The MIT Technology Review has a “Weekly” news podcast where editors discuss current topics and provide backgrounds. This podcast is the only way to evaluate new technical developments or scientific studies. This week’s “Weekly” revolves around artificial intelligence. Microsoft has tested the GPT-4 language model and published the result of the study. They believe that the model can detect sparks of real intelligence. The TR editors discuss their thoughts on this breakthrough.
In other news, the EU and the federal government have reached an agreement on synthetic fuels, which could signal the end of combustion engines. The TR editors delve into this agreement and discuss whether this means the end of the e-fuels debate.
Researchers have also found data that could reveal new insights into the path of the coronavirus. The TR editors explain how this data was found and what it could mean for the future.
The tip of the week is a book titled “And If We Just Black Out the Sun?” by Gernot Wagner, which deals with solar geoengineering. The TR editor, Gregor Honsel, shares his thoughts on the book.
“Weekly” is the science and technology magazine’s third podcast format. The “Deep Dive” format focuses on one topic from the magazine each month, while the “Unscripted” format features interviews with personalities from science, technology, and society.
You can find an overview of all the podcasts, including “Weekly,” “Deep Dive,” and “Unscripted,” on the MIT Technology Review podcast feed. If you want to listen to the whole episode, you can find it as an audio stream on their website.
