The specter of AI-enabled bioweapons looms large, yet workers at Microsoft and OpenAI fear it’s more about cannibalizing internet clicks than catastrophe. In 2022, an AI model generated 40,000 potential chemical warfare agents in mere hours, highlighting the dual-use potential of AI in biotech. Meanwhile, robot boats are proving their combat prowess, and OpenAI is mulling over the Hodge Conjecture, a famous math problem. Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI is eyeing data from failed startups, while schools grapple with Big Tech’s classroom influence. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is mapping the cosmos with a 3,200-megapixel camera, but can it outshine the AI arms race?

Will Douglas Heaven and Grace Huckins from MIT Technology Review tackle your questions: are we in danger or just in danger of fewer web pages? The role of the astronaut is in flux, with space exploration seen as a pilgrimage, a business opportunity, and a human imperative. As we look to the stars, we must also face the ethical shadows cast by AI.