February 6, 2025

What a return to supersonic flight could mean for climate change

This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. As I’ve admitted in this newsletter before, I love few things more than getting on an airplane. I know, it’s a bold statement from a climate reporter because of all the associated…

Technology

Google says it’s made a quantum computing breakthrough that reduces errors

September 11, 2024
Google researchers claim to have made a breakthrough in quantum error correction, one that could pave the way for quantum computers that finally live up to the technology’s promise. Proponents of quantum computers say the machines will be able to benefit scientific discovery in fields ranging from particle physics to drug and materials design—if only…

The Download: introducing our 35 Innovators Under 35 list for 2024

September 10, 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. Introducing: our 35 Innovators Under 35 list for 2024 Tomorrow’s technologies are being developed today. And every year, we recognize young people from around the world who are leading the way through their…

2024 Innovator of the Year: Shawn Shan builds tools to help artists fight back against exploitative AI

September 10, 2024
Shawn Shan is one of MIT Technology Review’s 2024 Innovators Under 35. Meet the rest of this year’s honorees.  When image-generating models such as DALL-E 2, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion kick-started the generative AI boom in early 2022, artists started noticing odd similarities between AI-generated images and those they’d created themselves. Many found that their work…

What impact will AI have on video game development?

September 10, 2024
This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get it in your inbox first, sign up here. Video game development has long been plagued by fear of the “crunch”—essentially, being forced to work overtime on a game to meet a deadline. In the early days of video games, the crunch was often…

To be more useful, robots need to become lazier

September 9, 2024
Robots perceive the world around them very differently from the way humans do.  When we walk down the street, we know what we need to pay attention to—passing cars, potential dangers, obstacles in our way—and what we don’t, like pedestrians walking in the distance. Robots, on the other hand, treat all the information they receive…

Preparing for the unknown: A guide to future-proofing imaging IT

September 9, 2024
In an era of unprecedented technological advancement, the health-care industry stands at a crossroad. As health expenditure continues to outpace GDP in many countries, health-care executives grapple with crucial decisions on investment prioritization for digitization, innovation, and digital transformation. The imperative to provide high-quality, patient-centric care in an increasingly digital world has never been more…

The Download: Roblox’s generative AI, and tech for humanity

September 9, 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. Roblox is launching a generative AI that builds 3D environments in a snap What’s new: Roblox has announced plans to roll out a generative AI tool that will let creators make whole 3D…

For Subscribers: Celebrate 125 years of MIT Technology Review

September 6, 2024
Celebrate 125 years of MIT Technology Review! This is a special year for MIT Technology Review, and we could not have reached this milestone without the support of our readers. With the release of our 125th anniversary issue, we are extending our gratitude of your loyalty by offering subscribers a chance to win a complimentary…

The Download: mining metals with plants, and our dystopian future

September 6, 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 plants could mine metals from the soil Nickel may not grow on trees—but there’s a chance it could someday be mined using plants. Many plants naturally soak up metal and concentrate it…

How plants could mine metals from the soil

September 6, 2024
Nickel may not grow on trees—but there’s a chance it could someday be mined using plants. Many plant species naturally soak up metal and concentrate it in their tissues, and new funding will support research on how to use that trait for plant-based mining, or phytomining.  Seven phytomining projects just received $9.9 million in funding…