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
Featured
If progress has stalled, we need to know why
We need to figure out what drives progress, what might cause it to slow down or stop, and what, if anything, we can do to re-accelerate it.
Cheap AI is causing a power shift in the world’s militaries
The militaries that leverage the low-cost capabilities of AI the most will have a decisive advantage in the future.
Why progress was so slow, for so long
Progress was agonizingly slow for most of human history, but the rapid progress of the last few centuries was not a fluke.
More
Twitter’s founder donated a quarter of a million to a new social media app
Jack Dorsey has donated 14 bitcoins to Nostr, a decentralized protocol on top of which developers can build apps, such as a social network.
5 AI experts predict how ChatGPT and DALL-E will affect the future of work
Will society will use this moment of AI breakthroughs to advance equity or exacerbate disparities? Five experts weigh in.
The biggest AI breakthroughs of the last year
Last year saw breakthroughs from AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepMind, and DALL-E, which generate text and code.
No, 90% of new businesses don’t fail. Here’s why.
To say that something failed, simply because it stopped or changed, is to dangerously limit our view of the world.
Why 2023 will be “the year of mixed reality”
Mixed reality, in which immersive virtual content is seamlessly combined with our physical world, is set to transform the world.
New AI will teach soldiers to dress wounds, fly helicopters in AR
DARPA is developing AI assistants that will display instructions to military personnel through augmented reality headsets.
Will 2023 be the year of the private social network?
Many tech leaders think the future of social media is private social networks, not the public squares that previously dominated.
Scientists use laser beam to divert lightning strikes
Since the time of Benjamin Franklin, we’ve looked for ways to control, or at least deflect, lightning strikes. Enter laser-guided lightning.
Sony announces new adaptive PlayStation controller
Sony has announced a new, “out of the box” adaptive PlayStation controller, dubbed Project Leonardo.
The “recovery paradox” explains why you’re burnt out
There’s regular job stress, and then there’s uncertainty, dread, and constant change. Here’s how to actually recover from it.
UK test-fires its first high-energy laser weapon
The UK has successfully test-fired the $115 million DragonFire, its first high-powered, long-range laser weapon.
Deepfake audio has a tell – researchers use fluid dynamics to spot artificial imposter voices
Audio deepfakes potentially pose a huge threat, as people often communicate via phone calls, radio, and voice recordings.
Inventions that are fighting the rise of facial recognition technology
Combating the rise of facial-recognition technology, designers have created clothing and accessories to help to conceal people’s identities.
From CDs to NFTs: Starbucks’ surprising history of embracing new tech
Starbucks’ newly-announced blockchain platform is just the latest example of the chain’s early embracement of tech.
Starlink turns on coverage over Iran to bypass censorship
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet is active over Iran, but the terminals to access it must make it inside the country.
This start-up is recycling abandoned wooden homes in Baltimore
The Baltimore Wood Project salvages wood from buildings to repurpose and resell locally to create a circular economy.
Heat pumps can cut your energy costs by up to 90%
Heat pumps are becoming all the rage around a world that has to slash carbon emissions rapidly while cutting energy costs.
Fighting poverty with direct cash payments
GiveDirectly has delivered over $500 million in cash to impoverished people, letting recipients decide how best to meet their needs.
Meta can (kinda) guess what you’ve heard via your brain waves
Meta has created an AI that can tell what you’re hearing based on non-invasive brain scan measurements.
Inside the crypto black markets of Argentina
Argentina’s black market for cash is embracing crypto — but it’s not what crypto proponents expected.
Subscribe to the newsletter