+ robots have an energy problem
| | Top headlines Lead story Wolfgang Messner, a professor at the University of South Carolina who studies the intersection of business and computer science, is worried that generative artificial intelligence is leading to the normalization of mediocrity in writing, ideas and reasoning. There's a historical parallel with the Industrial Revolution, which transformed the world economy. Trade guilds and craftsmanship fell by the wayside, replaced by factories that could cheaply and efficiently churn out goods. Today our homes are filled with mass-produced objects that are generally durable and pretty reliable – in other words, they're good enough. Handmade products and craftsmanship still exist, but they're niche and largely relegated to the margins of the economy. The more we rely on AI in our everyday lives, Messner wonders if this same kind of transformation will happen to human cognition – if the use of "cognitive prosthetics" like ChatGPT will extinguish sparks of ingenuity in favor of content that's simply competent and passable. He points to studies showing AI may already be having this effect on writing, brainstorming and decision-making. "What begins as a convenient shortcut," he writes, "risks becoming a self-reinforcing loop of diminishing originality – not because these tools produce objectively poor content, but because they quietly narrow the bandwidth of human creativity itself." One last thing: We've running our 2025 Reader Survey. We'd love for you to take a few minutes to share what you think we're doing well, where we could do better, and a little about yourself and your interests. | | Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor | | The Industrial Revolution mechanized production. Today, there's a similar risk with the automation of thought. kutaytanir/E+ via Getty Images Wolfgang Messner, University of South Carolina During the Industrial Revolution, craftsmanship retreated to the margins. As AI becomes widely adopted, will the same happen to original thinking? | Science + Technology | -
James Pikul, University of Wisconsin-Madison Even the best batteries fall far short of animal metabolism for energy storage. Fueling robots with 'food' could narrow the gap. -
Rachel Plotnick, Indiana University When it comes to drying out your drenched device, problematic myths about liquid protection and repair make it hard to separate fact from fiction. -
Daniel Apai, University of Arizona As NASA rolls out more powerful telescopes in the future, scientists will need a way to determine where to point them. A new approach could help. | | Environment + Energy | -
Max Moritz, University of California, Santa Barbara; Luca Carmignani, San Diego State University Hedges and trees may actually reduce home exposure to radiant heat and flying embers, but they must be well maintained. Two scientists who study how plants burn explain. | | Arts + Culture | -
Matthew Pittman, University of Tennessee It's not unusual in the social media era for young people to become famous. But fame is complicated – especially when you're still growing and forming your identity. | | Politics + Society | -
Gregory P. Magarian, Washington University in St. Louis The Trump administration isn't resorting to official censorship. Instead, it's using less blatant – and more effective – ways to suppress dissent. | | Health + Medicine | -
Jae A. Puckett, Michigan State University; Paz Galupo, Washington University in St. Louis The losses include millions of dollars the NIH has already spent on research that will no longer generate results, and the next generation of scientists whose work has been cut short. | | From the archive️ | -
Rachel Connolly, University of California, Los Angeles; Michael Jerrett, University of California, Los Angeles Wildfires are affecting air quality in parts of Canada and the Upper Midwest. This article from last year explains how breathing wildfire smoke can cut years off people's lives and harm people far from the flames. | | | | | | | | | | | | |