Digest for 3/23/2026

Machine intelligence is here, and we're already using it to make subjective decisions. But the complex way AI grows and improves makes it hard to understand and even harder to control. In this cautionary talk, techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci explains how intelligent machines can fail in ways that don't fit human error patterns -- and in ways we won't expect or understand.

Scared of superintelligent AI? You should be, says neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris -- and not just in some theoretical way. We're going to build superhuman machines, says Harris, but we haven't yet grappled with the politics and ethics of how best to contain and manage them.

AI humorist Janelle Shane explores the unexpected and often humorous failures of AI, highlighting ethical implications when these systems are integrated into everyday decision-making processes.

Shohini Ghose wants us to get excited about quantum computers, which operate using an entirely different logic than classical computing. She explains the basics and explores what makes quantum computing so powerful.

Michelle Simmons discusses how quantum computing could transform industries by enabling unprecedented computational speeds and solving intractable problems.

Allan Savory has devoted his life to stopping desertification. He now believes -- and his work so far shows -- that a surprising factor can protect grasslands and even reclaim degraded land that was once desert.

Chemical engineer Jennifer Wilcox previews technology to scrub carbon from the air, using chemical reactions that capture and reuse CO2 at a vast scale.

Wind, water and solar technologies can provide 100 percent of the world's energy, eliminating all fossil fuels. Here's how.