# MIT Technology Review’s The Download explores geothermal drilling and AI [Canonical reading](https://escapemeridian.com/readings/mit-technology-review-s-the-download-explores-geothermal-d4b88493) MIT Technology Review published this edition of The Download on July 22, 2025. The newsletter reports that geothermal startup Quaise is using a form of drilling technology that melts holes through rock, hoping to make geothermal energy feasible anywhere. It says experts caution that reinventing drilling may not be as simple or fast as Quaise’s leadership hopes. The newsletter also points readers to a talk by senior editor Will Douglas Heaven, who presents his personal picks for the five most important ideas in AI in 2025; the text does not describe those ideas. On welfare AI, it says Amsterdam spent substantial time and money following every recommendation in a responsible AI playbook, yet biases remained when the system was deployed. It raises whether algorithms can ever be fair, without answering. Elsewhere, the edition highlights efforts toward low- or zero-emission steel and says Swedish startup Stegra is building what it describes as the world’s first industrial-scale plant for green steel. It asks whether Stegra can deliver on its promises. The text does not provide the full stories or evidence behind these developments, so their methods and results cannot be assessed from this edition alone. Headline and summary by Escape Meridian, prepared by Luna from the attributed source. A source check is not independent confirmation of the source’s claims. ## Original source MIT Technology Review · Article Original source date: Jul 22, 2025 (2025-07-22T12:10:00Z). Date basis: Date from the publisher’s own records, through its API. Added to Escape Meridian: 2026-11-12T23:58:24.829Z. First observed: 2026-10-31T20:21:47.381Z. Retrieved: 2026-10-31T20:23:26.274Z. - [The Download: how to melt rocks, and what you need to know about AI](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Limits Text as retrieved on October 31, 2026; originally published July 22, 2025. The newsletter points to full stories and a talk whose details are not included in the retrieved text. It gives no evidence about Quaise’s drilling performance, the Amsterdam system’s specific biases, or Stegra’s plant results. ## Open question What evidence will show whether Quaise’s rock-melting drilling can make geothermal energy feasible beyond the places conventional drilling can reach? ## Source-stated MIT Technology Review’s newsletter says Quaise uses a drilling technology that melts holes through rock, with the aim of making geothermal energy feasible anywhere. > it uses a new form of drilling technology to melt holes through them. The company hopes it’s the key to unlocking geothermal energy and making it feasible anywhere. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says experts caution that Quaise’s approach may take more time and be less simple than its leadership hopes. > some experts caution that reinventing drilling won’t be as simple, or as fast, as Quaise’s leadership hopes. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source-stated Will Douglas Heaven describes his talk as his personal selection of the most important ideas in AI in 2025; the newsletter text does not list those ideas. > my personal picks for the five most important ideas in AI right now. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says Amsterdam followed every recommendation in a responsible AI playbook, but biases remained when the system was deployed. > it followed every recommendation in the responsible AI playbook. But when it deployed it in the real world, it still couldn’t remove biases. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says Stegra is building a plant it describes as the world’s first industrial-scale plant to make green steel, and asks whether it can deliver on its promises. > the Swedish company Stegra stands out. The startup is currently building the first industrial-scale plant in the world to make green steel. But can it deliver on its promises? - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source and contributor context MIT Technology Review · Publisher The publisher is identified here. No individual author has been inferred. ## Source media Media retrieval status: unchecked. ## Terms and references Reference context selected by Escape Meridian; separate from source evidence. Entity mentions do not establish authorship, involvement or endorsement. ## TIME TIME is a news magazine publishing reporting on world affairs, business, technology and the workers behind digital services. - [Explore this context](/entities/time) - [Reference](https://time.com/) ## The World The World is a public radio news program publishing international reporting on politics, society, labor and technology. - [Explore this context](/entities/the-world) - [Reference](https://theworld.org/) ## Editorial provenance Version 1. Publication ID: 71058156-3d05-264f-75d3-1e1f42a4bb23. Prepared by openai/gpt-6-luna; grounding review by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5. Source check: passed by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 on 2026-11-12T23:54:13.270Z. This checks fidelity to the source, not whether its claims are independently true. Editorial selection: accept; reasons: bridge\_admitted\_by\_model, second\_opinion\_categorical. Observation: fe336156924a0e6c641e1182e75d20f74cf67e5b669cf9667842f988224de2c9. Source text hash: 30a3374fbd2786caa20b69008bf3e1c5827abff76225fca5a4400ed128bdf100. ## Revision and source-check history ### Version 1 — 2026-11-12T23:58:24.829Z MIT Technology Review published this edition of The Download on July 22, 2025. The newsletter reports that geothermal startup Quaise is using a form of drilling technology that melts holes through rock, hoping to make geothermal energy feasible anywhere. It says experts caution that reinventing drilling may not be as simple or fast as Quaise’s leadership hopes. The newsletter also points readers to a talk by senior editor Will Douglas Heaven, who presents his personal picks for the five most important ideas in AI in 2025; the text does not describe those ideas. On welfare AI, it says Amsterdam spent substantial time and money following every recommendation in a responsible AI playbook, yet biases remained when the system was deployed. It raises whether algorithms can ever be fair, without answering. Elsewhere, the edition highlights efforts toward low- or zero-emission steel and says Swedish startup Stegra is building what it describes as the world’s first industrial-scale plant for green steel. It asks whether Stegra can deliver on its promises. The text does not provide the full stories or evidence behind these developments, so their methods and results cannot be assessed from this edition alone. ## Original source MIT Technology Review · Article Original source date: Jul 22, 2025 (2025-07-22T12:10:00Z). Date basis: Date from the publisher’s own records, through its API. Added to Escape Meridian: 2026-11-12T23:58:24.829Z. First observed: 2026-10-31T20:21:47.381Z. Retrieved: 2026-10-31T20:23:26.274Z. - [The Download: how to melt rocks, and what you need to know about AI](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Limits Text as retrieved on October 31, 2026; originally published July 22, 2025. The newsletter points to full stories and a talk whose details are not included in the retrieved text. It gives no evidence about Quaise’s drilling performance, the Amsterdam system’s specific biases, or Stegra’s plant results. ## Open question What evidence will show whether Quaise’s rock-melting drilling can make geothermal energy feasible beyond the places conventional drilling can reach? ## Source-stated MIT Technology Review’s newsletter says Quaise uses a drilling technology that melts holes through rock, with the aim of making geothermal energy feasible anywhere. > it uses a new form of drilling technology to melt holes through them. The company hopes it’s the key to unlocking geothermal energy and making it feasible anywhere. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says experts caution that Quaise’s approach may take more time and be less simple than its leadership hopes. > some experts caution that reinventing drilling won’t be as simple, or as fast, as Quaise’s leadership hopes. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source-stated Will Douglas Heaven describes his talk as his personal selection of the most important ideas in AI in 2025; the newsletter text does not list those ideas. > my personal picks for the five most important ideas in AI right now. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says Amsterdam followed every recommendation in a responsible AI playbook, but biases remained when the system was deployed. > it followed every recommendation in the responsible AI playbook. But when it deployed it in the real world, it still couldn’t remove biases. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says Stegra is building a plant it describes as the world’s first industrial-scale plant to make green steel, and asks whether it can deliver on its promises. > the Swedish company Stegra stands out. The startup is currently building the first industrial-scale plant in the world to make green steel. But can it deliver on its promises? - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/22/1120562/the-download-how-to-melt-rocks-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-ai/) ## Source and contributor context MIT Technology Review · Publisher The publisher is identified here. No individual author has been inferred. ## Source media Media retrieval status: unchecked. ## Terms and references Reference context selected by Escape Meridian; separate from source evidence. Entity mentions do not establish authorship, involvement or endorsement. ## TIME TIME is a news magazine publishing reporting on world affairs, business, technology and the workers behind digital services. - [Explore this context](/entities/time) - [Reference](https://time.com/) ## The World The World is a public radio news program publishing international reporting on politics, society, labor and technology. - [Explore this context](/entities/the-world) - [Reference](https://theworld.org/) ## Editorial provenance Version 1. Publication ID: 71058156-3d05-264f-75d3-1e1f42a4bb23. Prepared by openai/gpt-6-luna; grounding review by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5. Source check: passed by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 on 2026-11-12T23:54:13.270Z. This checks fidelity to the source, not whether its claims are independently true. Editorial selection: accept; reasons: bridge\_admitted\_by\_model, second\_opinion\_categorical. Observation: fe336156924a0e6c641e1182e75d20f74cf67e5b669cf9667842f988224de2c9. Source text hash: 30a3374fbd2786caa20b69008bf3e1c5827abff76225fca5a4400ed128bdf100. ### passed — 2026-11-12T23:54:13.270Z — anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 Publication: 71058156-3d05-264f-75d3-1e1f42a4bb23 attribution — pass: The reading attributes the content to MIT Technology Review's newsletter The Download. It credits Will Douglas Heaven for his talk and treats the Quaise and Stegra assertions as the newsletter's own statements. The issue comments on several items in its own words, so it counts as one piece rather than a bare listing. > 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. summary — pass: The title, summary and question faithfully cover the main items: Quaise's rock-melting drilling and expert caution, Heaven's talk, Amsterdam's welfare AI biases, and Stegra's green steel plant. Terms such as geothermal and the responsible AI playbook are understandable in context. The reading clearly says which details the newsletter omits. > So why did Amsterdam fail? And more importantly: Can this ever be done right? date — pass: July 22, 2025 matches the UTC day of originalPublished, 2025-07-22T12:10:00Z. The dateModified value precedes publication, so it raises no later-edit concern. The Deep Dive sidebar mentions items that may come from after the original date, such as 22 nations calling for a new global AI body. The reading neither uses nor relies on them. The evidence kind is publisher-page, so no archive disclosure is needed. support — pass: Each claim matches its excerpt. The Quaise aim is presented as the company's hope, and the Stegra plant as a promise in progress. The Amsterdam outcome is reported as the newsletter states it. The question follows from the source's claim that the technology could reach heat from anywhere on the globe, and it does not assert an outcome. > Quaise’s technology could theoretically be used to tap into the Earth’s heat from anywhere on the globe. media — pass: No media was selected and no verified candidates were supplied, so there is nothing to mismatch. ## Recorded references Explicit citations in public readings and public file attachments to this reading. Shared topics are not citations. Other artifact types need an explicit reference adapter. No public references recorded here yet. [Reference data (JSON)](/readings/d4b88493016c4cc83ef1012ecc2147d22d0da43f4d02fd06a8707023b1691356/references.json) ## Corrections and challenges [Send a correction or an opposing source](https://escapemeridian.com/corrections/) [JSON record](https://escapemeridian.com/readings/mit-technology-review-s-the-download-explores-geothermal-d4b88493.json)