CBS Boston’s Paula Ebben reports on MIT’s Innovation Playground, a space created for HUBweek to showcase the science, art and technological breakthroughs happening in Kendall Square. “We want people to go away and say, yup, that’s what’s going on in Kendall Square,” says Sarah Gallop of MIT’s Office of Government and Community Relations.
Prof. Max Tegmark speaks with Jonathan Aberman of The Washington Post about his suggested approach to advancements in artificial intelligence. According to Tegmark, “we need to understand that artificial intelligence is not science fiction any more.”
Prof. Max Tegmark writes for NPR about how to ensure that the future of technology augments humankind. “I'm optimistic that we can thrive with advanced AI as long as we win the race between the growing power of our technology and the wisdom with which we manage it. But this requires ditching our outdated strategy of learning from mistakes.”
Prof. Neil Thompson speaks with Heather Goldstone of WGBH’s “Living Lab Radio” about his new study showing that Wikipedia influences scientists’ ideas and research. Thompson suggests the scientific community, “embrace Wikipedia and make it better,” which will require experts “getting in there and making contributions.”
Prof. Max Tegmark speaks with Ira Flatow of PRI’s Science Friday about his new book, “Life 3.0,” which examines how AI might reshape the future. “We should try to create a great future with [technology] by winning this race between the growing power of technology, and the growing wisdom with which we manage it," says Tegmark.
A study by MIT researchers found that after a law was passed in Louisiana allowing public-school teachers to contradict the scientific curriculum, students scored lower on the science section of the ACT, reports Kevin Lewis for The Boston Globe. The study also showed that, “at the same time, creationism-related search terms on Google became more common, relative to evolution-related terms.”
Renée Richardson Gosline, a senior lecturer in the Sloan School of Management, writes for WBUR’s Cognoscenti about whether it is a good idea to integrate artificial intelligence in all aspects of the online shopping experience. People often “outsource decisions and tasks to technology based on the assumption that it will improve your performance,” explains Gosline.
During this episode of Globo’s “Caldeirão do Huck”, host Luciano Huck speaks with several MIT affiliates, including graduate student João Ramos to learn more about his research at MIT. The episode features a visit to Prof. Sangbae Kim’s lab, where Ramos demonstrates a robot the group developed that could be used to aid with disaster response.
Aaron Schrank reports for Marketplace that the textile industry is experiencing a revival as it creates more technologically advanced fabrics. Schrank highlights the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Institute, led by Prof. Yoel Fink, where researchers have developed programmable backpacks that should be able to “send you an email when they get lost."
USA Today reporter Sydney C. Greene highlights a new piece of wearable technology developed by MIT researchers that was designed to help prevent sexual assault. Greene explains that the researchers developed a “sticker that integrates with clothing to respond to signs of assault such as forced disrobing.”
Inside Higher Ed reporter Carl Straumsheim writes about the results from the first group of students to participate in MIT’s MicroMasters in Supply Chain Management. Sanjay Sarma, MIT’s vice president for open learning, explains that the MicroMasters model has proven to be, “an extraordinary fishing line for talent.”
In an article for Forbes, Jimmy Soni highlights some of the late MIT Prof. Claude Shannon’s most important contributions to math and technology. Soni notes that Shannon is known as the “father of the information age” thanks to his work “in the 1930s and 1940s that helped to lay the groundwork for the digital world we live in.”
The Economist highlights a study by J-PAL researchers examining the effectiveness of certain educational technologies. The researchers found that, “in nearly all the 41 studies which compared pupils using adaptive software with peers who were taught by conventional means the software-assisted branch got higher scores.”
New Scientist reporter Aylin Woodward writes MIT researchers used the MIT Bitcoin Project, which provided freshman access to bitcoin, as an opportunity to examine early-adoption behaviors. The study shows that if you make “early adopters feel special…their resulting enthusiasm seems to help technology go viral.”
Science reporter Gloria Emeagwali reviews Prof. Clapperton Mavhunga’s new book, which examines how Africans have contributed to science throughout history. “Eurocentric assumptions about the history of science and technology, entrepreneurship, epistemology, and scientific methodology are directly challenged in this scholarly collection of essays that masterfully document the historical and contemporary scientific contributions of Africans.”