The Download: IBM’s quantum computer, and cuts to military AI testing
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. IBM aims to build the world’s…
IBM aims to build the world’s first large-scale, error-corrected quantum computer by 2028
IBM announced detailed plans today to build an error-corrected quantum computer with significantly more computational capability than existing machines by 2028. It hopes to make the computer available to users…
The Pentagon is gutting the team that tests AI and weapons systems
The Trump administration’s chainsaw approach to federal spending lives on, even as Elon Musk turns on the president. On May 28, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced he’d be gutting…
The Download: an inspiring toy robot arm, and why AM radio matters
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. How a 1980s toy robot arm…
The Download: China’s AI agent boom, and GPS alternatives
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. Manus has kick-started an AI agent…
Why doctors should look for ways to prescribe hope
This week, I’ve been thinking about the powerful connection between mind and body. Some new research suggests that people with heart conditions have better outcomes when they are more hopeful…
Inside the race to find GPS alternatives
Later this month, an inconspicuous 150-kilogram satellite is set to launch into space aboard the SpaceX Transporter 14 mission. Once in orbit, it will test super-accurate next-generation satnav technology designed…
Manus has kick-started an AI agent boom in China
Last year, China saw a boom in foundation models, the do-everything large language models that underpin the AI revolution. This year, the focus has shifted to AI agents—systems that are…
The Download: funding a CRISPR embryo startup, and bad news for clean cement
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. Crypto billionaire Brian Armstrong is ready…