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So Long, GPT-5. Hello, Qwen
In the AI boom, chatbots and GPTs come and go quickly. (Remember Llama?) GPT-5 had a big year, but 2026 will be all about Qwen.
In Cryptoland, Memecoin Fever Gives Way to a Stablecoin Boom
In a year that began with a memecoin trading frenzy, stablecoins have emerged as the respectable face of the crypto industry.
Militias and far-right extremists believed they would be central to Trump’s mass deportation plans. Instead he militarized law enforcement agencies.
Billion-Dollar Data Centers Are Taking Over the World
The battle for AI dominance has left a large footprint—and it’s only getting bigger and more expensive.
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The Age of the All-Access AI Agent Is Here
Big Balls Was Just the Beginning
Tech Disrupted Friendship. It’s Time to Bring It Back
Is the latest iPhone operating system aesthetically appealing? No. But is it useful? Also no. At least I have company among the disgruntled.
DEI Died This Year. Maybe It Was Supposed To
From dead crabs to shredded bed sheets, fraudsters are using fake photos and videos to get their money back from ecommerce sites.
6 Scary Predictions for AI in 2026
You’re Thinking About AI and Water All Wrong
How Taiwan Made Cashless Payments Cute
From Tesla to AI friends to Big Balls and back, this is our definitive breakdown of everything, and everyone, that conquered the WIRED world this year—and a few that fell from the top.
AI of a Thousand Faces
All Hail the Technocracy
WIRED Takes You Back to School
The New Era of Work Travel
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A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part I
Originally published July 2021: From #UKnowUrBlackWhen to #BlackLivesMatter, how a loose online network became a pop culture juggernaut, an engine of social justice, and a lens into the future.
