A growing distrust of expertise is reshaping the terrain of science in the United States. Since the pandemic, the partisan divide over science has widened dramatically. While 77% of Americans have at least a fair amount of confidence that scientists act in the best interests of the public, that breaks down to 90% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans. […] … learn more→
‘Expertise’ shouldn’t be a bad word – expert consensus guides science and society
‘Technostress’ at university: being tech-savvy isn’t everything
Imagine an average university student: they open their laptop to check an assignment, but first they have to deal with messages from the class group, three emails from the university platform, and a notification about a change in the due date. None of this requires great digital skills, but it does require attention that is […] … learn more→
Well-written papers that say nothing? What is AI ‘workslop’ and how to avoid it
Imagine a student faced with this assignment: “Analyze Starbucks’ international expansion in emerging markets. Consider cultural, economic, and governance factors.” Instead of researching and reflecting, the student copies the entire instruction and pastes it into ChatGPT with a simple “develop this.” A few minutes later, he receives a perfectly structured document. Well-crafted paragraphs, academic vocabulary, […] … learn more→
Small successes count
There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from staring at a word count that’s meant to reach 80,000 or 100,000, knowing you’re only at 12,000. Or from looking at a journal article deadline that’s three weeks away when you haven’t yet written a single word of the results. For doctoral and early career researchers, […] … learn more→
AI cannot automate science – a philosopher explains the uniquely human aspects of doing research
Consistent with the general trend of incorporating artificial intelligence into nearly every field, researchers and politicians are increasingly using AI models trained on scientific data to infer answers to scientific questions. But can AI ultimately replace scientists? The Trump administration signed an executive order on Nov. 24, 2025, that announced the Genesis Mission, an initiative to build […] … learn more→
Learning from mistakes: how to train students to bounce back after failure
In a traditional lecture-based system, the teacher is seen as the custodian of knowledge to be transmitted, and the result of this transmission is assessed through regular knowledge tests. Students often still perceive mistakes as failures rather than as opportunities for learning. But progress is impossible without making mistakes. The question then arises of providing students […] … learn more→
AI can get smarter without snooping on our personal data: Getting to know ‘federated learning’
● Federated learning allows AI to learn without sending personal data to the server. ● This technology maintains user privacy while still increasing the intelligence of the system. ● Federated learning is a middle ground for AI advancement and data protection. Have you ever been amazed when your phone’s keyboard can guess the words you’re about to […] … learn more→
The many forms of intelligence: from logic to beauty
For more than a century, the dominant measure of human intelligence has been the ( intelligence quotient ( IQ ) test ), a tool designed to quantify reasoning ability through the resolution of linguistic and logical-mathematical problems. Intelligence: a multifaceted issue However, a growing number of academics and educators have questioned whether this reductionist and limiting approach […] … learn more→
Reports of ‘AI psychosis’ are emerging — here’s what a psychiatric clinician has to say
Artificial intelligence is increasingly woven into everyday life, from chatbots that offer companionship to algorithms that shape what we see online. But as generative AI (genAI) becomes more conversational, immersive and emotionally responsive, clinicians are beginning to ask a difficult question: can genAI exacerbate or even trigger psychosis in vulnerable people? Large language models and chatbots […] … learn more→
AI disruptions reveal the folly of clinging to an idealized modern university
In the past five years, higher education has been in a seemingly endless state of disruption. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a mass rapid pivot to emergency remote teaching. In shifting to unfamiliar digital learning environments, instructors scrambled to replicate classroom learning online. When restrictions lifted, many institutions pushed for a “return to normal,” as […] … learn more→