Research

Researchers at MIT have designed a new chip component that can “expand the reach of the Internet of Things into 5G,” reports Margo Anderson for IEEE Spectrum. “The discovery represents a broader push for 5G-based IoT tech—using the telecom standard’s low latency, energy efficiency, and capacity for massive device connectivity,” explains Anderson. “The new research also signals an important step toward applications that include smaller, low-power health monitors, smart cameras, and industrial sensors, for instance.” 

A study by MIT researchers has found “our behavior is often more predictable than we think,” reports Diane Hamilton for Forbes. “This research focused on how people pay attention in complex situations,” explains Hamilton. “The AI model learned what people remembered and what they ignored. It identified patterns in memory and focus.” 

Prof. Danielle Li speaks with New York Times reporter Noam Scheiber about the various impacts of AI in the workplace on employees. “That state of the world is not good for experienced workers,” says Li. “You’re being paid for the rarity of your skill, and what happens is that A.I. allows the skill to live outside of people.”

Forbes reporter Eric Wood spotlights various studies by MIT researchers exploring the impact of ChatGPT use on behavior and the brain. “As stated, the impact of AI assistants is likely dependent on the users, but since AI assistants are becoming normative, it’s time for counseling centers to assess for maladaptive uses of AI, while also promoting the possible benefits,” explains Wood.

A new research paper by Prof. David Autor and Principal Research Scientist Neil Thompson explores the forthcoming impact of AI on jobs, reports Tim Harford for Financial Times. “[W]hile there are few certainties, Autor and Thompson’s framework does suggest a clarifying question: does AI look like it is going to do the most highly skilled part of your job or the low-skill rump that you’ve not been able to get rid of?,” writes Harford. “The answer to that question may help to predict whether your job is about to get more fun or more annoying — and whether your salary is likely to rise, or fall as your expert work is devalued like the expert work of the Luddites.” 

Researchers at MIT have “analyzed how six popular LLMs portray the state of press freedom — and, indirectly, trust in the media — in responses to user prompts,” reports Chase DiBenedetto for Mashable. “The results showed that LLMs consistently suggested that countries have less press freedom than official reports, like the non-governmental ranking like the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), published by Reporters Without Borders,” explains DiBenedetto. 

In an Opinion piece for The New York Times, columnist David Brooks highlights a recent MIT study that explores the impact of ChatGPT use on brain function by asking subjects to write essays while using large language models, traditional search engines, or only their own brains. “The subjects who relied only on their own brains showed higher connectivity across a bunch of brain regions,” explains Brooks. “Search engine users experienced less brain connectivity and A.I. users least of all.”

Researchers at MIT have developed an “AI-powered tool that scans scientific literature and over 1 million rock samples to identify materials that can partially replace cement in concrete,” reports Samanatha Hindman for Yahoo! News. The new system could “change how we build cities forever,” says Hindman. “The system sorts materials based on their physical and chemical properties, narrowing them down by how well they hold concrete together when mixed with water (hydraulic reactivity) and how they strengthen it over time (pozzolanicity).” 

A study by MIT researchers monitored and compared the brain activity of participants using large language models, traditional search engines, and only their brains to write an essay on a given topic, reports Hessie Jones for Forbes. The study “found that the brain-only group showed much more active brain waves compared to the search-only and LLM-only groups,” Jones explains. “In the latter two groups, participants relied on external sources for information. The search-only group still needed some topic understanding to look up information, and like using a calculator — you must understand its functions to get the right answer. In contrast, the LLM-only group simply had to remember the prompt used to generate the essay, with little to no actual cognitive processing involved.”  

Prof. David Autor joins Possible podcast hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger to discuss everything from the cross-country road trip that helped inspire his research focused on technology, work and inequality to how AI might impact American workers. Autor notes that if AI technologies are implemented in the best way possible for humankind, “we would give people more secure and fulfilling work. We would give them more access to education and access to better healthcare, everywhere. And those things alone would improve welfare in so many dimensions. Not just in terms of material standard living, not just in comfort, but investing in our kids, creating opportunity for the next generation.”

Researchers at MIT have developed “a new imaging technique that could allow quality control robots in warehouses to peer into closed boxes,” reports Chris Young for Interesting Engineering. “Using this new technology, robots could peer into a cardboard shipping box and see that the handle of a mug is broken, for example,” explains Young. “This new method could revolutionize warehouse quality control and streamline the shipping and delivery process.”  

In an effort to help “build the tools and talent to shape a more productive and sustainable future for manufacturing,” MIT has launched the Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), reports Nathan Owens for Manufacturing Dive. Owens explains that to help accelerate technology adoption and manufacturing productivity, the INM has "mapped out a series of education and industry partnership programs, including plans to establish new labs and a 'factory observation' effort that allows students to visit production sites.”

MIT spinoff Commonwealth Fusion System has made its first direct corporate power purchase agreement with Google, reports Timothy Gardner for Reuters. Google plans to buy 200 megawatts of fusion power from Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Researchers at MIT have developed a new atmospheric water harvester that eventually could be used to supply safe drinking water worldwide, reports Sarah Bregel for Fast Company. The device is “about the size of a standard window” and made from “hydrogel, a material that absorbs water, and lithium salts that can store water molecules,” explains Bregel. 

Researchers at MIT have found that ChatGPT users “showed minimal brain engagement and consistently fell short in neural linguistic, and behavioral aspects,” reports Kyle Wiggers for TechCrunch. “To conduct the test, the lab split 54 participants from the Boston area into three groups, each consisting of individuals ages 18 to 39,” explains Wiggers. “The participants were asked to write multiple SAT essays using tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the Google search engine, or without any tools.”