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How Can AI ID a Cat? An Illustrated Guide.
Neural networks power today’s AI boom. To understand them, all we need is a map, a cat and a few thousand dimensions.
When ChatGPT Broke an Entire Field: An Oral History
Researchers in “natural language processing” tried to tame human language. Then came the transformer.
What the Most Essential Terms in AI Really Mean
A simple primer to the 19 most important concepts in artificial intelligence.
AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That’s OK
The brain’s astounding cellular diversity and networked complexity could show how to make AI better.
The Strange Physics That Gave Birth to AI
Modern thinking machines owe their existence to insights from the physics of complex materials.
What’s Going On Inside Io, Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon?
Recent flybys of the fiery world refute a leading theory of its inner structure — and reveal how little is understood about geologically active moons.
Improving Deep Learning With a Little Help From Physics
Rose Yu has a plan for how to make AI better, faster and smarter — and it’s already yielding results.
How a Biofilm’s Strange Shape Emerges From Cellular Geometry
Micro decisions can have macro consequences. A soft matter physicist reveals how interactions within simple cellular collectives can lead to emergent physical traits.
New Proof Settles Decades-Old Bet About Connected Networks
According to mathematical legend, Peter Sarnak and Noga Alon made a bet about optimal graphs in the late 1980s. They’ve now both been proved wrong.