May 2026

Why it matters: How does image recognition work? See the full pipeline from pixels to predictions, real accuracy data, top uses, and the risks every team should know.

MIT and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced plans to establish the Quantum Systems Laboratory (QSL) at MIT, which will be open to researchers across the region.  With the new funding from the state, which will match federal funding for quantum research already underway at MIT, the Institute aims to begin construction on the QSL facility this…

Why it matters: Discover how AI powers autonomous vehicles in 2026. Explore Waymo, Tesla, Baidu strategies, NVIDIA Alpamayo models, safety data, and the $5.4T market ahead.

Why it matters: How hospitals use algorithms to prioritize vaccine distribution: scoring systems, Palantir Tiberius, bias risks, and ML models for future pandemics.

Why it matters: The 10 best movies that get artificial intelligence right, ranked by AI researchers. Ex Machina to AlphaGo: accuracy, predictions, and ethics.

At any given time, technology does two things to employment: It replaces traditional jobs, and it creates new lines of work. Machines replace farmers, but enable, say, aeronautical engineers to exist. So, if tech creates new jobs, who gets them? How well do they pay? How long do new jobs remain new, before they become…

Among all of the possible chemical compounds, it’s estimated that between 1020 and 1060 may hold potential as small-molecule drugs. Evaluating each of those compounds experimentally would be far too time-consuming for chemists. So, in recent years, researchers have begun using artificial intelligence to help identify compounds that could make good drug candidates.  One of those researchers…

Justin Solomon, associate professor in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), has been appointed associate dean of engineering education in the MIT School of Engineering, effective July 1. In this new role, Solomon will focus on advancing innovation in engineering education across the school. He will help shape new pedagogical approaches…

Why it matters: AI content moderation is transforming how platforms fight harmful content at scale. Discover the technologies, bias risks, regulations, and hybrid models shaping online safety in 2026.

MIT master’s student Sunshine Jiang ’25 and Rupert Li ’24 are recipients of this year’s Knight-Hennessy Scholarship. Now in its ninth year, the highly competitive scholarship provides up to three years of financial support for graduate studies at Stanford University.  Sunshine Jiang  ’25 Sunshine Jiang, from Hangzhou, China, graduated from MIT in 2025 with a…