Technology
Reports of a Baleful Internet Are Greatly Exaggerated
Our digital technologies can in fact be cognitive aids.
Same or Different? The Question Flummoxes Neural Networks
For all their triumphs, AI systems can’t seem to generalize the concepts of “same” and “different.” Without that, researchers worry, the quest to create truly intelligent machines may be hopeless.
The Profound Potential of Elon Musk’s New Rocket
An aerospace engineer explains why SpaceX’s Starship will change everything.
The Intelligent Life of Droids
If robots can be devious, self-righteous, and expressive, why not sentient?
Toys Are the Future of Philosophy
Playthings shouldn’t confine kids but allow them to ask, What if?
Does Social Media Poison Everything?
We have far less control over our behavior than we like to think.
I Built My Own Artificial Neural Network
With a little help from one of the 2024 Nobel Prize Winners in Physics.
Welcome to the Next Level of Bullshit
The language algorithm GPT-3 continues our descent into a post-truth world.
The Contagion Detective
Adam Kucharski explains how diseases like COVID-19 and misinformation spread.