Writing as thinking in the age of AI

In his article, Richard Gunderman argues that writing is not merely a way to present ideas but a core human activity through which people think, reflect and form meaning.

He contends that when AI systems generate text on behalf of users, they risk replacing this cognitive process with automated output, weakening the connection between thought and expression.

According to the piece, writing serves as a tool for reasoning, emotional processing and moral judgment. Offloading it to AI can diminish originality, flatten individual voice and encourage passive consumption of machine-produced ideas.

Gunderman warns that this shift could lead to intellectual dependency, where people rely on AI to structure arguments and articulate positions rather than developing those skills themselves.

The article also raises ethical concerns about authenticity and responsibility. If AI produces large portions of written work, it becomes unclear who is accountable for the ideas expressed. Gunderman suggests that overreliance on AI writing tools may undermine trust in communication and blur the line between human and machine authorship.

Overall, the piece calls for a balanced approach: AI may assist with editing or idea generation, but the act of writing itself should remain fundamentally human, as it is central to critical thinking, identity and social responsibility.

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Discord expands teen-by-default protection worldwide

Discord is preparing a global transition to teen-appropriate settings that will apply to all users unless they confirm they are adults.

The phased rollout begins in early March and forms part of the company’s wider effort to offer protection tailored to younger audiences rather than relying on voluntary safety choices. Controls will cover communication settings, sensitive content and access to age-restricted communities.

The update is based on an expanded age assurance system designed to protect privacy while accurately identifying users’ age groups. People can use facial age estimation on their own device or select identity verification handled by approved partners.

Discord will also rely on an age-inference model that runs quietly in the background. Verification results remain private, and documents are deleted quickly, with users able to appeal group assignments through account settings.

Stricter defaults will apply across the platform. Sensitive media will stay blurred unless a user is confirmed as an adult, and access to age-gated servers or commands will require verification.

Message requests from unfamiliar contacts will be separated, friend-request alerts will be more prominent and only adults will be allowed to speak on community stages instead of sharing the feature with teens.

Discord is complementing the update by creating a Teen Council to offer advice on future safety tools and policies. The council will include up to a dozen young users and aims to embed real teen insight in product development.

The global rollout builds on earlier launches in the UK and Australia, adding to an existing safety ecosystem that includes Teen Safety Assist, Family Centre, and several moderation tools intended to support positive and secure online interactions.

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AI in education reveals a critical evidence gap

Universities are increasingly reorganising around AI, treating AI-based instruction as a proven solution for delivering education more efficiently. This shift reflects a broader belief that AI can reliably replace or reduce human-led teaching, despite growing uncertainty about its actual impact on learning.

Recent research challenges this assumption by re-examining the evidence used to justify AI-driven reforms. A comprehensive re-analysis of AI and learning studies reveals severe publication bias, with positive results published far more frequently than negative or null findings. Once corrected, reported learning gains from AI shrink substantially and may be negligible.

More critically, the research exposes deep inconsistency across studies. Outcomes vary so widely that the evidence cannot predict whether AI will help or harm learning in a given context, and no educational level, discipline, or AI application shows consistent benefits.

By contrast, human-mediated teaching remains a well-established foundation of learning. Decades of research demonstrate that understanding develops through interaction, adaptation, and shared meaning-making, leading the article to conclude that AI in education remains an open question, while human instruction remains the known constant.

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Study questions reliability of AI medical guidance

AI chatbots are not yet capable of providing reliable health advice, according to new research published in the journal Nature Medicine. Findings show users gain no greater diagnostic accuracy from chatbots than from traditional internet searches.

Researchers tested nearly 1,300 UK participants using ten medical scenarios, ranging from minor symptoms to conditions requiring urgent care. Participants were assigned to use either OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Meta’s Llama 3, Command R+, or a standard search engine to assess symptoms and determine next steps.

Chatbot users identified their condition about one-third of the time, with only 45 percent selecting the correct medical response. Performance levels matched those relying solely on search engines, despite AI systems scoring highly on medical licensing benchmarks.

Experts attributed the gap to communication failures. Users often provided incomplete information or misinterpreted chatbot guidance.

Researchers and bioethicists warned that growing reliance on AI for medical queries could pose public health risks without professional oversight.

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When grief meets AI

AI is now being used to create ‘deathbots’, chatbots designed to mimic people after they die using their messages and voice recordings. The technology is part of a growing digital afterlife industry, with some people using it to maintain a sense of connection with loved ones who have passed away.

Researchers at Cardiff University studied how these systems recreate personalities using digital data such as texts, emails, and audio recordings. The findings described the experience as both fascinating and unsettling, raising questions about memory, identity, and emotional impact.

Tests showed current deathbots often fail to accurately reproduce voices or personalities due to technical limitations. Researchers warned that these systems rely on simplified versions of people, which may distort memories rather than preserve them authentically.

Experts believe the technology could improve, but remain uncertain whether it will become widely accepted. Concerns remain about emotional consequences and whether digital versions could alter how people remember those who have died.

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Pakistan pledges major investment in AI by 2030

Pakistan plans to invest $1 billion in AI by 2030, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at the opening of Indus AI Week in Islamabad. The pledge aims to build a national AI ecosystem in Pakistan.

The government in Pakistan said AI education would expand to schools and universities, including remote regions. Islamabad also plans 1,000 fully funded PhD scholarships in AI to strengthen research capacity in Pakistan.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan would train one million non IT professionals in AI skills by 2030. Islamabad identified agriculture, mining and industry as priority sectors for AI driven productivity gains in Pakistan.

Pakistan approved a National AI Policy in 2025, although implementation has moved slowly. Officials in Islamabad said Indus AI Week marks an early step towards broader adoption of AI across Pakistan.

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Educators turn to AI despite platform fatigue

Educators in the US are increasingly using AI to address resource shortages, despite growing frustration with fragmented digital platforms. A new survey highlights rising dependence on AI tools across schools and universities in the US.

The study found many educators in the US juggle numerous digital systems that fail to integrate smoothly. Respondents said constant switching between platforms adds to workload pressures and burnout in the US education sector.

AI use in the US is focused on boosting productivity, with educators applying tools to research, writing and administrative tasks. Many also use AI to support student learning as budgets tighten in the US.

Concerns remain in the US around data security, ethics and system overload. Educators said better integration between AI and learning tools could ease strain and improve outcomes in the US classroom.

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New AI breakthrough unlocks complex protein structures

AI is reshaping protein research, enabling scientists to decode complex molecular structures with greater speed and precision. Researchers at the National University of Singapore are using AI to accelerate biomedical discovery and disease research.

Protein function depends on three-dimensional structure, yet experimental mapping remains slow and resource-intensive. A team led by Zhang Yang developed D-I-TASSER, an AI tool that predicts 3D structures of complex multi-domain proteins.

The system combines AI with physics simulations, predicting protein segments before assembling a full structural model. Testing showed roughly 13 percent higher accuracy than existing leading methods, while enabling structural modelling across much of the human proteome.

Future development will expand the framework to RNA structures and protein-protein interactions, including antibody-antigen complexes, with the long-term goal of modelling dynamic protein folding processes inside living cells.

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Shadow AI becomes a new governance challenge for European organisations

Employees are adopting generative tools at work faster than organisations can approve or secure them, giving rise to what is increasingly described as ‘shadow AI‘. Unlike earlier forms of shadow IT, these tools can transform data, infer sensitive insights, and trigger automated actions beyond established controls.

For European organisations, the issue is no longer whether AI should be used, but how to regain visibility and control without undermining productivity, as shadow AI increasingly appears inside approved platforms, browser extensions, and developer tools, expanding risks beyond data leakage.

Security experts warn that blanket bans often push AI use further underground, reducing transparency and trust. Instead, guidance from EU cybersecurity bodies increasingly promotes responsible enablement through clear policies, staff awareness, and targeted technical controls.

Key mitigation measures include mapping AI use across approved and informal tools, defining safe prompt data, and offering sanctioned alternatives, with logging, least-privilege access, and approval steps becoming essential as AI acts across workflows.

With the EU AI Act introducing clearer accountability across the AI value chain, unmanaged shadow AI is also emerging as a compliance risk. As AI becomes embedded across enterprise software, organisations face growing pressure to make safe use the default rather than the exception.

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Super Bowl 2026 ads embrace the AI power

AI dominated the 2026 Super Bowl advertising landscape as brands relied on advanced models instead of traditional high-budget productions.

Many spots showcased AI as both the creative engine behind the visuals and the featured product, signalling a shift toward technology-centred storytelling during the most expensive broadcast event of the year.

Svedka pursued a provocative strategy by presenting a largely AI-generated commercial starring its robot pair, a choice that reignited arguments over whether generative tools could displace human creatives.

Anthropic went in a different direction by using humour to mock OpenAI’s plan to introduce advertisements to ChatGPT, a jab that led to a pointed response from Sam Altman and fuelled an online dispute.

Meta, Amazon and Google used their airtime to promote their latest consumer offerings, with Meta focusing on AI-assisted glasses for extreme activities and Amazon unveiling Alexa+, framed through a satirical performance by Chris Hemsworth about fears of malfunctioning assistants.

Google leaned toward practical design applications instead of spectacle, demonstrating its Nano Banana Pro system transforming bare rooms into personalised images.

Other companies emphasised service automation, from Ring’s AI tool for locating missing pets to Ramp, Rippling and Wix, which showcased platforms designed to ease administrative work and simplify creative tasks.

Hims & Hers adopted a more social approach by highlighting the unequal nature of healthcare access and promoting its AI-driven MedMatch feature.

The variety of tones across the adverts underscored how brands increasingly depend on AI to stand out, either through spectacle or through commentary on the technology’s expanding cultural power.

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