The Middle Ages often appears as a dark period for women: cloistered in obscure monasteries or subject to their husbands, they were supposedly kept away from power and any form of written culture. This cliché, like many others about the so-called Dark Ages, emerged during the Renaissance and developed within the Enlightenment. However, during the […] … learn more→

Although universities remain keen to tackle inappropriate uses of generative AI (GenAI) by students, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to talk much more openly about academics’ (mis)use of these technologies. Many Research Whisperer readers might have begun to hear stories of GenAI being used to write academic papers and research proposals, to analyse […] … learn more→

Claims that artificial intelligence (AI) is on the verge of surpassing human intelligence have become commonplace. According to some commentators, rapid advances in large language models signal an imminent tipping point – often framed as “superintelligence” – that will fundamentally reshape society. But comparing AI to individual intelligence misses something essential about what human intelligence is. […] … learn more→

I’ve been thinking about all the writing that I need to get done this year. There’s three book contracts, yes three, and a host of papers which are undoubtedly going to need revising. Looking at all this unfinished work, I feel that familiar academic mixture of determination and dread. I know exactly what needs to […] … learn more→

When the World Wide Web went live in the early 1990s, its founders hoped it would be a space for anyone to share information and collaborate. But today, the free and open web is shrinking. The Internet Archive has been recording the history of the internet and making it available to the public through its Wayback Machine since 1996. Now, some of […] … learn more→

In the Phaedrus , Plato tells us that Socrates distrusted the written word. He believed that committing knowledge to writing would weaken memory and discourage dialogue. Writing, he warned, is inferior to debate because it cannot respond. It only creates an appearance of wisdom, not genuine wisdom. The parallel with AI is clear. We now have systems […] … learn more→

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is now a reality in higher education, with students and professors integrating chatbots into teaching, learning and assessment. But this isn’t just a technical shift; it’s reshaping how students and educators learn and evaluate knowledge. Our recent qualitative study with 28 educators across Canadian universities and colleges — from librarians to engineering professors […] … learn more→

Would you create an interactive “digital twin” of yourself that can communicate with loved ones after your death? Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has made it possible to seemingly resurrect the dead. So-called griefbots or deathbots – an AI-generated voice, video avatar or text-based chatbot trained on the data of a deceased person – proliferate in the booming digital afterlife […] … learn more→

Where kids are born in a family can be important. But it is not just about who gets more grown-up privileges or parental pressure. Research tells us firstborn children, on average, tend to do better on a range of outcomes. This includes doing better at school and being more likely to be top managers when compared to those born […] … learn more→

Transitioning out of military service and into the workforce is extremely difficult. It’s an uncomplicated concept. Leave the military, get a job, start your new life. But there’s so much more going on behind the scenes. Your veteran mental health plays a huge role in your ability to land civilian employment. If you don’t receive […] … learn more→