AI Weather Forecasting Can’t Replace Humans—Yet
GraphCast and other artificial intelligence-based forecasting tools offer a whole new way to predict the weather, but they have limits
Stories by Lauren Leffer
Lauren Leffer is a tech reporting fellow at Scientific American. Previously, she has covered environmental issues, science and health. Follow her on Twitter @lauren_leffer
What’s Missing from the Emoji Animal Kingdom?
In the digital age, some scientists argue the emojisphere should better represent Earth’s biosphere—tardigrades, flatworms and all
How Search Engines Boost Misinformation
Data voids in search results can lead down rabbit holes that bolster belief in fake news
Cats Play Fetch, Too—But Only on Their Own Terms
Retrieving isn’t just for dogs, but the emerging science of cat play can’t fully explain the feline phenomenon
Inside the Satellite Tech Revealing Gaza’s Destruction
Amid restrictions on optical satellite images, researchers have developed a radar technique to gauge building damage in Gaza
When It Comes to AI Models, Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Artificial intelligence models are getting bigger, along with the data sets used to train them. But scaling down could solve some big AI problems
Robotics ‘Revives’ a Long-Extinct Starfish Ancestor
Engineers and paleontologists teamed up to reconstruct an ancestor of starfish from the Paleozoic era and figure out how it moved
It’s Not All in Your Head—You Do Focus Differently on Zoom
Virtual meetings and video calls don’t quite stack up to in-person interaction—and a new study proves it
Biden’s Executive Order on AI Is a Good Start, Experts Say, but Not Enough
A new executive order signed this week sets the stage for federal AI standards and requirements and moves beyond previous voluntary agreements with AI companies
New Training Method Helps AI Generalize like People Do
To improve machine learning, the answer might be taking a different approach to robot education rather than just feeding models more data
Humans Absorb Bias from AI—And Keep It after They Stop Using the Algorithm
People may learn from and replicate the skewed perspective of an artificial intelligence algorithm, and they carry this bias beyond their interactions with the AI
Generative AI Models Are Sucking Up Data from All Over the Internet, Yours Included
In the rush to build and train ever larger AI models, developers have swept up much of the searchable Internet, quite possibly including some of your own public data—and potentially some of your private data as well.
Your Personal Information Is Probably Being Used to Train Generative AI Models
Companies are training their generative AI models on vast swathes of the Internet—and there’s no real way to stop them
The AI Boom Could Use a Shocking Amount of Electricity
Powering artificial intelligence models takes a lot of energy. A new analysis demonstrates just how big the problem could become
The Latest AI Chatbots Can Handle Text, Images and Sound. Here’s How
New “multimodal” AI programs can do much more than respond to text—they also analyze images and chat aloud
The State of Large Language Models
We present the latest updates on ChatGPT, Bard and other competitors in the artificial intelligence arms race.
‘AI Anxiety’ Is on the Rise—Here’s How to Manage It
Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence have prompted big questions about the future of work and even human creativity. Experts have suggestions for how to manage all these unknowns
Here’s How to Actually Keep Kids and Teens Safe Online
Controversial policy proposals such as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) are making headway across the country, but there are other ways to help protect young people in the digital world
Dams Worldwide Are at Risk of Catastrophic Failure
Here’s why disasters like Libya’s dam collapses happen and how to prevent them
High-Tech Cars Might Be More Trouble Than They’re Worth
Drivers may sacrifice safety and privacy in exchange for the advanced tech features in their “smart” cars
‘Robo-Taxi Takeover’ Hits Speed Bumps
Self-driving cars are expanding their ranges in a handful of U.S. cities, but the reality doesn’t yet match the hype
New Air-Conditioning Technology Could Be the Future of Cool
Standard AC units cool buildings but contribute to global warming. New technology aims to change that
ChatGPT Can Get Good Grades. What Should Educators Do about It?
AI can generate clear, concise text—but people still need to learn how to write
Worm Brains, Decoded like Never Before, Could Shed Light on Our Own Mind
One of the most in-depth catalogs of an animal’s brain-body connections ever compiled ties neural activity to roundworm behavior