The Download: AI flops, and what the year ahead holds for EVs
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
The biggest AI flops of 2024
The past 12 months have been undeniably busy for those working in AI. There have been more successful product launches than we can count, and even Nobel Prizes. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
AI is an unpredictable technology, and the increasing availability of generative models has led people to test their limits in new, weird, and sometimes harmful ways. These were some of 2024’s biggest AI misfires.
—Rhiannon Williams
If you’re interested in the latest developments in the weird and wonderful world of AI, check out the AI Hype Index—MIT Technology Review’s highly subjective take on what’s for real and what’s just a lot of hallucinatory nonsense. Our latest edition features emotional robotic pets, Pokémon Go, simulated humans, and much more.
Why EVs are (mostly) set for solid growth this year
It looks as though 2025 will be a solid year for electric vehicles—at least outside the United States. (Inside the US, sales will depend on the incoming administration’s policy choices.)
Globally, these cleaner cars and trucks will continue to eat into the market share of gas-guzzlers as costs decline, consumer options expand, and charging stations proliferate.
But ultimately, the fate of EV sales will depend on the particular dynamics within specific regions. Here’s a closer look at what’s likely to steer the sector in the world’s three largest markets: the US, the EU, and China. Read the full story.
—James Temple
This piece is part of MIT Technology Review’s What’s Next series, looking across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of them here.
How wind tech could help decarbonize cargo shipping
Inhabitants of the Marshall Islands—a chain of coral atolls in the center of the Pacific Ocean—rely on sea transportation for almost everything. For millennia they sailed largely in canoes, but much of their seafaring movement today involves big, bulky, diesel-fueled cargo ships that are heavy polluters.
They’re not alone. Cargo shipping is responsible for about 3% of the world’s annual greenhouse-gas emissions, and at the current rate of growth, the global industry could account for 10% of emissions by 2050.
The islands have been disproportionately experiencing the consequences of human-made climate change: warming waters, more frequent extreme weather, and rising sea levels. Now its residents are exploring a surprisingly traditional method of decarbonizing its fleets. Read the full story.
—Sofia Quaglia
This story is from the forthcoming magazine edition of MIT Technology Review, set to go live on January 6—it’s all about the exciting breakthroughs happening in the world right now. If you don’t already, subscribe to receive future copies.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 A Tesla Cybertruck exploded at Trump’s Las Vegas hotel
Authorities are investigating if the incident is linked to a similar attack in New Orleans. (The Guardian)
+ The Cybertruck’s driver was killed, while seven others were injured. (Reuters)
+ Both vehicles were rented using the same app, called Turo. (Insider $)
+ The New Orleans suspect appears to be inspired by the Islamic State. (Economist $)
2 What five years of covid has taught us
How prepared we are for future pandemics hinges on governments’ willingness to listen. (New Scientist $)+ Covid exposed how vulnerable global health systems are. (The Guardian)
3 America’s tech industry needs imported labor
Escalating tensions over the future of the H-1B visa lays that bare. (WSJ $)
+ Thousands of overseas workers are trapped by the US immigration system. (Insider $)
+ Tech workers had a pretty rough 2024. (Ars Technica)
4 Elon Musk has support in his legal battle with OpenAI
Two major tech investors have joined his cause. (WP $)
5 A science journal’s editors have resigned over its use of AI
The Journal of Human Evolution’s board is protesting how owner Elsevier used te technology to format papers. (Ars Technica)
+ The world’s most expensive artist isn’t a fan of AI, either. (The Guardian)
6 How much will it cost to live forever?
Investment in longevity firms has dropped in recent years. (FT $)
+ Maybe you will be able to live past 122. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Podcasts aren’t restricted to just audio any more
Aspiring podcasters better be prepared to appear on video these days. (NY Mag $)
8 We’re on the verge of living in the ocean
Within five years, this ambitious project hopes to establish permanent underwater colonies. (IEEE Spectrum)
9 What the year ahead holds for tech
Elon Musk attempting to buy TikTok appears pretty inevitable. (The Information $)
10 How to spend less time staring at your phone in 2025
Take back control and break the habit. (Wired $)
+ How to log off. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“It’s nothing other than business as usual for me.”
—Sarah Perl, a Los Angeles-based content creator, tells the Wall Street Journal why she’s not worried about the looming prospect of a US-wide TikTok ban.
The big story
This fuel plant will use agricultural waste to combat climate change
February 2022
A startup called Mote plans to build a new type of fuel-producing plant in California’s fertile Central Valley that would, if it works as hoped, continually capture and bury carbon dioxide, starting from 2024.
It’s among a growing number of efforts to commercialize a concept first proposed two decades ago as a means of combating climate change, known as bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration, or BECCS.
It’s an ambitious plan. However, there are serious challenges to doing BECCS affordably and in ways that reliably suck down significant levels of carbon dioxide. Read the full story.
—James Temple
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ Feel like time’s running away with you? To slow it down, you need to shake things up.
+ Sicily’s cathedral of Monreale houses Italy’s largest Byzantine-style mosaics, and they’re truly awe-inspiring.
+ If you’re looking for some sci-fi short stories to get your year off to a literary start, look no further.
+ How to teach yourself to love winter—even when it’s really freezing.