The Download
What's up in emerging technology
A startup that makes 3D-printed rockets will now launch from Cape Canaveral
Millions of email addresses have been exposed—here’s how to check if yours was one of them
Most people don’t know what Facebook knows about them
A robot dog has learned to run faster with machine learning
The first artificial meteor shower is about to be tested in space
From Our Current Issue
March 25-26, 2019
San Francisco, CA
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Intelligent Machines
This Ikea kitchen might teach industrial robots to be less dumb and more helpful
Nvidia’s new robotics lab will see if robots can learn to fetch the ketchup, load the dishwasher, and—eventually—make a cake.
Connectivity
Hate lawyers? Can’t afford one? Blockchain smart contracts are here to help.
Mainstream online legal services are getting serious about using crypto to automate bits of what they do—and lower the bar to entry for us all.
Intelligent Machines
A neural network can learn to organize the world it sees into concepts—just like we do
Generative adversarial networks are not just good for causing mischief. They can also show us how AI algorithms “think.”
Connectivity
When Chinese hackers declared war on the rest of us
Many thought the internet would bring democracy to China. Instead it empowered rampant government oppression, and now the censors are turning their attention to the rest of the world.
Intelligent Machines
Opioid overdoses could be prevented by an app that listens to breathing
Many overdoses don’t have to be fatal if they’re caught in time. A new app can identify when you might be in trouble and call for help.
Connectivity
Smart cities could be lousy to live in if you have a disability
Cities sometimes fail to make sure the technologies they adopt are accessible to everyone. Activists and startups are working to change that.
View from the Marketplace
Professional services firms see huge potential in machine learning
B2B marketers share strong convictions about how data analytics can help them understand—and reach—their customers. The more benefits they have witnessed, the greater possibilities they see.
View from the Marketplace
Digital transformation sparks innovation in networking
The network needs to keep pace with the demands of exciting new technologies like containers and microservices, according to presenters at a recent industry event. The first step in that process is changing the culture.
View from the Marketplace
From innovation to monetization: The economics of data-driven transformation
Used strategically, an organization’s data gains value over time. But to unlock its potential requires first establishing the right technical and cultural foundations.
View from the Marketplace
The state of artificial intelligence
AI technologies are coming into mainstream business usage—but a host of challenges remains. An interactive infographic illustrates the opportunities and the hurdles.
In association with Oracle, Intel
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AI in Industry: Intelligent Health Care 29:27
Next-Generation Robots Need Your Help 27:36
Access to broadband is as important as access to water and electricity 01:15
We shouldn't preserve "willy nilly" the cost of production 01:00
Coffee-fetching robots 02:08
Automating things on wheels 00:50
Humans versus machines: Chopin edition 02:06
Teaching systems to dance 01:44
3-D printed potato chips 01:15
Robots as nurses' assistants 00:36
AI in Industry: Intelligent Health Care 29:27
MIT professor Dina Katabi is building a gadget that can sit in one spot and track everything from breathing to walking, no wearables required.
Rewriting Life
Reprogramming our bodies to make us healthier.
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We won’t use CRISPR to make super-smart babies—but only because we can’t
Gene experts speculate that our worst gene-editing fears won’t come true because they are too complex for us to pull them off.
by Antonio Regalado
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Electric nanoparticles can target and kill cancer cells by zapping them
Particles that produce electrical signals when bombarded with ultrasound could be a way to direct a cell-killing treatment directly to tumors.
by Emerging Technology from the arXiv
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Gene engineers make super-size plants that are 40% larger
Researchers hope to create a new “green revolution” by improving photosynthesis.
by Antonio Regalado
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SPONSORED
The crisis of social reproduction and the end of work
High-income societies are facing the rise of precarious employment.
by Helen Hester and Nick Snircek
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SPONSORED
Advanced tech, but growth slow and unequal: paradoxes and policies
Slowing productivity growth in major economies amid seemingly booming technology presents a paradox.
by Zia Qureshi
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SPONSORED
From the age of perplexity to the era of opportunities
Finance for Growth
by Francisco Gonzalez
Features
Intelligent Machines
Never mind killer robots—here are six real AI dangers to watch out for in 2019
Last year a string of controversies revealed a darker (and dumber) side to artificial intelligence.
Intelligent Machines
Artificial intelligence and robots are transforming how we work and live.
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Should a self-driving car kill the baby or the grandma? Depends on where you’re from.
The infamous “trolley problem” was put to millions of people in a global study, revealing how much ethics diverge across cultures.
by Karen Hao
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Giving algorithms a sense of uncertainty could make them more ethical
Algorithms are best at pursuing a single mathematical objective—but humans often want multiple incompatible things.
by Karen Hao
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We’d have more quantum computers if it weren’t so hard to find the damn cables
Quantum machines will deliver the next great leap forward in computing, but researchers building them can’t easily get some of the exotic components they need.
by Martin Giles