Monthly Archives: November 2024

Campus diversity is becoming difficult to measure as students keep their race and ethnicity hidden on college applications

Campus diversity is becoming difficult to measure as students keep their race and ethnicity hidden on college applications

When the Supreme Court struck down race-based admissions at American colleges and universities just over a year ago, many predicted U.S. campuses would become much less diverse. But in part due to students who decide not to disclose their race or ethnicity, coupled with universities’ selective use of statistics, it is not clear how much the decision has […] … learn more→

People can’t tell the difference between human and AI-generated poetry – new study

People can’t tell the difference between human and AI-generated poetry – new study

Has the bell finally tolled for Shakespeare and Byron? New research conducted by philosophers of science Brian Porter and Edouard Machery suggests that the latest AI-generated poetry is “indistinguishable from human-written poetry” and “rated more favourably”. Ten poets, from the medieval Geoffrey Chaucer to modern writer Dorothea Lasky, were successfully impersonated by AI chatbots, with most of the […] … learn more→

Why power transforms us

Why power transforms us

Confucius said: “If you want to know a person, give him power.” American President Abraham Lincoln also said something similar many years later: “Most of us can bear adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Does power really change us? And if it does, in what sense, for better […] … learn more→

Federal judge rules that Louisiana shalt not require public schools to post the Ten Commandments

Federal judge rules that Louisiana shalt not require public schools to post the Ten Commandments

Do the Ten Commandments have a valid place in U.S. classrooms? Louisiana’s Legislature and governor insist the answer is “yes.” But on Nov. 12, 2024, a federal judge said “no.” U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles blocked the state’s controversial House Bill 71, which Gov. Jeff Landry had signed into law on June 19, 2024. The measure would have required […] … learn more→

Researchers have invented a new system of logic that could boost critical thinking and AI

Researchers have invented a new system of logic that could boost critical thinking and AI

The rigid structures of language we once clung to with certainty are cracking. Take gender, nationality or religion: these concepts no longer sit comfortably in the stiff linguistic boxes of the last century. Simultaneously, the rise of AI presses upon us the need to understand how words relate to meaning and reasoning. A global group […] … learn more→

Is it possible to work without Google?

Is it possible to work without Google?

Search engines are inseparable from the way most users use the Internet today. Google, the most popular in the world, has even given rise to a verb to refer to the action of searching for information on the Internet. Google was founded in 1998 with $100,000. In mid-1999, it received a $25 million capital injection from two venture […] … learn more→

Friends on WhatsApp: How do they influence adolescence?

Friends on WhatsApp: How do they influence adolescence?

Brands are after them, users are chasing them, everyone wants them, and for some teens, it can become an obsession or a risk: they are the “likes” on Instagram, or the followers, subscribers, and friends on YouTube and TikTok. In other words, approvals and comments help teens of the “Alpha” generation (aged 12 to 17) […] … learn more→

Asking ChatGPT vs Googling: Can AI chatbots boost human creativity?

Asking ChatGPT vs Googling: Can AI chatbots boost human creativity?

Think back to a time when you needed a quick answer, maybe for a recipe or a DIY project. A few years ago, most people’s first instinct was to “Google it.” Today, however, many people are more likely to reach for ChatGPT, OpenAI’s conversational AI, which is changing the way people look for information. Rather than […] … learn more→

Dyslexia can actually be an advantage for university researchers

Dyslexia can actually be an advantage for university researchers

Many people may think of dyslexia as a reading difficulty, or the occasional embarrassing mix-up of letters. For years, I thought that too. But as a dyslexic academic who has spent much of my life wrangling with academic norms, I’ve realised that dyslexia isn’t just a barrier. It’s also a unique and undervalued cognitive strength. Yes, you read […] … learn more→

Racism is such a touchy topic that many US educators avoid it – we are college professors who tackled that challenge head on

Racism is such a touchy topic that many US educators avoid it – we are college professors who tackled that challenge head on

It is not easy to teach about race in today’s political and social climate. One hundred and sixty years after the United States abolished slavery, racial differences continue to spark pervasive misunderstanding, engender social separation and drive political and economic disparities. American educators are naturally intimidated and, at times, discouraged by the huge task before them. Yet race […] … learn more→