Sophia Chen, Author at Gizmodo

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After a Complicated Legal Past, AI Set Her Free

Rasa Legal uses generative AI and other automation software to accelerate the expungement process.

Artificial Intelligence Sophia Chen Sep 4

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Is AI Running the Government? Here’s What We Know

Generative AI is meant to automate tasks that government workers previously performed, with a predicted 300,000 job cuts from the federal workforce by the end of the year.

Tech Policy Sophia Chen Aug 30

Birds Use Quantum Mechanics to See Magnetic Fields, New Research Suggests

A protein in birds' eyes is sensitive to magnetic fields, which may help explain how they navigate across the planet.

Biology Sophia Chen Jun 23

These Drums Beat in Perfect Synchrony Because They’re Quantumly Entangled

Physicists have built two tiny drums, each as large as a human hair is wide, and synchronized their vibrations exactly. They achieved this perfect unison of drums using a quantum mechanics phenomenon known as entanglement—and the drums could be useful for developing quantum computers. The two drums play together with a precision far beyond what…

Physics & Chemistry Sophia Chen May 22

How Microsoft’s Quantum Boast Went Bust

Microsoft is an outlier among the companies investing in quantum computing research. Unlike Google, IBM, or the handful of startups that have built noisy experimental prototypes out of superconducting circuits, ions, or photons, the company is trying to build a quantum computer by using objects known as Majorana particles—distinctive patterns of electrons in a tiny…

Physics & Chemistry Sophia Chen Mar 26

Physicists Are Reinventing the Laser

In the 1950s, when physicists were racing to invent the first laser, they found that the rules of quantum mechanics restricted how pure the color of their light could be. Since then, physicists and engineers have always built lasers with those restrictions in mind. But new theoretical research from two independent groups of physicists indicates…

Physics & Chemistry Sophia Chen Jan 30

Here, Play With This Quantum Puppet

This week, Colorado-based startup ColdQuanta announced it has put “quantum matter on the cloud.” Which means—what exactly? To unpack this perfect pairing of buzz phrases: By “quantum matter,” ColdQuanta is referring to a collection of tens of thousands of rubidium atoms, cooled to near absolute zero. “On the cloud” means that by filling out an…

Physics & Chemistry Sophia Chen Oct 23

D-Wave’s New Quantum Computer Is Inscrutable and Open for Business

In theory, quantum computers should be faster at solving many problems compared to classical computers. But because their components are extremely delicate, existing quantum computers are still rudimentary and error-prone, and academic and industry researchers have yet to demonstrate a profitable use for them. In pursuit of commercial applications, companies have built incrementally more complex…

Physics & Chemistry Sophia Chen Sep 29

This New Quantum Processor Is Made of Light

Experts are still unclear on what material will make the best quantum computer, but one obscure candidate is gaining traction: infrared light. Earlier this month, quantum computing startup Xanadu, based in Toronto, Canada, put two of its so-called photonic quantum computers on the cloud—the first commercially available devices of their kind. Xanadu’s computers each consist…

Physics & Chemistry Sophia Chen Sep 24

Sophia Chen

After a Complicated Legal Past, AI Set Her Free

Is AI Running the Government? Here’s What We Know

Birds Use Quantum Mechanics to See Magnetic Fields, New Research Suggests

These Drums Beat in Perfect Synchrony Because They’re Quantumly Entangled

How Microsoft’s Quantum Boast Went Bust

Physicists Are Reinventing the Laser

Here, Play With This Quantum Puppet

D-Wave’s New Quantum Computer Is Inscrutable and Open for Business

This New Quantum Processor Is Made of Light

See the Early Stages of How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Brought Rocky to Life

‘Cognitive Surrender’ Is a New and Useful Term for How AI Melts Brains

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Marshall Acton III Home Speaker Drops to a Record Low, the Deal Countdown Has Already Started

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

I’m Worried About the Helpless AI Disruptors of the Future

Russia Allegedly Swung at VPNs but Accidentally Hit Its Own Banking Sector Instead

Ryan Coogler Is Shifting ‘Animorphs’ Into a Disney+ Show

No Fooling, ‘Spaceballs 2’ Will Hit Theaters April 2027

I Regret to Inform You That the Artemis II Astronauts Are Having Lots of Screen Time

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life