.jpg)
6 hours ago
1
This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.
Inside the strange limbo facing millions of IVF embryos
Millions of embryos created through IVF sit frozen in time, stored in cryopreservation tanks around the world. The number is only growing thanks to advances in technology, the rising popularity of IVF, and improvements in its success rates.
At a basic level, an embryo is simply a tiny ball of a hundred or so cells. But unlike other types of body tissue, it holds the potential for life. Many argue that this endows embryos with a special moral status, one that requires special protections.
The problem is that no one can really agree on what that status is. To some, they’re human cells and nothing else. To others, they’re morally equivalent to children. Many feel they exist somewhere between those two extremes.
While these embryos persist in suspended animation, patients, clinicians, embryologists, and legislators must grapple with the essential question of what we should do with them. What do these embryos mean to us? Who should be responsible for them? Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
Anthropic’s chief scientist on 5 ways agents will be even better in 2025
Agents are the hottest thing in tech right now. Top firms from Google DeepMind to OpenAI to Anthropic are racing to augment large language models with the ability to carry out tasks by themselves.
In October, Anthropic showed off one of the most advanced agents yet: an extension of its Claude large language model called computer use. As the name suggests, it lets you direct Claude to use a computer much as a person would, by moving a cursor, clicking buttons, and typing text. Instead of simply having a conversation with Claude, you can now ask it to carry out on-screen tasks for you.
Computer use is a glimpse of what’s to come for agents. To learn what’s coming next, MIT Technology Review talked to Anthropic’s cofounder and chief scientist Jared Kaplan. Here are five ways that agents are going to get even better in 2025.
—Melissa Heikkilä & Will Douglas Heaven
Small language models: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2025
Make no mistake: Size matters in the AI world. When OpenAI launched GPT-3 back in 2020, it was the largest language model ever built. The firm showed that supersizing this type of model was enough to send performance through the roof. That kicked off a technology boom that has been sustained by bigger models ever since.
But as the marginal gains for new high-end models trail off, researchers are figuring out how to do more with less. For certain tasks, smaller models that are trained on more focused data sets can now perform just as well as larger ones—if not better. Read the full story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
Small language models is one of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies for 2025, MIT Technology Review’s annual list of tech to watch. Check out the rest of the list, and cast your vote for the honorary 11th breakthrough.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Blue Origin’s rocket launch has been cancelled
Its engineers were unable to fix an issue with the New Glenn rocket’s vehicle subsystem. (BBC)
+ It’s also likely that ice blocked an essential vent line designed to expel gas. (Ars Technica)
+ The company is yet to announce a rescheduled launch date. (The Verge)
2 How is Donald Trump planning to save TikTok, exactly?
It’s unclear whether his supposed deal-making prowess will hold any sway here. (WP $)
+ TikTok founder Zhang Yiming might have a few ideas. (WSJ $)
+ It looks as though the US Supreme Court is leaning towards banning the app. (Forbes $)
+ The depressing truth about TikTok’s impending ban. (MIT Technology Review)
3 The Biden administration’s final chip export curb is here
The policy is designed to make it harder for China to circumvent restrictions. (FT $)
+ Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan won’t be restricted under the new rules. (CNN)
+ Nvidia thinks all these sanctions are only backfiring on the US. (Quartz)
4 Big Tech’s leaders are lining up to attend Trump’s inauguration
Silicon Valley’s sucking up continues. (Bloomberg $)
+ Mark Zuckerberg appears to be doing his best to secure an invite. (NYT $)
+ He seems to be entering ‘Founder Mode’ in a bid to impress Trump. (The Verge)
5 AI financial advisers are going after broke young people
Its money management tips come with a hefty price tag. (Wired $)
6 Neuralink has implanted a brain device in a third person, according to Musk
Ahead of its plans to insert up to 30 devices this year. (Fortune $)
+ Beyond Neuralink: Meet the other companies developing brain-computer interfaces. (MIT Technology Review)
7 The future of self-driving cars is cleaved in two
Companies are divided over whether we’ll hail or own future autonomous vehicles. (NY Mag $)
+ How Wayve’s driverless cars will meet one of their biggest challenges yet. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Smartwatches are out, old-school watches are in
It’s hard to beat a wristwatch when it comes to luxury status symbols. (The Guardian)
9 Notre-Dame cathedral is full of hidden speakers
And you can fit out your home with them too—for a price. (FT $)
10 How to free up space on your iPhone
Don’t be afraid to purge those ancient duplicate photos. (WSJ $)
Quote of the day
“I'm worried about everything."
—Jeff Bezos describes his (well-placed) nerves to Ars Technica ahead of his rocket company Blue Origin’s first orbital launch—which was later called off over technical issues.
The big story
AI was supposed to make police bodycams better. What happened?
When police departments first started buying and deploying bodycams in the wake of the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a decade ago, activists hoped it would bring about real change.
Years later, despite what’s become a multibillion-dollar market for these devices, the tech is far from a panacea. Most footage they generate goes unwatched. Officers often don't use them properly. And if they do finally provide video to the public, it usually doesn’t tell the complete story.
A handful of AI startups see this problem as an opportunity to create what are essentially bodycam-to-text programs for different players in the legal system, mining this footage for misdeeds. But like the bodycams themselves, the technology still faces procedural, legal, and cultural barriers to success. Read the full story.
—Patrick Sisson
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.)
+ The first big fashion trend of 2025? We’re all going basic.
+ Spoilers ahead—this list of the best film endings is great fun—including that infamous lingering final shot from Psycho.
+ If parts of your life could be better, it’s time to embrace the tiny changes that can make a real difference.
+ This Brazilian banana bread recipe sounds beyond delicious.
English (US)