Estimates of the Earth's average temperature set a new record on July 3. The fact that there were a series of very hot days in July is perhaps not surprising in itself.
After a challenging 2022, there was little reason to believe that 2023 would be a more robust year for tech, startups and venture capital. During the first six months of 2023, these fears were confirmed. Between the crypto apocalypse, mass layoffs, the banking crisis and, yes, the never-ending buzz around artificial intelligence (AI), the first half of the year has been challenging for venture capital firms and startups.
The development of generative AI technology has made significant progress in the past few years. Its application in various applications such as image and speech synthesis, text generation and music composition is impressive. However, along with the popular hype, many people are experiencing some anxiety as they think about the future of their jobs. The speed at which generative AI has moved from concept to...
Metaverse is a hot term these days. It feels like it's time for those who want to keep up with the times to invest in this area. I'd like to get to the bottom of this - is it too early, too soon, or too late? Metaverse is a term that describes a virtual space created by computer graphics and designed for users to interact with. It could be...
After the overall decline in retail sales in 2020 and 2021 caused by the pandemic, much hope was placed on 2022 returning to something close to pre-pandemic normality. But due to the unstable geopolitical situation and the sharp rise in the cost of living, new challenges have been added to the problems caused by the pandemic. In 2022, rising costs of living impacted consumer demand, especially in the second half...
Digitizing smells is a complex process, but innovative technologies have made significant progress in this area. In 2023, such innovations could appear in industries such as food, retail, healthcare, and many others. Creating smell in the digital world is a very difficult task. Light and sound can be easily measured with sensors and reproduced mechanically. Smells are much more difficult to encode and...
The concept of wind farms did not arise today, but it took time for it to gain practical recognition and dissemination. Historically, the multiple sources and methods of producing renewable energy have made their reliable integration into a single electrical grid difficult. While conventional power plants can burn more or less fuel depending on changes in electricity demand, renewable energy sources such as wind farms and solar panels...
What are the prospects for safe use of robots at home? Can they become useful assistants or empathetic companions? Will 2023 be the time limit when robots will find a place in the home? Recently, tech leaders such as Amazon, Google and Dyson have made significant strides in the development of consumer robotics. Little by little, robotic devices are penetrating into family life. The robotization of everyday life is becoming...
Imagine a world where age is really just a number. Where long-lived people are not just old and helpless bores, but vigorous and healthy, and maybe even still working. Between 1920 and 2020, the average human life expectancy has approximately doubled. We have eradicated many deadly diseases, cured previously incurable diseases, and most recently introduced breakthroughs in immunotherapy...
At the beginning of a new year, we always want to look into the future and find out what awaits us. The Internet is full of forecasts and it is very important to be able to evaluate their reliability and effectiveness. In 2007, the Harvard Business Review published an article by Paul Saffo in which he shared his views on effective forecasting. Despite the fact that quite a lot has passed since then...
In 2020 and 2021, we got a crash course in epidemiology and vaccinology. New phrases like “flattening the curve,” “viral load,” “spike protein,” and “MNRC” became part of public discourse. Then, in 2022, we had to learn new terms like “MPVO,” “counter-battery fire,” and “frontier defense.” Words reflect major trends in social life, economics, and business. The Economist magazine tried to look at this...