power

Recent AI models are surprisingly humanlike in their ability to generate text, audio, and video when prompted. However, so far these algorithms have largely remained relegated to the digital world, rather than the physical,…

AI is often considered a threat to democracies and a boon to dictators. In 2025 it is likely that algorithms will continue to undermine the democratic conversation by spreading outrage, fake news, and conspiracy theories. In 2025 algorithms…

For its entire existence as a global medium, the internet's evolution has been caught in a tug of war, pulled by opposing forces: on one side, moderation and control; on the other, disruption and anarchy.This year, the most prominent actors…

On September 28, Bowen Yang performed one of 2024’s most resonant pieces of political theater while dressed as a pygmy hippo.Yang was behind the desk on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” segment, dressed like Moo Deng, who at the time…

Irrational self-belief is one of the reasons villains deeply resonate across culture, says Kevin Wynter, a professor of media studies at Pomona College. “In a repressive society such as ours that champions conformity to better cultivate…

To fix that, several startups launched niche dating apps—some puzzling, others entirely predictable—designed to satisfy unique needs, with many of them built around the promise of AI. Volar, created by a former product director at Snap,…

From Inside Out 2 to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, all but one of the 10 highest-grossing movies of 2024 were sequels (Wicked was the only outlier). Which really shouldn’t surprise anyone. For decades, the top of the box office has been ruled by…

In 2025, it will be commonplace to talk with a personal AI agent that knows your schedule, your circle of friends, the places you go. This will be sold as a convenience equivalent to having a personal, unpaid assistant. These…

In 2025 we will see AI and machine learning leveraged to make real progress in understanding animal communication, answering a question that has puzzled humans as long as we have existed: “What are animals saying to each other?” The recent…

The birth of ChatGPT brought a collection of anxieties regarding how large language models allow users to quickly subvert processes that once required human time, effort, passion, and understanding. And further, the tech sector’s often…