How a Russian cyberwar in Ukraine could ripple out globallyPatrick Howell O’Neill
Russia has sent more than 100,000 soldiers to the nation’s border with Ukraine, threatening a war unlike anything Europe has seen in decades. Though there hasn’t been any shooting yet, cyber operations are already underway. Last week, hackers defaced dozens of government websites in Ukraine, a technically simple but attention-grabbing act that generated global headlines. More quietly, they also placed destructive malware inside Ukrainian government agencies, an operation first discovered by researchers at Microsoft. It’s not clear yet who is responsible, but Russia is the leading suspect. But while Ukraine continues to feel the brunt of Russia’s attacks, government and […]
Meta’s new learning algorithm can teach AI to multi-taskWill Douglas Heaven
If you can recognize a dog by sight, then you can probably recognize a dog when it is described to you in words. Not so for today’s artificial intelligence. Deep neural networks have become very good at identifying objects in photos and conversing in natural language, but not at the same time: there are AI models that excel at one or the other, but not both. Part of the problem is that these models learn different skills using different techniques. This is a major obstacle for the development of more general-purpose AI, machines that can multi-task and adapt. It also […]
All charges against China Initiative defendant Gang Chen have been dismissedEileen Guo
The US Justice Department has filed a motion to dismiss all charges against MIT mechanical engineering professor and nanotechnologist Gang Chen, nearly one year to the day that he was indicted on charges relating to his alleged failure to disclose relationships and funding from Chinese entities. From the start, Chen had maintained his innocence. MIT had indicated that Chen was working to establish a research collaboration on behalf of the institution, and that the funding in question was actually for the university, rather than Chen personally. MIT also paid for his defense. (MIT Technology Review is funded by the university, […]
This group of tech firms just signed up to a safer metaverseTanya Basu
The internet can feel like a bottomless pit of the worst aspects of humanity. So far, there’s little indication that the metaverse—an envisioned virtual digital world where we work, play, and live—will be much better. As I reported last month, a beta tester in Meta’s virtual social platform, Horizon Worlds, has already complained of being groped. Tiffany Xingyu Wang feels she has a solution. In August 2020—more than a year before Facebook announced it would change its name to Meta and shift its focus from its flagship social media platform to plans for its own metaverse—Wang launched the nonprofit Oasis […]
Sustainability starts in the design process, and AI can helpMIT Technology Review Insights
Artificial intelligence helps build physical infrastructure like modular housing, skyscrapers, and factory floors. “…many problems that we wrestle with in all forms of engineering and design are very, very complex problems…those problems are beginning to reach the limits of human capacity,” says Mike Haley, the vice president of research at Autodesk. But there’s hope with AI capabilities, Haley continues “This is a place where AI and humans come together very nicely because AI can actually take certain very complex problems in the world and recast them.” And where “AI and humans come together” is at the start of the process […]
Tonga’s volcano blast cut it off from the world. Here’s what it will take to get it reconnected.Chris Stokel-Walker
Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai, an underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga, has erupted several times in the last 13 years, but the most recent, on January 15, was likely its most destructive. The blast has had global consequences: more than 6,000 miles away, waves caused by the eruption drowned two people in Peru. But the effect of the volcanic blast on Tongans living closer to ground zero isn’t yet known, though it’s feared that the ensuing tsunami may have killed many people and displaced many more from their homes. That’s because Tonga has been suddenly cut off from the internet, making […]
Going bald? Lab-grown hair cells could be on the wayAntonio Regalado
Biologists at several startups are applying the latest advances in genetic engineering to the age-old problem of baldness, by creating new hair-forming cells that could restore a person’s ability to grow hair. Some researchers tell MIT Technology Review they are using the techniques to grow human hair cells in their labs and even on animals. A startup called dNovo sent us a photograph of a mouse sprouting a dense clump of human hair—the result of a transplant of what the company says are human hair stem cells. The company’s founder is Ernesto Lujan, a Stanford University-trained biologist. He says his […]
In a further blow to the China Initiative, prosecutors move to dismiss a high profile caseEileen Guo
On Friday, federal prosecutors recommended that the US Department of Justice dismiss all three charges against MIT nanotechnology professor Gang Chen, ending a two-year ordeal stemming from accusations that he hid funding from Chinese entities on grant disclosure forms. Chen had pleaded not guilty to all charges, while his employer had indicated that the funding in question was for the university, rather than Chen personally. MIT is paying his legal fees. The university declined to comment on a pending court case. (MIT Technology Review is funded by MIT, but is editorially independent.) Chen was one of the most prominent scientists […]
Ahead in the cloud: Cloud, technology, and leadership with Debbie Taylor from NBNJenn Webb
Thank you for joining us on “The cloud hub: From cloud chaos to clarity.” Debbie Taylor, chief information officer at NBN Australia, discusses how NBN is bridging the digital divide in Australia. The discussion also covers Taylor’s leadership story and NBN’s journey to the cloud. Click here to continue. Thank you for joining us on “The cloud hub: From cloud chaos to clarity.” Debbie Taylor, chief information officer at NBN Australia, discusses how NBN is bridging the digital divide in Australia. The discussion also covers Taylor’s leadership story and NBN’s journey to the cloud. Click here to continue.
Cloud technologies help corporations achieve carbon neutralityMIT Technology Review Insights
The past two years of pandemic-related challenges have accelerated the adoption of cloud across industry at an unprecedented rate. This increased investment in cloud can serve to reinvigorate sustainability goals and provide the ability to measure the impact of an investment. The consequences of climate change are no longer theoretical, and corporate leaders are taking responsibility. While many corporations agree on the imperative to change, sifting through the noise to identify a path to achieve neutrality is complicated. MIT Technology Review recently sat down with experts from Infosys and Microsoft—Corey Glickman, partner and global head of sustainability and design consulting […]