The government’s promised overhaul of New Zealand’s public service has made much of the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline operations and compensate for a radically reduced workforce. This is in keeping with generally utopian visions of generative AI (GenAI) tools unleashing creativity, removing mundane, repetitive work, and “freeing up humans” for more fulfilling tasks. However, this may […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
‘Like drinking from a firehose’ – what it’s like to be the human in the AI loop
Why all teachers should understand how the brain works
Imagine Lucas, a five-year-old student who can’t sit still during circle time. Teacher A, with no training in how the brain works, loses patience. He thinks the child is defying the rules or lacks proper boundaries at home. Teacher B, who has knowledge of neuroeducation, breathes a sigh of relief. He knows that Lucas’s body […] … learn more→
What is trauma? The more we talk about it, the more it means
It’s the word of the decade. “A major signifier of our age.” “The invisible force that shapes our lives.” But what is “trauma”? Although it occupies the cultural spotlight, its meaning has never been hazier. Can we bring it into focus? “Trauma” derives from the ancient Greek for wound. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this external bodily injury meaning dates back to 1684. […] … learn more→
Should AIs be required to report a human user contemplating violence?
On Feb. 10, 2026, an 18-year-old woman, Jesse Van Rootselaar, killed eight people and herself in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. OpenAI had previously flagged her ChatGPT conversations as having a disturbing fascination with extreme violence, and suspended her account, but reportedly the company did not notify law enforcement. On Oct. 2, 2025, a young man […] … learn more→
An AI solution to an 80‑year‑old problem has shocked mathematicians
Last week, OpenAI shocked the mathematical community by revealing that one of its internal artificial intelligence (AI) models had found a counterexample to a famous conjecture made by legendary Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős in 1946. The planar unit distance problem, or Erdős problem 90, has intrigued mathematicians for decades. The new result is no mere curiosity. Canadian mathematician Daniel Litt described it […] … learn more→
Do we absorb information more easily from paper than from a screen? It depends on the type of screen.
The Swedish government recently imposed restrictions on devices in classrooms and a return to physical textbooks . This policy was prompted by concerns about declining student test scores and the negative impact of increased screen time . Is this anxiety reasonable? To address this issue, it’s important to remember that the notion of reading as easy is a fallacy. […] … learn more→
Why listening is the most important civic skill in the digital age
In an ordinary conversation today, it’s not hard to sense when someone stops listening. Their attention shifts, their response comes too quickly, or their gaze drifts to a nearby screen. The exchange continues, but something essential has already been lost. We express ourselves, more than ever, through platforms, devices, and digital spaces. But are we […] … learn more→
Key words – dissemination communication, sharing
Doctoral researchers are sometimes asked in their viva what their plans for dissemination are. Gulp. But this is a question worth thinking about. It’s not a trick question. Examiners are genuinely interested in how you think about what happens after the viva. They may also have some helpful ideas about what you could do. However, […] … learn more→
Why understanding AI will be as important as learning to read
For years, media literacy has been considered an essential skill for navigating digital environments. It involves learning to identify reliable sources, verify information, and detect misleading content. However, in a context marked by the expansion of artificial intelligence in the processes of access, production and circulation of knowledge, the information ecosystem has been transformed and the aforementioned […] … learn more→
Is AI impoverishing journalistic (and societal) language?
What happens to public language when a growing proportion of the texts circulating in the press, online, and on social media begin to be written by machines? This issue doesn’t just affect journalism as a profession. It can also affect the richness of the language we use to understand, describe, and discuss reality. Historically, the press has […] … learn more→
