That is at the moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on this planet of expertise.
I checked out one of many greatest 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 by London’s King’s Cross tech hub, residence 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 biggest protest of its type but.
That is all acquainted stuff. Researchers have been calling out the harms, each actual and hypothetical, brought on by generative AI— particularly fashions equivalent to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google DeepMind’s Gemini—for years. What’s modified is that these considerations are actually being taken up by protest actions that may rally important crowds of individuals to take to the streets and shout about it. Learn the complete story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
We’re placing extra stuff into area than ever. Right here’s what’s up there.
Earth’s a medium-size rock with some water on prime, 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 lookup and out on the wild universe. People reside in an orbiting metallic bubble. Within the final 5 years, the variety of lively satellites in area has elevated from barely 3,000 to about 14,000—and climbing. After which there’s the rubbish. Right here’s a better take a look at Earth’s ever-thickening shell of human-made matter—the anthroposphere.
—Jonathan O’Callaghan
This story is from the newest print challenge of MIT Know-how Assessment journal. For those who haven’t already, subscribe now to obtain future points as soon as they land.
MIT Know-how Assessment is a 2026 ASME finalist in reporting
The American Society of Journal Editors has named MIT Know-how Assessment as a finalist for a 2026 Nationwide Journal Award within the reporting class.
The shortlisted story—“We did the maths on AI’s power footprint. Right here’s the story you haven’t heard”—is a part of our Energy Hungry bundle 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 by a whole bunch of pages of reviews, interviewing consultants, and crunching the numbers. Learn extra about what they discovered.
What comes after the LLMs?
The AI business is organized round LLMs: instruments, merchandise, and enterprise fashions. But many researchers imagine the subsequent breakthroughs could not appear to be language fashions in any respect. Be a part of us for a LinkedIn Dwell dialogue at 12.30pm ET on Tuesday March 3 to dive into the rising instructions that would outline AI’s subsequent period. Register right here!
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you at the moment’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 The Pentagon needed Anthropic to investigate bulk information 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 threat” label. (FT $)
+ Right here’s a blow-by-blow take a look at how negotiations fell aside. (NYT $)
+ Downloads of Claude are on the up. (TechCrunch)
2 Iranian apps and web sites had been hacked within the wake of the US-Israeli strikes
Information websites and a non secular app had 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
Tons of of teenagers will check in a single day digital curfews and display screen closing dates. (The Guardian)
+ What it’s wish to attend a cellphone dependancy assembly. (Boston Globe $)
5 Celebrities are successful large sums enjoying on this main crypto on line casino’s slots
The truth is, their fortunate wins seem to spike whereas they’re livestreaming. (Bloomberg $)
6 America is determined to steal China’s vital mineral lead
The victor basically controls international computing, aerospace and protection. (Economist $)
+ This uncommon earth metallic reveals us the way forward for our planet’s assets. (MIT Know-how Assessment)
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 battle. (MIT Know-how Assessment)
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 Know-how Assessment)
9 The iPod is proving successful amongst Gen Z
Although Apple discontinued the music participant 4 years in the past. (NYT $)
10 Chinese language dad and mom are becoming a member of matchmaking apps of their droves
In a bid to marry off their grownup youngsters as quickly as humanly potential. (Nikkei Asia)
Quote of the day
“Daily 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 attempting to extend productiveness amid the corporate’s dedication to decreasing headcount to the Monetary Occasions.
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 mainly 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 system for only a few hundred {dollars}.
However a bit of {hardware}, nevertheless impressively designed and engineered, is simply as useful as what an individual can do with it. After the iPad’s launch, the flood of latest, easy-to-use augmentative and various communication apps that customers had 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 from menus of crudely drawn icons to supply textual content and synthesized speech. It’s a depressingly sluggish tempo of growth for such a necessary human operate. Learn the complete story.
—Julie Kim
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Bought any concepts? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ Neanderthal by title, not by nature—these prehistoric males had been surprisingly romantic, thanks very a lot.
+ For those who’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.