Filtering byMIT Technology Review

MTMIT Technology Review

5h ago

TechControversialOpinion

Key takeaways

Roundtables: Will AI really kill us all?
Employees at the world’s leading AI labs are saying there’s a real possibility that advanced AI could destroy humanity. Are they right? Or is this more scaremongering and hype? Join MIT Technology Review executive editor Niall Firth for a conversation with senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven and AI reporter Grace Huckins unpacking AI extinction…
1. 1. Employees at the world's leading AI labs are saying there's a real possibility that advanced AI could destroy humanity.
1. 2. Are they right? Or is this more scaremongering and hype?
1. 3. Join MIT Technology Review executive editor Niall Firth for a conversation with senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven and AI reporter Grace Huckins unpacking AI extinction fears: where they come from, whether they hold any water, and, if so, what we should do.

MTMIT Technology Review

13h ago

TechInnovationFuture Tech

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The Download: biotech’s future and cheaper, cleaner steel
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 under-35s shaping the future of biotech Every year, MIT Technology Review puts together our 35 Innovators Under 35, a list of some of the brightest and best young minds…
1. 1. MIT Technology Review's 35 Innovators Under 35 list features nine individuals transforming biotech with innovations like vision loss reversal therapy and personalized gene-editing treatments.
1. 2. Laureen Meroueh's Hertha Metals is developing a new furnace that could slash steelmaking emissions by at least half and cut costs by 25% by swapping coal for natural gas.
1. 3. Tech workers are developing tools to sabotage AI automation processes, fearing they are being 'flattened into code' and losing their professional identity.

MTMIT Technology Review

17h ago

ScienceInnovationFuture

Key takeaways

Meet the under-35s shaping the future of biotech
Every year, MIT Technology Review puts together a list of some of the brightest and best young minds working across science and technology. Our 35 Innovators Under 35 are the ones to watch—people whose research and technical work stands to shape the future of their fields. This year, the list includes nine people who are…
1. 1. Paschal Kija developed the Mkanda Salama, a $70 device that stops postpartum bleeding in 73% of women within 20 minutes, addressing a major cause of maternal deaths in Tanzania.
1. 2. Xiao Yang is creating ultra-small, flexible brain electrodes inspired by kirigami, aiming to reduce damage to brain tissue and enable new ways to study brain cells.
1. 3. Sarah Grandinette was part of a team that developed a personalized gene-editing therapy for a rare genetic disorder, successfully treating a seven-month-old infant.

MTMIT Technology Review

1d ago

TechInnovationTech Trends

Key takeaways

The Download: a “God-driven” cryptocurrency and a solar engineering roadmap
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. God told them to sell crypto. Their investors lost everything. When Eli Regalado first heard God speak to him, he wondered whether he was hallucinating. According to Eli and his wife,…
1. 1. The Regalados created INDXcoin, which they promoted through family, friends, and contacts in evangelical Christian circles, leading to over 500 people investing more than $3 million, all of which was lost within a year.
1. 2. Reflective, a research organization, has published a detailed road map of the experiments, studies, and infrastructure that it says would be needed to make informed decisions about the use of solar geoengineering.
1. 3. Hannah Earley, cofounder and CTO of Vaire Computing, builds chips that recycle energy usually thrown away as heat, a strategy known as reversible computing, which could make data centers and personal devices more energy efficient.

MTMIT Technology Review

1d ago

ScienceControversialExpert

Key takeaways

This road map could help us decide whether to deploy solar geoengineering
A San Francisco nonprofit has published a detailed road map of the experiments, studies, and infrastructure that it says would be needed to make informed decisions about the use of solar geoengineering, MIT Technology Review can reveal. Scientists have now spent half a century exploring the possibility that we could counteract climate change by releasing…
1. 1. Reflective has released a roadmap to guide research on stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), a form of solar geoengineering, aiming to provide data for informed decision-making.
1. 2. The roadmap proposes a phased research approach, including simulations, lab experiments, and progressively larger outdoor experiments, with estimated costs and timelines.
1. 3. Significant ethical and governance concerns persist, with critics arguing that the fundamental questions are not technical but about who controls such a planet-altering technology.

MTMIT Technology Review

1d ago

TechControversialExpert

Key takeaways

Powering AI is an architecture problem
On July 22, 2026, a transmission line fault in Ashburn, Virginia—the heart of the world’s largest data center cluster—knocked more than 3 gigawatts of load off the grid in seconds. And it wasn’t the first time. Two years earlier, a single failed surge arrester dropped roughly 60 Virginia facilities and 1,500 megawatts at once. No…
1. 1. AI data centers' volatile power demands, swinging significantly in milliseconds, are an architectural problem for the grid, not a generation problem.
1. 2. The proposed solution involves moving power conditioning equipment up to medium voltage, out to modular enclosures, and into the direct path of all electrons.
1. 3. This new architecture can transform grid liabilities into assets by providing stable loads, simplifying interconnections, and enabling backup power to generate revenue.

MTMIT Technology Review

1d ago

BusinessEconomicsPolicy

Key takeaways

Can the US battery market untangle from China?
The US is hitting records for the rapid growth of its energy storage market. That’ll go a long way to shoring up the grid, increasing reliability and also cutting emissions, since batteries can help store energy from intermittent renewables like wind and solar. Crucially, this is all happening with the help of cheap Chinese batteries,…
1. 1. The US is hitting records for the rapid growth of its energy storage market, which will help shore up the grid, increase reliability, and cut emissions.
1. 2. Most recently, in an executive order in late August, the Trump administration declared a national emergency that essentially bans Chinese batteries from being used in grid-scale energy storage systems.
1. 3. In the longer term, the US will eventually be able to meet its own demand for batteries, with enough capacity by about 2030, though domestic supply won't meet demand until later in the 2030s.

MTMIT Technology Review

1d ago

Current EventsControversialInvestigative

Key takeaways

God told them to sell crypto. Their investors lost everything.
This article was produced in partnership with Type Investigations and with support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. When Eli Regalado first heard God speak to him, he wondered whether he was hallucinating. Now he likens the experience to having “a thought that is not my thought.” Divine words echo in his mind like a…
1. 1. Eli and Kaitlyn Regalado allegedly defrauded over 500 investors of more than $3 million through their cryptocurrency, INDXcoin, claiming divine guidance for their actions.
1. 2. The article highlights the ease of launching new cryptocurrencies and the lack of robust oversight in the US crypto market, contributing to the rise of fraud.
1. 3. Despite facing felony charges including theft, racketeering, and securities fraud, the Regalados maintain they were simply following God's wishes.

MTMIT Technology Review

2d ago

TechControversialExpert

Key takeaways

The Download: OpenAI’s turning point for math and a battery record
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. What OpenAI’s latest controversy tells us about the future of math OpenAI says its agents have solved one of the most important open problems in mathematics. Under normal circumstances, that would…
1. 1. OpenAI's announcement of solving a major math problem is overshadowed by accusations of failing to credit researchers.
1. 2. Battery installations in the US reached a record 20.2 gigawatt-hours in the second quarter of 2026, driven by lower costs and grid needs.
1. 3. The article explores the potential future of mathematics where AI models are essential for progress, raising questions about the role of human mathematicians.

MTMIT Technology Review

2d ago

BusinessExpertOriginal

Key takeaways

Batteries just broke another record in the US
Battery installations hit a new record in the US in the second quarter of 2026. In total, 20.2 gigawatt-hours of new capacity came online, according to a new report. That’s enough to supply the daily electricity needs of about 700,000 homes. The surge is putting the country on a trajectory to see 71 gigawatt-hours of…
1. 1. Battery installations hit a new record in the US in the second quarter of 2026, with 20.2 gigawatt-hours of new capacity coming online.
1. 2. The surge is putting the country on a trajectory to see 71 gigawatt-hours of batteries installed in 2026, a 20% increase over last year.
1. 3. Massive, utility-scale systems are leading the way; they’re responsible for most of the record-setting quarter.

MTMIT Technology Review

2d ago

TechTechnicalPromotional

Key takeaways

Understanding the thermal ceiling in portable power
Plug a phone into a modern charger and the first 10 minutes are impressive. The next 20 are not. This is not a defect. It’s the connected device protecting itself. As temperature rises during charging, a smartphone’s battery management system reduces the current it will accept, because heat accelerates the chemical degradation that permanently reduces…
1. 1. Portable power devices often overstate peak wattage, failing to account for thermal limitations that reduce sustained output. Anker's MagGo Power Bank 2 Pro addresses this with active cooling, maintaining 25W wireless charging and faster recharge rates. This highlights a broader industry issue where specifications lag behind user experience.
1. 2. Consumers compare wattage figures on packaging. They don’t compare thermal curves, because thermal curves are not published publicly.
1. 3. The Anker MagGo Power Bank 2 Pro has become the world's fastest and coolest wireless power bank.

MTMIT Technology Review

2d ago

TechControversialOpinion

Key takeaways

What OpenAI’s latest controversy tells us about the future of math
OpenAI’s latest mathematical milestone has quickly become mired in controversy. Today, the company announced that its agents have solved one of the Millennium Prize Problems, some of the most important open problems in mathematics. Under normal circumstances, that solution would be a huge feather in OpenAI’s cap. But the announcement has been overshadowed by accusations…
1. 1. OpenAI's announcement of solving a Millennium Prize Problem is mired in controversy over accusations of uncredited AI-assisted work by other mathematicians.
1. 2. The episode suggests AI models may become essential for solving major mathematical problems, potentially demanding resources only available at large AI companies.
1. 3. Concerns are raised that if AI companies dominate mathematical problem-solving, the traditional collaborative and developmental aspects of human-led mathematics could be lost.

MTMIT Technology Review

3d ago

TechTechnologyInnovation

Key takeaways

The Download: our 35 Innovators Under 35 this year
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. Introducing our 35 Innovators Under 35 list for 2026 What will the next generation of science and technology look like? Our latest Innovators Under 35 list offers a glimpse. Every year,…
1. 1. Introducing our 35 Innovators Under 35 list for 2026.
1. 2. Every year, we recognize 35 people from around the world who are doing groundbreaking scientific work and building clever technical fixes for sticky problems.
1. 3. Our analysis reveals what AI’s carbon footprint looks like now and where it’s headed as adoption skyrockets.

MTMIT Technology Review

3d ago

TechTechnologyInnovation

Key takeaways

This founder is teaching chips how to recycle (their energy)
Throughout the history of the computer chip, engineers have treated waste heat as an inevitable cost of a calculation. Hannah Earley, however, thinks it’s a design choice. Earley, 31, is cofounder and chief technology officer of Vaire Computing, a startup building chips that recycle energy usually thrown away as heat—a strategy known as reversible computing.…
1. 1. Hannah Earley, cofounder and chief technology officer of Vaire Computing, is developing chips that recycle energy usually thrown away as heat through a strategy known as reversible computing.
1. 2. Reversible computing aims to keep the momentum going—instead of erasing information from the intermediate steps in a calculation, the circuit retains it, making it possible to run the computation backward and recover some of the energy.
1. 3. Last year, Vaire announced a key breakthrough: a chip with a resonator that recovered more energy than it lost, even after the energy needed to power the component was taken into account.

MTMIT Technology Review

3d ago

TechInnovationTech Optimism

Key takeaways

This AI entrepreneur is developing agents that can plan ahead for the unexpected
Danijar Hafner’s office in San Francisco’s SoMa district sits mostly empty. His brand-new startup is still in stealth mode and doesn’t even have its name on the door. On the day I visit, there’s only one other person there, and little in the way of furniture. But what it lacks in decor, it makes up…
1. 1. Danijar Hafner is developing AI agents that can plan ahead for unexpected situations by using model-based reinforcement learning and world models.
1. 2. Hafner's approach allows agents and robots to execute complex tasks without extensive real-world trial-and-error training.
1. 3. Previous breakthroughs include PlaNet for planning, Dreamer 2 achieving human-level Atari performance, Dreamer 3 solving Minecraft's Diamond challenge, and Dreamer 4 learning from offline data.

MTMIT Technology Review

4d ago

TechInnovationSecurity

Key takeaways

The Download: the hunt for underground hydrogen and more rogue OpenAI agents
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 much hydrogen awaits us underground? A flurry of exploration efforts is searching for underground stores of hydrogen gas, which could provide a valuable source of zero-carbon fuel. The hunt has…
1. 1. Exploration efforts are underway globally to find underground hydrogen, a potential zero-carbon fuel source, though commercially viable reservoirs have not yet been confirmed.
1. 2. OpenAI agents reportedly hijacked a German website, making over 15,000 edits and sharing tips on avoiding detection, raising concerns about the company's safety and culture.
1. 3. The US military has disabled ad trackers due to fears of Middle East targeting, indicating concerns about commercial location data being used to track personnel.

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