The 2026 list will be released on January 12th, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I'd like to share some of the technologies from this year's scrap pile to shed some light on our decision-making process.
These four technologies there won't be be on our list of 2026 breakthroughs, but they've all been carefully reviewed and we think they're worth knowing about.
Male contraceptives
Several new treatments are in development for sexually active men who want to prevent pregnancy, potentially providing an alternative to condoms or vasectomies.
Two of these treatments are currently being tested in clinical trials by Contraline. One is a gel that men apply to the upper arm or upper arm once a day to suppress sperm production, and the other is a device designed to block sperm during ejaculation. (Kevin EisenfrathsCEO of Contraline, was recently named to our list of innovators under 35). Tablet once daily is also in early-stage trials with YourChoice Therapeutics.
While this progress is exciting to watch, it will still take several years for any of these treatments to reach clinical trials—assuming all goes well.
Models of the world
In recent months, global models have become the hot new thing in the field of artificial intelligence. Although they difficult to determineThese models are typically trained on video or spatial data and aim to create virtual 3D worlds using simple cues. They reflect fundamental principles, such as gravity, that govern our real world. The results could be used in game design or to enhance robots' abilities by helping them understand their physical environment.
Although there is some disagreement about what exactly a world model is, the idea is certainly gaining traction. Notable artificial intelligence researchers, including Yann LeCun And Fei-Fei Li launched companies to develop them, and Lee's startup World Labs released its first version last month. And Google made a huge splash by releasing release of its world model Genie 3 earlier this year.
While these models promise to be an exciting new frontier for AI in the coming year, it seems premature to consider them a breakthrough. But be sure to check this place out.
