{"id":20143,"date":"2026-03-26T13:11:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/26\/the-download-battery-ai-pivot-new-ai-tool-math\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T13:11:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:11:35","slug":"the-download-battery-ai-pivot-new-ai-tool-math","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/26\/the-download-battery-ai-pivot-new-ai-tool-math\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: a battery pivot to AI, and rewriting math"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This is today\u2019s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em><\/a>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what\u2019s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why this battery company is pivoting to AI<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Qichao Hu\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0mince words about the state of the battery industry. \u201cAlmost every\u00a0Western battery company has either died or is going to die.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0kind of the\u00a0reality,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hu is the CEO of SES AI, a Massachusetts-based battery company. It previously developed advanced lithium batteries for major\u00a0industries, but\u00a0is now shifting to AI materials discovery.\u00a0Read our story to find out why<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

This startup wants to change how mathematicians do math<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Axiom Math, a California startup, has released a free AI tool with a big ambition: discovering mathematical patterns that could unlock solutions to long-standing problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most of the successes with AI tools have involved finding solutions to existing problems. But\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0not all they could do. There are lots of problems in math that require\u00a0new ideas\u00a0nobody has ever had, which could come from spotting patterns that have never been spotted before.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Axiom Math\u2019s new tool aims to find these hidden links.\u00a0Read the full story to discover their plans\u2014and how AI in general could change mathematics<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Will Douglas Heaven<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are\u00a0high gas prices good news for EVs?\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0complicated.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

As the conflict in Iran has escalated, fossil-fuel prices have been on a roller-coaster\u2014and some EV owners are celebrating.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

They believe the volatility will create an opportunity for electric vehicles to make headway. But even the carless among us should be concerned about a sustained rise in fossil-fuel prices.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To find out why,\u00a0read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

This\u00a0<\/strong>article<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is from The Spark, our weekly climate newsletter.\u00a0<\/strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The must-reads\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve\u00a0combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 Meta and YouTube have been fined for designing addictive products<\/strong>\u00a0
They must pay damages of $6 million for harming young people. (Guardian<\/a>)\u00a0
+ The verdicts will reshape legal protections for Big Tech.<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(WSJ<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ They could also ripple through social media markets worldwide.\u00a0<\/em>(Rest of World<\/a>)\u00a0
+ Juries have started taking the lead in the push for child online safety.\u00a0<\/em>(NYT<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

2 SpaceX aims to file for IPO as soon as this week<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u2019s\u00a0hoping to raise more than $75 billion. (The Information<\/a>)\u00a0
+ Rocket stocks soared on the report.\u00a0<\/em>(BBC<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
+ But rivals are challenging SpaceX\u2019s dominance.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

3 A new AI safety bill would halt data\u00a0center\u00a0construction<\/strong>\u00a0
It was introduced by Bernie Sanders. (Wired<\/a>)\u00a0
+ Nobody wants a data\u00a0center\u00a0in their backyard<\/em>. (MIT Technology Review<\/a>\u00a0
+ One solution: launch them into space.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

4 Meta has laid off 700 employees<\/strong>\u00a0
After raising compensation for top earners. (NYT<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/p>\n

5 Elon Musk wants a Delaware judge to recuse herself over an emoji<\/strong>\u00a0
She liked a LinkedIn post criticizing him. (CNBC<\/a>)\u00a0
+ The case had ruled Musk misled investors during the Twitter purchase.\u00a0<\/em>(Reuters<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

6 Reddit will require \u201cfishy\u201d accounts to verify that a human runs them<\/strong>\u00a0
The process aims to combat the deluge of bots. (Ars Technica<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

7 Uber and Pony AI aim to launch Europe\u2019s first robotaxi service in Croatia<\/strong>\u00a0
Pony AI is also running trials in Luxembourg, while Uber is testing in London. (The Verge<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

8 Google says quantum computers could break all cryptographic security by 2029<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u2019s\u00a0set a timeline to secure the quantum era. (Gizmodo<\/a>)\u00a0
+ Quantum computers could soon solve health care problems.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

9 New research shows cloning\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0produce perfect copies<\/strong>\u00a0
Clones have lots of extra, potentially dangerous mutations. (New Scientist<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

10 The landmark AI Scientist has just completed peer review\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u2019s\u00a0billed as the first AI tool built to fully automate the scientific process. (Nature<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quote of the day\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, social media companies have profited from targeting children while concealing their addictive and dangerous design features. Today\u2019s verdict is a referendum\u2014from a jury,\u00a0to an entire industry.\u201d\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u2014Attorney Rachel Lanier offers her view on yesterday\u2019s fines for Meta and YouTube, the\u00a0Washington Post<\/a>\u00a0reports.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

One More Thing\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"A<\/p>\n
GETTY IMAGES<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Longevity enthusiasts want to create their own independent state.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0eyeing Rhode Island.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0incredibly difficult and expensive to study innovative ways to slow or reverse aging. In response, longevity enthusiasts have devised an ambitious plan:\u00a0establish\u00a0an independent state for life-extension experiments.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

They envision\u00a0a jurisdiction\u00a0that slashes red tape, encourages self-experimentation with unproven treatments, and\u00a0eliminates\u00a0laws that limit how companies develop drugs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Exactly where their longevity state might\u00a0emerge\u00a0is still being worked out\u2014but one appealing location is Rhode Island.\u00a0Read the full story to learn more about the plans<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Jessica\u00a0Hamzelou<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

We can still have\u00a0nice things\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?\u00a0<\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em>\u00a0
<\/em>\u00a0
+ These\u00a0gleaming photos<\/a>\u00a0of ancient insects in amber are time capsules of the dinosaur age.\u00a0
+ Paint with pixels across a world map at this unique\u00a0digital canvas<\/a>.\u00a0
+ Hands have a new shield against hammers: a\u00a0nail holder<\/a>\u00a0that protects your fingers.\u00a0
+\u00a0This\u00a0new audio player<\/a>\u00a0uses cartridges to give digital music a soul.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today\u2019s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}