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When Binghamton University digital and data studies scholar Francesco Agnellini encountered a study showing that 50% of new articles on the internet were being generated by AI, he didn’t panic. Instead, he thought of novelist and cultural critic Umberto Eco.
In the 1960s, Eco cautioned against applying black-or-white thinking to new media technologies. Back then, the proliferation of television was eliciting widespread predictions of cultural decay. But Eco suggested looking instead at how this technology was being used, and what risks and opportunities it created.
So Agnellini decided to parse the recent study and examine the types of articles that were actually being written by AI.
AI, he explains, “appears to be most useful when the writing in question is low-stakes and formulaic: the weekend-in-Rome listicle, the standard cover letter, the text produced to market a business.”
Yes, it’s caused significant disruption – just ask the legions of freelance content writers who have seen the source of their livelihoods evaporate. But Agnellini sees reasons for why originality and voice may stand out more in the media landscape. “It’s quite possible that thoughtful, original, human-generated writing will become even more valuable,” he writes.
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Nick Lehr
Senior Arts + Culture Editor
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Preserving the value of real human voices will likely depend on how people adapt to artificial intelligence and collaborate with it.
BlackJack3D/E+ via Getty Images
Francesco Agnellini, Binghamton University, State University of New York
As AI floods the internet with text, it could mean human voices will matter more – not less.
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Science + Technology
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Emily Ronay Johnston, University of California, Merced
Resilience is often presented as feats of bravery and endurance. But everyday practices like journaling, drafting a text or even writing a to-do list are manifestations of a capacity to adapt.
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Amy Wrobleski, Penn State; Eric Burkhart, Penn State
Two ethnobiologists at Penn State surveyed over 800 mushroom harvesters in the mid-Atlantic region to understand what they’re hunting and why.
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Marcos Fernandez Tous, University of North Dakota; Preeti Nair, University of North Dakota; Sai Susmitha Guddanti, University of North Dakota; Sreejith Vidhyadharan Nair, University of North Dakota
A subset of AI called reinforcement learning is helping scientists improve nuclear fuel technology, which they could use to power spacecraft and rockets.
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Stephen DiKerby, Michigan State University
Will the universe keep existing forever? An astrophysicist explains how scientists aren’t entirely sure, but they can make predictions.
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Economy + Business
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Katherine Fink, Pace University
Nonprofit news outlets face pressure to find new sources of revenue from their funders.
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Environment + Energy
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Bethany Bradley, UMass Amherst; Adrienne Wootten, University of Oklahoma; Ryan Longman, University of Hawaii
The people who manage America’s aquifers, wetlands, shorelines and recreation areas rely on federal science as they face new and rising risks in a changing climate.
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Politics + Society
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Ken Hughes, University of Virginia
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s accounts of the notorious false flag operations proposed during the Kennedy years omit the most important part of the story. Hint: It’s a family affair.
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Alex McPhee-Browne, University of Cambridge
In 1946, young men in khaki shirts marched through Atlanta performing Nazi salutes and promising racial vengeance. They lasted 10 months. Today’s fascists aren’t as easily banished.
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Health + Medicine
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Daniel P. Aldrich, Northeastern University; Kiffer George Card, Simon Fraser University
Guidelines for social well-being can help health care providers identify when someone is socially isolated and provide goals and standards for policymakers.
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Bryn Beeder, Miami University
Guilt and discomfort around food can be especially challenging during the holidays. But trusting your body and remembering the social value of sharing meals can help you enjoy yourself.
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