DeepMind says its new language model can beat others 25 times its size

Pfizer's vaccine takes a "very large" hit from omicron—but boosters help 

Sponsored by Code42 The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Small but mighty 12.09.21 Good morning! Today: DeepMind has finally entered the language AI space—and it's making some big claims about its new model's capabilities. Also: two doses of the Pfizer vaccine can't stop omicron, but a booster on top can. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. DeepMind says its new language model can beat others 25 times its size   DeepMind has entered the chat: UK-based AI lab DeepMind has just unveiled its own large language model—and is making some big claims about its capabilities.  Go big or go home: Language models generate text by predicting what words come next in a sentence or conversation and have become a dominant trend in AI since OpenAI released its language model GPT-3 two years ago. Most of the big AI labs have since released their own versions, including Google, Facebook and Microsoft. Until now, DeepMind had been conspicuous by its absence. Remember this: DeepMind’s version, called RETRO (for “Retrieval-Enhanced Transformer”), is an AI with a twist: it’s enhanced with an external memory in the form of a vast database containing passages of text, which it uses as a kind of cheat sheet when generating new sentences.  Impressive claims: The firm says RETRO matches the performance of neural networks 25 times its size, cutting the time and cost needed to train very large models. The researchers also claim that the database makes it easier to analyze what the AI has learned, which could help with filtering out bias and toxic language. Read the full story. —Will Douglas Heaven Pfizer’s vaccine takes a “very large” hit from omicron—but boosters help ​​The bad news: A double dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine can’t stop the omicron version of the virus, according to lab tests, but a booster should be enough. The first lab results since omicron was detected point to a steep decrease in how well antibodies against the original virus block omicron: the tests show that potency drops off by a factor of 25 to 40. That indicates that individuals who have received two vaccines will most likely not have a significant prevention against infection. The good news: Results were much better among people who had received a booster in the form of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. In that case, the vaccine’s ability to block the coronavirus was essentially restored. And even two vaccine doses could still prevent the variant from killing people. That’s because vaccines create immunity not only via antibodies but also through long-lived memory cells, including T cells. Omicron’s mutations, for the most part, do not fall in areas targeted by the T cells that BioNTech has studied.  What’s next: BioNTech says it’s already designed an omicron vaccine and could shift its entire manufacturing process over by March. Read the full story. —Antonio Regalado  We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Someone turned Elizabeth Holmes’ voice notes into a version of “Fitter Happier” by Radiohead and it’s amazing.    + There’s some seriously cool stuff on this list of “52 things I learned in 2021.”   + I love this Russian tattoo artist’s designs.    + As the seasons change, so does the color of reindeers’ eyes.   + Jon Foreman’s beach art is best appreciated from above.   + Love this story about a retired doctor who got his physics PhD at the age of 89.    + This snippet about an owl-related identity mix-up made me laugh.    + The year in vibes. Are you intellectually curious? Tech-obsessed? We are too.   Get an insightful look into the technology of the future without getting bogged down by the jargon. Subscribe to MIT Technology Review today (subscriptions start at just $50 per year). Sponsor Message Insider Risk Management for Dummies The new Insider Risk Management for Dummies guide is now available in digital and print formats. What’s inside?   •    Getting a Grip on Insider Risk •    Why Traditional Tools Can’t Solve the Problem •    How to Get Started with a Better Approach •    Ten Key Takeaways   You will get an understanding of why Insider Risk is a growing concern to organizations, an overview of how organizations have historically attempted to address it, and a framework for how to actually address the root of the problem. Request your free copy today. Get the guide. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 South Africa is seeing hospital wards start to fill with children But it’s still too early to draw any firm conclusions about omicron. (NYT $)   + New restrictions are being imposed in the UK as cases keep rising. (BBC)   + There’s rising anger there over holiday parties attended by officials last year which broke national rules. (NYT $)   + Cases and deaths are rising in the US too. (Axios)   + The pandemic is raging on in New Mexico. (New Yorker $)   + Covid attacks fat tissue, which explains why overweight people are at higher risk. (NYT $)  2 People are getting married in the metaverse 💑 I’d rather attend a wedding in the meatverse, personally, but each to their own. (NYT $)   3 For renewables to succeed, we need the US grid to improve  Right now, the creaking grid is a significant barrier to progress on clean energy. (Wired $)    + The $1 trillion infrastructure bill is a baby step toward the US grid we need. (TR)  4 Italy fined Amazon nearly $1.3 billion for breaking antitrust laws While the US keeps debating, Europe’s acting—though fines alone don’t seem to have changed much so far. (Reuters $)   5 Jihadists are co-opting the alt-right’s playbook What a mixed-up, muddled-up world this is. (Wired $)   6 A big gaming company’s plan to get into NFTs makes no sense All of the functions Ubisoft touts could more easily be done through a central database. (Ars Technica)   + Wikipedia’s editors are furious with co-founder Jimmy Wales for auctioning his first edit as an NFT. (Vice)  7 The guy who threw away half a billion dollars’ worth of bitcoin Eight years on, he’s still trying to get it back. (New Yorker $)   8 A working phone is the most important thing a refugee can own Despite governments’ efforts to weaponize them through surveillance. (The Verge)   9 Japan’s elders are getting into gaming 🎮 And they’re taking it very seriously. (WSJ $)   + Millennials are rediscovering their love for The Sims. (Wired $)  10 What Americans googled in 2021 A bizarre mishmash of stimulus checks, TikTok pasta, crypto, and loneliness. (Recode) Quote of the day “We had to manually give them food like in ancient times.” —Kyle Lerner, a 29-year-old small business owner, tells the Wall Street Journal that his cats’ automatic feeder stopped working due to the Amazon Web Services’ outage this week. Top image credit: MS TECH | GETTY Please send Sims to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Advancing the promise of technology Make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for insights, analysis, and news about the world of technology. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. 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