Download: Digital Dollars and AI Guidelines

In 2020, digital currencies were one of the hottest topics in town. China was on the way to launching its own central bank digital currency, or CBDC, and many other countries have launched CBDC research projects. Even Facebook has proposed a global digital currency called Libra.

Few raised eyebrows when the Boston branch of the US Federal Reserve announced a project to study how a CBDC could be technically developed. After all, a hypothetical US central bank digital currency is hardly controversial. And the US could not afford to be left behind.

How things change. Three years later, the digital dollar — even though it doesn’t exist — has become political red meat as some politicians call it a dystopian tracking device. And at the end of last year, the Boston Fed quietly stopped work on its project.

So, is the dream of a digital dollar dead? Read the story in its entirety.

— Mike Orcutt

Introducing MIT Technology Review Roundtables

I’m excited to announce that MIT Technology Review is launching a new subscriber-only series of online events called Roundtables. These are 30-minute monthly conversations with our writers and editors that aim to keep you up-to-date on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, climate change and more.

In the first, on August 10, David Rothman, editor-in-chief of MIT Technology Review, will talk with editor-in-chief Matt Honan, and they will discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy. Second, on September 12th, I (Charlotte, our news editor!) will be speaking with Melissa Heikle, our senior AI reporter, about a topic she has a lot of expertise in: How should we regulate AI?