That is immediately’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on the earth of know-how.
I checked out one of many largest anti-AI protests ever
Pull the plug! Pull the plug! Cease the slop! Cease the slop! For a number of hours this Saturday, February 28, I watched as a pair hundred anti-AI protesters marched via London’s King’s Cross tech hub, house to the UK headquarters of OpenAI, Meta and Google DeepMind, chanting slogans and waving indicators. The march was organized by a coalition of two separate activist teams, Pause AI and Pull the Plug, who billed it as the most important protest of its variety but.
That is all acquainted stuff. Researchers have been calling out the harms, each actual and hypothetical, attributable to generative AI— particularly fashions akin to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google DeepMind’s Gemini—for years. What’s modified is that these considerations at the moment are being taken up by protest actions that may rally vital crowds of individuals to take to the streets and shout about it. Learn the total story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
We’re placing extra stuff into house than ever. Right here’s what’s up there.
Earth’s a medium-size rock with some water on high, enveloped by gases that preserve every little thing that lives right here alive. Simply on the fringe of that envelope begins a skinny however dense layer of human-built, high-tech stuff.
Individuals began placing gear up there in 1957, and now it’s an actual behavior. Telescopes search for and out on the wild universe. People reside in an orbiting metallic bubble. Within the final 5 years, the variety of energetic satellites in house has elevated from barely 3,000 to about 14,000—and climbing. After which there’s the rubbish. Right here’s a more in-depth have a look at Earth’s ever-thickening shell of human-made matter—the anthroposphere.
—Jonathan O’Callaghan
This story is from the newest print situation of MIT Expertise Evaluation journal. If you happen to haven’t already, subscribe now to obtain future points as soon as they land.
MIT Expertise Evaluation is a 2026 ASME finalist in reporting
The American Society of Journal Editors has named MIT Expertise Evaluation as a finalist for a 2026 Nationwide Journal Award within the reporting class.
The shortlisted story—“We did the mathematics on AI’s power footprint. Right here’s the story you haven’t heard”—is a part of our Energy Hungry package deal on AI’s power burden.
In a rigorous investigation, senior AI reporter James O’Donnell and senior local weather reporter Casey Crownhart spent six months digging via tons of of pages of experiences, interviewing consultants, and crunching the numbers. Learn extra about what they came upon.
What comes after the LLMs?
The AI trade is organized round LLMs: instruments, merchandise, and enterprise fashions. But many researchers consider the following breakthroughs could not appear to be language fashions in any respect. Be a part of us for a LinkedIn Stay dialogue at 12.30pm ET on Tuesday March 3 to dive into the rising instructions that might outline AI’s subsequent period. Register right here!
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you immediately’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 The Pentagon wished Anthropic to research bulk knowledge collected from People
It proved the sticking level in talks as OpenAI swooped in to ink a brand new deal. (The Atlantic $)+ Anthropic has vowed to legally problem its “safety danger” label. (FT $)
+ Right here’s a blow-by-blow have a look at how negotiations fell aside. (NYT $)
+ Downloads of Claude are on the up. (TechCrunch)
2 Iranian apps and web sites have been hacked within the wake of the US-Israeli strikes
Information websites and a spiritual app have been co-opted to show anti-military messages. (Reuters)
+ They urged personnel to desert the regime and to liberate the nation. (WSJ $)
+ Unsurprisingly, X is rife with disinformation in regards to the assaults. (Wired $)
+ The marketing campaign has disrupted on-line supply orders throughout the Center East. (Bloomberg $)
3 DeepSeek is poised to launch a brand new AI mannequin this week
The multimodal V4 is being launched forward of China’s annual parliamentary conferences. (FT $)
4 The UK is trialing a social media ban for under-16s
A whole bunch of teenagers will check in a single day digital curfews and display cut-off dates. (The Guardian)
+ What it’s prefer to attend a cellphone habit assembly. (Boston Globe $)
5 Celebrities are profitable large sums taking part in on this main crypto on line casino’s slots
In reality, their fortunate wins seem to spike whereas they’re livestreaming. (Bloomberg $)
6 America is determined to steal China’s essential mineral lead
The victor primarily controls international computing, aerospace and protection. (Economist $)
+ This uncommon earth metallic reveals us the way forward for our planet’s sources. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
7 How lasers grew to become the army’s weapon of alternative
From Ukraine to the US, troopers are deploying laser weapons. However why? (The Atlantic $)
+ They’re a key a part of America’s arsenal in manning the southern border. (New Yorker $)
+ This large microwave could change the way forward for warfare. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
8 How quantum entanglement grew to become large enterprise
It guarantees unhackable communication—however is it too good to be true? (New Scientist $)
+ Helpful quantum computing is inevitable—and more and more imminent. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
9 The iPod is proving a success amongst Gen Z
Though Apple discontinued the music participant 4 years in the past. (NYT $)
10 Chinese language mother and father are becoming a member of matchmaking apps of their droves
In a bid to marry off their grownup kids as quickly as humanly potential. (Nikkei Asia)
Quote of the day
“Everyday it simply feels untenable…Some managers know that is the case, however executives simply preserve pointing to some greater AI image.”
—An nameless Amazon worker describes the stresses of making an attempt to extend productiveness amid the corporate’s dedication to lowering headcount to the Monetary Occasions.
Yet another factor
The iPad was meant to revolutionize accessibility. What occurred?
On April 3, 2010, Steve Jobs debuted the iPad. What for most individuals was principally a extra handy type issue was one thing much more consequential for non-speakers: a life-altering revolution in entry to a conveyable, highly effective communication gadget for only a few hundred {dollars}.
However a bit of {hardware}, nonetheless impressively designed and engineered, is just as worthwhile as what an individual can do with it. After the iPad’s launch, the flood of recent, easy-to-use augmentative and different communication apps that customers have been in determined want of by no means got here.
In the present day, there are solely round half a dozen apps, every retailing for $200 to $300, that ask customers to pick out from menus of crudely drawn icons to provide textual content and synthesized speech. It’s a depressingly gradual tempo of growth for such an important human operate. Learn the total story.
—Julie Kim
We will nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Acquired any concepts? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ Neanderthal by identify, not by nature—these prehistoric males have been surprisingly romantic, thanks very a lot.
+ If you happen to’re fortunate sufficient to reside in Boston, be sure you swing by these lovely bars.
+ Hmm, this sticky hoisin sausage traybake sounds intriguing.
+ George Takei, you might be an absolute maverick.
