Here are MIT Technology Review’s best-performing stories of 2024

What do people like the most? Here are some of the most popular stories:

10 Breakthrough Technologies in 2024

Every year, when we compile this annual list, we look for promising technologies that promise to have a real impact on the world. It represents what we consider to be the most important advances, with the 2024 version including weight-loss drugs, microchips and the first gene-editing treatments.

The 2025 roster will drop in early January. To find out why we were shortlisted, join us for a special live roundtable event, “Unveiled 10 breakthrough technologies in 2025,” Friday, January 3 at 12:30 PM ET. This is a subscriber only event. Sign up or Subscribe for access.)

What is artificial intelligence?

Everyone thinks they know, but no one can agree. In this in-depth feature, senior editor Will Douglas Paradise explores the issue and explains why it matters to all of our futures. He describes the origins of modern artificial intelligence and delves into the ongoing debate among experts about the technology’s capabilities and potential.

Artificial Intelligence Hype Index

There’s no denying that artificial intelligence is developing at a rapid pace, and it can be hard to know what’s worthy of your attention. That’s why we set out to map everything you need to know about the state of artificial intelligence in a new matrix, along an axis from “hype” to “real” and “apocalypse” to “utopia.”