The Obtain: Synthetic surf swimming pools, and unfunny AI

For almost so long as browsing has existed, surfers have been obsessive about the seek for the proper wave. 

Whereas this hunt has taken surfers from tropical coastlines to icebergs, lately that search might happen nearer to house. That’s, a minimum of, the imaginative and prescient introduced by builders and boosters within the rising business of surf swimming pools, spurred by advances in wave-­producing expertise which have lastly created synthetic waves surfers truly wish to trip.

However there’s an issue: a few of these swimming pools are in drought-ridden areas, and face fierce native opposition. On the core of those fights is a query that’s additionally on the coronary heart of the game: What’s the price of discovering, or now creating, the proper wave—and who must bear it? Learn the total story.

—Eileen Guo

This story is from the forthcoming print concern of MIT Expertise Evaluation, which explores the theme of Play. It’s set to go dwell on Wednesday June 26, so in case you don’t already, subscribe now to get a replica when it lands.

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