Computer science and technology

Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO and current chair of Google's parent company, Alphabet, touched on many issues during his visit to MIT, including self-driving cars, the state of computer science research, and artificial intelligence in health care.

Eric Schmidt visits MIT to discuss computing, artificial intelligence, and the future of technology

Former Google CEO, now chairman of parent company Alphabet, speaks to students as part of fireside chat with CSAIL Director Daniela Rus.

May 4, 2017

WiGait uses wireless signals to continuously measure a person's walking speed, which may help predict cognitive and motor function decline, and even certain cardiac or pulmonary diseases.

Detecting walking speed with wireless signals

By measuring this emerging vital sign, CSAIL system could help monitor and diagnose health issues like cognitive decline and cardiac disease.

May 1, 2017

Tommi Jaakkola, a professor of electrical engineering and comptuer science at MIT, tosses chocolates to students during Introduction to Machine Learning, or 6.036.

Genuine enthusiasm for AI

Machine learning is one of the hottest subjects on campus.

April 27, 2017

Tommi Jaakkola is the inaugural Thomas Siebel Professor in EECS and IDSS.

Tommi Jaakkola appointed Thomas Siebel Professor in EECS and IDSS

Leader in machine learning and natural language processing takes on professorship established by veteran software entrepreneur Thomas Siebel.

April 26, 2017

Software developer is a voice for Muslim women

An entrepreneur who co-founded Wise Systems, Layla Shaikley SM ’13 may be better known for her viral video created to combat media stereotypes of Muslim women.

April 19, 2017

WaitSuite opens up new possibilities for "micro-learning," leveraging idle moments like when you're waiting to connect to WiFi or refresh your email.

Learn a language while you wait for WiFi

CSAIL tool integrates with email and web browsers to harness micro-moments.

April 17, 2017

Most applications of deep learning use “convolutional” neural networks, in which the nodes of each layer are clustered, the clusters overlap, and each cluster feeds data to multiple nodes (orange and green) of the next layer.

Explained: Neural networks

Ballyhooed artificial-intelligence technique known as “deep learning” revives 70-year-old idea.

April 14, 2017

Tim Berners-Lee was honored with the Turing Award for his work inventing the World Wide Web, the first web browser, and "the fundamental protocols and algorithms [that allowed] the web to scale."

Tim Berners-Lee wins $1 million Turing Award

CSAIL researcher honored for inventing the web and developing the protocols that spurred its global use.

April 4, 2017

Researchers from the MIT Media Lab developed a new technique that makes image acquisition using compressed sensing 50 times as efficient. In the case of the single-pixel camera, it could get the number of exposures down from thousands to dozens. Examples of this compressive ultrafast imaging technique are show on the bottom rows.

A faster single-pixel camera

New technique greatly reduces the number of exposures necessary for “lensless imaging.”

March 29, 2017

At the Usenix Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation, researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory will present a new system for allocating bandwidth in data center networks.

Faster page loads

System allocates data center bandwidth more fairly, so no part of a webpage lags behind others.

March 28, 2017

An MIT report urges the Trump administration to develop a coherent cybersecurity plan that coordinates efforts across departments, encourages investment, and removes parts of key infrastructure, like the electric grid, from the internet.

MIT experts urge Trump administration to take immediate action on cybersecurity

Report warns of hacking risk to electric grid, oil pipelines, and other critical infrastructure.

March 28, 2017

These scanning electron microscope images show the sequence of fabrication of fine lines by the team's new method. First, an array of lines is produced by a conventional electron beam process (top). The addition of a block copolymer material and a topcoat result in a quadrupling of the number of lines (center). Then the topcoat is etched away, leaving the new pattern of fine lines exposed (bottom)...

A big leap toward tinier lines

Self-assembly technique could lead to long-awaited, simple method for making smaller microchip patterns.

March 27, 2017

Most website visits these days entail a database query — to look up airline flights, for example, or to find the fastest driving route between two addresses.

Protecting web users’ privacy

System for disguising database queries could prevent customer profiling and price gouging.

March 23, 2017

MIT researchers have developed a system for testing new traffic management protocols. The system requires no alteration to network hardware but still works at realistic speeds — 20 times as fast as networks of software-controlled routers.

Testing new networking protocols

New approach speeds up testing of traffic management solutions for data center networks.

March 21, 2017

Making better decisions when outcomes are uncertain

A simple statistical trick could help make a ubiquitous model of decision processes more accurate.