84 TIME April 11/April 18, 2022
PIONEERSOPENAI
PUSHING AI FORWARD
Cutting-edge artii cial-intelligence i rm
OpenAI recently unveiled two new
neural networks, DALL-E and CLIP,
which generate images and categorize
visual input, respectively, based on
natural language. When prompted with
“avocado chair,” for example, DALL-E
designed fruit-inspired seats, some
with pit-shaped pillows. Unlike deep
learning models that “learn” by analyzing
simple data, DALL-E and CLIP grapple
with sophisticated concepts lacking
obvious answers. “[They have] a richer
understanding of the world,” says OpenAI
SVP Mira Murati. —Alison Van HoutenBLOCPOWER
ELECTRIFYING CITIES
When Ithaca, N.Y., decided last year to
embark on the unprecedented project of
decarbonizing all 6,000 buildings in town,
it turned to BlocPower, a climate startup
that retro ts buildings in low-income
neighborhoods with solar panels, electric
heat pumps, and other emission-reducing
tech. “We can turn a building into a
Tesla and make it all electric,” says CEO
Donnel Baird, who counts Goldman
Sachs and the Microsoft Climate
Innovation Fund among his company’s
backers. If it’s successful—the goal is a
40% emissions reduction—other cities
will likely follow suit. —Don Steinberg
FOLX HEALTH
INCLUSIVE HEALTH CARE
Most LGBTQ+ Americans have experienced
health care discrimination, and many are
unable to access the medical services
they require. Tele medicine provider FOLX
Health, which specializes in LGBTQ+
health and wellness and is run by CEO
Liana Douillet Guzmán, aims to x
those issues. The company’s plans, which
start at $59 per month and are available
in 33 states, include everything from
primary care to medication management,
with prescriptions delivered discreetly to
maintain users’ privacy. —Mariah EspadaREDWOOD MATERIALS
CLEANER EVS
Fifteen years after co-founding Tesla,
JB Straubel launched Redwood Materials
to reduce the environmental damage
of battery production by using recycled
components and shortening supply
chains. All told, it’ll soon be able to reduce
the carbon footprint of the average EV
battery by more than 40%. In the past
i ve years, the $3.7 billion company
has become the largest U.S. recycler of
lithium-ion batteries, and has deals with
major companies in the electric-vehicle
space, like Ford and Panasonic.
—Alejandro de la Garza
AXIOM SPACE
STAR TOURIST
The travel industry is extending to
low earth orbit, thanks in part to
Houston-based Axiom Space, which
aims to y paying customers for
stays of up to eight days aboard the
International Space Station (ISS). The
company also recently inked deals
with NASA to build up to four new ISS
modules, with the i rst launching as
early as 2024. Before the ISS is retired
in 2030, Axiom’s modules will separate,
becoming their own private station.
—J.K.ASTROSCALE
TRAPPING SPACE JUNK
Low earth orbit is a mess, with a belt
of debris presenting a risk of collision
with spacecraft. Tokyo-based Astroscale
is developing technology to collect the
junk and send it on an incineration
plunge through the atmosphere. Last
year, the company launched a two-
part satellite that separated and
reconnected by magnets, demonstrating
a debris-gathering technique. The
company wants future satellites to
carry magnetic docking ports to allow
for collection. Astroscale’s vision, says
CEO Nobu Okada, is “to make space
sustainable.” —Jeffrey KlugerBE ROOTED
STATIONERY PROGRESS
When Jasmin Foster founded her
inclusivity-focused stationery brand
Be Rooted in early 2020, she hoped to
create a space for women of color to see
themselves in a place they hadn’t been
before. Just one year later, Be Rooted
became the i rst and only Black-owned
stationery brand for sale at retail giant
Target. With a lineup of colorful journals,
planners, and writing instruments all
designed by Black and brown artists and
featuring a range of skin tones and hair
stylings, Be Rooted is bringing a little
more creative diversity into the world.
—N.P.WONDERSCHOOL
CHILDCARE HELP
At a time when roughly half the U.S.
lives in a childcare desert, Wonderschool
wants to make it easier to i nd care. The
company works with childcare programs
in 32 states, helping them start in-home
programs and assisting with billing,
enrollment, and curriculum for a cut of
their revenue. Solving the childcare crisis
is a tall order; Wonderschool CEO Chris
Bennett acknowledges more government
aid is needed because the costs exceed
what most parents can pay. But he
hopes this is a start: “We want every
child to have quality childcare within i ve
minutes of their home.” —Katie ReillyTREK BICYCLE
PUSHING CHANGE
Bicycles are plenty eco-friendly, but
building and shipping them still exacts
a toll. Trek Bicycle in July became the
world’s i rst major bicycle manufacturer
to quantify that toll, publishing a
sustainability report that found that
producing and shipping each bike emits
the same amount of carbon energy as
an average car driving 430 miles. It now
plans to reduce its reliance on air freight,
use more sustainable materials, and
consolidate shipments. The company’s
hope, says president John Burke, is that
“other companies in the bike business
can do the same thing.” —Nik Popli
LIANA DOUILLET GUZMÁNILLUSTRATION BY LAURIE AVON FOR TIME; COURTESY FOLX HEALTH; COURTESY AXIOM SPACE