The Changing World Order
Drones are the new bombs, code the new currency, chips the new oil, and AI the new everything. Technology has reshaped geopolitics forever and a new world order is being carved in silicon
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2.6 billion people don’t use the internet. What’s stopping them?
One-third of the world still isn’t online. Here’s how the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is working to close the digital divide.
The next big tech trend will start out looking like a toy
In “Read, Write, Own: Building The Next Era of the Internet,” investor Chris Dixon explains why the biggest trends often go overlooked.
Constitutional warning shot for social media “deplatforming” laws
Can the government tell private websites what they have to publish?
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Hugo Mercier says we’ve been misinformed about misinformation
Cognitive scientist Hugo Mercier argues the problem isn’t that people are too gullible but too stubborn.
A new vision for the advancement of humanity
The world needs a moral defense of progress based in humanism and agency.
How AI is rewriting Silicon Valley’s relationship with the Pentagon
Silicon Valley is warming to the Department of Defense as it works to get new AI systems developed and deployed en masse.
Boosted Breeding and beyond: 3 tech trends that could end world hunger
A world without hunger is possible, and the development and deployment of new farming technologies could be one key to manifesting it.
How the TikTok case pits national security against freedom of speech
Whether the video-sharing app TikTok is banned or not, it will continue to add fuel to the fiery debate on freedom of speech.
The Supreme Court will soon decide the future of social media
Should social media platforms have the right to decide what speech is permitted? Should the government?
NASA hopes private space companies can rescue its $11 billion Mars rock mission
If this ambitious NASA mission unraveled, scientists would lose their chance to learn much more about the red planet.
Why AI playing video games is a big deal
Google’s SIMA can follow human instructions to play 3D video games. Researchers hopes the platform can one day help AI navigate real-world environments.
DARPA is testing this autonomous tank with glowing “eyes”
DARPA just tested an autonomous tank that could help keep soldiers safe — and even more self-driving military vehicles are on the horizon.
Watch the first AI vs. human dogfight using military jets
An AI fighter pilot faced off against a human pilot in a “dogfight” using actual planes — a huge milestone in military automation.
In a future with brain-computer interfaces like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, we may need to rethink freedom of thought
In a future with more “mind reading,” thanks to computer-brain interfaces, we may need to rethink freedom of thought.
OpenAI and Microsoft are reportedly planning a $100B supercomputer
Microsoft is reportedly planning to build a $100 billion data center and supercomputer, called “Stargate,” for OpenAI.
Hypersonic startup unveils its first aircraft
Hermeus just unveiled its first flight vehicle, putting it a major step closer to developing first-of-their-kind hypersonic aircraft.
Here’s what it’ll take to power Africa’s clean energy future
The renewable electricity revolution is well underway in Africa, but needs to be shared across borders, this research found.
Would you trust big work-life decisions to an AI coach?
The fast-growing coaching industry is being disrupted by generative AI, which excels at “performance coaching.”
Sam Altman on the future of AI
In the Davos session, “Technology in a Turbulent World,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman explained where he sees AI heading.
Study: one in five workers would sacrifice 16% to 33% of salary to work from home
Would you give up some of your pay check to be able to work from home? People value working from home more than you’d think.
Google AI is searching the world for methane leaks from space
Google will provide computing resources to MethaneSAT, a project to identify climate-harming methane leaks from space.
T-Minus: Water discovered on asteroids, first space factory comes home, and more
Freethink’s weekly countdown of the biggest space news, featuring the return of Varda’s space factory, a Russian space weapon, and more.
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