Skip to Content
Policy

Our best photographs of 2018

Transport yourself around the world and see people creating and dealing with technological change in MIT Technology Review’s top photos of the year.
December 27, 2018

In 2018, we featured photographs from around the world, from a refugee camp in Jordan that runs on blockchain to a quantum satellite network on a rooftop in Beijing. We took you to Phoenix and showed how Waymo is transforming a city, and then to Quebec, where bitcoin mining is threatening to overwhelm the power grid. We introduced a series of experts, from Jay Keasling, fighting for the clean fuel the world forgot, to Amber Baldet, fighting for inclusion in a crypto world with a sexist reputation.

These are images not just of technology, but of the stories generated by new ideas. The photos show the visionaries who dream up innovations, the way those innovations take form, and the impact they have on our culture and society.

We work with an incredibly talented group of photographers who come from diverse areas: fashion, fine art, photojournalism. We strive to show a variety of perspectives and showcase new visual talent. Below is a short list of some of our favorite photos we commissioned in 2018.

For safety’s sake, we must slow innovation in internet-connected things
Photograph by An Rong Xu
The scientist still fighting for the clean fuel the world forgot
Photograph by Christie Hemm Klok
Digital immortality: How your life’s data means a version of you could live forever
Photograph by Tony Luong
Inside the Jordan refugee camp that runs on blockchain
Photograph by Russ Juskalian
Is the crypto world sexist? That might be the wrong question.
Photograph by Celeste Sloman
Bitcoin is eating Quebec
Photograph by Alexi Hobbs
Aboard the giant sand-sucking ships that China uses to reshape the world
Photograph from CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/Digitalglobe
The man turning China into a quantum superpower
Photograph by Noah Sheldon
The skeptic: What precision medicine revolution?
Photograph by John Clark
John Clark
The GANfather: The man who’s given machines the gift of imagination
Photograph by Christie Hemm Klok
Fake America great again
Photograph by Bruce Peterson
Phoenix will no longer be Phoenix if Waymo’s driverless-car experiment succeeds
Photograph by Brandon Sullivan

Deep Dive

Policy

Three things to know about the White House’s executive order on AI

Experts say its emphasis on content labeling, watermarking, and transparency represents important steps forward.

How generative AI is boosting the spread of disinformation and propaganda

In a new report, Freedom House documents the ways governments are now using the tech to amplify censorship.

Meta is giving researchers more access to Facebook and Instagram data

There’s still so much we don’t know about social media’s impact. But Meta president of global affairs Nick Clegg tells MIT Technology Review that he hopes new tools the company just released will start to change that.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.