The Download: blended meat, restored sight, and the agentic web

In 2001, a decade after inventing the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee articulated a new vision: an internet navigated by autonomous software agents that address our every need, without requiring us to muck about with browsers and search engines ourselves.

At the time, the idea seemed far-fetched. But a quarter-century on, AI agents are beginning to make it a reality. They can triage your inbox, do your grocery shopping, and even access your bank accounts.

This new era is being called the agentic web, and it will inevitably transform the internet. Whether the human web survives this transition is anyone’s guess.

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The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Democrats have dealt tech billionaires a major midterm setback
The results could bring tougher scrutiny of AI and data centres. (CNBC)
+ Musk poured millions into Texas, but both his candidates lost. (Wired $)
+ Several winners promised to restrict data centre construction. (FT $)
+ Stock futures slid as Democrats won big. (NBC News)
+ The tech left said it’s ready to “wipe the floor.”  (Vanity Fair $)