Natasha Singer of The New York Times writes about a joint course from MIT and Harvard to teach the ethics and regulation of artificial intelligence. “As we start to see things, like autonomous vehicles, that clearly have the ability to save people but also cause harm, I think that people are scrambling to build a system of ethics,” says Joi Ito, director of the MIT Media Lab.
Scott Kirsner of The Boston Globe outlines the three factors that have created a strong foundation for local startups that are focused on buildings. He highlights MIT’s designX accelerator program as one factor that has helped “would-be student entrepreneurs explore ideas tied to the built environment, and to potentially launch for-profit companies or nonprofit organizations.”
In an article for Fortune, writer Larissa Zimberoff highlights Wise Systems, a startup launched out of a graduate entrepreneurship class. With machine learning, Wise creates algorithms for more efficient delivery routes, which “translates into fuel savings, lower wear and tear on trucks, and, for the driver, improved earnings based on higher productivity,” writes Zimberoff.
MIT spinout Lightmatter, which makes photonic chips that allow AI to perform calculations at the speed of light, has secured $11 million in funding, reports Devin Coldewey of TechCrunch.
When computing, the chip solves problems “by running a beam of light through a gauntlet of tiny, configurable lenses and sensors” instead of in a series of basic operations, explains Coldewey.
In an article for Science, Vijaysree Venkatraman highlights MIT’s Translational Fellows Program, which helps “postdocs go from being job seekers to job creators.” Founded by Yoel Fink, the program allows students to evaluate business ventures for real-world sustainability.
TechCrunch’s “Technotopia” podcast, hosted by John Biggs, features Prof. Nick Montfort, who has authored a new book, “The Future”. Montfort’s book identifies those whose work impacts the future of culture and technology.
As noted by the Associated Press, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt will be joining MIT as an innovation fellow beginning this Spring, where he will advise the recently launched MIT Intelligence Quest.
In an article co-written for Smithsonian, Prof. John Van Reenen writes about an analysis he and his colleagues conducted examining how socioeconomic background, race and gender can impact a child’s chances of becoming an inventor. The researchers found that, “young people’s exposure to innovators may be an important way to reduce these disparities and increase the number of inventors.”
President L. Rafael Reif speaks with Matthew Campbell of Bloomberg about how the free-flow of talent contributes to America’s success as a leader in innovation. “We’ve been so lucky over the years that the best in the world have wanted to come to the U.S. If all of a sudden we don’t have the MITs because no talent comes, America will hurt.”
Ripple Foods, co-founded by MIT alumnus Neil Renninger, produces pea-based milks with the same amount of protein as cow milk, Whitney Pipkin reports for NPR. Renninger notes the milk requires fewer natural resources to produce than cow's milk, as “anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of carbon emissions globally come from the food system — and a quarter of all food emissions come from the dairy industry.”
WCVB reporter Mike Wankum visits Embr Labs, an MIT spinoff that has developed a wristband that can make wearers feel warmer or colder. Wankum explains that after a few minutes of wearing the wristband, “you feel more comfortable. Much like holding a warm cup of coffee to take the chill off a winter morning.”
Reporting for the PBS NewsHour, Nsikan Akpan spotlights Prof. Kripa Varanasi’s work developing the non-stick coating technology LiquiGlide. Akpan also examines how Varanasi’s group is studying how to, “stop clogs at desalination water facilities by observing how saltwater evaporates, or they’re keeping water from condensing on steam turbines to improve energy efficiency at power plants.”
The Boston Globe Magazine highlights two MIT spinoffs in a list spotlighting 19 bold new ideas and fresh faces from 2017. Startup Ministry of Supply, which creates custom apparel using high-tech design, has made “getting a great-fitting blazer...a seamless experience,” while another startup, Biobot, has begun analyzing sewer waste to determine which communities are most affected by opioids.
Mike Wankum of WCVB visits MIT to learn more about spinoff Pipeguard Robotics, which has developed a robot that can help detect leaky pipes before they burst. The robot can spot tiny holes within two feet of a leak while current systems, “can only find major leaks within a few hundred feet of a cracked line,” says Wankum.
President L. Rafael Reif speaks with Tom Moroney of Bloomberg News about why the free-flow of talent is so important to the U.S. economy and the country’s innovation ecosystem. “If you stop that supply of talent, [from] which we are fortunate to benefit because of the welcoming culture of America,” says Reif, “that will have huge implications.”