MIT Technology Review

10/01/2022

A new bill will allow consumers to sue companies for damages—if they can prove that a company’s AI harmed them. https://bit.ly/3RwojmN

10/01/2022

Patients immersed in virtual reality during surgery may need less anesthetic

Minimizing the use of sedatives during operations could shorten hospital stays and reduce the risk of complications.

10/01/2022

DeepMind’s new chatbot uses Google searches plus humans to give better answers

The lab trained a chatbot to learn from human feedback and search the internet for information to support its claims.

10/01/2022

This artist is dominating AI-generated art. And he’s not happy about it.

This artist is dominating AI-generated art. And he’s not happy about it.

Greg Rutkowski is a more popular prompt than Picasso.

10/01/2022

We’ve only just begun to examine the racial disparities of long covid

It may take years to understand the full impact of the pandemic and its aftermath on Black people in the US.

10/01/2022

Russia’s battle to convince people to join its war is being waged on Telegram

Pro-Kremlin channels are pushing videos of supposedly willing conscripts, while Russian citizens are sharing tips on how to avoid being called up.

09/30/2022

New 6G challenges inspire cross-disciplinary innovation

[SPONSORED] Developing the next generation of mobile wireless networks with improved connectivity, lower latency, and optimized bandwidth will require out-of-the-box solutions and broad cross-disciplinary innovation. Learn more. (With Keysight)

Next-generation wireless calls for out-of-the-box solutions and broad collaboration.

09/30/2022

China is betting big on another gas engine alternative: methanol cars

China wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Methanol-powered vehicles could help.

Methanol fuel can help China reach its carbon-neutrality goal faster—as long as it isn’t made from coal.

09/30/2022

Can we find ways to live beyond 100? Millionaires are betting on it.

This week in The Checkup, our new weekly biotech newsletter: At a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps, wealthy investors and scientists are cooking up plans to push the limits of the human lifespan.

At a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps, wealthy investors and scientists are cooking up plans to push the limits of the human lifespan.

09/30/2022

Today in The Download, our daily newsletter: text-to-video AI, and China’s big methanol bet. https://bit.ly/3SINJ1B

09/30/2022

The book ban movement has a chilling new tactic: harassing teachers on social media

Conservative activists’ push to ban books is getting more dangerous, with some groups moving to harass educators online and in person.

Educators who stand up to conservative activists are being harassed and called “groomers” online, turning them into potential targets for real-world violence.

09/30/2022

The Checkup | Health and biotech news, digested

Subscribe to The Checkup, a newsletter covering technologies designed to treat or enhance our bodies and brains, new theories and therapies, and how much we really need to worry about disease outbreaks, among other things.

The Checkup is MIT Technology Review's weekly newsletter that is all about bodies: how we treat them, enhance them and understand them.

09/30/2022

The metaverse is the next venue for body dysmorphia online

Some people are excited to see realistic avatars that look like them in the metaverse. Others worry it might make body image issues even worse.

Some people are excited to see realistic avatars that look like them. Others worry it might make body image issues even worse.

09/30/2022

The end of passwords

Companies are finally shifting away from notoriously insecure alphanumerics to other methods of authentication.

09/30/2022

People are hiring out their faces to become deepfake-style marketing clones

Wanted: human faces for artificial-intelligence corporate clones.

AI-powered characters based on real people can star in thousands of videos and say anything, in any language.

09/30/2022

This startup wants to copy you into an embryo for organ harvesting

"We view the embryo as the best 3D bio printer."

With plans to create realistic synthetic embryos, grown in jars, Renewal Bio is on a journey to the horizon of science and ethics.

09/30/2022

Our brains exist in a state of “controlled hallucination”

Three books lay bare the weirdness of how our brains process the world around us.

Three new books lay bare the weirdness of how our brains process the world around us.

09/30/2022

China Report | When tech and control collide

China Report brings you the biggest headlines about China and technology, some original deep-dive analysis, fresh stories you can only find in Chinese language media. Subscribe.

China Report is MIT Technology Review's weekly newsletter that explains to ordinary readers what’s happening in China and why they need to know about it.

09/29/2022

The Spark | Explaining the tech that could solve the climate crisis

Subscribe to The Spark, a new newsletter that will explain the tech that could combat the climate crisis.

The Spark is MIT Technology Review's weekly newsletter that explains the tech that could solve the climate crisis.

09/29/2022

Growth means composability, brick by brick

[SPONSORED] While once a challenging and costly change, adopting a composable infrastructure means businesses can respond quickly to new demands, traffic spikes, production issues, or supply chain challenges—while also saving money. Learn more. (With SUSE)

Innovation and scale are the priority for a modern, flexible IT architecture.

09/29/2022

The Algorithm | Artificial intelligence, demystified

The Algorithm, our AI newsletter, is back. Every week Melissa Heikkilä, senior reporter for AI, will demystify the latest AI breakthroughs and cut through the hype.

The Algorithm is MIT Technology Review's weekly AI newsletter that thoughtfully examines the field's latest news and research.

09/29/2022

‎In Machines We Trust: Seeing Double: AI Births Digital Humans on Apple Podcasts

AI-powered replicas of real people are taking on the jobs of entertainers, law enforcement and more. They raise some interesting opportunities as well as thorny questions.

‎Show In Machines We Trust, Ep Seeing Double: AI Births Digital Humans - Sep 27, 2022

09/29/2022

Rewriting what we thought was possible in biotech

Some of this year's 35 Innovators Under 35 are breaking new ground in biotech via machine learning, gene therapy, gene analysis, and CRISPR.

This year's 35 Innovators in biotech are breaking new ground via machine learning, gene therapy, gene analysis, and CRISPR.

09/29/2022

Meta’s new AI can turn text prompts into videos

Meta’s new AI turned a text prompt into this video of a flying dog. It’s a breakthrough in generative AI, but as the technology develops, there are fears it could be harnessed as a powerful tool to create and disseminate misinformation and deepfakes.

It’s a breakthrough in generative AI that raises some tough ethical questions.

09/29/2022

Amazon has a new plan for its home robot Astro: to guard your life

Amazon announced a slew of new features for Astro, its home robot. The changes make a huge difference not only in how people interact with and view home robots but it’s also another way for Amazon to involve itself in our private lives.

The cute home assistant could be the most powerful, invasive home robot we’ve seen thus far.

09/29/2022

A bionic pancreas could solve one of the biggest challenges of diabetes

This device uses an algorithm to calculate a meal’s carbohydrates, then automatically releases insulin, taking those burdens off the patient. In a recent trial, it proved more effective than pumps or injections at lowering blood glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes.

The device uses an algorithm to calculate a meal’s carbohydrates, then automatically releases insulin, taking those burdens off the patient.

09/29/2022

[SPONSORED] By 2025, net additions to revenue are expected to be the most tangible form of return gained from AI. Learn how CIOs strategic their AI investment. Download the report now: https://bit.ly/3RpsW26. (With Databricks)

09/29/2022

The Download: Amazon’s home-guarding robot, and covid’s violent legacy

Today in The Download, our daily newsletter: Amazon’s home-guarding robot, and covid’s violent legacy.

Plus: the Nord Stream leak mystery deepens

09/29/2022

NASA wants to use the sun to power future deep space missions

Solar power will help propel this NASA spacecraft into deep space. If that proves successful, it could be the start of a new era of using more fuel-efficient probes for both space exploration and commercial missions.

Solar energy can make space travel more fuel-efficient.

09/29/2022

A new generation of AI-powered robots is taking over warehouses

A generation of AI-powered robots is taking over warehouses. In the future, any task that previously required hands to perform could be partially or fully automated away.

Within a few years, any task that previously required hands to perform could be partially or fully automated away.

09/29/2022

Where computing might go next

If the future of computing is anything like its past, then its trajectory will depend on things that have little to do with computing itself.

The future of computing depends in part on how we reckon with its past.

09/29/2022

This is what happens when you see the face of someone you love

The moment we see someone we love, a lot happens in our brain all at once. We aren’t aware of any of it.

The moment we recognize someone, a lot happens all at once. We aren’t aware of any of it.

09/29/2022

Social media filters are helping people explore their gender identity

Facial filters on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat allow people to play with gender expression.

On TikTok, Instagram and elsewhere, facial filters can mean a lot.

09/28/2022

Zero trust closes the end-user gap in cybersecurity

[In partnership with Infosys #InfosysCobalt] Shifts to cloud computing and decentralized work led to an immediate uptick in cybercrime. As organizations look to take a more aggressive approach to cybersecurity, about 40% have adopted a zero-trust model. Learn more.

Organizations go beyond passwords to embrace a new approach to defending against cyberattacks.

09/28/2022

How the false rumor of a Chinese coup went viral

This week in China Report, our new weekly newsletter about what's happening in China: How the false rumor of a Chinese coup went viral.

Dissecting how Indian users and Falun Gong media accounts spread a bogus story far and wide on Twitter.

09/28/2022

The pandemic created a “perfect storm” for Black women at risk of domestic violence

Before the pandemic, Black women were already more likely than other women to be killed by their partners. Then covid made it even harder for them to get help.

09/28/2022

[SPONSORED] This new global CIO research report investigates the top trends of AI adoption in enterprises and public sector for 2025 and industry-specific use cases and investment strategy. Download the report: https://bit.ly/3RpsW26. (With Databricks)

09/28/2022

The Download: China’s non-coup, and building better batteries

Today in The Download, our daily newsletter: China’s non-coup, and building better batteries.

Plus: The US and Europe are running out of weapons destined for Ukraine

09/28/2022

AI voice actors sound more human than ever—and they’re ready to hire

The rise of hyperrealistic fake voices isn’t consequence-free. Human voice actors, in particular, have been left to wonder what this means for their livelihoods.

A new wave of startups are using deep learning to build synthetic voice actors for digital assistants, video-game characters, and corporate videos.

09/28/2022

The world will need dozens of breakthrough climate technologies in the next decade

Honorees from this year's 35 Innovators list are attacking climate change from all angles, including more-efficient batteries and better-tasting plant-based foods.

Honorees from this year's 35 Innovators list are attacking the problem from all angles, including more-efficient batteries and better-tasting plant-based foods.

09/28/2022

An E. coli biocomputer solves a maze by sharing the work

Researchers turned genetically engineered E. Coli into a distributed biocomputer—and that has practical significance for the aspirations of synthetic biology.

Genetically engineered bacteria, rigged up as a distributed computing system, might help realize synthetic biology’s loftier goals.

09/28/2022

How technology can let us see and manipulate memories

Neuroscience has revealed the nature of memories, but it has also upended the very notion of what memories are. We answer five questions that speak to how much we’ve learned and what mysteries remain.

Optogenetics and advanced imaging have helped neuroscientists understand how memories form and made it possible to manipulate them.

09/28/2022

Society wants you to feel ashamed of yourself

Algorithm expert Cathy O'Neil wrote a new book that shows how the tech world feeds off the idea of shame.

Algorithm expert Cathy O'Neil has written a new book that shows how the tech world and society generally feeds off the idea of shame.

09/28/2022

Meet the people who warn the world about new covid variants

Scientists racing to track the evolution of covid tap into a little-known system developed by a few young researchers in Scotland.

Scientist racing to track the evolution of covid tap into a little-known system developed by a few young researchers in Scotland.

09/27/2022

Maximize data outcomes by investing in people and systems

[SPONSORED] "There's no limitation or boundary for the innovations that are available for the enterprises today," says Kyndryl chief architect for data and AI services Sundar Shanmugam on the value of adopting a strong data strategy. Listen here. (With Kyndryl)

A strong data strategy requires a holistic data governance framework, says Kyndryl’s chief architect for data and AI services, Sundar Shanmugam.

09/27/2022

How DeepMind thinks it can make chatbots safer

This week in The Algorithm, our weekly AI newsletter: How DeepMind thinks it can make chatbots safer. Plus: An AI that can drive different types of vehicles.

Plus: An AI that can drive different types of vehicles

09/27/2022

How robots and AI are helping develop better batteries

NEW: A Carnegie Mellon team used robots and AI to produce novel electrolytes that could deliver faster charging lithium-ion batteries.

A Carnegie Mellon team used an automated system and machine-learning software to develop fast-charging electrolytes that outperformed a standard one.

09/27/2022

Hybrid cloud wins rely on data protection

[SPONSORED] Hybrid cloud—on track to be the new industry wide business model—offers novel tools for data security and protection. But it also adds layers of complexity and risk for companies to contend with. Learn more. (With Veeam Software)

Companies face new data complexities as they integrate cloud technologies.

09/27/2022

Watch the moment NASA’s DART spacecraft crashed into an asteroid

Last night, NASA successfully executed humanity’s first test of a planetary defense system. Watch the moment its DART spacecraft collided with an asteroid.

The project is the first time humanity has tested a planetary asteroid defense system.

09/27/2022

The Download: asteroid deflection, and Florida’s approaching hurricane

Today in The Download, our daily newsletter: Watch the moment NASA’s DART spacecraft crashed into an asteroid.

Plus: when is the perfect time to get a flu shot, exactly?