Articles
Original articles about AI, privacy, attention, dark patterns, and the intersection of technology with psychology and society.
42 articles
When people lose an evening to an endless feed, the usual explanation is personal: weak willpower, poor habits, insufficient discipline. That story is comforting to the institutions around the problem. It turns a design
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that artificial intelligence can answer questions, generate images, or automate routine work. It is that conversational AI c
The most consequential current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that artificial intelligence can imitate conversation, that virtual reality can create convincing environments, or
The most consequential finding emerging from current research on artificial intelligence is easy to miss because it does not describe a benchmark score or a new capability. It concerns a human response: people can experi
Generative AI has entered ordinary life with a strange promise: instant help that is always available, never impatient, and able to respond in a voice that feels attentive. People use it to write messages, settle argumen
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that every young person who uses social media will be harmed. It is that social-media platforms can amplify ordinary develop
A familiar story has become the default explanation for digital harm: some people have poor self-control, others are more susceptible, and the answer is to be more disciplined. Put the phone away. Read the terms. Do not
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is also one that demands restraint: frequent generative-AI use is associated with worse mental-health symptoms, but the evidence do
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that young people are occasionally asking AI chatbots for advice. It is that a substantial minority are already using them a
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not simply that people can become attached to AI chatbots. It is that conversational systems can participate in a feedback loop
Synthetic media is often described as a problem of gullible audiences and ever-more-convincing fakes. That framing is incomplete. It places the burden on people to identify manipulation while overlooking the institutions
The consequential change is not simply that more of life happens through screens, nor that artificial intelligence is becoming more capable. It is that digital systems can increasingly observe patterns, infer context, an
The most important finding in the current research is also the least satisfying slogan: social media is not one thing, and its effects are not evenly distributed. The strongest evidence does not support a simple verdict
A chatbot can answer at two in the morning, remember the details you give it, and reply without impatience. For someone who is lonely, grieving, anxious, or ashamed, that can feel less like software than relief. This is
For more than a decade, the public debate about technology and mental health has focused on the feed: the endless stream of posts, images, videos, comparisons and notifications that compete for attention. That concern re
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that social media or artificial intelligence is simply “good” or “bad.” It is that digital systems have their greatest effec
AI has entered one of the most private parts of ordinary life: the moment after an argument, before sleep, during a panic spiral, or when there is no one else to call. People now ask chatbots to interpret messages, expla
A convincing fake video is easy to picture. A politician appears to announce something inflammatory. A family member seems to ask for urgent money. A short clip races through a group chat before anyone has checked it. Th
The most important current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that artificial intelligence straightforwardly causes depression, nor that it is a harmless productivity tool. It is th
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that social media causes a single mental-health outcome in every person. It is that digital systems built to maximise engage
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that artificial intelligence can sound intelligent. It is that systems built from language can become socially meaningful to
The most important finding in today’s debate about social media and mental health is not that every hour online harms every young person. It is more precise—and more troubling.
The strongest current finding about social media and young people is not that it is simply good, bad, addictive, or harmless. It is that its effects are conditional: they depend on the interaction between a person’s deve
The most consequential current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that artificial intelligence can produce convincing advice. It is that conversational AI can create the experience
The most important current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is not that social media is simply “good” or “bad.” It is that algorithmically curated platforms can amplify existing human vu
A person opens a chatbot late at night after an argument, a panic episode, a bad day at work, or a stretch of loneliness. They do not ask for a diagnosis. They ask to be heard. The answer comes back quickly, in a calm vo
A person can know perfectly well that a chatbot is software and still experience a conversation with it as support. That gap between what we know and what an interaction does to us is where the most consequential current
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology and society is not that artificial intelligence has proven to cause depression. It has not. It is that frequent, everyday use of generative AI i
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology and society is not that artificial intelligence can answer questions, write essays or create convincing images. It is that AI systems are becomi
The strongest current finding at the intersection of technology, psychology, and society is also the least sensational: frequent, everyday use of generative AI is associated with worse mood. In a survey of more than 20,0
Artificial intelligence is often described as a tool that changes work, search, education, or entertainment. That description is too narrow. Increasingly, AI also enters the social space: the space in which people seek r
The European Union began enforcing core rules of the AI Act on 2 August 2026. This article explains what the new transparency obligations mean for how you encounter AI-generated content, what the law requires, and where it still falls short.
The European Commission is funding new research into how marketplace design influences user behaviour. This article examines the dark patterns that shape online shopping, the regulatory response under the Digital Services Act, and what it means for consumers.
In August 2026, the EFF and civil society groups called on Nottinghamshire Police to halt the use of live facial recognition. The technology raises fundamental questions about privacy, consent, and the future of public life — and the answers vary dramatically by jurisdiction.
Age-verification mandates are spreading across the internet. Zero-Knowledge Proofs are often presented as the privacy-safe solution, but the reality is more complicated. This article explains the technology, the risks, and what users should understand.
A new MIT study examines a pattern that has held for centuries: technology creates jobs, but those jobs tend to go to young, skilled workers. This article explores what makes AI different and what the evidence suggests about the future of work.
MIT research reveals that AI-generated images are increasingly difficult to trace back to their training data. This article explains attribution decay, its implications for copyright and trust, and what can be done about it.
Automated content moderation is the invisible intermediary between people and their speech online. This article examines how AI moderation systems work, where they fail, and what it means for your digital experience.
A useful explanation, a generated rationale, and an auditable decision trace are different things. This guide explains why that difference matters when AI affects people.
Why practical visibility matters when surveillance, data flows, misleading claims, AI interfaces, and synthetic-media provenance affect ordinary people.
Why location-data protections need enforceable limits on collection, sale, consent, and dark patterns.
A federal court ruled that the DoD unlawfully retaliated against Anthropic for refusing to enable mass surveillance, marking a significant check on government power to punish principled AI companies. This article examines the implications for AI ethics, alongside Meta’s massive age-assurance settlement and new research into AI guardrail evaluation.