Controlling AI

Technology can and does shape society, but society can also shape technology. We are still able to formulate the path AI should take in order to produce the best outcome for humanity.

Another Earth?

The search for alien life in our galaxy – and UFOs in our skies – is a constant source of intrigue and discussion, and while the more lurid tales of visitation may be dismissed, the chances of finding life out there appear to be increasing.

Deep thought

The release of a highly capable cut-price Chinese AI system has rocked the Western AI companies which saw themselves as the disrupters of the global economy, but more fundamental problems with AI itself remain.

Delving into dementia

Dementia affects nearly 60 million people around the world, and air pollution is emerging as a major contributing factor to this global scourge.

Artificial selection

The replacement of Darwinian natural selection by intelligent design could become a reality in our lifetimes through genetic engineering, the augmentation of people with machines and even the creation of sentient inorganic silicon-based life itself.

Beware the gadget

Our obsession with social media and non-stop immersion in our mobile phones are isolating us off from real human interaction, prompting calls for young people to be protected.

Fire, flints and fiction

Fiction remains one of humanities greatest inventions and we seem to need stories in our lives not only to explain the mysteries of existence but to enhance the fact of existence.

Mental aberrations

Humans are interacting more than ever with artificial intelligence and this technology is not only changing how humans relate with it but also with each other.

The dress and the rabbit

Optical illusions and ambiguous pictures are more than parlour puzzles but can open our eyes to the scientific study of human perception and the role our brains play in shaping what we think we see.

Self determination – or delusion?

The debate over whether humans have free will is a long-standing and complex issue in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. Do we really have free will – and therefore moral responsibility for our actions – or are our choices shaped our genetic makeup and social influences in ways that put them out of our control?

Scepticism v credulity

The ability to perceive patterns is a fundamental building block of human intelligence, but we need the scientific method to ensure these patterns are real, rather than illusions.

Trust your instincts

We’re surrounded by technology and spend decades honing our intellects at school and university but intuition – the ability to understand something without conscious reasoning – remains a powerful force in our lives, and can sometimes even be a life saver.