Can AI therapists really be an alternative to human help?
By BBC Published on May 20, 2025 Whenever I was struggling, if it was going to be a really bad day, I could then start to chat to one of these bots, and it was like [having] a cheerleader, someone who’s going to give you some good vibes for the day. “I’ve got this encouraging […]
AI can be more persuasive than humans in debates, scientists find
By TheGuardian Published on May 19, 2025 Artificial intelligence can do just as well as humans, if not better, when it comes to persuading others in a debate, and not just because it cannot shout, a study has found. Experts say the results are concerning, not least as it has potential implications for election integrity. […]
How Social Media Targets Girls
By novaramedia Published on May 19, 2025 As smart phone use has soared, Generation Z’s mental health has plummeted. But just how bad is this crisis, and who should we hold responsible? In his latest book, The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt sets out his comprehensive diagnosis of the problems caused by […]
Forget Humanoids. At MIT, Worms and Turtles Are Inspiring a New Generation of Robots
By WSJ Published on May 16, 2025 CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Everyone is obsessed with humanoid robots right now, but the director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory thinks tomorrow’s intelligent physical machines could be something radically different. Think soft and squishy robots, says Daniela Rus. Picture flexible robots, or even edible ones. Her research group […]
This Robotic Centipede Crawls Farms to Kill Weeds — and Might Join the Military
By THE__BYTE Published on May 16, 2025 As IEEE Spectrum reports, Georgia Tech spinoff Ground Control Robotics has created a bio-inspired centipede that uses sensors and plenty of motor-actuated limbs to control weeds. “Centipede robots, like snake robots, are basically swimmers,” founder Dan Goldman told IEEE Spectrum. “We created a new kind of mechanism to […]
In Meta’s AI future, your friends are bots
By AXIOS Published on May 02, 2025 Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are pitching a vision of AI chatbots as an extension of your friend network and a potential solution to the “loneliness epidemic.” Why it matters: Meta’s approach to AI raises the broader question of just whose interest chatbots are serving — especially when the […]
Investing in a new world of friction, fragmentation & female entrepreneurship: The FT’s PWM Tea Break
Di Rifai, founder of Creating Future Us, an adviser to investors on the ethics of digital transformation, speaks to the PWM crew over green tea, with an exotic twist, in a wide-ranging discussion taking in AI, robotics, the fast-changing geopolitical backdrop and the rising cohort of female investors. Banks and wealth managers must prepare for […]
Brain Implant Companies Apparently Have an Extremely Dirty Secret
By Futurism Published on April 29, 2025 In the 21st century, it’s safe to say no secret is safe. Our personal data is constantly bottled and sold — by the companies whose apps we use every day, to the advertisers cluttering our phones with increasingly personalized ads. So far, that “data mining” has been confined […]
Meta faces Ghana lawsuits over impact of extreme content on moderators
By The Guardian Published on April 27, 2025 Meta is facing a second set of lawsuits in Africa over the psychological distress experienced by content moderators employed to take down disturbing social media content including depictions of murders, extreme violence and child sexual abuse. Lawyers are gearing up for court action against a company contracted […]