Google DeepMind has unveiled new artificial-intelligence software that could help historians recover the meaning and context behind ancient Latin engravings.  Aeneas can analyze words written in long-weathered stone to say when and where they were originally inscribed. It follows Google’s previous archaeological tool Ithaca, which also used deep learning to reconstruct and contextualize ancient text, in its case Greek. But while Ithaca and Aeneas use some similar systems, Aeneas also promises to give researchers jumping-off points for further analysis. To do this, Aeneas takes in partial transcriptions of an inscription alongside a scanned image of it. Using these, it gives […]

Seven faculty in the MIT School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) have been honored for their contributions through promotions, effective July 1. Three faculty promotions are in the Department of Architecture; three are in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning; and one is in the Program in Media Arts and Sciences. “Whether architects, urbanists, computer scientists, or nanotechnologists, they represent our school at its best, in its breadth of inquiry and mission to improve the relationship between human beings and their environments,” says SA+P Dean Hashim Sarkis. Department of Architecture Marcelo Coelho has been promoted to associate professor of […]

Last month I gave a talk at SXSW London called “Five things you need to know about AI”—my personal picks for the five most important ideas in AI right now.  I aimed the talk at a general audience, and it serves as a quick tour of how I’m thinking about AI in 2025. I’m sharing it here in case you’re interested. I think the talk has something for everyone. There’s some fun stuff in there. I even make jokes! The video is now available (thank you, SXSW London). Below is a quick look at my top five. Let me know if you would […]