China has seen a boom in electric vehicles over the past decade, thanks in part to government support. Buying an electric car has gone from an unusual decision to a routine one; By the end of 2025, nearly 60% of new cars sold will be electric or plug-in hybrids.
But as the batteries in China's first wave of electric vehicles reach the end of their life, early owners are beginning to retire their vehicles, and the country is now under pressure to figure out what to do with these aging components.
The problem puts a strain on China's still-growing battery recycling industry and creates a gray market that often violates safety and environmental standards. National regulators and commercial players are also getting involved, but so far these efforts have struggled to keep up with the flood of batteries coming off the roads. Read the full story.
— Caiwei Chen
Artificial Intelligence Advocates Are Not Afraid
This small but influential community believes, simply put, that AI can become so good that it can become bad—really, really bad—for humanity.
Doomers have made notable strides over the past few years, including helping to shape the AI policy coming out of the Biden administration. However, a series of events over the past six months have left them stumped. Talk of an artificial intelligence bubble has engulfed the debate as tech companies continue to invest in the Manhattan Project's numerous data centers without any certainty that future demand will match what they are building.
So what remains for the doomed? We decided to ask some of the movement's most vocal voices to find out whether recent setbacks and a general shift in sentiment have changed their views. Look what they said in our story.
—Garrison Lovely
This story is part of our new Hype Correction package, a collection of stories designed to help you change your expectations about what AI makes possible and what it doesn't. Check out the rest of the package.
Take our year-end health and biotech quiz
In just a couple of weeks we will say goodbye to 2025. And what a year it was! Artificial intelligence is being introduced into more aspects of our lives, the use of weight loss drugs has expanded, and there are several real-life biotech stories emerging in the areas of gene therapy, IVF, neurotech and more.
Jessica Hamzelu, our senior biotech columnist, invites you to test your memory. So how closely have you been paying attention this year??
