artificial intelligence
Optimizing Machines Is Perilous. Consider ‘Creatively Adequate’ AI.
The future of artificial intelligence needs less data and can tolerate ambiguity.
Dystopia Is All Too Plausible in The School for Good Mothers
Jessamine Chan's new novel makes a world full of surveillance android children seem very real.
Are You Sure You Know What a Photograph Is?
Once, I thought I had a definition of photography. Today, surrounded by thermal cameras, lidar, 3D printers, and AI software, I am not so sure.
Simulation Tech Can Help Predict the Biggest Threats
In the face of myriad global problems, Single Synthetic Environments will make life and death decisions easier to navigate.
Gaming Giant Unity Wants to Digitally Clone the World
The company is leveraging its technology to help clients make “digital twins”—virtual copies of real-life objects, environments, and even people.
Now You Can Rent a Robot Worker—for Less Than Paying a Human
Automation is reaching more companies, imperiling some jobs and changing the nature of others.
When It Comes to Health Care, AI Has a Long Way to Go
Medical information is more complex and less available than the web data that many algorithms were trained on, so results can be misleading.
The Humanities Can't Save Big Tech From Itself
Hiring sociocultural workers to correct bias overlooks the limitations of these underappreciated fields.
When Mind Melds With Machine, Who’s in Control?
Brain-computer interfaces are getting better all the time—and they’re about to land us in a philosophical quagmire.
This AI Software Nearly Predicted Omicron’s Tricky Structure
New algorithms that decipher complex sequences of amino acids offered an early view of the coronavirus variant. They could point the way to future drugs.
John Deere's Self-Driving Tractor Stirs Debate on AI in Farming
The automation, and control of the resulting data, raises questions about the role of human farmers.
The Creepy TikTok Algorithm Doesn’t Know You
The uncanny, addictive AI has turned math into a mystical force—and flattened humanity into a series of codes.
A Year In, Biden’s China Policy Looks a Lot Like Trump’s
The administration has toned down the anti-China rhetoric, but it has maintained and expanded economic sanctions—and plans a “diplomatic boycott” of the Olympics.
What Happens When an AI Knows How You Feel?
Technology used to only deliver our messages. Now it wants to write them for us by understanding our emotions.
If AI Is Predicting Your Future, Are You Still Free?
Part of being human is being able to defy the odds. Algorithmic prophecies undermine that.
The History of Predicting the Future
Humans have long tried to determine the shape of what’s to come. But even the most advanced technology can’t solve the fundamental issues with predictions.
'Algorithmic Reparation' Calls for Racial Justice in AI
Researchers are encouraging those who work in AI to explicitly consider racism, gender, and other structural inequalities.
The Future of Reality Is Multiple Choice
As a new Matrix film arrives in theaters, our senior senior correspondent asks: What is real?
The Matrix Resurrections Review: The Wachowskis Were the True Oracles
Directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski warned about the dangers of trusting tech 22 years ago. With the latest sequel, Lana is back with another harbinger.
Face Recognition Is Being Banned—but It’s Still Everywhere
Two dozen cities and states prohibit use of the tech. But it’s on phones and is increasingly used in airports and in banks.
Autonomous Weapons Are Here, but the World Isn’t Ready for Them
A UN report says a drone, operating without human control, attacked people in Libya. International efforts to restrict such weapons have so far failed.
Why Computers Don’t Need to Match Human Intelligence
With continuing advances in machine learning, it makes less and less sense to compare AI to the human mind.
The Biggest Deepfake Abuse Site Is Growing in Disturbing Ways
A referral program and partner sites have spurred the spread of invasive, AI-generated “nude” images.
Who Killed the Robot Dog?
The robotic companion was once a dream of techno-utopianism, but has instead become a terrifying weapon. What happened?