Quantum Technologies Advance Military Capabilities, Raising Ethical Concerns
Major military powers are making significant investments in quantum technologies for battlefield advantages in computing probabilities and simulations, precision measurements of enemy assets and movements, and securing high-bandwidth communications. Quantum technologies will advance military automation and autonomous weapons systems, an objective that raises ethical issues for use of the developing power of quantum applications.
Progress in Superconductivity Holds Promise for Clean Energy, Medicine, Quantum Computing, and More
Recent progress in the science of superconductivity, first observed in 1911, hold promise for revolutionizing clean energy, medicine, transportation, quantum computing and much more. New discoveries could pave the way for practical applications using superconductors that operate at room temperature and normal pressure, with the potential to contribute significantly to reducing the climate crisis.
Technological innovations are Shaping the Future of Climate Adaptation
Recent advancements in science and technology are revolutionizing the global approach to climate change. From innovative carbon capture techniques inspired by chess mazes to faster climate modeling algorithms and predictive methods for detecting abrupt climate shifts, these developments promise more effective strategies for mitigating and adapting to global environmental challenges.
Discoveries in Quantum Teleportation Could Lead to Fault-Tolerant Computers and, Possibly, Wormholes
Quantum teleportation is process that transfers quantum information between locations without moving the quantum bits. A novel method could achieve teleportation without the environmental noise that causes loss of connections in today’s quantum computers, by leveraging the properties of the noise itself. This could lead to fully functional quantum computers, and as a leading scientist explains, possibly the discovery of traversable wormholes.
Editorial Perspectives
Blog
In Praise of Human Intelligence For All Time
The race by OpenAI, its partner Microsoft, and others to create and commercialize artificial general intelligence – AGI – begs the question what intelligence is to begin with. Is the intelligence code something that software engineers can crack, or would now be the time for some applied philosophy? The first step to understanding the intelligence in our heads is to stop applying the word to machines; after all, the term "AI" was coined in 1956 as a marketing ploy.
Blog
What Comes Next, After Profit-Driven OpenAI Cracks the Intelligence Code?
With the release of GPT-4o, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company is ceding applications development for its powerful technology to third parties which he expects will "create all sorts of amazing things that we all benefit from." The first part of OpenAI's mission statement is to create AGI "generally smarter than humans," and we ask how the company intends to fulfill the other part of its mission, that AGI "benefits all of humanity," when third parties control applications.
Blog
Celebrating Human Creativity Means Guarding Against Stereotyping by AI
The term "model collapse" has been used to describe the loss of creativity in machine learning trained on its own outputs. Several new studies provide potent examples of the risks of model collapse, and highlight the importance of ensuring the traceability and human-sourcing of data to prevent stereotyping by generative AI.
In Focus
Swarms and Collective Intelligence: Bridging Biology, Sociology, and Computer Science
Researchers are increasingly integrating insights from biology, sociology, and computer science to develop sophisticated algorithms and models inspired by natural collective behaviors, such as swarm intelligence. These efforts aim to enhance artificial intelligence and engineering, optimizing group decision-making and adaptive capabilities in complex environments.
AI in Classrooms: Enhancing Education or Replacing Teachers?
The World Economic Forum highlights AI’s potential for personalized learning and improving educational outcomes, addressing challenges such as the global need for more teachers and digital skills. As Google is integrating generative AI tools into its Workspace product for educators, concerns remain about the effects of new classroom technologies on teacher-student relationships and regional differences, highlighting the need for regulated, thoughtful implementation.
New Proof of a Computational Limit Raises the Question: After We Can No Long Compute, Then What?
A new proof of a computational limit implies both practical and theoretical limits for computing. The solution to the halting problem for a Turing machine operating with five rules raises the question of what, if anything, exists beyond computational limits. After that point, is it a matter for the imagination?
Podcasts and Webcasts
Dr. Arik Kershenbaum on Why Animals Talk and What They’re Saying: A Zoological Perspective
Jessica West on Space Governance: The Challenges and Potential for Humanity Beyond Earth
Louis Rosenberg on Collective Superintelligence and the Virtual Future
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Latest Quantum Computing
Discoveries in Quantum Teleportation Could Lead to Fault-Tolerant Computers and, Possibly, Wormholes
Quantum teleportation is process that transfers quantum information between locations without moving the quantum bits. A novel method could achieve teleportation without the environmental noise that causes loss of connections in today’s quantum computers, by leveraging the properties of the noise itself. This could lead to fully functional quantum computers, and as a leading scientist explains, possibly the discovery of traversable wormholes.
Race for Post-Quantum Cryptography: Will Proposed Encryption Standards Secure the World’s Data?
Expected within months, new standards for post-quantum cryptography will replace current mathematical encryption methods that powerful quantum computers will be able to decipher. Will the new standards, primarily using the geometry of lattices, be sufficient to secure the world’s data? We look at the current state of the race for the next generation of encryption to keep the world’s data safe.
The Observer Effect: Why Do Our Measurements Change Quantum Outcomes?
The observer effect, which produces a different scattering pattern when a beam of light is observed compared to the unobserved beam, remains a deep mystery at the quantum level. How does the quantum somehow connect to our conscious measurements, and does it imprint our measurements in the curvature of spacetime as as Sir Roger Penrose has proposed? What’s going on in our heads may say something about quantum reality.
Featured Science News
The Big Ring: Is the Newly Found Cosmic Megastructure the End for the Cosmological Principle?
The discovery of a colossal ring-shaped structure in space, known as the Big Ring, challenges the cosmological principle, a foundational concept in astrophysics. This finding reinforces questions about the completeness of current cosmological models and hints at the need for a potential overhaul of our understanding of the evolution of the universe.
Latest Philosophy of Technology
Quantum Technologies Advance Military Capabilities, Raising Ethical Concerns
Major military powers are making significant investments in quantum technologies for battlefield advantages in computing probabilities and simulations, precision measurements of enemy assets and movements, and securing high-bandwidth communications. Quantum technologies will advance military automation and autonomous weapons systems, an objective that raises ethical issues for use of the developing power of quantum applications.
Quantum Ethics: There’s No Time Like the Present to Plan for the Human Future with Quantum Technology
We look at six emerging ethical concerns for the potential power of quantum computing. While the technological breakthrough that enables its widespread use and applications might be years away – or just around the corner – we set out an historical perspective to frame the discussion on ethics that is best begun sooner rather than later.
The Ghost in the Machine: Chatbots and Their Problem with Time
A new mathematical proof points to global instability over time in machine learning, which is the basis for training chatbots like ChatGPT. Designed to generalize inputs from prompts and generate the most probable outputs, what does this mean for the future of chatbots trained on data from the past when human users operate in the dynamically changing present?
Latest Technology Over Time
Ancient Roman Concrete: A Technology Ahead of Its Time
The Colosseum and Pantheon stand witness to the knowledge and skill behind ancient Roman concrete-making technology. We look at the history of concrete from then to now, and take you into the Pantheon to explore the marvels that ancient Romans accomplished with concrete.
The Mystery of the Ancient Roman Dodecahedrons
What was the purpose of these curious dodecahedrons, discovered in the northern parts of the ancient Roman Empire? Why does no record exist to explain their use and manufacture? We review the intriguing possibilities, but more detective work is needed to uncover the truth of this ancient technology.
The Genius of Alan Turing, and the Technology that Cracked the Nazi Enigma Code
Alan Turing’s skills in mathematics and computer science helped build the “Bombe,” the computing machine that cracked the Nazi Enigma code. The technology was instrumental in the Allied victory over Hitler.
Latest Science News
Progress in Superconductivity Holds Promise for Clean Energy, Medicine, Quantum Computing, and More
Recent progress in the science of superconductivity, first observed in 1911, hold promise for revolutionizing clean energy, medicine, transportation, quantum computing and much more. New discoveries could pave the way for practical applications using superconductors that operate at room temperature and normal pressure, with the potential to contribute significantly to reducing the climate crisis.
Technological innovations are Shaping the Future of Climate Adaptation
Recent advancements in science and technology are revolutionizing the global approach to climate change. From innovative carbon capture techniques inspired by chess mazes to faster climate modeling algorithms and predictive methods for detecting abrupt climate shifts, these developments promise more effective strategies for mitigating and adapting to global environmental challenges.
Swarms and Collective Intelligence: Bridging Biology, Sociology, and Computer Science
Researchers are increasingly integrating insights from biology, sociology, and computer science to develop sophisticated algorithms and models inspired by natural collective behaviors, such as swarm intelligence. These efforts aim to enhance artificial intelligence and engineering, optimizing group decision-making and adaptive capabilities in complex environments.