Tech & Society
Copilot’s Users Change Hour to Hour: Microsoft study shows people use AI very differently at different times or on different devices
What do users want from AI? The answer depends on when and how they use it, a new study shows.
Tech & Society
Machine Learning Research
Chatbots That Build Community by Sharon Zhou: Sharon Zhou of AMD on expanding chat to serve groups and connect us with other people
Next year, I’m excited to see AI break out of 1:1 relationships with each of us. In 2026, AI has the potential to bring people together and unite us with human connection, rather than polarize and isolate us. It’s about time for ChatGPT to enter your group chats.
AI Careers
Education That Works With — Not Against — AI by Juan M. Lavista Ferres: Juan M. Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist at Microsoft, on assignments that properly test students’ abilities
A little more than three years ago, OpenAI released ChatGPT, and education changed forever. For students, the ability to generate fluent, credible text on demand in seconds is an incredible new tool.
Science
White House Orders AI for Science: Genesis Mission would share U.S. data and resources with top AI companies
President Trump launched a United States effort to use AI to speed up scientific breakthroughs.
Business
Record Labels Back AI-Music Startup: Klay Image emerges from relative obscurity to announce deals with Sony, Warner, and Universal
A music-generation newcomer emerged from stealth mode with licenses to train generative AI models on music controlled by the world’s biggest recording companies.
Machine Learning Research
Self-Driving Cars on U.S. Freeways: Waymo deploys autonomous cars on California and Arizona expressways
Waymo became the first company to offer fully autonomous, driverless taxi service on freeways in the United States.
Letters
Don't Believe The Hype!: AGI is not just around the corner. People who enter AI today have huge opportunities to contribute to the field.
I recently received an email titled “An 18-year-old’s dilemma: Too late to contribute to AI?” Its author, who gave me permission to share this, is preparing for college.
Machine Learning Research
The Year AI Went Industrial: The State of AI Report 2025 says AI’s barriers aren’t technological but social and material
A year-in-review report heralds the dawn of AI’s industrial era.
Tech & Society
Toward Safer (and Sexier) Chatbots: Inside Character AI and OpenAI’s policy changes to protect younger and vulnerable Users
Chatbot providers, facing criticism for engaging troubled users in conversations that deepen their distress, are updating their services to provide wholesome interactions to younger users while allowing adults to pursue erotic conversations.
Business
AI Music With Major-Label Support: Universal Music Group and music generator Udio struck a deal to settle a lawsuit and build a new platform to remix copyrighted music
Music-generation service Udio will build an AI streaming platform in collaboration with the world’s biggest record label.
Tech & Society
Autonomous Systems Wage War: Drones are redefining warfare. What if humans lose control?
Drones are becoming the deadliest weapons in today’s war zones, and they’re not just following orders. Should AI decide who lives or dies?
Tech & Society
Chatbots Lead Users Into Rabbit Holes: When paranoia, delusions, and other signs of mental illness meet AI
Conversations with chatbots are loosening users’ grips on reality, fueling the sorts of delusions that can trigger episodes of severe mental illness. Are AI models driving us insane?