That is at this time’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a day by day dose of what is going on on on the earth of know-how.
Introducing: the Creativity problem
The college laptop lab could seem to be an unlikely middle for creativity. We have a tendency to consider creativity as occurring extra within the artist’s studio or writers’ workshop. However all through historical past, fairly often our best inventive leaps—and I might argue that the net and its descendants signify one such leap—have been as a result of advances in know-how. However the important thing to inventive achievement has by no means been the know-how itself. It has been the way in which artists have utilized it to specific our humanity.
This newest problem of our journal, which was solely produced by human beings utilizing computer systems, explores creativity and the stress between the artist and know-how. We hope you take pleasure in studying it as a lot as we loved placing it collectively.
—Mat Honan, editor in chief
Right here’s only a style of what you may anticipate:
+ AI is warping our expectations of music. New diffusion AI fashions that make songs from scratch are complicating our definitions of authorship and human creativity. Learn the total story.
+ Meet the researchers testing the “Armageddon” strategy to asteroid protection. Learn the total story.
+ How the federal authorities is monitoring modifications within the provide of avenue medication. A brand new hurt discount initiative helps forestall pointless deaths. Learn the total story.
+ How AI is ushering in a brand new period of co-creativity, laying the groundwork for a future by which people and machines create issues collectively. Learn the total story.
+ South Korea’s graphic artists are divided over whether or not AI will immortalize their work or threaten their creativity.
+ A brand new biosensor can detect fowl flu in simply 5 minutes. Learn the total story.
MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated: Quantum computing is taking over its largest problem—noise
For some time researchers thought they’d need to make do with noisy, error-prone techniques, a minimum of within the close to time period. That’s beginning to change.
That is our newest story to be became a MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated podcast, which we’re publishing every week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Simply navigate to MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated on both platform, and comply with us to get all our new content material because it’s launched.
Be a part of us at this time to speak about brain-computer interfaces
Mind-computer interfaces are electrodes implanted into the mind to ship neural instructions to computer systems, primarily to help paralyzed folks, and our readers lately named them because the eleventh Breakthrough Expertise of 2025 in our annual record. So what are the following steps for corporations like Neuralink, Synchron, and Neuracle? And can they have the ability to assist paralyzed folks at scale?
Be a part of our editor at massive David Rotman and senior editor for biomedicine Antonio Regalado at this time for an unique subscriber-only Roundtable dialogue exploring the previous, current, and way forward for brain-computer interfaces. Register right here to tune in at 1pm ET this afternoon!
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you at this time’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 OpenAI is occupied with shopping for Chrome from Google
ChatGPT’s head of product Nick Turley mentioned folding its tech into Chrome would enhance it significantly. (Bloomberg $)
+ It might be simply one in all many potential patrons. (Insider $)
+ Turley would even be pleased with a distribution take care of Google. (The Data $)
2 Instagram’s founder says Meta starved it of sources
Kevin Systrom believes Mark Zuckerberg noticed the app as a risk to Fb. (NYT $)
+ It appears the pair had a strained relationship. (The Verge)
3 Elon Musk will step again from DOGE subsequent month
In his absence, Tesla’s earnings have plummeted. (WP $)
+ However he’ll nonetheless spend a day or so every week engaged on US authorities issues. (CNBC)
+ There’s no denying that his political actions have broken Tesla’s model. (WSJ $)
+ DOGE’s tech takeover threatens the protection and stability of our essential knowledge. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
4 Chinese language scientists and college students are beneath scrutiny within the US
It’s a repeat of the China Initiative program launched beneath Trump’s first Presidency. (WSJ $)
+ US universities are beginning to push again in opposition to authorities overreach. (Ars Technica)
+ The FBI accused him of spying for China. It ruined his life. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
5 Uncommon earth parts aren’t so uncommon in spite of everything
Which is dangerous information for China. (Wired $)
+ However China’s export curbs are harming Tesla’s Optimus robotic manufacturing. (Reuters)
+ This uncommon earth steel exhibits us the way forward for our planet’s sources. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
6 How one can wean your self off fossil fuels
Large dwelling batteries are an intriguing vitality different. (Vox)
7 A brand new mission to develop meals in house has blasted off
Scientists are investigating creating meals from single cells in orbit. (BBC)
+ Future house meals could possibly be created from astronaut breath. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
8 It’s time to bid farewell to Skype
RIP to the OG video calling platform. (Remainder of World)
9 Analysts are utilizing AI to psychologically profile high soccer gamers ⚽
And likewise to identify vivid younger expertise. (The Guardian)
10 Saving the world’s seeds is a difficult enterprise 🌱
They’re the primary line of protection in opposition to extinction. (Knowable Journal)
+ The weeds are successful. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
Quote of the day
“Stuffing Chrome with much more AI crap is one approach to spur browser innovation, I suppose.”
—Tech critic Paris Marx isn’t satisfied that OpenAI shopping for Chrome would enhance it, in a put up on Bluesky.
The massive story
How gamification took over the worldIt’s a thought that happens to each video-game participant in some unspecified time in the future: What if the bizarre, hyper-focused state I enter when taking part in in digital worlds might one way or the other be utilized to the true one?
Usually contemplated throughout particularly difficult or tedious duties in meatspace (writing essays, say, or doing all of your taxes), it’s an eminently cheap query to ask. Life, in spite of everything, is difficult. And whereas video video games are too, there’s one thing nearly magical about the way in which they’ll promote sustained bouts of superhuman focus and resolve.
For some, this phenomenon results in an curiosity in movement states and immersion. For others, it’s merely a purpose to play extra video games. For a handful of consultants, startup gurus, and sport designers within the late 2000s, it turned the important thing to unlocking our true human potential. However as a substitute of liberating us, gamification turned out to be simply one other device for coercion, distraction, and management. Learn the total story.
—Bryan Gardiner
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Received any concepts? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ Succession creator Jesse Armstrong’s new movie Mountainhead seems to be intriguing.
+ Home cats have a way more difficult historical past than we beforehand realized.
+ For those who loved the brand new vampire flick Sinners, you’ll love these Indian people horrors.
+ This hispi cabbage aspect dish seems to be unimaginable.
