Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee speaks with CNBC reporter Robert Frank about the artificial intelligence boom. “It’s astonishing how geographically concentrated this AI wave is,” says McAfee. “The people who know how to found and fund and grow tech companies are there.”
Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Prof. Carlo Ratti and CoMotion founder John Rossant explore the concept of a reimagined Los Angeles. “Dismissed as the nemesis of sustainable urbanism, L.A. can, in fact, be well-positioned for the next chapter,” they write. “Technologies like rooftop photovoltaics, vehicle-to-grid systems and AI-optimized resource flows do not depend on compactness. They benefit from space, sunlight and flexibility — qualities that Los Angeles has in abundance across its 1,600 square miles of urbanized area.”
Bloomberg reporter F. D. Flam spotlights postdoctoral associate Pat Pataranutaporn and his research exploring how AI technologies and chatbots can impact human memories. “This latest research should spur more discussion of the effects of technology on our grasp of reality, which can go beyond merely spreading misinformation,” writes Flam. “Social media algorithms also encourage people to embrace fringe ideas and conspiracy theories by creating the false impression of popularity and influence.”
Strand Therapeutics, co-founded Jake Becraft PhD '19, has developed a programmable drug that could one day shrink tumors in cancer patients, reports Amy Feldman for Forbes. “It shocked even us,” says Becraft. “You hope something happens, but you don’t expect to see a huge response because these patients have already proven to have cancers so resistant to treatment.”
Graduate student Megan Masterson speaks with CBS Eye on the World hosts John Batchelor and David Livingston about her research on tidal disruption events. “These events were first theorized in the 1970s, first discovered in the 1990s with x-ray wavelengths,” explains Masterson. “But today, what James Webb is doing is allowing us to detect these events in the infrared band. And so, what we’re seeing here are previously dormant black holes that were kind of lying at the center for their galaxies doing pretty much nothing suddenly become active.”
Prof. Regina Barzilay speaks with Newsweek reporter Alexis Kayser about how new AI tools are implemented in health care settings. “You need to know how to safely bring it into the [health care] system," says Barzilay. "There is a new science, which is the science of implementation."
Lila Snyder SM '96, PhD '98, CEO of Bose, speaks with Forbes reporter Don Yaeger about her academic and professional career. “The framework that I liked to use when I was earlier in my career was at least once a week to do something uncomfortable,” says Snyder. “Ask to meet someone, ask someone for feedback, raise your hand to do something. Do something that makes you feel a little bit anxious and a little bit uncomfortable.”
Researchers at MIT have developed a “tissue-integrated, above-the-knee prosthesis that gives people more control over their movements,” reports Amber X. Chen for Smithsonian Magazine. “I want to be in the business of building bodies, not powerful devices,” says Prof. Hugh Herr. “I want to fully integrate humanity into electromechanics, not just build a better hammer.”
A working paper by MIT researchers has found “that the most successful generative AI deployments consistently involve frontline workers from the earliest stages through rollout,” reports Sharon Wu for USA Today. The researchers “demonstrate that when employees help define the problem, co-design workflows, experiment with tools, and shape fair transition policies, not only does adoption improve, but worker productivity and job quality also rise.”
Vijay Gadepally, senior staff member at MIT Lincoln Lab, speaks with New York Times reporter Claire Brown about the impact of AI data centers on the electrical grid. “There’s a lot of things we can do to be better stewards of the power we currently have,” says Gadepally.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new tool, called Meschers, that allows users to create detailed computer representations of mathematically impossible objects, reports Gayoung Lee for Gizmodo. “In addition to creating aesthetically quirky objects,” Lee explains, “Meschers could eventually assist in research across geometry, thermodynamics, and even art and architecture."
Prof. Kerri Cahoy takes Bloomberg Wall Street Week host David Westin on an out-of-this-world journey into how a college internship inspired her research on space and satellites, why she loves the challenge of satellite engineering, and what she sees in store for the future of the field. “There is a lot of joy and pride and skill building and challenge in the field,” says Cahoy. “That’s one of the reasons why I love it."
In an effort to develop non-invasive ways to treat depression, PTSD, brain tumors and other conditions, researchers from MIT Lincoln Lab are looking to better understand human consciousness, reports Steph Solis for Axios. “There's the goal to analyze how it could help understand or treat PTSD and mood disorders in veterans,” says Solis of the inspiration for this research, “and then there's the existential question that stumps neuroscientists — how does our human experience arise from brain activity?”
A new study by MIT researchers has “identified the parts of the brain’s visual cortex that respond more when we look at things (rigid objects like a stone skipping or a bouncing ball) vs stuff (liquids or something more granular like sand). Understanding this distinction may help our brains better plan how to interact with various materials,” explains Lauren Baisas for Popular Science. “Understanding this distinction may help our brains better plan how to interact with various materials,” explains Baisas.
Prof. Kerri Cahoy speaks with Bloomberg Wall Street Week reporter David Westin about advancements in low earth satellites. “It is very exciting to see it growing like this," says Cahoy. "To see remote access without terrestrial infrastructure needed, that is a very interesting and exciting growth area."