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.Chinese universities want students to use more AI, not lessJust two years ago, students in China were told to avoid using AI for their assignments. At the time, to get around a national block on ChatGPT, students had to buy a mirror-site version from a secondhand marketplace. Its use was common, but it was at best tolerated and more often frowned upon. Now, professors no longer warn students against using AI. Instead, they’re encouraged to use it—as long as they follow best practices.Just like those in the West, Chinese universities are going through a quiet revolution. The use of generative AI on campus has become nearly universal. However, there’s a crucial difference. While many educators in the West see AI as a threat they have to manage, more Chinese classrooms are treating it as a skill to be mastered. Read the full story.—Caiwei ChenIf you’re interested in reading more about how AI is affecting education, check out:+ Here’s how ed-tech companies are pitching AI to teachers.+ AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic say their technologies can help students learn—not just cheat. But real-world use suggests otherwise. Read the full story.+ The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better. Read the full story.+ This AI system makes human tutors better at teaching children math. Called Tutor CoPilot, it demonstrates how AI could enhance, rather than replace, educators’ work. Read the full story.Why it’s so hard to make welfare AI fairThere are plenty of stories about AI that’s caused harm when deployed in sensitive situations, and in many of those cases, the systems were developed without much concern to what it meant to be fair or how to implement fairness.But the city of Amsterdam did spend a lot of time and money to try to create ethical AI—in fact, it followed every recommendation in the responsible AI playbook. But when it deployed it in the real world, it still couldn’t remove biases. So why did Amsterdam fail? And more importantly: Can this ever be done right?Join our editor Amanda Silverman, investigative reporter Eileen Guo and Gabriel Geiger, an investigative reporter from Lighthouse Reports, for a subscriber-only Roundtables conversation at 1pm ET on Wednesday July 30 to explore if algorithms can ever be fair. Register here!The must-readsI’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.1 The US has frozen tech export restrictions to China Donald Trump is attempting to thrash out a favorable deal with Beijing. (FT $)2 Microsoft’s early cybersecurity alert system may have tipped off hackersIt’s investigating whether the program inadvertently leaked flaws in its SharePoint service. (Bloomberg $)+ But how did the hackers know how to exploit them? (The Register)3 This may be the last time humans beat AI at mathThe world’s brightest teenagers are still outwitting AI models—but for how long? (WSJ $)+ What’s next for AI and math. (MIT Technology Review)4 Google is putting a vibe coding app through its pacesOpal is the company’s answer to the likes of Cursor and Lovable. (TechCrunch)+ What is vibe coding, exactly? (MIT Technology Review)5 What the future of satellite-on-satellite warfare may look likeAmerica is preparing for combat in low-Earth orbit. (Economist $)6 San Francisco is becoming a proper tech hub once againThe city is finally revitalizing post-pandemic. (WP $)7 A women’s dating safety app database has been exposedAnd the womens’ data shared to 4Chan. (404 Media)+ More than 72,000 images were stolen in the breach. (Reuters)+ Interest in the app has skyrocketed in the past week. (NYT $)8 Optimists are using AI to manifest their dream livesFor when your Pinterest vision board is no longer cutting it. (NYT $)9 A new kind of aerogel could help make saltwater drinkableAnd, unlike previous aerogels, it works on a scale large enough to matter. (Ars Technica)10 How AI is changing video gamesExperts are bracing themselves for a complete industry takeover. (NYT $)+ How generative AI could reinvent what it means to play. (MIT Technology Review)Quote of the day“Let’s face it, you can’t have the Chinese have an app on 100 million American phones, that is just not okay.”—Howard Lutnick, the US secretary of commerce, explains why he thinks TikTok must be sold to an American owner, Reuters reports.One more thingIs the digital dollar dead?In 2020, digital currencies were one of the hottest topics in town. China was well on its way to launching its own central bank digital currency, or CBDC, and many other countries launched CBDC research projects, including the US.How things change. Years later, the digital dollar—even though it doesn’t exist—has become political red meat, as some politicians label it a dystopian tool for surveillance. And late last year, the Boston Fed quietly stopped working on its CBDC project. So is the dream of the digital dollar dead? Read the full story.—Mike OrcuttWe can still have nice thingsA place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)+ How Canada is working with First Nations to connect ecological hotspots.+ Meet the dedicated followers of fashion running some of the most popular celebrity style Instagram accounts.+ The most worthless kitchen tools and gadgets, according to pro chefs.+ This clever interactive map pinpoints the locations of films, TV shows, books and games.