Vivian Le's reads

What happens when AI chatbots lie about real people?  Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots such as ChatGPT have taken the world by storm in recent months with their ability to write computer code, wax poetic, and hold conversations. However, there are also some major pitfalls, including a startling tendency to make false statements, and even generate sources to back them up. Writing for the Washington Post, Pranshu Verma and Will Oremus describe how an AI chatbot generated false accusations of sexual harassment against a real law professor — and continued to do so even after he spoke out against it — as well as the quandary of who's responsible when AI creates or spreads inaccurate information.  

Why you probably shouldn't buy items advertised online. Online advertisements are inescapable nowadays, but what you may not know is that these ads are extremely targeted, using detailed information of your interests and desires that you're probably not even aware that you're sharing. Writing for the New York Times, Julia Angwin explains the rise of "microtargeting," its negative and sometimes discriminatory impact on consumers, and how the products these targeted ads are selling are usually not worth your money anyway.

Lex Ashcroft's reads

The science behind the power of music. The effects of music on the brain, including its ability to trigger memories and emotions, are well known. A group of scientists are now focusing on the growing body of research to help improve therapy for a range of conditions that includes memory disorders, learning disabilities, and physical illnesses. Writing for the Washington Post,  Marlene Cimons explains the music-memory phenomenon and the role experts envision music will play in the future — as a tool for chronic pain management, anxiety relief, emotional regulation, and even an alternative for specific medications.

Food forests are bringing shade and sustenance to US cities. If current trends continue, roughly  70%  of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, further increasing the need for green space in these areas. Few models for nature conservation are designed to protect the earth in urban settings, but a modern concept of edible parks, aptly named  "food forests," may change that. Writing for  The Conversation,  Karen Spiller and Prakash Kashwan describe how food forests help fight the "interconnected crises of climate change, environmental degradation, and social and racial inequity."