All events

Time: 9:00 AMLocation: Rome, GA / Berry College

The irony of artificial intelligence is that it often reveals more about human intelligence than machines themselves.From AI in the home to robots in the workplace, the presence of AI all around us compels us to question its potential and recognize the risks. What has become clear is that the more we advance AI technology and consider machine ability versus human ability, the more we need to mind the gap.Researchers at MIT have been at the forefront of this evolving field. The work presented in this exhibition builds on the pioneering contributions of figures such as Claude Shannon and Seymour Papert, while highlighting contemporary research that spans computer science, mechanical engineering, neuroscience, and the social sciences.As research probes the connections between human and machine intelligence, it also underscores the profound differences. With AI now embedded in everyday life — from smart assistants in our homes to robots in the workplace — we are challenged to ask critical questions about its potential, its risks, and the boundaries between machine ability and human capability.Join us in shining light on the tremendous promise, unforeseen impacts, and everyday misconceptions of AI in this riveting, interactive exhibition.Learn more about the exhibition.

How can code be used as a creative tool by artists and designers?This question motivates the work of the Future Sketches group at the MIT Media Lab. Led by artist and educator Zach Lieberman, the group aims to help us “see” code by using it to make artistically controlled, computer-generated visuals.Explore some of the latest research from the group that uses typography and digital tools to create interactive, creative, and immersive work.Located in our Martin J. (1959) and Eleanor C. Gruber Gallery.

How can you investigate something you cannot see?The challenge of understanding the unknown motivates scientists today, just as it has inspired curious people for centuries.Using material from the Allen Forbes Collection, this exhibit traces the scientific process of observing, measuring, and describing that turned whales from monsters into mammals.Using prints from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, Monsters of the Deep examines how European knowledge about the creatures of the sea was informed by new information from sailors, scholars, and beachcombers, and how that knowledge transformed what people understood about the natural world.Want a closer look at what we have on view? You can explore digitized versions of exhibition objects here.On view through January 2026.

Hiroshi Ishii and the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab have pioneered new ways for people to interact with computers, with the invention of the “tangible user interface.”It began with a vision of "Tangible Bits," where users can manipulate ordinary physical objects to access digital information. It evolved into a bolder vision of "Radical Atoms," where materials can change form and reconfigure themselves just as pixels can on a screen. This experimental exhibit of three iconic works — SandScape, inFORM, and TRANSFORM — is part of the MIT Museum's ongoing efforts to collect the physical machines as well as preserve the user experience of, in Ishii's words, making atoms dance.Learn more about the exhibits here, or watch the YouTube video of Hiroshi Ishii's talk at the MIT Museum below.This is an ongoing exhibition in our MIT Collects exhibition.

Janet Echelman's Remembering the Future widens our perspective in time, giving sculptural form to the history of the Earth's climate from the last ice age to the present moment, and then branching out to visualize multiple potential futures.Constructed from colored twines and ropes that are braided, knotted and hand-spliced to create a three-dimensional form, the immersive artwork greets you with its grand scale presiding over the MIT Museum lobby.This large-scale installation by 2022-2024 MIT Distinguished Visiting Artist Janet Echelman, was developed during her residency at the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST). Architect, engineer and MIT Associate Professor Caitlin Mueller collaborated on the development of the piece.The title, Remembering the Future was inspired by the writings commonly attributed to Søren Kierkegaard: "The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you'll never have."As the culmination of three years of dedicated research and collaboration, this site-specific installation explores Earth's climate timeline, translating historical records and possible futures into sculptural form.Echelman's climate research for this project was guided by Professor Raffaele Ferrari and the MIT Lorenz Center, creators of En-ROADS simulator which uses current climate data and modeling to visualize the impact of environmental policies and actions on energy systems.Learn more about Janet Echelman and the MIT Museum x CAST Collaboration.Learn more about the exhibition at the MIT Museum.

Thomas Tull Concert Hall, MIT Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 7:00pm Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 2:00pmErrollyn Wallen's Dido's Ghost (2021) resurrects a timeless tale, casting a haunting shadow on Virgil's epic. This chamber opera delves into the spectral aftermath of Dido's despair, exploring the lingering echoes of love and betrayal by setting the entirety of Purcell’s original Dido and Aneas as a dream sequence. Wallen's evocative new score bookends the Purcell revealing a new dimension to a familiar tragedy. Witness a powerful, intimate performance where ancient myth meets modern musicality, and the past speaks with a chilling, unforgettable voice. Emmanuel Music is delighted to continue our collaboration with choreographer Shura Baryshnikov and to work with director Rebecca Miller Kratzer.Join us for a talk back after the performance with Errollyn Wallen, Ryan Turner, and librettist Wesley Stace.Carley DeFranco, Anna/DidoDavid Thomas Mather, AeneasJonathan Woody, Elymas/SorceressKatherine Maysek, Lavinia/SpiritMorgan Mastrangelo, Ascanius/First SailorMara Riley, BelindaSonja Tengblad, Second WomanClaire Huchthausen, Ananeah Nevil, WitchesWesley Stace, LibrettistRebecca Miller Kratzer, DirectorShura Baryshnikov, ChoreographerThe Orchestra and Chorus of Emmanuel Music in collaboration with the MIT Chamber Chorus, conducted by Ryan Turner.This production will run approximately 95 minutes with no intermission and will include English supertitles.

The MIT Life on Stage Theater (LOST) fall production of the play Moonchildren, by Michael Weller. This play from the author of Split and Loose Ends explores the rootless 60's generation of free-love and protest. Five male college seniors and their housemates have no purpose in their lives. They march against the staus quo and taunt the "pigs". One feels genuine emotion at his mother's death from cancer, one romance dies and another is aborted. Ultimately, they realize their lives are as empty as the establishment they protest so vehemently against.Attendance free to all! Come see in Kresge Little Theater fromthe 16th to the 18th of October.

Ten minutes for your mind@2:50 every day at 2:50 pm in multiple time zones:Europa@2:50, EET, Athens, Helsinki (UTC+2) (7:50 am EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88298032734Atlantica@2:50, EST, New York, Toronto (UTC-4) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85349851047Pacifica@2:50, PST, Los Angeles, Vancouver (UTC=7) (5:50 pm EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85743543699Almost everything works better again if you unplug it for a bit, including your mind. Stop by and unplug. Get the benefits of mindfulness without the fuss.@2:50 meets at the same time every single day for ten minutes of quiet together.No pre-requisite, no registration needed.Visit the website to view all @2:50 time zones each day.at250.org or at250.mit.edu

Time: 2:12 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Time: 11:00 AMLocation: Cambridge, MA / Harvard University

Time: 1:30 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Time: 1:30 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA