Language
What’s the World’s Oldest Language?
Debate rages over which languages can claim to have the earliest origin
Language974 articles archived since 1845
Artificial Intelligence
How AI Knows Things No One Told It
Researchers are still struggling to understand how AI models trained to parrot Internet text can perform advanced tasks such as running code, playing games and trying to break up a marriage...
Artificial Intelligence
AI Causes Real Harm. Let’s Focus on That over the End-of-Humanity Hype
Effective regulation of AI needs grounded science that investigates real harms, not glorified press releases about existential risks
Artificial Intelligence
AI-Generated Data Can Poison Future AI Models
As AI-generated content fills the Internet, it’s corrupting the training data for models to come. What happens when AI eats itself?
Archaeology
Ancient ‘Unknown’ Script Is Finally Deciphered
Researchers have decoded more than half of the characters in the so-called Kushan script by comparing them with inscriptions in a known ancient language called Bactrian
Language
Even Lawyers Don’t Understand Legalese, New Study Shows
Lawyers and nonlawyers alike prefer contracts written in plain English
Artificial Intelligence
New Tool Reveals How AI Makes Decisions
Large language models such as ChatGPT tend to make things up. A new approach now allows the systems to explain their responses—at least partially
Language
This Ancient Language Has the Only Grammar Based Entirely on the Human Body
An endangered language family suggests that early humans used their bodies as a model for reality
Privacy
How Indigenous Groups Are Leading the Way on Data Privacy
Indigenous groups are developing data storage technology that gives users privacy and control. Could their work influence those fighting back against invasive apps?
Arts
AI Can’t Solve this Famous Murder Mystery Puzzle
The 1934 puzzle book Cain’s Jawbone stumped all but a handful of humans. Then AI took the case
Artificial Intelligence
What the New GPT-4 AI Can Do
OpenAI just released an updated version of its text-generating artificial intelligence program. Here’s how GPT-4 improves on its predecessor
Animals
How Scientists Are Using AI to Talk to Animals
Portable sensors and artificial intelligence are helping researchers decode animal communication—and begin to talk back to nonhumans
Artificial Intelligence
Research Summaries Written by AI Fool Scientists
Scientists cannot always differentiate between research abstracts generated by the AI ChatGPT and those written by humans
Language
The Linguistics of Swearing Explain Why We Substitute Darn for Damn
Languages from Hindi to Korean tone down swear words by inserting gentler consonants into speech. Here’s how “Let’s go Brandon” got started
Artificial Intelligence
How Language-Generation AIs Could Transform Science
An expert in emerging technologies warns that software designed to summarize, translate and write like humans might exacerbate distrust in science
Artificial Intelligence
AI Sommelier Generates Wine Reviews without Ever Opening a Bottle
A new algorithm writes wine and beer reviews that sound like they were penned by human critics. Is that a good thing?
Language
What Is the Shape of This Word?
What shape do you see when you hear “ bouba ”? What about “ kiki ”? It turns out that nonsense words that evoke certain shapes have something to say about the origins of language...
Language
Climate Change Is Creating New Vocabulary, from Eco-Anxiety to Kaitiakitanga
Lexicographers at the Oxford English Dictionary have added new words and definitions to reflect the rapidly evolving discourse about our hot planet
Language
It Isn’t Just What You Say about Science; It’s Also How You Say It
Teaching scientists to talk to policy makers
Language
Made-Up Sounds Convey Meaning across Cultures
Newly created vocalizations can convey concepts remarkably well
