Recorded on January 3, 2025Unveiling the 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2025Speakers: Amy Nordrum, executive editor, and Charlotte Jee, news editor.Each year, MIT Technology Review publishes an annual list of the top ten breakthrough technologies that will have the greatest impact on how we live and work in the future. This year, the 10 Breakthrough Technologies list was unveiled live by our editors. Hear fromMIT Technology Reviewexecutive editor Amy Nordrum and news editor Charlotte Jee as they share an unveiling of the list of the 10 breakthrough technologies.Related CoverageThe 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 20253 things that didnt make the 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2025 listThe 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2024

WHOAllen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI WHENNowMake no mistake: Size matters in the AI world. When OpenAI launched GPT-3 back in 2020, it was the largest language model ever built. The firm showed that supersizing this type of model was enough to send performance through the roof. That kicked off a technology boom that has been sustained by bigger models ever since. As Noam Brown, a research scientist at OpenAI, told an audience at TEDAI San Francisco in October, The incredible progress in AI over the past five years can be summarized in one word: scale.But as the marginal gains for new high-end models trail off, researchers are figuring out how to do more with less. For certain tasks, smaller models that are trained on more focused data sets can now perform just as well as larger onesif not better. Thats a boon for businesses eager to deploy AI in a handful of specific ways. You dont need the entire internet in your model if youre making the same kind of request again and again.Most big tech firms now boast fun-size versions of their flagship models for this purpose: OpenAI offers both GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini; Google DeepMind has Gemini Ultra and Gemini Nano; and Anthropics Claude 3 comes in three flavors: outsize Opus, midsize Sonnet, and tiny Haiku. Microsoft is pioneering a range of small language models called Phi.A growing number of smaller companies offer small models as well. The AI startup Writer claims that its latest language model matches the performance of the largest top-tier models on many key metrics despite in some cases having just a 20th as many parameters (the values that get calculated during training and determine how a model behaves).Explore the full 2025 list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies. Smaller models are more efficient, making them quicker to train and run. Thats good news for anyone wanting a more affordable on-ramp. And it could be good for the climate, too: Because smaller models work with a fraction of the computer oomph required by their giant cousins, they burn less energy.These small models also travel well: They can run right in our pockets, without needing to send requests to the cloud. Small is the next big thing.

The UK's BBC is continuing to complain about the notification summaries created by Apple Intelligence, with iPhone users being misinformed by misinterpreted headlines.Examples of notification summaries on an iPhoneIn December, the BBC complained to Apple about the summarization features of Apple Intelligence. While meant to save time for users, the summaries sometimes get things quite wrong, as it did with news headlines from the UK broadcaster.In its new complaint on January 3, the BBC has been informed of summaries appearing on iPhones that were very inaccurate. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

An overreliance on modern BIM software and lack of in situ knowledge on the part of architects may be spurring declines in the deliverability of new structures, says a new post to LinkedIn from designer Igor Goriatchev. The "Speed vs. Quality" debate, rise of remote work, and related declines in in-person mentorships are all factors leading to the conclusion that "[c]omprehensive, integrated drawings have given way to incomplete, conflicting, and fragmented sets" which are in turn affecting construction timelines on new projects, the post states.This opinion relates to various topics within employment and professional practice that have been highlighted via our Forum threads for several years with the advent of new digital workflows and other realities for architects.Has this matched your experience with technical drawings for AEC clients in daily professional practice? You can share your thoughts in the comments below.

A new medical district designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) has been announced for Sharjah, UAE.The forthcoming Jawaher Boston Medical District in Sharjah project, which follows a separate $750 million pursuit announced for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Health Initiative in Greece in 2022, will be developed alongside two medical service partners from Boston, Massachusetts. The vision includes a 266-bed hospital and will also be the firms first project in the MENA region.

Hideaki Itsuno, known for his work in leading the development behind critically-acclaimed titles like Devil May Cry 5 and Dragons Dogma 2, has taken to social media platform X to announce that work on his next project is already underway.Along with announcing that a new game is in development, Itsunos post also acts as a sort of recruitment post, with him outright saying that LightSpeed Studios is actively looking for new developers to work on the project.A new project has already started, posted Itsuno on X. We will do our best to announce it to everyone as soon as possible. We are also looking for people to join us in developing the game!Itsuno announced his departure from Capcom back in August 2024, revealing that he would be working on a new game in a new environment during the announcement. Itsuno spent more than 30 years at Capcom, having worked on major projects ranging from both Dragons Dogma titles, Devil May Cry 3: Dantes Awakening, and even classic fighting games like Rival Schools: United by Fate.He announced joining LightSpeed Japan Studio, a studio under Tencents umbrella, back in November. While work on the new project may have begun, Itsuno hasnt yet made any official announcement that would indicate any details about what the game would be.A new project has already started. We will do our best to announce it to everyone as soon as possible. We are also looking for people to join us in developing the game!#LightSpeedStudios #https://t.co/Xi5gKHSwTd pic.twitter.com/YHypnTxEP1 Hideaki Itsuno (@tomqe) December 31, 2024

A baby pygmy hippo was born at Virginia's Metro Richmond Zoo in December in another viral birth for the endangered species. Metro Richmond ZooThe world is getting another Moo Deng. On December 9, the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia welcomed a newborn female pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis). After some time being raised behind the scenes, the youngster made her public debut this week.Shes a curious and brave little pygmy hippo, Jan Lopez, lead zookeeper at the Metro Richmond Zoo, says to WAVYs Allison Williams. And already, the baby is showing her personality: She sometimes has her little zoomies, and shell hop around.Thailands own baby pygmy hippo named Moo Deng won hearts around the world last year. Videos of the hippos sassy personality and bouncy antics went viral in September, aided by her zookeeper at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo sharing daily footage of her on Instagram. Then, another newborn pygmy hippo named Haggis skyrocketed to fame at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.As for the latest baby, I hope she becomes the next Moo Deng, Lopez tells Kyle Swenson of the Washington Post.Baby Pygmy Hippo Born Just Before ChristmasWatch on Theadorable pygmy hippo calf is the third one born to parents Iris and Corwin in the last four and a half years, according to a statement from the Metro Richmond Zoo. The delivery was distinctive, because it marked the first time that Iris, the pygmy hippos mother, gave birth in the enclosures pool. That was unique, Lopez says to the Washington Post. The species can give birth in water or on land. But the birth went very smoothly. They immediately started the bonding process.Many keepers were present, and a few zoo guests even witnessed the miraculous birth, according to the zoos statement. The babys natural instincts kicked in, and she started moving around in the water immediately.Five days after her birth, the zoo gave the baby hippo a health exam and determined she was female, weighing a healthy 15 pounds. Full-grown pygmy hippos can reach between 350 to 600 pounds. The young female hippo weighed 15 pounds at a health exam five days after her birth. Metro Richmond ZooWhile she doesnt yet have a name, the zoo has launched an online poll where voters worldwide can give their input on what the baby should be called. During the first round, voters could choose between four potential names: Poppy, Omi, Juniper and Hammie Mae. Since a clear winning name was not decided, the zoo opened a second round of voting. Now, its a run-off between Poppy and Hammie Mae. Poppy was chosen as an option because its a type of flower, like her mothers name, and Hammie Mae is a southern tie to Virginia ham. The final voting deadline is January 4 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, with the winning name to be announced on January 6.Pygmy hippos are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with less than 2,499 mature individuals left. They are found in forests, savannas and wetlands of West Africa. Habitat loss and hunting have decimated their population numbers. Although endangered, pygmy hippos breed well in captivity.The viral baby hippos lovable characteristics, such as their blushing cheeks and shiny skin, are caused by secretions called blood sweat. Blood sweat is a pink fluid that pygmy hippos ooze out to keep cool in humid climates and to protect their skin from sunburns. It also gives the hippos their slick appearance.Baby hippos are really the coolest things, Lopez tells the Washington Post.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Baby Animals, Conservation, Endangered Species, Internet, Mammals, Thailand, Trending Today, Weird Animals, Zoology

Mapping ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode to the new physical Action Button on the side of newer iPhones, just above the volume up and down.Read More

Next week at the CES 2025 trade show in Las Vegas, we'll once again be able to see and hear about the latest tech trends in person.Read More

Ford launched its Power Promise initiative in October that included a free home electric vehicle charger with installation for new EV buyers. The promotion was initially scheduled to end on January 2nd, but now Ford is extending it into the first few months of 2025.Starting today, Ford says its Power Promise promotion will run through March 31st, 2025, giving US customers who buy a new model year 2024 or 2025 Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, or E-Transit more time to take advantage of the perks. Those include the complementary home charger with standard installation, 24/7 customer support for charging questions, and complimentary roadside assistance.The Ford Power Promise extension comes following a best ever quarter for EV sales at the automaker, according to Ford spokesperson Susannah Evans.Ford Mustang Mach-E sales were up 27 percent to 51,745 units for 2024 compared to the previous year, while the F-150 Lightning was up 39 percent to 33,510, and the E-Transit was up 64 percent to 12,610. The Mustang Mach-E hit a record fourth quarter with 16,119 sold and is the second-best electric SUV in sales in the US after the Tesla Model Y, according to Ford. The company sold 97,865 pure electric vehicles in 2024 still short of GM, which delivered 114,400 for the year.Fords Model e retail director, Stacey Ferreira shared on LinkedIn that customers have reported high satisfaction in the program, which includes an 11-day average timeframe from quote to install. Ferreira says that approximately 85 percent of the complimentary home charger installations were considered standard installations, meaning no additional out-of-pocket costs were necessary.