Why AI shouldn’t be used even to decide ‘simple’ court cases
Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock In just a few years, generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) has brought about significant changes in many industries from healthcare to education, entertainment to finance, and even law. The use of gen AI in court verdicts poses significant risks to justice. Erroneous outcomes generated from “hallucinated” information, discriminatory decisions and lack of transparency […]
Expecting charity shops to recycle your unwanted clothes is creating a rubbish pile – here’s how to help to avoid that
Charity shops receive tonnes of unwanted clothes. Iryna Mylinska/Shutterstock Charity shops are generally seen as a responsible way to get rid of unwanted belongings. In theory, donating items allows them to be reused and raises money for important causes. However, many charity shops struggle to make use of the donations they receive. The UK has […]
Zajal – this form of Arabic poetic duelling has broken onto TikTok
“I am a king of angels, from beginning to end. Arrani you’ll soon be crying out, weeping endless tears,” sings Akram Qawar in Arabic while gesticulating at his opponent. Muhammad al-Arrani sings back: “What are you mumbling about? No one understands your verse, did you just come here to make a fool of yourself in […]
The dark side of music as ‘therapy’
Simon Kadula/ Shutterstock A violinist plays in a cancer ward. A playlist loops in the waiting room. A surgeon hums along to the radio mid-operation. We assume, almost without thinking, that music helps. But what if it doesn’t – or worse, what if it harms? Music has been used since the beginning of time, in […]
The unseen challenges of life on the Moon
For the first time since the Apollo era, humans are preparing not just to visit the Moon, but to live and work there for weeks, months – and eventually years. But what would it really be like to spend an extended period on the lunar surface? The answer is exhilarating – and brutally unforgiving. An […]
Traveller’s tummy: why going on holiday can affect your bowel habits – and what you can do to prevent it
Changes to our normal routine can throw our bowels out of whack. S Prodution/ Shutterstock Travelling abroad is something many of us look forward to. It’s a chance to break free from the norm, discover new sights, try new foods and do things we might not normally have a chance to do. But sometimes, our […]
Four reasons why the new DC cinematic universe may fail (again)
Marvel and DC have been captivating the world with their superheroes and supervillains for almost a century. Characters like Spider-Man (Marvel) and Superman (DC) are global household names whose recognition rivals that of world leaders. For most of their history, Marvel and DC have gone toe-to-toe in comics, cartoons, TV and films. In 2008, Marvel […]
AI laws overlook environmental damage – here’s what needs to change
Huge energy-intensive data centres are required to support growing AI demands. Make more Aerials/Shutterstock More than 200 laws have been developed to regulate AI in more than 100 countries. Many of them focus on issues such as privacy, bias, disinformation, security and cybersecurity rather than the environmental consequences of AI. AI is an energy-intensive and […]
The Samurai Detectives: Volume 2 explores money and kinship in the Edo underworld
At high noon on a scorching summer day, retired samurai Kohei finds the fearsome Kumagoro writhing around a field in agony. The stricken man’s name translates as “demon bear”, and he’s the proprietor of a bar of the same name. Kohei finds him next to a temple famous for a tragic legend of familial loss […]
The world’s supply of helium is being threatened by the Iran war
The war in the Middle East has disrupted the world’s supply of helium. Qatar produces about a third of global helium, but attacks on its gas infrastructure have forced production to stop. At the same time, Iran is blocking the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, through which Qatar exports both […]