MIT Media Lab

On October 22–24, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will premiere a new symphony by Media Lab Faculty Director Tod Machover: “already and not yet.” The work anchors the BSO’s “Technology and Our Humanity” series.

Before the performance on October 24, Professor Machover and Columbia University Professor George Lewis will consider the past, present, and future of musical technology, including artificial intelligence, and offer a "possible, positive vision" for the future of shared creative life, and of democracy itself.

Tod Machover's ALREADY AND NOT YET to Premiere at Boston Symphony Orchestra Composer and MIT Media Lab director Tod Machover's new symphony will receive its world premiere with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent…

In Tech Policy Press, Media Lab alum danah boyd discusses her new book, “Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census.”

The 'Jenga Politics' Threatening the US Census A conversation with danah boyd, author of Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census.

In her new book, “Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines,” MIT Professor Sherry Turkle offers a sharp critique of chatbots, which offer a kind of “pretend empathy” that may damage human relationships.

“People think the empathy of a machine is what empathy is, then turn away from the people in their lives because they’re not empathetic enough,” Professor Turkle says. “We’re getting ourselves in a position where human beings are too much work, right at the moment when we have never needed other people more.”

Who we become when we talk to machines In her new book “Artificial Intimacy,” MIT Professor Sherry Turkle contends that using chatbots harms people psychologically in every chapter of life.

“The important questions today in the world don’t exist within a single discipline … the solutions to problems exist between disciplines." In USA TODAY, Media Lab Professor Hugh Herr and other faculty researchers discuss the importance of “three-pointers” — potentially world-changing ideas that may take decades to realize. Academic labs give researchers vital time and space to pursue these long-shot projects.

How 'three-pointer' research is changing the world From cancer treatments to bionic limbs, university researchers are tackling major challenges.

It’s almost here! The inaugural MIT Future Fest starts on Wednesday, September 30, and runs through October 4.

Led by the MIT Museum in collaboration with MIT Technology Review and MIT Morningside Academy for Design, Future Fest celebrates work at the intersection of art, design, science, and technology. A number of Media Lab researchers and faculty members are participating in a variety of panels, performances, installations, and conversations.

Learn more: https://www.media.mit.edu/events/ml-mit-future-fest/

Curious about applying to the Media Lab? Register for the Virtual Open House for Prospective Students on October 9! You’ll have an opportunity to hear from staff, faculty, and students; learn about the academic program and the research groups; and ask questions.
Learn more and register for the webinar:

2026 MAS Virtual Open House – MIT Media Lab The virtual MAS Open House is an opportunity to hear from MAS staff, faculty, and current students, as well as familiarize yourself with our academic program a…

A number of community members from the Department of Architecture are participating in the inaugural MIT Future Fest, a creative festival starting next week from September 30 – October 4!

MIT Future Fest unlocks labs, workshops, and theaters across campus for five days of in-person experiences, exhibitions, tours, performances, and unexpected connections — pulling renowned researchers and curious first-timers alike into the shared thrill of discovery and action.

As part of the festival, on October 3, the MIT School of Architecture + Planning opens the Metropolitan Storage Warehouse to the public for a day of exhibitions, conversations, and discovery across the school’s new shared home. The Department of Architecture will host several activities as part of this open house. Admission is free!

View Architecture participation on our website: https://architecture.mit.edu/news/department-architecture-mit-future-fest-2026

The full program is available on the MIT Future Fest website. Note: Passes to the festival are free for the MIT community, but registration is required.

Presented in collaboration with the MIT Museum, MIT Technology Review, and MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD).

MIT researchers have invented a new microscope that can image electrical activity in neurons distributed across the brain of an entire organism. The technique could help scientists learn how the brain generates decisions and emotions.

“All of the parts of the brain are connected together, so if you want to truly understand the brain, you have to understand how all the neurons work together as an emergent whole,” says senior author Professor Ed Boyden, who holds a joint appointment in Media Arts and Sciences (the academic program at the Media Lab) and McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

High-speed microscopy reveals electrical activity across the brain MIT engineers have invented a high-performance microscope that can image electrical activity in neurons distributed across the brain of an entire organism.

Media Lab Professor Canan Dagdeviren walked the runway during New York Fashion Week as part of Rise’s “What Were You Wearing?” fashion show, held on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. For the event, she wore a contemporary interpretation of the Mor Cepken, or “Purple Guard,” a garment rooted in centuries of women’s memory, craftsmanship, and resistance.

Canan Dagdeviren walks New York Fashion Week runway in support of survivors of sexual violence – MIT Media Lab The Media Lab professor joined Rise’s “What Were You Wearing?” fashion show at the New York Stock Exchange wearing a contemporary Mor Cepken, a garment rooted …