The Download: a new Christian phone network, and debugging LLMs

《下载》：全新的基督徒手机网络，以及大语言模型（LLM）的调试

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. 这是我们工作日时事通讯《下载》的今日版，为您提供每日科技界动态。

A new US phone network for Christians aims to block porn and gender-related content

美国推出面向基督徒的新型手机网络，旨在屏蔽色情及性别相关内容

A new US-wide cell phone network marketed to Christians is set to launch next week. It blocks porn using network-level controls that can’t be turned off—even by adult account owners. It’s also rolling out a filter on sexual content aimed at blocking material related to gender and trans issues, optional but turned on by default across all plans. The trouble is, many websites don’t fit neatly into one category. That leaves its maverick founder with broad, subjective control over what is allowed or banned. Read the full story. —James O’Donnell 一个面向基督徒的美国全国性手机网络将于下周推出。它通过无法关闭的网络级控制来屏蔽色情内容，即便是成年账户所有者也无法解除。该网络还推出了一项针对性内容的过滤器，旨在屏蔽与性别和跨性别议题相关的资料；该功能虽为可选，但在所有套餐中默认开启。问题在于，许多网站并不能简单地归入某一类别。这使得其特立独行的创始人对哪些内容被允许或被禁止拥有广泛且主观的控制权。阅读全文。——James O’Donnell

This startup’s new mechanistic interpretability tool lets you debug LLMs

这家初创公司的新型机械可解释性工具让你可以调试大语言模型（LLM）

The San Francisco–based startup Goodfire has released a new tool, Silico, that lets researchers peer inside an AI model and adjust its parameters during training. It could give users more control over how this technology is built than was once thought possible. The goal is to make building AI models less like alchemy and more like a science. Using a technique called mechanistic interpretability, Silico maps the neurons and pathways inside a model and lets developers tweak them to reduce unwanted behaviors or steer outputs. By exposing the “knobs and dials,” Goodfire hopes to bring AI training closer to traditional software engineering. Read the full story. —Will Douglas Heaven 总部位于旧金山的初创公司 Goodfire 发布了一款名为 Silico 的新工具，让研究人员能够深入 AI 模型内部，并在训练过程中调整其参数。这可能赋予用户比以往想象中更大的控制权，以决定这项技术如何构建。其目标是让 AI 模型的构建不再像炼金术，而更像是一门科学。通过使用一种称为“机械可解释性”（mechanistic interpretability）的技术，Silico 可以绘制模型内部的神经元和路径，并允许开发人员对其进行微调，以减少不良行为或引导输出结果。通过暴露这些“旋钮和刻度盘”，Goodfire 希望使 AI 训练更接近传统的软件工程。阅读全文。——Will Douglas Heaven

With mass firing, Trump deals a fresh blow to American science

特朗普大规模解雇员工，对美国科学界造成新打击

This past week delivered another gut punch for science in the US. This time, the target was the National Science Foundation—a federal agency that funds major research projects to the tune of around $9 billion. On Friday, the 22 scientists overseeing those efforts were all fired. Since 2025, the NSF has faced budget cuts, grant terminations, and mass firings, with staff numbers down sharply and many ambitious projects grinding to a halt. The result is a major shift in how American science is funded and governed. Discover what it means, and what’s next. —Jessica Hamzelou 过去的一周对美国科学界来说又是沉重的一击。这一次的目标是国家科学基金会（NSF）——一个为重大研究项目提供约 90 亿美元资金的联邦机构。周五，负责这些工作的 22 名科学家全部被解雇。自 2025 年以来，NSF 面临预算削减、拨款终止和大规模裁员，员工人数大幅下降，许多雄心勃勃的项目被迫停滞。其结果是美国科学的资助和管理方式发生了重大转变。了解这意味着什么，以及接下来会发生什么。——Jessica Hamzelou

This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. 本文首发于《麻省理工科技评论》的每周生物技术时事通讯《The Checkup》。如需每周四在收件箱中接收此类文章并抢先阅读，请点击此处订阅。

China’s open-source bet: 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now

中国的开源赌注：当前 AI 领域最重要的 10 件事

Silicon Valley AI companies follow a familiar playbook: keep the models behind an API and charge for access. China’s leading AI labs are playing a different game, releasing “open-weight” models that developers can download, adapt, and run on their own hardware. That approach went mainstream after DeepSeek open-sourced its R1 model, which matched top US systems at a fraction of the cost. It also won something subtler: goodwill with developers. A growing cohort of Chinese labs is now following the same blueprint. As AI shifts from hype to deployment, open-source models are making the future of AI more multipolar than Silicon Valley expected. Read the full story. —Caiwei Chen 硅谷的 AI 公司遵循着一套熟悉的剧本：将模型隐藏在 API 之后，并对访问权限收费。中国的领先 AI 实验室则在玩一场不同的游戏，发布“开放权重”模型，供开发者下载、适配并在自己的硬件上运行。在 DeepSeek 开源其 R1 模型后，这种方法成为了主流，该模型以极低的成本达到了美国顶级系统的水平。它还赢得了一些更微妙的东西：开发者的好感。越来越多的中国实验室正在效仿这一蓝图。随着 AI 从炒作转向部署，开源模型正在使 AI 的未来变得比硅谷预期的更加多极化。阅读全文。——Caiwei Chen

China’s open-source bet is one of the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, our list of the biggest ideas, trends, and advances in AI today. We’re unpacking one item from the list each day here in The Download, so stay tuned. “中国的开源赌注”是我们“当前 AI 领域最重要的 10 件事”榜单之一，该榜单列出了当今 AI 领域最大的理念、趋势和进展。我们每天会在《下载》中解读榜单中的一项，敬请关注。

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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. 我已梳理互联网，为您找出今天关于科技的最有趣/最重要/最可怕/最引人入胜的故事。

1. Elon Musk has admitted that xAI trained Grok on OpenAI models 埃隆·马斯克承认 xAI 使用 OpenAI 的模型训练了 Grok “Distillation” is standard practice in AI, despite being legally dubious. (Wired $) 尽管在法律上存在争议，“蒸馏”在 AI 领域是标准做法。（《连线》） The White House has accused Chinese firms using distillation of theft. (BBC) 白宫指责使用蒸馏技术的中国公司存在盗窃行为。（BBC） American labs are widely assumed to use similar techniques. (TechCrunch) 人们普遍认为美国实验室也在使用类似技术。（TechCrunch）

2. A “de-extinction” startup wants to resurrect a long-lost antelope 一家“复活灭绝物种”的初创公司想要复活一种久已失踪的羚羊 Colossal Biosciences wants to bring back the bluebuck. (Axios) Colossal Biosciences 公司想要复活蓝马羚。（Axios） The company is using genomic editing to revive the animal. (Gizmodo) 该公司正在利用基因编辑技术来复活这种动物。（Gizmodo） It previously claimed to have cloned red wolves. (MIT Technology Review) 该公司此前曾声称克隆了红狼。（《麻省理工科技评论》）

3. An OpenAI model outperformed ER doctors at diagnosing patients 一款 OpenAI 模型在诊断患者方面表现优于急诊医生 By analyzing health records data and information provided to physicians. (NPR) 通过分析健康记录数据和提供给医生的信息。（NPR） But it still must be proven in real-world clinical trials. (Vox) 但它仍需在现实世界的临床试验中得到验证。（Vox）

4. Scientists are trying to power AI data centers with tiny nuclear reactors 科学家们正试图用微型核反应堆为 AI 数据中心供电 They could provide a new way to meet AI’s energy demands. (Gizmodo) 它们可能提供一种满足 AI 能源需求的新途径。（Gizmodo） We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. (MIT Technology Review) 我们计算了 AI 的能源足迹。（《麻省理工科技评论》）

5. Spotify has started verifying human artists Spotify 开始验证人类艺术家身份 A new badge will distinguish them from AI. (The Guardian) 一个新的徽章将把他们与 AI 区分开来。（《卫报》） Spotify has faced criticism for its handling of AI. (BBC) Spotify 因其处理 AI 的方式而面临批评。（BBC）

6. The US is backing a Congolese railway to break China’s grip on critical minerals 美国支持刚果铁路项目，以打破中国对关键矿产的控制 The old railroad is key to the race for critical metals in Africa. (Rest of World) 这条旧铁路是非洲关键金属竞争的关键。（Rest of World） The US is also searching for alternative sources. (MIT Technology Review) 美国也在寻找替代来源。（《麻省理工科技评论》）

7. Huawei is set to overtake Nvidia in China’s AI chip market 华为有望在中国 AI 芯片市场超越英伟达 It’s expected to capture the largest market share this year. (FT $) 预计今年将占据最大的市场份额。（《金融时报》）

8. Japan is building cardboard drones for the battlefield 日本正在为战场制造纸板无人机 The flatpack designs are cheap, disposable, and built at scale. (404 Media) 这种平板包装设计廉价、一次性且可大规模制造。（404 Media）

9. The more young people use AI, the more they hate it 年轻人使用 AI 越多，就越讨厌它 Research shows that Gen Z doesn’t trust GenAI. (The Verge) 研究表明 Z 世代不信任生成式 AI。（The Verge）

10. A new organoid can menstruate—and show how tissue repairs itself 一种新型类器官可以行经——并展示组织如何自我修复 It’s revealing how the uterus can shed without scarring. (Nature) 它揭示了子宫如何在不留疤痕的情况下脱落。（《自然》）

Quote of the day

今日名言

“I suspect that there are a number of people who do not want to put the future of humanity in Mr Musk’s hands. But we’re not going to get into that.” “我怀疑有很多人不想把人类的未来交到马斯克先生手中。但我们不会深入讨论这个问题。”

—Judge Gonzalez Rogers rebukes attempts by Elon Musk’s lawyer to focus on AI’s existential risks as part of his lawsuit against OpenAI, the New York Times reports. ——据《纽约时报》报道，法官 Gonzalez Rogers 驳斥了埃隆·马斯克的律师试图将 AI 的生存风险作为其起诉 OpenAI 诉讼一部分的企图。

One More Thing

补充一点

TMY350 VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS TMY350 来自维基共享资源

This rare earth metal shows us the future of our planet’s resources 这种稀土金属向我们展示了地球资源的未来

The materials we need to power our world are shifting from fossil fuels to energy sources that don’t produce greenhouse gas emissions. Take neodymium, a rare earth metal used in powerful magnets that power… 我们为世界提供动力所需的材料正在从化石燃料转向不产生温室气体排放的能源。以钕为例，这是一种稀土金属，用于制造强力磁铁，为……提供动力。