Devin Coldewey
Writer & Photographer
The Latest from Devin Coldewey
The Rabbit r1 shipped half-baked, but that’s kind of the point
I finally received the rabbit r1 (the company insists on this lowercase styling) I’ve been writing about since its debut at CES in January. And I was able to tell within about 30 seconds of turn
This Week in AI: Generative AI and the problem of compensating creators
Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of recent stories in the world of machine learning, along with notable res
Allozymes puts its accelerated enzymatics to work on a data and AI play, raising $15M
Allozymes uses a method in which millions of enzymes can be tested per day, rather than just a few hundred.
Shinkei’s humane, quality-preserving fish-harvesting tech could upend the seafood industry
Shinkei raised $6 million to help it go from pilot to production, with a goal of 10 machines in actual use by the end of the year.
Creators of Sora-powered short explain AI-generated video’s strengths and limitations
OpenAI’s video generation tool Sora took the AI community by surprise in February with fluid, realistic video that seems miles ahead of competitors. But the carefully stage-managed debut left ou
Meta AI tested: Doesn’t quite justify its own existence, but free is free
Meta’s new large language model, Llama 3, powers the imaginatively named “Meta AI,” a newish chatbot that the social media and advertising company has installed in as many of its app
FCC officially votes to reinstate net neutrality
This restores, with some changes and protections, the rules passed back in 2015 allowing the FCC to enforce basic rules of connectivity and fairness in broadband.
Radical thinks the time has come for solar-powered, high-altitude autonomous aircraft
Though many eyes are on space as orbit develops into a thriving business ecosystem, Radical is keeping things a little closer to the ground — but not too close. Its high-altitude, solar-powered airc
This Week in AI: When ‘open source’ isn’t so open
Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of recent stories in the world of machine learning, along with notable re
Too many models
How many AI models is too many? It depends on how you look at it, but 10 a week is probably a bit much. That’s roughly how many we’ve seen roll out in the last few days, and it’s inc
Space startups are licking their lips after NASA converts $11B Mars mission into a free-for-all
Considering how heavily both primes and space startups have been investing in interplanetary capability, this announcement arguably amounts to a historic windfall.
Betaworks bets on AI agents in latest ‘Camp’ cohort
Betaworks is embracing the AI trend not with yet another LLM, but instead a clutch of agent-type models automating everyday tasks that nevertheless aren’t so simple to define. The investor’
Astranis unveils Omega ‘MicroGEO’ satellites for beaming dedicated broadband down from high orbit
Astranis has taken the wraps off a new generation of communications satellites that will serve broadband to customers on Earth from geostationary orbit, but faster and smaller than any comsat up there
Space diversity initiative builds steam with new leadership and K-12 focused National Space Day
A growing effort to attract more women and people of color into the space industry has shared some of its first results and a new occasion to rally around: National Space Day, May 3, when thousands of
Net neutrality won’t survive a Trump presidency
Net neutrality’s long trip toward (then away from, then toward again, then away, and now once more toward) federal protections against broadband meddling may be entering its final chapter, eithe
‘A Brief History of the Future’ offers a hopeful antidote to cynical tech takes
Cynicism is a quality taken almost for granted in tech journalism, and certainly we are as guilty as the next publication. But both the risk and the promise of technology are real, and a new documenta
Anthropic researchers wear down AI ethics with repeated questions
How do you get an AI to answer a question it’s not supposed to? There are many such “jailbreak” techniques, and Anthropic researchers just found a new one, in which a large language
Why Trump’s digital media company is different from other money-losing startups
Former president Donald Trump’s digital media company is losing money, and lots of it. But why is that any different from other “startups,” which often struggle to post a profit for
ChatGPT no longer requires an account — but there’s a catch
OpenAI is making its flagship conversational AI accessible to everyone, even people who haven’t bothered making an account. It won’t be quite the same experience, however — and of course
This Week in AI: Let us not forget the humble data annotator
Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of recent stories in the world of machine learning, along with notable re