MIT Technology Review

Google has launched Bard, the search giant’s answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing Chat. Unlike Bing Chat, Bard does not look up search results—all the information it returns is generated by the model itself. But it is still designed to help users brainstorm and answer queries. Google wants Bard to become an integral part…

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. The UN just handed out an urgent climate to-do list. Here’s what it says. Time is running short to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7 °F) above preindustrial levels, but there are feasible…

This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. WOW, last week was intense. Several leading AI companies had major product releases. Google said it was giving developers access to its AI language models, and AI startup Anthropic unveiled its AI assistant Claude.…

Large language models are infamous for spewing toxic biases, thanks to the reams of awful human-produced content they get trained on. But if the models are large enough, and humans have helped train them, then they may be able to self-correct for some of these biases. Remarkably, all we have to do is ask. That’s…

Time is running short to address climate change, but there are feasible and effective solutions on the table, according to a new UN climate report released today. Despite decades of warnings from scientists, global greenhouse-gas emissions are still climbing, hitting a record high in 2022. If humanity wants to limit the worst effects of climate…

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. Weight-loss injections have taken over the internet. But what does this mean for people IRL? Over the course of the last year, so-called “miracle” weight-loss drugs have blown up across the internet. Although…

This article is from The Technocrat, MIT Technology Review’s weekly tech policy newsletter about power, politics, and Silicon Valley. To receive it in your inbox every Friday, sign up here. There’s been a quiet shift in the abortion fight in the US. Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court last June,…

Michael Edenfield’s doctor calls him the Incredible Shrinking Man. Between Thanksgiving 2021 and Christmas 2022, the 49-year-old aviation worker shed 129 pounds. Also gone: his sleep apnea machine, his high-blood-pressure medication, and a diuretic pill he had used to alleviate fluid retention in his legs. This is thanks to the only medication Edenfield takes today:…

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that develops life-transforming medicines, found itself inundated with vast volumes of data during the peak of the covid-19 pandemic. In order to derive actionable information from these disparate data sets, which ranged from clinical trial data to real-time supply chain information, the company needed new ways to join and relate…

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 tech giant Baidu just released its answer to ChatGPT Yesterday, Robin Li, Baidu’s cofounder and CEO, took the stage in Beijing to showcase the company’s new large language model, Ernie Bot. He…

This article is from The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, sign up here. Earlier this week, I had a fascinating call with Nita Farahany, a futurist and legal ethicist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Farahany has spent much of her career exploring the…

Editor’s note: This is a translation of a story about how the crime-tracking app Citizen has been giving away free subscriptions to elderly Asians in the Bay Area. Find the English language version here. 本文是与普利策中心的人工智能问责网络合作撰写的。 当外面天黑的时候，约瑟芬·赵（Josephine Zhao）哪怕只是走几个街区就能回到旧金山的家，有时也会多叫一双“眼睛”——字面意义的眼睛。 赵打开手机上的Citizen App，通过一个名为“实时监控”的功能，与该平台的一个客服人员建立联系。而该平台也可以通过网络追踪到赵的GPS位置，客服只要点击另一个按钮，就可以得到打开她手机摄像头的授权。这样该平台就可以“看到我所看到的东西”，赵说。通常来说，她甚至不会和客服人员进行对话，但她知道“这时有人和我一起走”，这会让赵感到安心一些。 这是赵最近采取的最新安全措施之一：她也避免乘坐公共交通工具，以及在城市里走路的时候，会在她的钥匙链上挂着一个长长的尖头装置。这个装置是一个浅粉色的塑料制品，必要的时候会变成一个武器。 但在她看来，Citizen这样一个允许用户报告和跟踪附近犯罪通知的超级本地应用程序是她最好的保护手段之一，这种数据驱动的DIY安全措施能够保护一个长期被忽视的群体。 “我们在教育、公共安全、住房、交通方面上的需求，都没有得到满足和关切。就好像我们不重要一样。”赵说，她目前也是多家教育非政府组织的代课教师和社区联络员，“我们的需求没有得到尊重，我们的需求没有得到满足，人们到处都轻视我们。” “我真的相信Citizen是一个维持社会正义和种族正义的工具。” “我们必须实施一些行动来保护我们的社群，”她补充道。“Citizen是最完美的工具。” 在当地持续发生基于种族的攻击、以及一系列针对亚裔居民的大规模枪击事件之后，许多亚裔和太平洋岛民（AAPI，Asian-American and Pacific Islander）社群的居民们都告诉《麻省理工科技评论》他们欢迎这款应用程序，认为它可以解决反亚仇恨带给他们的焦虑。 对于这些受到严重创伤的人们来说，Citizen成为了让他们获得安心的一种方式。 Citizen的转型 对于这款应用来说，这种积极的反响似乎有些奇怪。毕竟因放大了人们对犯罪的幻想，并帮助白人居民实行种族门禁，它长期以来一直都在遭受着批评的声音。Citizen最初被命名为“治安警员”，因为它有一段曲折的历史：苹果应用商店在该款应用2016年推出后的一周内就将其下架，因为它违反了苹果的《开发者审查指南》，该指南规定应用程序不得鼓励身体伤害。2021年，该公司的首席执行官要求他的员工悬赏3万美元，寻找一名他误认为在洛杉矶纵火的人，这在当时成为了头条新闻。而且该款应用的客户也经常因发表种族主义言论而受到批评。 正是在这种情况下，这款应用现在正在积极地争取像赵这样的用户。从2022年9月开始，通过社区团体如奥克兰华埠商会（Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce）或者旧金山美国华商总会（Chinese…

On March 16, Robin Li, Baidu’s cofounder and CEO, took the stage in Beijing to showcase the company’s new large language model, Ernie Bot. Accompanied by art created by Baidu’s image-making AI, he showed examples of what the chatbot can do, including solve math questions, write marketing copy, answer questions about Chinese literature, and generate…

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. These aircraft could change how we fly Some companies think it’s time the aviation industry got a makeover, and many are betting it’ll come in the form of eVTOLs: electric vertical take-off and…

This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. This week I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole and developed a mild obsession with flying cars—or the version of them that’s hot right now in Silicon Valley, at least. Some…

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. GPT-4 is bigger and better than ChatGPT—but OpenAI won’t say why OpenAI has finally unveiled GPT-4, a next-generation large language model that was rumored to be in development for much of last year.…

Last month, Sheel Mohnot and Amruta Godbole got married. This was no ordinary wedding, though. It was hosted on Decentraland, a virtual platform, and sponsored by Taco Bell. I tried to attend. As a reporter covering virtual spaces and a fellow Indian-American, I was intrigued. Weddings are very important in Indian culture, and I wanted…

China Report is MIT Technology Review’s newsletter about technology developments in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday. China’s annual, week-long parliamentary meeting just ended on Monday. Apart from confirming President Xi Jinping for a historic third term and appointing a new batch of other top leaders, the government also approved a restructuring…

OpenAI has finally unveiled GPT-4, a next-generation large language model that was rumored to be in development for much of last year. The San Francisco-based company’s last surprise hit, ChatGPT, was always going to be a hard act to follow, but OpenAI has made GPT-4 even bigger and better. Yet how much bigger and why…

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. How AI could write our laws Nathan E. Sanders is a data scientist and an affiliate with the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University. Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and a fellow…

The future of flight will come in stages, for one electric aircraft startup at least. Today, Beta Technologies, pushed back the debut of its futuristic electric aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter. Instead, it announced plans to certify a more conventional version of its electric plane by 2025. Beta is one…

Nearly 90% of the multibillion-dollar federal lobbying apparatus in the United States serves corporate interests. In some cases, the objective of that money is obvious. Google pours millions into lobbying on bills related to antitrust regulation. Big energy companies expect action whenever there is a move to end drilling leases for federal lands, in exchange…

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. Hyper-realistic beauty filters are here to stay The Bold Glamour beauty filter on TikTok has been used over 16 million times since its release last month. It contours your cheekbone and jawline in…

This article is from The Technocrat, MIT Technology Review’s weekly tech policy newsletter about power, politics, and Silicon Valley. To receive it in your inbox every Friday, sign up here. You might think that the latest viral example, the Bold Glamour beauty filter on TikTok, isn’t relevant to you. But I’d like to kindly disagree.…

A recent set of sweeping US laws have already kicked off a boom in proposals for new mining operations, minerals processing facilities, and battery plants, laying the foundation for domestic supply chains that could support rapid growth in electric vehicles and other clean technologies. That’s by design. A stipulation in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA),…

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. Meet the AI expert who says we should stop using AI so much Meredith Broussard is unusually well placed to dissect the ongoing hype around AI. She’s a data scientist and associate professor…

This article is from The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, sign up here. I’ve spent the last few days thinking about how, when, and if we should use gene-editing tools to change the human genome. These are huge questions, and very emotive ones—especially when it…

Meredith Broussard is unusually well placed to dissect the ongoing hype around AI. She’s a data scientist and associate professor at New York University, and she’s been one of the leading researchers in the field of algorithmic bias for years. And though her own work leaves her buried in math problems, she’s spent the last…

Across industries, technology transformation is a necessity for businesses looking to ensure longevity and remain competitive. But how can a global finance or health care company use technology to create value for its employees and customers at scale? For large-scale technology transformations, laying the right foundation is the key to ensuring success, says Chad Ballard,…

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. These companies want to go beyond batteries to store energy Batteries are pretty amazing. Using chemical reactions to store energy is handy and scalable, and there are about a million ways to do…

This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. If y’all have been around for a while, you know that I love writing about batteries (see exhibits A, B, and C). Using chemical reactions to store energy is handy and scaleable, and…

From generating artworks to creating sustainable supply chains, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a critical tool in a myriad of economic sectors worldwide. As global enterprises increasingly use AI to gain a competitive edge, governments are also working hard to fuel innovation and growth with AI. In recent years, Asian countries have stepped up efforts…

The urgency of the global transition to a net-zero economy, focused on solutions that enable the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, cannot be overstated. As both the engine of global economic growth and substantial emissions generator, industry has a unique responsibility and opportunity to lead this process. And while the energy and petrochemicals sectors have…

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. Sam Altman invested $180 million into a company trying to delay death When a startup called Retro Biosciences eased out of stealth mode in mid-2022, it announced it had secured $180 million to…

China Report is MIT Technology Review’s newsletter about technology developments in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday. As I often say, the American people and the Chinese people have much more in common than either side likes to admit. For example, take the shared concern about how much time children and teenagers…

When a startup called Retro Biosciences eased out of stealth mode in mid-2022, it announced it had secured $180 million to bankroll an audacious mission: to add 10 years to the average human life span. It had set up its headquarters in a raw warehouse space near San Francisco just the year before, bolting shipping…

Forget about He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who created gene-edited babies. Instead, when you think about gene editing you should think of Victoria Gray, the African-American woman who says she’s been cured of her sickle-cell disease symptoms. This week in London, scientists are gathering for the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing. It’s gene…

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. This geothermal startup showed its wells can be used like a giant underground battery In late January, a geothermal power startup began conducting experiments where it pumped water deep below the desert floor…

In late January, a geothermal power startup began conducting an experiment deep below the desert floor of northern Nevada. It pumped water thousands of feet underground and then held it there, watching for what would happen. Geothermal power plants work by circulating water through hot rock deep beneath the surface. In most modern plants, it…

I recently tried on a Cartier Tank watch and a slew of Tiffany bracelets, watching the metal and diamonds shine in the dim light. I wasn’t at a store, though; I was in my bed, barefoot and in sweatpants, using an AR experience on Snap that let me see how the jewelry looked on my…

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. How to log off As soon as I wake up, I grab my phone to check any messages that have arrived overnight and thumb through news alerts before scrolling quickly through Twitter and…

This article is from The Technocrat, MIT Technology Review’s weekly tech policy newsletter about power, politics, and Silicon Valley. To receive it in your inbox every Friday, sign up here. If you use Google, Instagram, Wikipedia, or YouTube, you’re going to start noticing changes to content moderation, transparency, and safety features on those sites over the…

The US government had a hand in creating some of the most iconic inventions of the last century, from personal computers to modern GPS. Now, it’s making a similar push for energy. The agency behind those breakthroughs was the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. Founded in 1958 as part of the Department of…

Tech Review Explains: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more here. As soon as I wake up, I grab my phone to check any messages that have arrived overnight and thumb through news alerts before scrolling quickly through Twitter and Instagram. At…

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. The inside story of how ChatGPT was built from the people who made it When OpenAI launched ChatGPT, with zero fanfare, in late November 2022, nobody inside the company was prepared for a…