ChatGPT and its AI chatbot cousins ruled 2023: 4 essential reads that puncture the hype

Common misperceptions about AI chatbots are that they know something about the world, can make decisions, are a replacement for search engines and operate independent of humans.

Eric Smalley, Science + Technology Editor • conversation
Dec. 20, 2023 ~7 min

ChatGPT turns 1: AI chatbot's success says as much about humans as technology

ChatGPT’s interface fueled the technology’s phenomenal rise to prominence. By being good at talking with us, it spoke to us.

Tim Gorichanaz, Assistant Teaching Professor of Information Science, Drexel University • conversation
Nov. 29, 2023 ~7 min


Your mental dictionary is part of what makes you unique − here's how your brain stores and retrieves words

Most people can draw from tens of thousands of words in their memory within milliseconds. Studying this process can improve language disorder treatment and appreciation of the gift of communication.

Nichol Castro, Assistant Professor of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, University at Buffalo • conversation
Nov. 7, 2023 ~8 min

Using language to give robots a better grasp of an open-ended world

By blending 2D images with foundation models to build 3D feature fields, a new MIT method helps robots understand and manipulate nearby objects with open-ended language prompts.

Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL • mit
Nov. 2, 2023 ~9 min

How “blue” and “green” appeared in a language that didn’t have words for them

People of a remote Amazonian society who learned Spanish as a second language began to interpret colors in a new way, an MIT study has found.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Nov. 2, 2023 ~7 min

AIs could soon run businesses – it’s an opportunity to ensure these 'artificial persons' follow the law

If a business is run by an AI and it causes you harm, could you sue the AI?

John Nay, Fellow at CodeX - Stanford Center for Legal Informatics, Stanford University • conversation
Oct. 27, 2023 ~7 min

How adults understand what kids are saying

It’s not easy to parse young children’s words, but adults’ beliefs about what children want to communicate helps make it possible, a new study finds.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Oct. 26, 2023 ~8 min

In future, we'll see fewer generic AI chatbots like ChatGPT and more specialised ones that are tailored to our needs

Training AI systems with more focused data sets can target them to a specific use.

Stuart Mills, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Leeds • conversation
Sept. 20, 2023 ~8 min


These doctors aren’t sweating AI — yet

Board exam for pediatric specialty stumps ChatGPT, at least in some areas.

Alvin Powell • harvard
Sept. 8, 2023 ~8 min

Reading has a complicated history

In this podcast episode, Adrian Johns digs into the complex history of reading, from America's Reading Wars to today's fights over book bans.

U. Chicago • futurity
Sept. 5, 2023 ~2 min

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