Technology

The US Department of Defense is investing in deepfake detection

December 5, 2024
The US Department of Defense has invested $2.4 million over two years in deepfake detection technology from a startup called Hive AI. It’s the first contract of its kind for the DOD’s Defense Innovation Unit, which accelerates the adoption of new technologies for the US defense sector. Hive AI’s models are capable of detecting AI-generated…

The Download: OpenAI’s defense contract, and making food from microbes

December 5, 2024
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. OpenAI’s new defense contract completes its military pivot At the start of 2024, OpenAI’s rules for how armed forces might use its AI models were unambiguous: it prohibited anyone from using them for…

Alternative meat could help the climate. Will anyone eat it?

December 5, 2024
This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. Last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving here in the US, and I had hearty helpings of ham and turkey alongside my mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Meat is often the star on…

OpenAI’s new defense contract completes its military pivot

December 4, 2024
At the start of 2024, OpenAI’s rules for how armed forces might use its technology were unambiguous.  The company prohibited anyone from using its models for “weapons development” or “military and warfare.” That changed on January 10, when The Intercept reported that OpenAI had softened those restrictions, forbidding anyone from using the technology to “harm…

Would you eat dried microbes? This company hopes so.

December 4, 2024
A company best known for sucking up industrial waste gases is turning its attention to food. LanzaTech, a rising star in the fuel and chemical industries, is joining a growing group of businesses producing microbe-based food as an alternative to plant and animal products. Using microbes to make food is hardly new—beer, yogurt, cheese, and…

Google DeepMind’s new AI model is the best yet at weather forecasting

December 4, 2024
Google DeepMind has unveiled an AI model that’s better at predicting the weather than the current best systems. The new model, dubbed GenCast, is published in Nature today. This is the second AI weather model that Google has launched in just the past few months. In July, it published details of NeuralGCM, a model that…

The Download: the Russia-Ukraine war’s effect on tech, and shaking up AI search

December 4, 2024
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 the Ukraine-Russia war is reshaping the tech sector in Eastern Europe It might have been hard a few years ago to imagine soldiers heading to battle on oversized toys made by a…

How the Ukraine-Russia war is reshaping the tech sector in Eastern Europe

December 4, 2024
At first glance, the Mosphera scooter may look normal—just comically oversized. It’s like the monster truck of scooters, with a footplate seven inches off the ground that’s wide enough to stand on with your feet slightly apart—which you have to do to keep your balance, because when you flip the accelerator with a thumb, it…

5 Powerful Ways to Streamline Your Work Processes with AI

December 3, 2024
The correct way to combine AI, automation, and human talent in the modern world by adopting a hybrid model. Learn the key steps businesses can take to successfully streamline operations and enhance performance using advanced technology.