Technology

A hand holds an iPhone. The screen shows the application DeekSeek asking,

Why DeepSeek’s Surprise Breakthrough Shouldn’t Have Come as a Surprise Why DeepSeek’s Surprise Breakthrough Shouldn’t Have Come as a Surprise

While America was busy with stock buybacks and quarterly profits, China spent decades building an integrated system linking research, manufacturing, and innovation.

Jan 30, 2025 / Corbin Trent

High-Tech Militarists Are Hijacking the Trump Administration

High-Tech Militarists Are Hijacking the Trump Administration High-Tech Militarists Are Hijacking the Trump Administration

Breathtaking conflicts of interest are lining oligarchs’ pockets with our tax dollars.

Jan 22, 2025 / William D. Hartung

Automation in Retail Is Even Worse Than You Thought

Automation in Retail Is Even Worse Than You Thought Automation in Retail Is Even Worse Than You Thought

New technology is not just making shopping more challenging for workers and consumers—it’s poised to rip off the most vulnerable.

Jan 22, 2025 / Ann Larson

Minerals displayed at the showroom of a battery recycling plant in Wuhan, China, in 2023.

Beijing Calls Washington’s Bluff on Strategic Metals Beijing Calls Washington’s Bluff on Strategic Metals

China’s latest export restriction lays bare the complex geopolitics behind President Trump’s proposed tariffs—and the green energy transition.

Jan 2, 2025 / Nicolas Niarchos

Medical Technology Makes Doctors Less Skillful. Should You Care?

Medical Technology Makes Doctors Less Skillful. Should You Care? Medical Technology Makes Doctors Less Skillful. Should You Care?

Technological advances are transforming medicine, but it may be making your physician less creative.

Dec 30, 2024 / Zoya Qureshi

Barry Malzberg at ReaderCon in 2010.

Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024 Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024

A speed demon at the typewriter, Malzberg wrote quickly and brilliantly in a variety of genres including mystery, thrillers, and erotica, but his core work was in science fiction....

Dec 23, 2024 / Obituary / Jeet Heer

Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play?

Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play? Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play?

The Robert Downey Jr.–starring McNeal, which was possibly cowritten with the help of AI, is a showcase for the new technology’s mediocrity.

Nov 14, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Rhoda Feng

Elon Musk and Donald Trump look at one another.

Elon Musk Gives Democrats a Chance to Run Against Oligarchy Elon Musk Gives Democrats a Chance to Run Against Oligarchy

Donald Trump’s richest supporter has been busy finding new ways to corrupt democracy.

Oct 21, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Volunteers help distribute meal bags in Zambia during a severe drought.

Copper Colonialism Is Wrecking Zambia’s Farmlands and Waterways Copper Colonialism Is Wrecking Zambia’s Farmlands and Waterways

Zambia is just one of several nations experiencing a new type of colonialism, this time with a green capitalist veneer.

Oct 17, 2024 / Joshua Frank

AI Is Taking Over College Admissions

AI Is Taking Over College Admissions AI Is Taking Over College Admissions

For many high school students, artificial intelligence only heightens the anxieties around applying to college. How much of their application will be read by a human?

Oct 11, 2024 / StudentNation / Marium Zahra

x