MIT Technology Review Threads
Publication offering insights on emerging tech, including robotics and AI.
China's Free Frontier Models Boost Global AI Credibility
Giving away frontier models for free has earned Chinese labs global credibility and lots of good favor with developers. Is it financially sustainable? No one knows—but the world is already building on Chinese foundations. That's why we named China's open-source bet one of the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now.
New Test Could Unlock Deep‑Sea Exploration for All
If all goes well, the test could help establish the vehicles as a tool for government agencies, scientists, and companies that hope to probe the vastly understudied deep sea and the resources it holds.
Humanoid Motion Data Becomes AI’s Top Priority
Robotics companies want tremendous amounts of data on how we move our hands and limbs, and their tactics are getting strange. That's why we named humanoid data one of the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now.
AI Agents Evolve: Solo to Collaborative Orchestration
The first wave of AI agents were able to run your browser or write snippets of code. But they could only act alone. Coming next are teams of agents that cooperate to achieve far more complex goals. That's why we...
U.S. Generates 2,000 Tons Nuclear Waste Yearly, Lacks Storage
In the US, nuclear reactors produce about 2,000 metric tons of high-level waste each year—and there’s nowhere to put it. Now, the need for a permanent storage solution is becoming urgent.
Weaponized Deepfakes Arrive: AI’s New Existential Threat
Between improvements in generative AI, Grok’s mass generation of nonconsensual sexual images, and a US administration using the technology for propaganda, the long-predicted threat of weaponized deepfakes is here. That's why we named them one of the 10 Things That...
Even Top AI Fails to Prove Workplace Profitability
Coding aside, even the best AI systems struggle to be economically viable in the workplace. What happens then?
World Models: Key to AI’s Physical World Integration
AI companies want to build systems that understand the external world. If they succeed, they may overcome limitations of LLMs and help AI enter physical environments. That's why we named world models one of the 10 Things That Matter in...
DeepSeek V4 Handles Far Longer Prompts Efficiently
Chinese AI firm DeepSeek released a preview of V4, its long-awaited new flagship model. Notably, the model can process much longer prompts than its last generation, thanks to a new design that handles large amounts of text more efficiently.
AI Tools Empower Cybercriminals to Steal Money and Data
AI tools are making it easier than ever for online criminals to trick people and steal money and valuable confidential data.
Next‑Gen LLMs Will Be Cheaper, Faster, Safer
LLMs are evolving. The next generation of the world’s hottest technology will be cheaper, more efficient, and able to solve bigger problems without going off the rails.
AI Threatens Jobs and Economy, CEOs Warn Uncertainty
We’re all sitting uncomfortably with AI right now. It’s coming from the top down. The CEOs of the big AI companies caution us that this technology may very well take all of our jobs. Or that if it doesn’t live...
AI Surveillance Threat Grows Despite Lack of Concrete Evidence
There’s plenty of precedent for AI being used for mass surveillance. While there’s not yet any smoking-gun evidence that the US government (or anyone else) is using LLMs to conduct surveillance in the way that could constitute a crime against...
Our Curated List of AI's Must‑Watch Developments
What is really worth your attention in the busy, buzzy world of AI? Our reporters and editors have spent years thinking about this question, charting AI’s progress and mapping out what’s next. Now, for the first time, we’ve distilled our...
AI Coworker Clone Sparks Chinese Tech Workers' Existential Anxiety
A viral GitHub project that claims to clone coworkers into a reusable AI skill is forcing Chinese tech workers to confront deeper fears.
Scientists Drill Beneath Arctic Seafloor to Predict Future
To understand what the future holds for Earth’s northernmost waters, scientists are burrowing deep below the seabed.
Red Wolf Controversy Deepens After Colossal’s Clone Claim
The red wolf has long been a contentious species. The debate over its preservation got even messier last year, when Colossal said it had cloned the animal.
Stewart Brand's New Book Questions Maintenance Priorities, Offers No Answers
A new book by Stewart Brand, an architect of modern tech culture, asks: How do we prioritize maintenance? And why? But it doesn’t quite have the answers.
Humanoid Robot Funding Soars as Interaction Learning Revolutionizes
The money is flowing. Companies and investors put $6.1 billion into humanoid robots in 2025 alone, four times what was invested in 2024. What happened? A revolution in how machines have learned to interact with the world.
Human Oversight Fails because We Don’t Understand AI
The immediate danger is not that machines will act without human oversight; it is that human overseers have no idea what the machines are actually “thinking.” The Pentagon’s guidelines are fundamentally flawed because they rest on the dangerous assumption that...
Scammers Use Telegram Tools to Defeat Bank Facial Recognition
Scammers are buying tools advertised on Telegram that trick banks' facial recognition checks. The stakes are enormous with crypto scams tallying an estimated $17 billion in 2025 alone. Banks and regulators are struggling to keep up.
Synthetic Biologists' Mirror‑image Microbe Dream Hits Complexity
Synthetic biologists were tantalized by the idea of making mirror images of microbes. Then things got complicated.
Neanderthal DNA Legacy Might Be More Complex than Thought
The idea that modern humans inherited DNA from Neanderthal ancestors is one of the 21st century’s most celebrated discoveries in evolution. It may not be that simple.
Latest AI Trends and Breakthroughs Unveiled
We have a new list of noteworthy AI trends and advances—and we’re excited to share it with you.
NASA's Nuclear‑Powered SR‑1 Targets Mars Launch by 2028
NASA has announced SR-1, the first-ever nuclear-reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft, with a planned Mars launch before the end of 2028—a timeline experts call aggressive but exciting.
Stanford AI Index: A Needed Pause in Rapid AI Race
In an industry that doesn’t stand still, Stanford’s AI Index, an annual roundup of key results and trends, is a chance to take a breath. (It’s a marathon, not a sprint, after all.)
Drones Protect Humans and Keep Grizzlies Out of Trouble
Montanan Wesley Sarmento has deployed drones to keep humans safe and grizzlies out of trouble.
Neuroscientist Tests Brain's Role in Free Will
Does free will exist? Neuroscientist Uri Maoz devises experiments to illuminate how—or if—the brain makes decisions.
Jeff VanderMeer Releases Exclusive Short Story Constellations
Constellations is an exclusive short story by Jeff VanderMeer, the author of the critically acclaimed, bestselling Southern Reach series.
Synthetic Turf Explodes, Raising Microplastic Pollution Fears
In 2001, Americans installed just over 7 million square meters of synthetic turf. By 2024, that number was 79 million square meters—enough to carpet all of Manhattan and then some. The increase worries folks who study microplastics and environmental pollution....
Compute Explosion: Today's Defining Tech Story Begins
The CEO of Microsoft AI writes that the compute explosion is the technological story of our time. And it is still only just beginning.
AI Cuts Product Sourcing Time, Boosts Accessibility
Business owners and e-commerce experts told MIT Technology Review that AI tools are making sourcing more accessible and significantly shortening the time it takes to go from product idea to launch.
SpaceX Aims for Million Orbital Data Centers, Faces Hurdles
SpaceX wants to put up to a million data centers in orbit. There are a few technological hurdles standing in the way.
Iran Conflict Set to Ripple Through U.S. Supply Chains
The supply chain impacts from the war in Iran are starting to build up. Americans will likely feel the ripples.
Head‑mounted iPhones Turn Chores Into Viral Content
People in Nigeria and India are strapping iPhones onto their heads and recording themselves doing chores.
Move Beyond One‑Off Tests: Embrace Human‑Centric AI Evaluation
One-off tests don’t measure AI’s true impact. We’re better off shifting to more human-centered, context-specific methods.
Judge Blocks Government Sanction After AI Firm’s Premature Tweet
Decisions to tweet first and lawyer later didn’t sit well with a federal judge, who last week halted the government’s punishment of the AI company.
Specialized Health Chatbots Could Aid Underserved, Yet Unproven
Specialized chatbots might make a difference for people with limited health-care access. Without more testing, we don't know if they’ll help or harm.
Spanish Team Sustains Human Uterus Alive for 24 Hours
Scientists in Spain kept a donated human uterus alive for 24 hours using a machine that mimics the body's circulatory system, pumping modified blood through the organ.
Cryonics: Costly, Uncertain, yet Still Seen as Worthwhile
Cryonic preservation is pricey and might never work. Some people think it’s worth it anyway.
OpenAI Aims for Autonomous AI to Solve Science
OpenAI has set a new "North Star" — building an AI system capable of tackling large, complex scientific problems entirely on its own, with a research intern prototype due by September and a full multi-agent system planned for 2028.
Classified AI Can Answer but Not yet Learn—Soon
The generative AI models used in classified environments can answer questions, but don't currently learn from the data they see. That could soon change.
Generative AI Adds Interpretive Layer to US Strike Planning
Though the US military's big data initiative Maven has sped up the planning of strikes for years, the comments suggest that generative AI is now adding a new interpretative layer to such deliberations.
Early Adopters Turn AI Craze Into Profit
The AI tool has become the country's latest tech obsession. For savvy early adopters, that's a business opportunity.
AI Skews Public View of Iran War
Today, in The Download, our daily newsletter: how AI is distorting perceptions of the Iran war. https://trib.al/0YngnUC
Niantic AI Spinout Trains World Model on 30 B Player Images
Niantic's AI spinout is training a new world model using 30 billion images of urban landmarks crowdsourced from players. https://trib.al/lMCuuFZ
AI Dashboards and Fake Media Redefine Modern War Observation
AI-enabled dashboards, combined with prediction markets and fake imagery, are reshaping how war is observed.
Hidden Labor Inflates AI Hype, Robots Follow Suit
AI’s concealed labor has repeatedly led us to overestimate the technology. Humanoid robots are entering a similar phase.