Cognitive scientists Earl K. Miller from MIT and Lisa Feldman Barrett from Northeastern University argue that categorization is an intrinsic predictive mechanism the brain employs to address sensory overload efficiently. Their article in Nature Reviews Neuroscience questions longstanding beliefs about how the brain processes sensory information. Categories, defined as groups of similar items, are traditionally…
Lidar technology utilizes infrared light pulses to gauge distance and create detailed 3D maps, enabling self-driving cars to swiftly respond to obstacles. However, traditional lidar sensors are costly and cumbersome, with numerous moving parts that wear down over time, restricting their deployment. MIT researchers have introduced a breakthrough that could lead to the development of…
While automation and AI are often thought to broadly replace jobs, an MIT economist’s study highlights distinct patterns in the U.S. since 1980. Rather than maximizing productivity, companies have frequently used automation to target workers with a “wage premium,” those earning more than peers with similar qualifications. This has predominantly impacted non-college-educated workers who had…
Conservative and progressive law experts recently converged to discuss the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging a chatbot’s cautionary advice. Kristi Jobson, assistant dean for admissions at Harvard Law School, relayed ChatGPT’s suggestion to keep the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society seated apart to avoid potential conflict. Abbott LaPrade, chair for the…
In 2024, Harvard University’s Office of the Provost launched the Catalyst Professorship to strengthen ties between academia and the private sector. This senior faculty position allows academics to engage in industry roles while maintaining their university commitments. Doug Melton, Boaz Barak, and Michael Brenner have been named as the inaugural Catalyst Professors. President Alan M….
MIT researchers, along with colleagues, have created a more efficient and user-friendly method for networking engineers to detect potential system failures before they result in significant issues, such as cloud service outages affecting millions of users. This approach reveals hidden vulnerabilities that could cause a shortcut algorithm to unexpectedly fail during deployment. The new method…
Many students hesitate to express their thoughts, not due to a lack of ideas, but out of fear that their thoughts may not be “correct.” In an introductory music class, students write about unfamiliar pieces on the first day, and this unfamiliarity often leads to self-censorship. They form impressions and have the language to describe…
Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are commonly used to gauge teaching effectiveness and influence decisions on promotion, tenure, contract renewal, and merit pay. Despite their widespread application, research increasingly indicates that SETs often reflect students’ perceptions and emotions rather than the true quality of course design or teaching effectiveness. These findings cast doubt on the…
In the late 2000s, physicians observed that patients started arriving at appointments with questionable medical information sourced from the internet, says internist and AI researcher Adam Rodman. According to Rodman, around 68 percent of adults have previously used search engines for medical advice. However, AI chatbots are now consulted by about 32 percent of adults,…
In 1960, engineers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in India developed the nation’s first computer, named the “Automatic Calculator.” Equipped with ferrite-core memory similar to IBM’s advanced machines, this device, known as TIFRAC, was a significant achievement despite limited resources. “The engineers hadn’t seen an operational computer before,” says Dwai Banerjee, an…
