The Download: simulating solar geoengineering, and AI-enabled accessibility
1 We aren’t ready for the creep of AI into our camerasCapabilities embedded in the latest Google Pixel handset will...
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AI could be a game changer for people with disabilities
AI could make these kinds of jumps in accessibility more common across a wide range of technologies. But you probably...
Andrew Ng’s new model lets you play around with solar geoengineering to see what would happen
That might lead the casual user of such a tool to conclude: Cool, let’s do it!But even if solar geoengineering...
Tech that measures our brainwaves is 100 years old. How will we be using it 100 years from now?
Ross Compton’s heart data was used against him when he was accused of burning down his home in Ohio in...
The Download: the future of human evolution, and touch sensing for robots
Editing human embryos is restricted in much of the world—and making an edited baby is fully illegal in most countries...
We finally have a definition for open-source AI
According to the group, an open-source AI system can be used for any purpose without securing permission, and researchers should...
Want to understand the future of technology? Take a look at this one obscure metal.
Keeping up with climate For a look inside what it’s really like to drive a hydrogen car, this reporter rented one...
Beyond gene-edited babies: the possible paths for tinkering with human evolution
At the Innovative Genomics Institute, a center established by Doudna in Berkeley, California, researchers anticipate that as delivery improves, they...
A new system lets robots sense human touch without artificial skin
But if you press harder, you may notice a second way of sensing the touch: through your knuckles and other...
How we could turn plastic waste into food
In one reactor, shown here at a recent MTU demonstration, some deconstructed plastics are subject to high heat and the...
The Download: future materials shortages, and Google on trial
1 Google will face a trial claiming that it misled Chrome users The lawsuit alleges that the browser collected user data...
This rare earth metal shows us the future of our planet’s resources
Demand for neodymium-based magnets could outstrip supply in the coming decade. The longer-term prospects for the metal’s supply aren’t as...
The Download: boosting prosperity with AI, and fighting for a better future
Predictions abound on how the growing list of generative AI models will transform the way we work and organize our...
Fighting for a future beyond the climate crisis
Less making and unmaking are also the solution—less making of what we do not need and more unmaking of harmful...
Why you’re about to see a lot more drones in the sky
Lately, that’s been changing. The agency recently granted Amazon’s Prime Air program approval to fly drones beyond the visual line...
How to fine-tune AI for prosperity
Google's James Manyika says AI’s impact on the economy is potentially huge but will depend on how quickly business users...
The rise of the data platform for hybrid cloud
Finding a way to unify this disparate data is essential. In doing so, organizations must balance the explosive growth of...
The Download: preserving our digital lives, and X exits Brazil
There is a photo of my daughter that I love. She is sitting, smiling, in our old back garden, chubby...
The race to save our online lives from a digital dark age
Scott now works as “free-range archivist and software curator” with the Internet Archive, an online library started in 1996 by...
The Download: what tomorrow holds for today’s babies, and replacing the brain
Drones have been a mainstay technology among militaries, hobbyists, and first responders alike for more than a decade. No longer...