The Download: what’s next for AI, and quantum computing challenges

This time last year our AI writers did something reckless. In an industry where nothing stands still, they had a go at predicting the future.

Turns out, their predictions were pretty on the money. They suggested that the next big thing in chatbots would be multimodal (check), and that policymakers would draw up tough new regulations (another check). Elsewhere, they were half-right when they forecast that Big Tech would feel pressure from open-source startups.

This year, they’re doing it again. Check out their predictions for the industry in 2024. 

—Melissa Heikkilä & Will Douglas Heaven

+ If you’re interested in this topic, why not check out how these six questions will dictate the future of generative AI?  Its future—and ours—will be shaped by what we do next.

Quantum computing is taking on its biggest challenge: noise

In the past 20 years, hundreds of companies have staked a claim in the rush to establish quantum computing. Investors have put in well over $5 billion so far. All this effort has just one purpose: creating the world’s next big thing.

But ultimately, assessing our progress in building useful quantum computers comes down to one central factor: whether we can handle the noise. The delicate nature of their systems makes them extremely vulnerable to the slightest disturbance, which can generate errors or even stop a quantum computation in its tracks.

In the last couple of years, a series of breakthroughs have led researchers to declare that the problem of noise might finally be on the ropes. Read the full story.

—Michael Brooks

This story is from the next magazine edition of MIT Technology Review, set to go live on January 8—and it’s all about innovation. If you don’t already subscribe, take advantage of our seasonal subscription offers to get a copy when it lands.

This time last year our AI writers did something reckless. In an industry where nothing stands still, they had a go at predicting the future.

Turns out, their predictions were pretty on the money. They suggested that the next big thing in chatbots would be multimodal (check), and that policymakers would draw up tough new regulations (another check). Elsewhere, they were half-right when they forecast that Big Tech would feel pressure from open-source startups.

This year, they’re doing it again. Check out their predictions for the industry in 2024. 

—Melissa Heikkilä & Will Douglas Heaven

+ If you’re interested in this topic, why not check out how these six questions will dictate the future of generative AI?  Its future—and ours—will be shaped by what we do next.

Quantum computing is taking on its biggest challenge: noise

In the past 20 years, hundreds of companies have staked a claim in the rush to establish quantum computing. Investors have put in well over $5 billion so far. All this effort has just one purpose: creating the world’s next big thing.

But ultimately, assessing our progress in building useful quantum computers comes down to one central factor: whether we can handle the noise. The delicate nature of their systems makes them extremely vulnerable to the slightest disturbance, which can generate errors or even stop a quantum computation in its tracks.

In the last couple of years, a series of breakthroughs have led researchers to declare that the problem of noise might finally be on the ropes. Read the full story.

—Michael Brooks

This story is from the next magazine edition of MIT Technology Review, set to go live on January 8—and it’s all about innovation. If you don’t already subscribe, take advantage of our seasonal subscription offers to get a copy when it lands.