Google's AI boss: the biggest breakthroughs are yet to come

PLUS: Los Angeles Just Proved How Spongy a City Can Be, and more. [View this email in your browser]( | [Manage newsletter subscriptions]( [02.19.24](   [Aerial of Los Angeles Interstate while raining]( MAKING IT RAIN | 3-MINUTE READ [Los Angeles Just Proved How Spongy a City Can Be]( BY MATT SIMON [As relentless rains pounded LA, the city’s “sponge” infrastructure helped gather 8.6 billion gallons of water—enough to sustain over 100,000 households for a year.](   [robots playing chess]( CREATIVE SOLUTIONS | 8-MINUTE READ [Google’s Chess Experiments Reveal How to Boost the Power of AI]( BY STEPHEN ORNES [By rewarding computers that combined different approaches to solve chess puzzles, Google created an enhanced AI that could defeat its existing champion, AlphaZero.](   [Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 in silver]( DEALS | 6-MINUTE READ [The Best Presidents’ Day Deals]( BY LOURYN STRAMPE [Pixel smartphones, Sony headphones, and Apple iPads are all on sale.](   [Person wearing a navy suit and sitting in an orange chair while speaking on stage]( DEEPMIND | 5-MINUTE READ [Google’s AI Boss Says Scale Only Gets You So Far]( BY WILL KNIGHT [In an interview with WIRED, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis says the biggest breakthroughs in AI are yet to come—and will take more than just chips.]( ADVERTISEMENT [GET WIRED]( [Stay WIRED-IN during our email exclusive sale. Get full tech coverage with a subscription to WIRED for just$30 $5.Plus free stickers!Subscribe Now.](   [A person standing next to mines and ammunition laid out on a dirt road next to a field]( BURIED ISSUES | 9-MINUTE READ [The Danger Lurking Just Below Ukraine's Surface]( BY JUSTIN LING [The widespread use of mines has left Ukrainians scrambling to find ways to clear the explosives. New efforts to develop mine-clearing technology may help them push back Russia's invading forces.](   [Fire truck and firemen near water]( CLIMATE CHANGE | 2-MINUTE READ [Tech Still Isn’t Doing Enough to Care for the Environment]( BY STEPHEN ARMSTRONG [Priscilla Chomba-Kinywa, CTO of Greenpeace, says technology firms must shape up—and consumers and business clients should walk away if they don’t.](   [A person scratching their head against a pixellated blue sky with an error symbol over their face.]( DIGITAL CULTURE | 4-MINUTE READ [Bluesky’s Future Is Social Media’s Past]( BY JASON PARHAM [The X competitor is now open to the public—but until the platform establishes an identity, it will be more of the same.](   [Sony A7IV Camera Body]( BUYING GUIDE | 2-MINUTE READ [The Best Mirrorless Cameras to Level Up Your Photos]( BY SCOTT GILBERTSON [Want the image quality of a DSLR without the bulk? These WIRED picks do more with less.](   [Ultimate Ears Epic Boom Bluetooth Speaker]( BUYING GUIDE | 2-MINUTE READ [Take Your Tunes Anywhere With Our Fave Bluetooth Speakers]( BY PARKER HALL [These are our favorite portable speakers of all shapes and sizes, from clip-ons to a massive boom box.](   Looking for a new job? Check out these featured listings and search for openings all over the world on [jobs.wired.com](. [Machine Learning Engineer]( [EA]( Location: Toronto, Canada [APPLY NOW]( [Machine Programmer]( [Honeywell]( [Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA]( [APPLY NOW]( ADVERTISEMENT [(image) WIRED Logo]( [(image) WIRED on Facebook]( [(image) WIRED on Twitter]( [(image) WIRED on Instagram]( [(image) WIRED on LinkedIn]( [(image) WIRED on YouTube]( [Podcasts]( [TikTok]( Have questions or comments? [Reply to this email](mailto:hello@wired.com?subject=WIRED Newsletter Questions, Comments or Feedback). This email was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our email address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( or [Manage your newsletter subscriptions]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2024. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.