Top Tech Breakthroughs on My Mind This Week

Each month my team and I review hundreds of science and tech advancements that are transforming the world...

Below, I’m sharing my top 4 breakthroughs in tech, science, and longevity that are currently on my mind—"what they are” and “why they're important.”

My goal: Offer you an antidote to all the pessimistic news you’re bombarded with every day. 

If you find this valuable, please share it with your family and friends! Remember that we are living during the most extraordinary time ever.

Flying Cars Set 523-mile Distance Record (100x Energy Density)

What It Is: Joby Aviation unveils a hydrogen-powered eVTOL with a 523-mile range, potentially revolutionizing regional travel (compared to previous battery-limited ranges of 150 miles). CEO JoeBen Bevirt envisions emissions-free flights between major cities. The aircraft, featuring H2FLY's fuel cell system, demonstrated 100 times the energy density of batteries. Despite infrastructure challenges, $9.5 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law could boost green hydrogen production, transforming the aviation industry. 

Why It Matters: “Flying Cars” (technically Electric Vertical Takeoff or Landing, eVTOL) have previously been powered on lithium-ion batteries and were limited to a range of ~150. By switching to hydrogen fuel cell technology, which burns hydrogen with oxygen to generate electricity and water, the new design has 5x the range (523 miles) using only 40 kg of hydrogen. This expanded range enables emissions-free inter-city flights (LA to SF, NY to Boston, etc.). “Hydrogen has one hundred times the specific energy of today’s batteries and three times that of jet fuel,” Bevirt wrote. “The result is an electric aircraft that can travel much farther—and carry a greater payload—than is possible not only with any battery cells currently under development, but even with the same mass of jet fuel.”

OpenAI's 5-Step Journey to AGI: Roadmap Unveiled

What It Is: OpenAI unveiled a 5-level roadmap to artificial general intelligence (AGI), offering a clearer picture of progress towards AGI. The levels are defined as following:

>Level 1: Current chatbots

>Level 2: PhD-level reasoners

>Level 3: Multi-day autonomous agents

>Level 4: AI innovators rivaling Thomas Edison

>Level 5: AI organizations replacing entire companies

While experts disagree on timelines, with estimates ranging from 5 to 50 years for reaching Level 5, the rapid pace of AI advancement is undeniable, emphasizing the importance of understanding and implementing AI in business strategies now.

Why It Matters: I’m personally focused on “Level 2” above, which we can expect to reach within the next 6 to 18 months. When we reach PhD-level AI agents, it is likely to trigger what is known as an “intelligence explosion” wherein AI is programming the next level of AI. Realistically, we aren’t truly able to grasp the implications for humanity which will range from significantly extended human healthspan, to the development of new mathematics and physics. This isn't just technological advancement—it's the key to solving global challenges and creating abundance. The implications are staggering, promising to transform industries and amplify human creativity exponentially.

OpenAI's Project Strawberry: A Leap Towards AI Reasoning and Autonomous Research

What It Is: OpenAI’s groundbreaking AI model codenamed “Strawberry” (previously known as Q*) is aiming to revolutionize AI reasoning capabilities. This project focuses on enabling AI to conduct "deep research" by autonomously navigating the internet. In success, it will be capable of answering tricky science and math questions that are out of reach of today’s models. As Sam Altman said, “the most important areas of progress in AI will be around reasoning ability.” OpenAI aims to achieve long-horizon tasks (LHT), allowing AI to plan and execute complex actions over extended periods. Using a computer-using agent (CUA), Strawberry models could potentially browse the web independently, marking a significant advancement in AI technology. 

Why It Matters: AI that is able to reason, that is able to task hundreds or thousands of “AI agents” to independently collect data, do research and report back their findings is the next great leap in AI intelligence. Remember when Sam Altman was fired as CEO of OpenAI by his board? It was rumored that Project Q* (now Strawberry) was so advanced that it scared key employees and the board, and that Altman had not disclosed the speed of the progress. Bottom line: self-reasoning AI agents will enable a seismic shift in AI capability, accelerating the rate of acceleration, bringing about superhuman discoveries. We're on the cusp of an explosion in scientific breakthroughs and technological advancements that will propel us towards a future of abundance and limitless possibilities. Exciting times ahead!

New Drug CURES Diabetes, Boosting Insulin Cells 700% (in Mice) 

What It Is: Scientists at Mount Sinai and City of Hope developed a drug therapy combining harmine and GLP1 receptor agonists, boosting insulin-producing cells by 700% in diabetic mice over three months. This breakthrough reverses both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, offering hope for millions affected globally. Dr. Adolfo Garcia-Ocaña emphasizes its potential for regenerative therapies, though human trials are still needed.

Why It Matters: This is huge news! Over 38 million individuals in the US, and 422 million individuals worldwide are impacted by diabetes. The disease causes heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and neuropathy. This breakthrough is a game-changer for longevity and healthspan. By regenerating insulin-producing cells, we're not just treating symptoms—we're potentially curing this chronic life-limiting disease. This exemplifies how targeted therapies can radically transform health outcomes. Such a cure is worth many trillions of dollars worldwide in positive economic impact, and would significantly extend healthspan (by 20 years for Type 1 diabetics, and 6-years for Type 2 diabetics).

Live Abundantly, 

Peter H. Diamandis, MD