A new approach to geothermal energy makes it possible to tap the energy of hot rocks just about anywhere. Gregory Barber reports on how a pilot plant in Nevada is now helping to power Google data centres. Read by Michael Satow.

WIRED helps you dive into emerging technologies and discover how they affect culture, the economy, and politics.

WIRED

A new type of geothermal power plant just made the Internet a little greener

A new series has premiered on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. It’s a move that shows how studios are dipping into social video as more people watch on their phones. Amanda Hoover explores how this new form targets mobile viewers with short, attention-grabbing episodes amid the rising trend of watching TV shows on social media. Read by Gina Rogers.

TikTok is the new TV

How OpenAI’s structure gave 4 people the power to fire Sam Altman

OpenAI's unusual corporate structure gave a small group of people the power to remove Sam Altman as CEO. Paresh Dave highlights the challenges of balancing the need for financial investment with the mission of developing safe and beneficial AI. Read by Michael Satow.

How OpenAI’s bizarre structure gave 4 people the power to fire Sam Altman

The collective erosion of X, Instagram, and Facebook marks a turning point for millennials, who are outgrowing a constant need to be plugged in. Jason Parham explores how first-generation social media users are limiting their screen time, and more 'analogue' marketing styles are making a comeback in a big way. Read by Gary Furlong.

First-gen social media users have nowhere to go

Some doctors warn that personalized nutrition apps like Zoe can cause otherwise healthy patients an unhealthy amount of worry. Grace Browne and Matt Reynolds reflect on the need for responsible use and the importance of broader health considerations when using such technology. Read by Emma Powell.

Personalized nutrition programs are making people feel weird about food

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has ended its 118-day strike with a tentative deal with studios, addressing issues like AI use in actors' performances and streaming payments. Angela Watercutter and Will Bedingfield reflects on how the terms remain undisclosed, marking a significant resolution for Hollywood and allowing productions to resume.

Hollywood actors strike ends with a deal that will impact AI and streaming for decades

FTX staff lived the high life in the Bahamas. In the aftermath of the exchange's high-profile collapse, the country is trying to rebuild its reputation and revitalise its economy. Joel Khalili examines the Bahamas' efforts to deal with the consequences of its association with the fraud-ridden cryptocurrency exchange. 
Read by Sean Crisden.

Sam Bankman-Fried built a crypto paradise in the Bahamas—now he's a bad memory

As a young industrial designer, Patricia Moore conducted a radical aging experiment that fundamentally changed various aspects of design, from healthcare to transportation. Lexi Pandell explores how Moore's innovative approach reshaped the design world, making it more inclusive and user-friendly. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.




She sacrificed her youth to get the tech bros to grow up

Britain’s upcoming global summit on AI is all doom and gloom. As the U.K. Prime Minister plans to discuss extreme scenarios of algorithms causing harm, Peter Guest explains why experts are calling for more governance concerning the imminent threats of the technology. Read by Jonathan Booth.

Britain’s big AI summit is a doom-obsessed mess

Intertwining creative writing with AI means it is capable of completing a sentence – or an entire piece of work, but should this be practised? Vauhini Vara, whose AI-assisted essay went viral, reflects on testing GPT-3 early, Sudowrite's novel generator, and whether AI is good for writers and literature. Read by Sharon McCune.

Confessions of a viral AI writer

FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried will stand trial for overseeing fraud that sucked in high-profile investors and hundreds of thousands of clients. Why do intelligent people buy into bad companies? Peter Guest reflects on the industry's susceptibility to scams due to a combination of neomania, technobabble, and hubris. Read by Michael Satow.

Why Silicon Valley falls for frauds

It’s easy to feel like there’s no escape from doomscrolling. The classical Chinese handscroll suggests otherwise. Samantha Culp delves into the history of scrolling, from its athletic and action-oriented origins to its current state as an endless, addictive, and profit-driven activity enabled by social media platforms. Read by Sarah Naughton.

There’s an alternative to the infinite scroll

The young company sent shock waves around the world when it released ChatGPT. But that was just the start. The ultimate goal is to change everything. Steven Levy explores OpenAI's ambitious mission and journey, emphasizing its shift from a nonprofit research organization to a for-profit entity while striving to develop safe artificial general intelligence. Read by Mark Deakins.

What OpenAI really wants

A new report describes a modern way to search for E.T., calling for better use of big data and machine learning techniques. Ramin Skibba reveals that by embracing data-driven approaches and studying anomalies in archived data, the field of techno-signatures seeks to answer the profound question of whether we are alone in the universe. Read by Jonathan Booth.

Scientists say you’re looking for alien civilizations all wrong

Around the world, 'clickworkers' - people training AI models - are rapidly becoming a new type of labor force, characterised by working remotely and being paid lower wages. Aspects that most of the world wouldn't necessarily associate with high-wage Finland. However, as Morgan Meaker explores, one company there may have found a loophole: prisoners.

These prisoners are training AI

With ecosystems in crisis, engineers and scientists are teaming up to decipher what animals are saying—their hope: by truly listening to nature, humans will decide to protect it. Camille Bromley reports on this fascinating story. Read by Sarah Naughton.

How to use AI to talk to whales—and save life on Earth

The social media giant filed a lawsuit against a nonprofit that researches hate speech online. It’s the latest effort to cut off the data needed to expose online platforms’ failings. Vittoria Elliott explores the consequences of such action. Read by Emma Powell.

How X is suing its way out of accountability

Humans figured out how to prevent massive fires in urban areas over a century ago. Why have they gotten so bad again? Matt Simon explores the factors behind this phenomenon. Read by Sean Crisden.

Cities aren’t supposed to burn like this anymore—especially Lahaina

Silicon Valley plans to use AI to do to movies and TV what it did to news and music, but it's not too late to resist. Roger McName suggests Hollywood should create its AI to avoid losing control of the industry to Big Tech. Read by Gary Furlong.

To save itself, Hollywood must build its own ChatGPT

Every new technology, from the internet to virtual reality, has tried to upend book culture. Elizabeth Minkel reflects on the reason they've all failed—and always will. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.