Search results for MIT Technology Review
AI & Enterprise
Nobel prize-winning economist flags three issues to watch in AI
Nobel economics laureate Daron Acemoglu said claims that AI is replacing large numbers of jobs have not yet been confirmed by data. He highlighted AI agents, tech companies hiring economists and the usability of AI-based applications as key variables that will shape the AI economy. Acemoglu said studies have not shown clear effects on employment or layoffs, warned that companies may shape research narratives, and said uncertainty remains the defining word for the AI economy.
AI & Enterprise
One year after DeepSeek, Chinese AI models spread rapidly, overtake U.S. in download share
Chinese AI companies are expanding developer ecosystems with open-source models, while U.S. firms stick to closed, API-based approaches, MIT Technology Review reported. A turning point was DeepSeek’s R1 reasoning model released in January 2025. Researchers said Chinese open-weight models accounted for 17.1 percent of global AI model downloads in the year to August 2025, edging the U.S. share of 15.86 percent. Adoption is rising in the Global South despite constraints such as censorship and disputes over distillation.
Industry
NASA to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft SR-1 Freedom, aiming for direct Mars mission in 2028
NASA has unveiled a plan to develop SR-1 Freedom, an interplanetary spacecraft that uses a reactor as its power source, and aims to send it to Mars in 2028. The agency plans to launch from Earth using conventional chemical propulsion, then use electricity generated by nuclear fission in space for long-duration thrust. NASA expects to apply nuclear electric propulsion, with a 20-kilowatt uranium reactor and large radiators, beginning hardware work in June.
