Jon Victor / The Information: Sources: Google Brain and DeepMind have been forced to work together on a project known as Gemini to compete with OpenAI’s GPT-4, after Bard’s stumble — OpenAI’s success in overtaking Google with an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot has achieved what seemed impossible in the past …
WeMeta: the median price per square meter of land in Decentraland has dropped from ~$45 in 2022 to $5 in 2023, as the hype around the metaverse has receded (Meghan Bobrowsky/Wall Street Journal)
Meghan Bobrowsky / Wall Street Journal: WeMeta: the median price per square meter of land in Decentraland has dropped from ~$45 in 2022 to $5 in 2023, as the hype around the metaverse has receded — Disney and Microsoft both closed projects tied to the digital realm this month — Watch: What’s the Future of […]
Google launches an Ads Transparency Center, showing all the ads from verified advertisers on its platforms, in the formats, the regions, and the dates they ran (Ivan Mehta/TechCrunch)
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch: Google launches an Ads Transparency Center, showing all the ads from verified advertisers on its platforms, in the formats, the regions, and the dates they ran — Google is launching a new ad transparency center that will let users search for verified advertisers and their campaigns across …
Ultra-tough battery survives hammer blows and being run over by a car
A hydrogel battery that can perform well at below-freezing temperatures and survive all sorts of damage could keep phones working even when conditions get tough
School of Engineering welcomes new faculty
The School of Engineering is welcoming 11 new members of its faculty across six of its academic departments and institutes. This new cohort of faculty members, who have either recently started their roles at MIT or will start their new roles within the next year, conduct research across a diverse range of disciplines. Their areas […]
Boosting passenger experience and increasing connectivity at the Hong Kong International Airport
Recently, a cohort of 36 students from MIT and universities across Hong Kong came together for the MIT Entrepreneurship and Maker Skills Integrator (MEMSI), an intense two-week startup boot camp hosted at the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node. “We’re very excited to be in Hong Kong,” said Professor Charles Sodini, LeBel Professor of Electrical Engineering […]
Bacterial injection system delivers proteins in mice and human cells
Researchers at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have harnessed a natural bacterial system to develop a new protein delivery approach that works in human cells and animals. The technology, described today in Nature, can be programmed to deliver a variety of proteins, including ones […]
How to Build Supply Chain Resilience Without Sacrificing ESG Goals or Inflating Costs – SPONSOR CONTENT FROM GEP
Sponsor content from GEP.
Don’t Learn the Wrong Lessons from Failure
Three common traps that leaders fall into — and how to avoid them.
How Biometrics Are Transforming the Customer Experience
As technology like facial recognition becomes more pervasive, companies need to prioritize privacy and security.
All-Clad Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender Review: Cordlessness Isn’t a Necessity
All-Clad’s stick lets you blend things that are far away from a power outlet. That may not be a good reason to buy it.
Red Teaming GPT-4 Was Valuable. Violet Teaming Will Make It Better
To keep up with the speed of AI advances, we need to develop systems that use AI to defend public goods, too.
The Chemical Menace Inside Glaciers and Icebergs
Ice can trap pollutants and accelerate their breakdown, with troubling environmental consequences.
A US court rules bZx protocol meets the definition of a general partnership and finds token holders of the DAO liable for losses from a $55M hack in 2021 (Sam Reynolds/CoinDesk)
Sam Reynolds / CoinDesk: A US court rules bZx protocol meets the definition of a general partnership and finds token holders of the DAO liable for losses from a $55M hack in 2021 — Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) are beginning to look like general partnerships in the eyes of U.S. courts.
The UK CMA launches an in-depth probe, which can take up to six months, of Broadcom’s $69B VMware acquisition, after Broadcom failed to address concerns (Reuters)
Reuters: The UK CMA launches an in-depth probe, which can take up to six months, of Broadcom’s $69B VMware acquisition, after Broadcom failed to address concerns — Britain said it would investigate Broadcom’s (AVGO.O) acquisition of VMware (VMW.N) in depth after the U.S. chipmaker offered …
Goldman Sachs research: generative AI could increase annual global GDP by 7% over a 10-year period and expose 300M full-time jobs to automation globally (Delphine Strauss/Financial Times)
Delphine Strauss / Financial Times: Goldman Sachs research: generative AI could increase annual global GDP by 7% over a 10-year period and expose 300M full-time jobs to automation globally — Technology could boost global GDP by 7% but also risks creating ‘significant disruption’ — The latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence …
New algorithm keeps drones from colliding in midair
When multiple drones are working together in the same airspace, perhaps spraying pesticide over a field of corn, there’s a risk they might crash into each other. To help avoid these costly crashes, MIT researchers presented a system called MADER in 2020. This multiagent trajectory-planner enables a group of drones to formulate optimal, collision-free trajectories. […]
Micron reports Q2 revenue of $3.69B, vs. $3.71B est., down from $7.79B YoY, and a record net loss of $2.31B due to an inventory write-down of $1.43B (Jeremy C. Owens/MarketWatch)
Jeremy C. Owens / MarketWatch: Micron reports Q2 revenue of $3.69B, vs. $3.71B est., down from $7.79B YoY, and a record net loss of $2.31B due to an inventory write-down of $1.43B — Chip company writes off more than $1.4 billion in inventory as sales get chopped in half and memory-chip market melts down …
A US federal judge finds Google flouted a court order requiring it to save records of employee chats in antitrust litigation over its Play Store policies (Malathi Nayak/Bloomberg)
Malathi Nayak / Bloomberg: A US federal judge finds Google flouted a court order requiring it to save records of employee chats in antitrust litigation over its Play Store policies — Alphabet Inc.’s Google flouted a court order requiring it to save records of employee chats in antitrust litigation …
Cerebras open sources seven GPT-based LLMs, ranging from 111M to 13B parameters and trained using its Andromeda supercomputer for AI, on GitHub and Hugging Face (Mike Wheatley/SiliconANGLE)
Mike Wheatley / SiliconANGLE: Cerebras open sources seven GPT-based LLMs, ranging from 111M to 13B parameters and trained using its Andromeda supercomputer for AI, on GitHub and Hugging Face — Artificial intelligence chipmaker Cerebras Systems Inc. today announced it has trained and now released seven GPT-based large language models …
Origami glass technique produces hard-to-make shapes
A method for mixing glass particles into a soft material, folding the mixture like origami, then applying heat to melt it can be used to build beautifully folded glass structures
Fieldwork class examines signs of climate change in Hawaii
When Joy Domingo-Kameenui spent two weeks in her native Hawaii as part of MIT class 1.091 (Traveling Research Environmental eXperiences), she was surprised to learn about the number of invasive and endangered species. “I knew about Hawaiian ecology from middle and high school but wasn’t fully aware to the extent of how invasive species and […]
MIT sophomores connect with alumni mentors in professional and leadership development program
Team Training Workshop (TTW) is the cornerstone event for students in MIT’s Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP), bringing students and alumni mentors together over three exciting sessions for an experiential learning experience that feels like summer camp. UPOP is a yearlong academic course for MIT sophomores that aids their professional development and helps them prepare […]
Strengthening trust in machine-learning models
Probabilistic machine learning methods are becoming increasingly powerful tools in data analysis, informing a range of critical decisions across disciplines and applications, from forecasting election results to predicting the impact of microloans on addressing poverty. This class of methods uses sophisticated concepts from probability theory to handle uncertainty in decision-making. But the math is only […]
How to Tell If a Potential Employer Has a Burnout Culture
Questions to ask — and red flags to look out for — in your next interview.
X’s Astro Teller on Managing Moonshot Innovation
A conversation with Astro Teller on taking big swings and accepting the mess.
BMW’s Decarbonization Strategy: Sustainable for the Environment and the Bottom Line
Can BMW convince stakeholders that its strategy is good for the environment and the company’s financial performance?
24 Best Wireless Chargers (2023): Pads, Stands, iPhone Docks, and More
Stop fumbling for cables in the dark. These WIRED-tested stands and pads will take the hassle out of refueling your phone, wireless earbuds, and watch.
Be Your Own Tab Manager
WIRED’s spiritual advice columnist on the tendency to keep tabs open and the desire to reduce the infinite possibilities of the internet.
The Trans-American Race to Build Chargers for Electric Trucks
Startups and investors are rushing to build networks of charging stations. But it’s still unclear when—or if—battery-powered big rigs will rule the roads.
Venti Technologies, which develops autonomous vehicle tech for industrial and logistical hubs, raised a $28.8M Series A led by LG Technology Ventures (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: Venti Technologies, which develops autonomous vehicle tech for industrial and logistical hubs, raised a $28.8M Series A led by LG Technology Ventures — We are still likely many years away from wide-scale deployment — let alone adoption — of fully autonomous vehicles on our streets …
CWA files NLRB charges alleging that Apple fired five union organizers in Kansas City in retaliation, the first such charges the union has filed against Apple (Lauren Kaori Gurley/Washington Post)
Lauren Kaori Gurley / Washington Post: CWA files NLRB charges alleging that Apple fired five union organizers in Kansas City in retaliation, the first such charges the union has filed against Apple — The workers, who were disciplined and fired for attendance-related issues, believe they were let go because of their union organizing
Alibaba plans to reorganize its businesses into six independent entities and devolve operational decisions to each unit’s CEO, in its biggest restructuring ever (Zhou Xin/South China Morning Post)
Zhou Xin / South China Morning Post: Alibaba plans to reorganize its businesses into six independent entities and devolve operational decisions to each unit’s CEO, in its biggest restructuring ever — Alibaba Group Holding will overhaul its sprawling operations, as China’s largest technology conglomerate undertakes …
New additives could turn concrete into an effective carbon sink
Despite the many advantages of concrete as a modern construction material, including its high strength, low cost, and ease of manufacture, its production currently accounts for approximately 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Recent discoveries by a team at MIT have revealed that introducing new materials into existing concrete manufacturing processes could significantly reduce […]
Plastics Are Devastating the Guts of Seabirds
New research shows that seabirds’ ingestion of the pollutant scars their insides—a new disease called “plasticosis”—and may disturb their microbiomes.
Filing: a federal judge grants the US government’s request to temporarily halt Voyager’s bankruptcy plan, putting its proposed ~$1B sale to Binance.US on hold (Jeremy Hill/Bloomberg)
Jeremy Hill / Bloomberg: Filing: a federal judge grants the US government’s request to temporarily halt Voyager’s bankruptcy plan, putting its proposed ~$1B sale to Binance.US on hold — A federal judge granted the US government’s request to temporarily halt Voyager Digital Ltd.’s bankruptcy plan …
Binance CEO CZ says CFTC’s complaint contains “incomplete recitation of facts” and Binance does not agree with “characterization of many of the issues alleged” (Binance Blog)
Binance Blog: Binance CEO CZ says CFTC’s complaint contains “incomplete recitation of facts” and Binance does not agree with “characterization of many of the issues alleged” — Today, the CFTC filed an unexpected and disappointing civil complaint, despite our working cooperatively with the CFTC for over two years.
Germany-based OQmented, which is developing laser beam scanning tech for displays in AR/MR glasses, raised a $20M Series A from Sharp Devices Europe and others (Fiona Alston/Tech.eu)
Fiona Alston / Tech.eu: Germany-based OQmented, which is developing laser beam scanning tech for displays in AR/MR glasses, raised a $20M Series A from Sharp Devices Europe and others — The German firm’s ultra-compact MEMS-based laser beam scanning projection display systems for AR glasses has come into focus as tech giant Sharp invests
A portfolio that’s out of this world
At age 9, Ezinne Uzo-Okoro SM ’20, PhD ’22 was preoccupied with down-to-earth problems, such as devising an alternative to her father’s messy, paper Filofax organizer, and fixing the unreliable electric service plaguing her home of Owerri, Nigeria. Could she have imagined a path-breaking, 17-year career at NASA, followed by a position as the nation’s […]
Festival of Learning 2023 underscores importance of well-designed learning environments
During its first in-person gathering since 2020, MIT’s Festival of Learning 2023 explored how the learning sciences can inform the Institute on how to best support students. Co-sponsored by MIT Open Learning and the Office of the Vice Chancellor (OVC), this annual event celebrates teaching and learning innovations with MIT instructors, students, and staff. Bror […]
Are Your Digital Platforms Wasting Your Customers’ Time?
Instead of just responding to requests, anticipate people’s needs.
Leaders Need to Get Comfortable Collaborating on Strategy
Three common fears that hold them back — and how to overcome them.
Getting Along: My Boss Doesn’t Trust Me
HBR’s advice columnist offers three research-backed approaches to try.
Klipsch The Sevens Review: Bigger Is Bolder
These powered speakers work well for both TV and vinyl in my modern living room.
Unboxing Is So 2012. The Internet Wants Packing Videos
The latest online shopping trend: paying to watch someone pack your order.
ChatGPT Opened a New Era in Search. Microsoft Could Ruin It
Startups say Microsoft and its Bing chatbot—not just Google—are stifling competition when it comes to creating better search engines.
Huawei says it has built tools to design chips as advanced as 14nm, about four generations behind the latest available, to help Chinese firms replace US tech (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: Huawei says it has built tools to design chips as advanced as 14nm, about four generations behind the latest available, to help Chinese firms replace US tech — Huawei Technologies Co. has developed software tools capable of designing chips as advanced as 14 nanometers …
Sources: Jack Ma returned to China after more than a year; sources: China Premier Li Qiang urged Ma to return since late 2022 to allay private sector fears (Reuters)
Reuters: Sources: Jack Ma returned to China after more than a year; sources: China Premier Li Qiang urged Ma to return since late 2022 to allay private sector fears — Alibaba (9988.HK) founder Jack Ma has returned to China, ending a stay overseas of more than a year that industry viewed as reflecting …
Ammo maker Nammo says its growth is hit by a TikTok data center using all spare electricity, as energy demand from data centers and others grows in the Nordics (Richard Milne/Financial Times)
Richard Milne / Financial Times: Ammo maker Nammo says its growth is hit by a TikTok data center using all spare electricity, as energy demand from data centers and others grows in the Nordics — Norwegian group Nammo blames ‘storage of cat videos’ for threatening its growth as data centre corners spare electricity
Should you be worried that an AI picture of the Pope went viral?
You may have seen these images of Pope Francis looking stylish in a puffer jacket on social media, but you might not have realised they were created by the artificial intelligence tool Midjourney