AI, Crime, and Energy Storage Dominate MIT Technology Review's Latest Breakthroughs as Pentagon Pressures Anthropic Over Military AI Access
Summary
MIT Technology Review spotlights AI, crime, and energy storage breakthroughs as the Pentagon pressures Anthropic to grant full military access to its Claude AI model, threatening to cut ties if refused, while sodium-ion batteries emerge as a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium-ion technology.
Key Points
- MIT Technology Review is launching its March/April Crime issue, exploring how emerging technologies like cryptocurrency, autonomous drones, and AI are simultaneously enabling new forms of crime and empowering law enforcement, often at the cost of civil liberties.
- The Pentagon is pressuring Anthropic to grant the US military full access to its Claude AI model, threatening to cut ties if the company refuses, while Anthropic is reportedly standing firm on its military use restrictions.
- Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a cheaper and safer alternative to lithium-ion technology, making their way into vehicles and grid energy storage, earning a spot on MIT Technology Review's 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2026 list.