 它将允许警察核实个人的移民身份。（404 Media）+ 五角大楼被允许用 AI 监视美国人吗？（《麻省理工科技评论》）
7 Silicon Valley’s lure is fading for India’s tech talent 7 硅谷对印度科技人才的吸引力正在减弱 Due to Trump’s immigration policies and AI-driven layoffs. (Rest of World) 原因在于特朗普的移民政策和 AI 驱动的裁员。（Rest of World）
8 ‘Recursive self-improvement’ has sparked fears of AI escaping control 8 “递归自我改进”引发了对 AI 失控的担忧 Nobody is sure about the consequences of RSI. (The Economist $)+ Here are five ways that AI is learning to improve itself. (MIT Technology Review) 没人能确定 RSI（递归自我改进）的后果。（《经济学人》$）+ 以下是 AI 学习自我改进的五种方式。（《麻省理工科技评论》）
9 Gene-edited embryos are getting closer, but a key safety gap remains 9 基因编辑胚胎离现实更近了，但关键的安全缺口依然存在 Current techniques still fail to edit every cell. (New Scientist $)+ “Base-edited baby” is one of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies for 2026. (MIT Technology Review) 目前的技术仍无法编辑每一个细胞。（《新科学家》$）+ “碱基编辑婴儿”是我们 2026 年十大突破性技术之一。（《麻省理工科技评论》）
10 NASA astronauts will wear high-tech Prada underwear on their moon trips 10 NASA 宇航员在登月旅行中将穿上高科技 Prada 内衣 Ventilation tubes are knitted into the garments. (The Verge) 通风管被编织进了服装中。（The Verge）
Quote of the day
今日金句
“Chat is dead.” —A senior OpenAI employee tells the Financial Times why the company is shifting focus from chatbots to AI agents. “聊天已死。”——一位 OpenAI 高管向《金融时报》解释了公司为何将重心从聊天机器人转向 AI 智能体。
One More Thing
还有一件事
How AI is helping historians better understand our past AI 如何帮助历史学家更好地理解我们的过去
The digitization of historical records is making it possible to study the past in new ways. Historians are now using machine learning—particularly deep neural networks—to analyze everything from centuries-old astronomy textbooks to ancient Greek inscriptions. The technology is helping researchers uncover new patterns in the historical record. But it also introduces risks, including the possibility that machine learning will slip bias or outright falsifications into our understanding of the past. Read the full story on how AI is transforming the study of history. —Moira Donovan 历史记录的数字化使得以新方式研究过去成为可能。历史学家们现在正在使用机器学习——特别是深度神经网络——来分析从数百年历史的天文学教科书到古希腊铭文等各种资料。这项技术正在帮助研究人员发现历史记录中的新模式。但它也带来了风险，包括机器学习可能将偏见或彻头彻尾的伪造信息带入我们对过去的理解中。阅读关于 AI 如何改变历史研究的完整报道。——Moira Donovan