MIT Technology Review

01/29/2025

Opinion: I’m a community moderator who researches community moderation. Here’s what I’ve learned about the limitations of relying on volunteers for fact-checking—and what Meta needs to do to succeed.

The social media company has a hard road ahead if it wants community fact-checking to succeed.

01/29/2025

Today in The Download, our daily newsletter: mice with two dads, and Meta’s fact-checking challenges

Plus: AI investors are freaking out over DeepSeek

01/29/2025

The mining burden of new energy technologies is smaller than that of fossil fuels, according to this report.

The mining burden of new energy technologies is smaller than that of fossil fuels, according to a new report.

01/29/2025

This is how international crypto scammers are also sometimes victims of human trafficking.

A new movie and book are raising public awareness about how international crypto scammers are also sometimes victims of human trafficking.

01/29/2025

In this science fiction story, author Paolo Bacigalupi imagines a future shaped by climate change and other forces.

Author Paolo Bacigalupi imagines a future shaped by climate change and other forces.

01/29/2025

Sucking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere could help address climate change. But so far, available technology is barely winding the clock back.

01/29/2025

As the climate changes, genetic engineering will be essential for growing food. But is it creating a race of superweeds?

01/29/2025

We’ve all seen videos over the past few years demonstrating how agile humanoid robots have become, running and jumping with ease. We’re no longer surprised by this kind of agility—in fact, we’ve grown to expect it.

The problem is, these shiny demos lack real-world applications. In fact, robots might need to become more boring to be useful.

We're inching ever-closer to them being able to handle household tasks.

01/28/2025

Researchers hope to use the same approach to create primates with two male parents.

It’s a new way to create “bi-paternal” mice that can survive to adulthood—but human applications are still a long way off.

01/28/2025

Scientists at Sublime Systems want to fix one of the biggest climate nightmares.

Scientists at startup Sublime Systems want to fix one of our biggest climate nightmares.

01/28/2025

Today in The Download, our daily newsletter: DeepSeek forces a reality check, and robotaxis’ future

Plus: There's no doubt that DeepSeek is sending data back to China

01/28/2025

DeepSeek poses a threat to the narrative that more computing power is the only thing that’ll unlock AI breakthroughs.

01/28/2025

This startup hopes to encourage more cycling by providing free-to-use shelters that keep bikes safe from theft and bad weather.

Cities won’t encourage more cycling if there’s nowhere to park your bike. This startup wants to change that.

01/28/2025

Robots that can monitor conditions in a hive, do a waggle dance, or even infiltrate the queen’s court could help scientists influence the health of a colony.

01/28/2025

Take a look behind the controls of a new way to create video-game characters that engage with players in unique, ever-changing ways.

A look behind the controls of a new way to create video-game characters that engage with players in unique, ever-changing ways.

01/28/2025

Open-world video games are inhabited by vast crowds of computer-controlled characters. These animated people—called NPCs, for “nonplayer characters”—populate the bars, city streets, or space ports of games. They make virtual worlds feel lived in and full. Often—but not always—you can talk to them.

After a while, however, the repetitive chitchat (or threats) of a passing stranger forces you to bump up against the truth: This is just a game.

It may not always be like that. Just as it’s upending other industries, generative AI is opening the door to entirely new kinds of in-game interactions that are open-ended, creative, and unexpected. Future AI-powered NPCs that don’t rely on a script could make games—and other worlds—deeply immersive.

AI-powered NPCs that don’t need a script could make games—and other worlds—deeply immersive.

01/28/2025

Decades before Google Street View, state government vans were photographing each mile of roadway, capturing a rich visual history of America’s roads and highways.

01/27/2025

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