The Digital Frontier
30 years ago, the Internet opened up a new frontier, and today we’re all citizens of a digital Wild West, where how we live, work and govern is changing everyday.
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All PCs will be AI PCs “pretty soon,” says Intel exec
Manufacturers are now equipping their PCs with the hardware needed to run the latest AI applications locally. Here’s what that means for you.
We’re able to create new creatures through gene editing. What’s stopping us?
The question isn’t whether we can sculpt new life. The question is what comes next.
Pantheon creator Craig Silverstein on uploading our brains to the internet
How the cult hit sci-fi show imagines a “techno-realist” future.
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Will 2023 be the year of the private social network?
Many tech leaders think the future of social media is private social networks, not the public squares that previously dominated.
Scientists use laser beam to divert lightning strikes
Since the time of Benjamin Franklin, we’ve looked for ways to control, or at least deflect, lightning strikes. Enter laser-guided lightning.
Sony announces new adaptive PlayStation controller
Sony has announced a new, “out of the box” adaptive PlayStation controller, dubbed Project Leonardo.
Engineered bacteria may one day prevent kidney stones
In a small proof-of-concept study, an engineered E. coli was able to reduce levels of a kidney stone-causing chemical.
Harvard and Kraft Heinz are trying to make sugar healthier
Instead of replacing sugar, Wyss scientists had an idea: what if they change sugar to make it healthier?
Generative AI: The technology of the year for 2022
It’s made headlines so often that there is no question that 2022 will be remembered as the year that Generative AI stunned the world.
Armadillo experiment suggests that we can regenerate human livers with leprosy
M. leprae-infected armadillos develop enlarged, healthy livers with gene expression patterns similar to human fetal livers.
An interview with ChatGPT about itself
Freethink interviews OpenAI’s ChatGPT, an AI chatbot capable of generating conversational text, code, and more in response to prompts.
Deepfake audio has a tell – researchers use fluid dynamics to spot artificial imposter voices
Audio deepfakes potentially pose a huge threat, as people often communicate via phone calls, radio, and voice recordings.
Russia tries to impose switch to Linux from Windows
The Russian government is switching from the Windows operating system to the open-source OS Linux and encouraging companies to follow suit.
New VR app lets you step inside your smartphone videos
Early-stage startup Wist Labs is developing a VR app that converts smartphone clips into 3D videos users can step inside.
Meta unveils new VR headset for work in the metaverse
Connect 2022 brought Meta’s vision of the future of work into sharper focus, with the reveal of a new headset, a major partnership, and more.
Genetically engineered bacteria make living materials for self-repairing walls and cleaning up pollution
With just an incubator and some broth, researchers can grow reusable filters made of bacteria to clean up pollution and more.
From CDs to NFTs: Starbucks’ surprising history of embracing new tech
Starbucks’ newly-announced blockchain platform is just the latest example of the chain’s early embracement of tech.
Starlink turns on coverage over Iran to bypass censorship
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet is active over Iran, but the terminals to access it must make it inside the country.
Axolotls can regenerate their brains
Axolotls are a model organism researchers use to study a variety of topics in biology because of their regenerative abilities.
Meta can (kinda) guess what you’ve heard via your brain waves
Meta has created an AI that can tell what you’re hearing based on non-invasive brain scan measurements.
Six benefits that the metaverse offers to colleges and universities
Colleges and universities are keen to jump on the metaverse bandwagon, even before knowing what the metaverse really is.
Stanford’s new microchip could put powerful AI on your devices
A Stanford-led team has developed a new microchip that could let us run advanced AI programs directly on our devices.
New algorithm aces university math course questions
Researchers use machine learning to automatically solve, explain, and generate university-level math problems at a human level.
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