chatbot

The Washington Post reports on how artificial intelligence is transforming the U.S. economy in unexpected ways, beyond the headline advances in chatbots and image generation. The piece examines less obvious shifts across industries and the labor market. Readers are weighing the pace of change and which sectors stand to gain or lose most from AI adoption.

Research presented at a Federal Reserve Bank of New York conference finds that AI chatbots can make users more confident in wrong answers, encouraging what the authors call 'cognitive surrender' and suboptimal decisions. The findings are raising concerns about how overreliance on agreeable AI assistants could undermine critical thinking, workplace culture and governance, particularly in banking and other high-stakes decision-making environments.

A teenager used artificial intelligence to plan a hiking trip and ended up stranded on a route known as a 'Widowmaker,' according to Backpacker Magazine. The incident has renewed concerns about relying on AI chatbots for outdoor trip planning, as automated suggestions can overlook dangerous terrain, weather hazards, or a hiker's actual skill level.

The University of Notre Dame is hosting a discussion, branded under its 'Fighting Irish' banner, examining whether artificial intelligence can serve as a substitute for human relationships. The debate comes amid growing use of AI companions and chatbots, with commentators weighing the emotional benefits against concerns about isolation and the erosion of genuine human connection.

A new study suggests that using large language models may reduce brain function, adding to ongoing concerns about how reliance on AI tools affects cognition. The findings are likely to fuel debate among researchers, educators and the tech industry over whether everyday use of chatbots and AI assistants weakens critical thinking, memory and other mental skills.

Andrew Garfield says he stopped using ChatGPT as a search tool after portraying OpenAI chief Sam Altman in the upcoming film 'Artificial'. The actor said the role left him 'a bit scared' and 'mistrusting of the technology', prompting him to give up treating the chatbot as what he called a fancy Google.

Questions directed at the Grok chatbot asking whether a claim is true are being posted on X. The tagged question format, in which users ask Grok to verify statements they encounter, is a growing way people check information on the platform. No specific claim is identified in this instance, so what was being verified is not known.