AI could shore up democracy – here's one way

Public comment could soon swamp government officials and representatives, thanks to AI, but AI could also help spot compelling stories from constituents.

Nathan Sanders, Affiliate, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University • conversation
June 20, 2023 ~9 min

Are you part robot? A linguistic anthropologist explains how humans are like ChatGPT – both recycle language

We humans like to think that our language is original, but we absorb large amounts of it from others and liberally repeat and remix what we hear – just as language AIs do.

Brendan H. O'Connor, Associate Professor, School of Transborder Studies, Arizona State University • conversation
June 12, 2023 ~8 min


MIT researchers make language models scalable self-learners

The scientists used a natural language-based logical inference dataset to create smaller language models that outperformed much larger counterparts.

Rachel Gordon | MIT CSAIL • mit
June 8, 2023 ~8 min

Brain tumors are cognitive parasites – how brain cancer hijacks neural circuits and causes cognitive decline

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain cancer, causing significant decline in cognitive function. New research suggests a common anti-seizure drug could help control tumor growth.

Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
June 7, 2023 ~7 min

How AI could take over elections – and undermine democracy

Artificial intelligence looks like a political campaign manager’s dream because it could tune its persuasion efforts to millions of people individually – but it could be a nightmare for democracy.

Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard University • conversation
June 2, 2023 ~12 min

Home health nurses use harsher words for Black, Hispanic patients

Black and Hispanic patients are 14% more likely to have judgment language in their home health care notes than are white patients.

Sam Schotland-Penn • futurity
June 1, 2023 ~6 min

Even lawyers don’t like legalese

A new study shows lawyers find simplified legal documents easier to understand, more appealing, and just as enforceable as traditional contracts.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office • mit
May 29, 2023 ~8 min

Probabilistic AI that knows how well it’s working

It’s more important than ever for artificial intelligence to estimate how accurately it is explaining data.

Rachel Paiste | Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences • mit
May 25, 2023 ~6 min


Words in teen girls’ texts say a lot about their mood

What teen girls post on social media can reveal a lot about their mental health. Pronouns like "I," "me," and "my" may be a red flag.

U. Oregon • futurity
May 22, 2023 ~5 min

Brain activity decoder translates thoughts into text

"...this is a real leap forward compared to what's been done before, which is typically single words or short sentences."

Marc Airhart-Texas • futurity
May 19, 2023 ~8 min

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