The Download: Why AI's Latest Breakthroughs and Fears May Be More Hype Than Reality
Plus: 22 nations have called for a new global body to oversee AI.
By Thomas Macaulay | September 22, 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.
Don't Be Fooled by This Summer of AI Hype
—Timnit Gebru, executive director of the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR), and Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the University of Washington
It's been a busy few months for AI hype, with companies making breathless claims about hacking, mathematical breakthroughs, and the prospect of self-improving superintelligence.
In all these cases, massive fanfare from the companies—presented as mea culpas in the hacking incidents—has been accompanied by intense press coverage. But once experts have had time to examine what actually happened, very different stories emerge.
There's a strong commercial incentive to overstate AI capabilities. Gebru and Bender argue that the illusion of speed and urgency promulgated by the tech companies is also a ploy to misdirect policymakers and the public.
Here's why they say we must remain skeptical about AI hype.
The Must-Reads
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Related reading:
- 22 nations have called for a new global body to oversee AI.
- As AI capabilities dominate headlines in 2026, experts continue to debate the gap between marketing narratives and verifiable technical progress.
- The push for international AI governance is gaining momentum as governments grapple with how to regulate rapidly evolving systems.