In an age gone by, MIT was the god of technology. As was Bell Labs and Xerox. They have all become irrelevant.
MIT as a college now plays second fiddle to the C9 in China and the IITs in India. What they now have to offer is history (like the Ashmolean Museum) and geography (like being in America). Geography is now history. And historians need to be good talking shops for history to record their (past) glory.
Let’s analyse the top ten technologies of 2026 which they conclude are going to be disruptive:
“Sodium-ion batteries could democratize energy storage and replace lithium.”
Nonsense, the maths of sodium doesn’t add up. Lithium has a unique place in the periodic table. The only element which can beat lithium is carbon – only because it can be designed into novel materials using ai.
“Generative coding is transforming software development.”
Very impressive sounding. GitHub transformed coding. Ai is yet to deliver inspite of an arts graduate saying it would.
“Next-gen nuclear : Small modular reactors, molten-salt systems, and advanced fuels.”
There has been zero breakthroughs in nuclear since 1965. Futuristic yes. But nothing new is going to happen anytime soon.
“Human interface with AI. Millions are already forming emotional relationships with AI companions.”
Do you see anyone divorcing their spouses to marry an ai. Ai will forge stronger human relationships than anything in history.
“In biotechnology, we may be entering the era of personalized gene editing.”
When was Crispr C9 invented. And what new is going to happen in 2026 ? Nothing.
“By studying the DNA of extinct species could help treat disease and protect endangered species.”
This is another one for sci fi movies. Zero practical relevance or utility.
“The field of mechanistic interpretability is helping us understand the internal reasoning of AI systems.”
Now this is a classic. We have no clue even how the human brain works. And now we are going to learn how something brainless works ?
“Commercial space stations are moving from concept to reality—turning low-Earth orbit into an economic zone.”
Now this is called positive thinking. We don’t even know what is under the oceans next door. And we want to put up data centres and solar plants in space.
“Embryo scoring, where traits—not just diseases—from embryo genetics.”
This is a just semantics. We can’t even figure out if a person is a India. Brahmin or a Negro from a DNA test when outside the womb – to now want to know a baby’s hair color before birth.
“AI revolution itself depends on hyperscale data centers.”
Show me one example in the history of the planet where capital was key to disruptive innovation.
MIT list of top 10 misses the plot completely. It lacks perspective. Lacks foresight. And lacks timeline. And has come up with a list of ten – not one of which deserves to be in the list.
Any first year student in any IIT will make a better list.
