Ariel Aberg-Riger is the author of America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History.
The reason you are reading this letter from me today is that I was bored 30 years ago.
I was bored and curious about the world and so I wound up spending a lot of time in the university computer lab, screwing around on Usenet and the early World Wide Web, looking for interesting things to read. Soon enough I wasn’t content to just read stuff on the internet—I wanted to make it. So I learned HTML and made a basic web page, and then a better web page, and then a whole website full of web things. And then I just kept going from there. That amateurish collection of web pages led to a journalism internship with the online arm of a magazine that paid little attention to what we geeks were doing on the web. And that led to my first real journalism job, and then another, and, well, eventually this journalism job.
But none of that would have been possible if I hadn’t been bored and curious. And more to the point: curious about tech.
The university computer lab may seem at first like an unlikely center for creativity. We tend to think of creativity as happening more in the artist’s studio or writers’ workshop. But throughout history, very often our greatest creative leaps—and I would argue that the web and its descendants represent one such leap—have been due to advances in technology.
There are the big easy examples, like photography or the printing press, but it’s also true of all sorts of creative inventions that we often take for granted. Oil paints. Theaters. Musical scores. Electric synthesizers! Almost anywhere you look in the arts, perhaps outside of pure vocalization, technology has played a role.
But the key to artistic achievement has never been the technology itself. It has been the way artists have applied it to express our humanity. Think of the way we talk about the arts. We often compliment it with words that refer to our humanity, like soul, heart, and life; we often criticize it with descriptors such as sterile, clinical, or lifeless. (And sure, you can love a sterile piece of art, but typically that’s because the artist has leaned into sterility to make a point about humanity!)
All of which is to say I think that AI can be, will be, and already is a tool for creative expression, but that true art will always be something steered by human creativity, not machines.
I could be wrong. I hope not.
This issue, which was entirely produced by human beings using computers, explores creativity and the tension between the artist and technology. You can see it on our cover illustrated by Tom Humberstone, and read about it in stories from James O’Donnell, Will Douglas Heaven, Rebecca Ackermann, Michelle Kim, Bryan Gardiner, and Allison Arieff.
Yet of course, creativity is about more than just the arts. All of human advancement stems from creativity, because creativity is how we solve problems. So it was important to us to bring you accounts of that as well. You’ll find those in stories from Carrie Klein, Carly Kay, Matthew Ponsford, and Robin George Andrews. (If you’ve ever wanted to know how we might nuke an asteroid, this is the issue for you!)
We’re also trying to get a little more creative ourselves. Over the next few issues, you’ll notice some changes coming to this magazine with the addition of some new regular items (see Caiwei Chen’s “3 Things” for one such example). Among those changes, we are planning to solicit and publish more regular reader feedback and answer questions you may have about technology. We invite you to get creative and email us: newsroom@technologyreview.com.
As always, thanks for reading.
Some expanded features for your Ray Ban smart glasses.
Updated resources for parents, including a range of new video overviews.
Meta will be looking to push back against the latest EU penalty.
More data protection options from WhatsApp.
A new AI-based test from YouTube.
Former SEC Chair Jay Clayton confirmed that he has been appointed as the interim US Attorney for the Southern District of New York after the Democratic Party’s Senate leader used a “blue slip” to block a vote confirming Clayton’s position.
The appointment comes a little over five months after US President Donald Trump nominated Clayton to take on the role. He replaces Damian Williams, who played a major role in the conviction of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and other high-profile crypto cases.
Clayton said on April 22 his top priorities would be to protect public safety, ensure the integrity of the US financial system, defend national security interests and combat fraud, particularly against the elderly and most vulnerable.
The temporary nature of Clayton’s appointment resulted from Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s use of a blue slip to block Clayton’s confirmation on April 16, effectively preventing a Senate vote and official confirmation of his position.
Blue slips can be used by senators to block US attorney or district court judicial nominees in their home states.
Clayton is allowed to serve as interim US attorney for up to 120 days without Senate confirmation. After that, he will need to be approved in a Senate vote or receive a temporary extension of his interim status from Manhattan’s federal court.
Trump criticized Schumer’s move in an April 17 Truth Social post, pointing out that Clayton received bipartisan support in the Senate and that Clayton complied with all requests asked of him.
The interim status of Clayton’s position will last until around Aug. 20. The role will see him as the top law enforcement officer for New York’s Southern District, encompassing the counties of New York, Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan.
The Southern District of New York is the oldest federal court district in the US, and its location in the country’s financial epicenter means it often handles high-profile cases involving white-collar crime.
Clayton has shared mostly positive views on crypto
Clayton served as SEC chair between May 4, 2017, and Dec. 23, 2020, and brought 56 cases against crypto firms during his tenure.
Related: Oregon AG lawsuit against Coinbase calls XRP unregistered security
He stated in a December 2021 CNBC interview that he’s a “huge believer in crypto technology,” adding that “the efficiency benefits in the financial system and otherwise from tokenization are immense.”
Clayton has also praised Bitcoin (BTC) as a prominent store of value, but didn’t allow Bitcoin exchange-traded products during his time as SEC chair.
The first US Bitcoin investment product was approved in 2021 under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler.
Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple and industry with no crypto legal precedent set
Chiliz, a SportsFi company, has met with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to discuss an investment and reentry into the US crypto market under the crypto-friendly White House and increased push for regulatory clarity surrounding digital assets.
According to the meeting request made public by the SEC, Chiliz plans a reentry into the US market around the time of the 2026 FIFA World Cup international football (soccer) tournament. The comeback would be accompanied by a $50 million to $100 million investment in the local market. National Basketball Association and National Football League teams are said to be interested in launching fan tokens if regulatory clarity improves.
The meeting with the federal agency was held on April 22 — the same day Chiliz CEO Alexandre Dreyfus shared a photo with Bo Hines, executive director of Trump’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, suggesting a second meeting with White House officials.
According to the meeting document, Chiliz discussed the proposed structure of a fan token and why “it should not be classified as a security.” Broadly, a security is an investment wherein the investor expects a profit due to the efforts of someone other than the investor.
Whether cryptocurrencies and related assets are securities has been a key issue in the regulation of Web3 within the United States.
Related: Chiliz’ Socios.com secures in-principle license approval in Malta
Chiliz ecosystem sees lower TVL in 2025
Chiliz, despite its partnerships with football clubs, gaming teams, and racing companies, has seen a significant drop in activity within its ecosystem. DefiLlama data shows the protocols’ total value locked has fallen from $17.8 million on Dec. 9, 2024, to $6.5 million on April 22, 2025, marking a 63.5% drop.
Its governance token hasn’t fared particularly well, either. According to CoinMarketCap, the Chiliz (CHZ) token price has declined 67% over the past 12 months. The company is known for its fan tokens, which allow enthusiasts to own the official cryptocurrencies of their favorite sports clubs.
The company has made headway into the soccer market, partnering with Football Club Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City, among others.
Related: FIFA launches NFT collection amid 2023 Club World Cup
Chiliz invested $80 million in partnerships within the US market in 2021, the document shows. However, regulatory uncertainty and the fallout from FTX’s collapse led to a “strategic exit” in the following year.
The next World Cup is expected to take place in June 2026. The United States will be the main host of the tournament, while Canada and Mexico will act as auxiliary hosts.
Magazine: ‘Normie degens’ go all in on sports fan crypto tokens for the rewards
Chiliz, a SportsFi company, has met with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to discuss an investment and reentry into the US crypto market under the crypto-friendly White House and increased push for regulatory clarity surrounding digital assets.
According to the proposed meeting request made public by the SEC, Chiliz plans a reentry into the US market around the time of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The comeback would be accompanied by a $50 million to $100 million investment in the local market. NBA and NFL teams are allegedly interested in launching fan tokens if regulatory clarity improves.
The meeting with the federal agency was held on April 22 — the same day Chiliz CEO Alexandre Dreyfus shared a photo with Bo Hines, executive director of Trump’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, suggesting a second meeting with White House officials.
According to the meeting document, Chiliz discussed the proposed structure of a fan token and why “it should not be classified as a security.” Broadly, a security is an investment wherein the investor expects a profit due to the efforts of someone other than the investor.
Whether cryptocurrencies and related assets are securities has been a key issue in the regulation of Web3 within the United States.
Related: Chiliz’ Socios.com secures in-principle license approval in Malta
Chiliz ecosystem sees lower TVL in 2025
Chiliz, despite its partnerships with football clubs, gaming teams, and racing companies, has seen a significant drop in activity within its ecosystem. DefiLlama data shows the protocols’ total value locked has fallen from $17.8 million on Dec. 9, 2024, to $6.5 million on April 22, 2025, marking a 63.5% drop.
Its governance token hasn’t fared particularly well either. According to CoinMarketCap, the Chiliz (CHZ) token price has declined 67% over the past 12 months. The company is known for its fan tokens, which allow enthusiasts to own the official cryptocurrencies of their favorite sports clubs.
The company has made headway into the soccer market, partnering with Football Club Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City, among others.
Related: FIFA launches NFT collection amid 2023 Club World Cup
Chiliz invested $80 million in partnerships within the US market in 2021, the document shows. However, regulatory uncertainty and the fallout from FTX’s collapse led to a “strategic exit” in the following year.
The next World Cup is expected to take place in June 2026. The United States will be the main host of the tournament, while Canada and Mexico will act as auxiliary hosts.
Magazine: ‘Normie degens’ go all in on sports fan crypto tokens for the rewards
StrictlyVC is turning up the heat in 2025 — and we’re going international! First stop: Athens, May 8. Get ready for sharp, unfiltered conversations onstage — and your chance to jump into the dialogue. This isn’t just an event; it’s a forum where every attendee has a voice with some of Europe’s most influential tech […]
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