Technology

Plagiarism Is the Next ‘Fake News’

Something much simpler than generative AI is driving the new culture war.

The Barcode Engineered Its Own Downfall

For decades, the tiny symbol has been the plumbing of global capitalism. It might finally be replaced.

What If We Held ChatGPT to the Same Standard as Claudine Gay?

The problem with generative AI is plagiarism, not copyright.

If There Are No Stupid Questions, Then How Do You Explain Quora?

The tragedy of Q&A sites is the story of the internet.

The Last Frontier of Machine Translation

Don’t ask a bot to translate a book.

Home Influencers Will Not Rest Until Everything Has Been Put in a Clear Plastic Storage Bin

Restocking season is getting out of hand.

A Second Life for My Beloved Dog

A simple iPhone feature unexpectedly changed how I grieved.

There Was Never Such a Thing as ‘Open’ AI

Transparency isn’t enough to democratize the technology.

The Plagiarism War Has Begun

Claudine Gay was taken down by a politically motivated investigation. Would the same approach work for any academic?

You Can See Inside Your Ear. That Doesn’t Mean You Should.

TikTok loves high-tech gadgets for scraping out ear wax. Doctors? Not so much.

The Least Common, Least Loved Names in America

Why is everyone so worked up about hyphens?

A Very, Very Expensive Emoji

How does a court rule on “🌝”?

The Year We Embraced Our Destruction

In 2023, fears about AI run amok commingled with memes about an allegedly deadly lemonade.

Electric Cars Are Already Upending America

After years of promise, a massive shift is under way.

The Co-opting of Twitter

The alternative to mainstream social media came from inside the house.

Building AI Safely Is Getting Harder and Harder

A leading AI data set reportedly contained images of child sexual abuse. Don’t be surprised.

The Big Questions About AI in 2024

Is the technology set to take another leap forward? Will it swing the election?

The Golden Age of Gadgets for Girlies

They never died. They just became beauty products.

Twitter’s Demise Is About So Much More Than Elon Musk

TikTok is eating microblogging as we’ve always known it.

Nobody Knows What’s Happening Online Anymore

Why you’ve probably never heard of the most popular Netflix show in the world