201 articles
The 1990 Gardner Museum theft, the largest unsolved art heist in history, illustrates exactly the fragmented data problem that AI is now beginning to address. Stuart Kerr examines where AI-assisted
Speech AI error rates for some northern and Celtic British accents are up to 20 percentage points higher than for standard southern English. Stuart Kerr examines why regional slang is
AI is displacing functions that religious practice historically performed without being designed to do so. Stuart Kerr examines what religion provides that AI cannot replicate, the growing spiritual technology market,
Between 100 million and 500 million workers globally label data that makes AI functional, often for less than two dollars per hour. Stuart Kerr examines the clickwork economy, the psychological
AI-driven genetic genealogy can now identify a third cousin or closer for nearly any person from just 2 per cent of a population's DNA. Stuart Kerr examines the predictive reach
Of approximately 7,000 languages currently spoken, AI language capability is concentrated in fewer than 20. Stuart Kerr examines the dialect and slang problem, the efforts addressing it, and what universal
Recommendation algorithms are designed to prevent serendipity, narrowing online experience to confirmed preferences. Stuart Kerr examines the cognitive and democratic consequences, where serendipity still lives, and what governance can actually
WHO and ILO data estimate 12 billion working days are lost annually to depression and anxiety, with overwork a primary cause. Stuart Kerr examines the optimisation trap AI creates, what
Blockchain can provide verifiable data provenance and privacy-preserving computation for AI, but decentralised AI systems also deepen accountability gaps. Stuart Kerr examines where the combination has genuine value, the governance
AI memory tools range from clinically validated cognitive support for dementia patients to contested lifelogging and digital afterlife applications. Stuart Kerr examines the augmentation versus replacement distinction, and what responsible
Nature Neuroscience research has documented AI systems decoding dream content from fMRI data at above-chance accuracy. Stuart Kerr examines the research and therapeutic applications, the surveillance risks, and why the
AI systems are automating asylum credibility assessment, visa risk scoring, and border biometrics across major immigration systems with minimal oversight. Stuart Kerr examines the bias problem, why asylum AI is
Nano-AI systems are being trained to navigate the bloodstream, detect cancer, and deliver targeted therapy at the cellular level — transforming medicine from the inside out.
AI automation is eliminating mid-skill urban jobs faster than cities can generate alternatives — and the demographic consequences could reshape cities as dramatically as deindustrialisation.
AI recruitment tools now screen, rank, and assess candidates with minimal human involvement — transforming cross-border hiring while raising urgent questions about bias, accountability, and the future of the recruiter.
AI systems can now detect the precursor signatures of earthquakes, floods, and wildfires hours before conventional monitoring — but the gap between prediction and protection remains one of disaster science's
AI is compressing the timeline of synthetic biology from decades to months — designing novel proteins, engineering gene circuits, and opening research corridors that will transform medicine, agriculture, and materials
AI is reshaping every dimension of Olympic sport — from training optimisation to algorithmic judging, doping detection, and equipment design — raising urgent questions about what fair competition means in
AI can now reconstruct the voice, appearance, and conversational patterns of the deceased — raising urgent questions about consent, grief, and the rights of the dead in a world of
AI valuation tools, document review systems, and risk-scoring algorithms are entering family law proceedings — raising urgent questions about fairness, transparency, and the limits of algorithmic judgment in emotionally charged
AI-generated models are displacing commercial fashion photography bookings at scale — raising urgent questions about labour, diversity, likeness rights, and whether the economics of modelling can survive the algorithm.
AI systems are making or influencing clinical decisions across radiology, pathology, and sepsis prediction — often with accuracy that exceeds human specialists. The problem is that neither patients nor clinicians
Children are forming real emotional bonds with AI companions — and when companies shut down, those bonds are severed without warning. The AI companion market for kids is growing faster
Personal robots are entering care homes, nurseries, and living rooms worldwide -- but can they genuinely look after us across the full arc of life, or are they a cost-cutting
AI is entering the operating room as surgical planner, real-time monitor, and autonomous operator -- transforming surgical practice faster than the regulatory frameworks designed to govern it.
AI-piloted drones are transforming aerial surveillance -- from law enforcement crowd monitoring to border control and autonomous military systems -- faster than the legal frameworks designed to govern them.
AI and robotics are transforming construction -- from bricklaying robots and autonomous excavators to generative design tools and AI safety monitoring -- in an industry that has lagged productivity growth
Large language models speak to the world in a voice shaped predominantly by English-language data -- encoding cultural assumptions, marginalising dialects, and potentially accelerating linguistic homogenisation at global scale.
From AlphaGo to AI-generated game worlds, artificial intelligence is transforming games from every angle -- as designer, opponent, and training partner -- while raising new questions about creativity, fairness, and
AI accessibility tools are genuinely transforming life for people with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities -- but the technology is unevenly designed, inconsistently deployed, and frequently developed without the