Most people picture a medical error as a single dramatic moment. A wrong medication. A missed diagnosis. A surgery that goes sideways. But researchers who study patient safety say the real story often starts after that moment, when the patient goes home and tries to make sense of what happened. Many stay silent. They do […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
Why so many Patients stay quiet after a Medical mistake, and why that silence hurts everyone
What cannabis use really tells us about university students’ eating habits
Cannabis has a reputation for making people hungry. Popular culture has long joked about the “munchies,” and many people assume that students who use cannabis naturally have poorer diets than those who don’t. Our latest research suggests the story is more complicated. As researchers who study the health behaviours of university students, we surveyed more than […] … learn more→
Why social media algorithms send you posts you don’t like
Do your social media accounts feed you content that reflects your core beliefs and guiding principles? Our new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the algorithms supplying your feeds may be prioritizing content that clashes with your values. That’s because the algorithms heavily weigh online posts that you reply […] … learn more→
Cursive is making a comeback. But does it deserve one?
Learning to read and write cursive was once a rite of passage for practically every American schoolchild. Until the early 20th century, children in the U.S. were generally taught to write in cursive or script, rather than the print writing typically taught to young children today. Some people at the time thought a person’s character could be evaluated based on […] … learn more→
What are ‘thanabots’: dueling turned into a subscription service
Our phone rings, and when we answer, the voice on the other end is that of a deceased friend. We receive a birthday message from a deceased child. This is possible today, and it’s happening. Thanabots , or grief robots, are artificial intelligence programs trained on information about a deceased person, obtained from their social media profiles […] … learn more→
Does ‘AI‑watermarking’ mean the party is over for cheating students?
about students cheating with AI are rife within schools and universities. Some lecturers have even expressed fears students have been “lobotomised by AI” amid reports AI-detection tools are patchy and far from fool-proof. Last week, New South Wales moved to ban take-home assignments for Year 12 to try to stop AI use in assessments. At the same time, a major generative AI […] … learn more→
Oral exams are making a comeback to stop AI cheating. But they have their own problems
Universities are increasingly turning to oral exams to stop students using artificial intelligence (AI) to cheat. Some unis say it allows teachers to more accurately test students’ knowledge. Meanwhile, some NSW schools are also using oral exams to prevent cheating. Oral exams – or “viva voces” – are one of the oldest assessment methods. But they are not a foolproof solution […] … learn more→
Leadership development programs – what doesn’t work? (Part 1)
I’ve had a beef with leadership development programs ever since I knew what they were. I’m not sure what triggered this. It could be the fact that back in high school, when I was a senior, we had a ‘leadership day’ that was held at a venue that wasn’t our usual school campus. Exciting, right? […] … learn more→
The decades‑old ‘AI alignment problem’ has finally become a reality. Solving it won’t be easy
Human beings have long told versions of the same warning: be careful what you wish for. In Greek mythology, King Midas got exactly what he asked for, but at the cost of everything else he valued. In the famous story of The Monkey’s Paw, a man’s wishes are granted through terrible and unforeseen routes. These stories feel newly […] … learn more→
How to protect and educate children and adolescents about sexual ‘deepfakes’?
You don’t need to be a computer expert to create fake sexual content using artificial intelligence tools. A simple search on social media or any search engine will turn up applications and tutorials that explain, step by step and in great detail, how to create fake sexual images, videos, or audio recordings. The popularization of […] … learn more→
