Geoengineering is considered a potential solution to mitigate the increasingly severe impacts of climate change. However, due to scientific and ethical concerns, it is critical to approach geoengineering techniques with caution. As a result, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) has unveiled a new ethical framework to help promote responsible and sustainable scientific research.
View More Plan B turned Plan A: Geoengineering To Resolve Climate Change?
The launch of thousands of new private satellites for global internet coverage has led to unprecedented levels of light pollution and radio interference levels. Astronomers worldwide report increasing difficulty researching while satellite companies expand their networks. Space debris also makes launching scientific satellites and space operations for research purposes more challenging. This situation highlights the growing tension between expanding global internet access to underserved communities and preserving humanity’s ability to conduct astronomical research, prompting calls for reformed international space policies.
View More The Stars We Can No Longer See: The Impediment of Satellite Mega Constellations on Astronomical Research
The warnings preceding Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Martin were more accurate than ever before due to advances in forecasting methodology and technology. However, meteorologists have never faced such intense skepticism, hatred, and conspiracy-minded pushback. Many have been accused of steering the hurricanes, and others have faced threats of violence online. These false claims have been viewed more than 160 million times in the days following the hurricanes, and have even been pushed by government officials. However, in an effort to fight these false narratives, government authorities, civil society organizations, and meteorologists are now pushing back on disaster-related misinformation.
View More Fighting Hurricane Misinformation: Meteorologists Make the Climate Connection Amidst Storm of Lies
On June 5, the spacecraft Starliner, docked at the ISS. Starliner transported Suni Williams and Butch Willmore who were originally scheduled for an eight day mission. However, the duo did not return with Starliner as planned. Instead, they will stay on the ISS for an extra eight months, joining NASA’s Crew 9 to complete Expedition 72. Their last minute addition to the team is fortunate, but is ultimately a result of irresponsible engineering.
View More A Long Way From Home: Starliner Crew’s Extended Stay in Space
This article dives into the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, which consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. Technology is considered to be a possible avenue in attaining these goals; however, limited internet infrastructure access are potential roadblocks to be faced along the way.
View More The U.N.’s Saving Grace: Addressing Agenda 2030 with Technology
The spread of AI-generated content on the internet poses a significant threat to the integrity of online information. As AI models are trained on the data they generate, a phenomenon known as “model collapse” can produce inaccurate content. This article examines the potential consequences of model collapse, such as creating echo chambers and degrading internet information. Researchers have proposed a solution to combat the model collapse, which involves blending AI-generated and human-authored data in training processes. By striking a balance between AI’s efficiency and human content’s reliability, we can harness AI’s potential while preserving the digital landscape’s authenticity.
View More Training AI with AI: Danger of Model Collapse on Internet Information Integrity
Convincing a conspiracy theorist that they are wrong is usually a futile effort, but ChatGPT might have better luck. New research suggests that debating with a sympathetic chatbot may help pluck people who believe in conspiracy theories out of the rabbit hole. The study “Durably Reducing Conspiracy Beliefs Through Dialogues With AI,” published on September 13 in the journal Science, shows that conversing with a chatbot can weaken people’s beliefs in a given conspiracy theory. This study demonstrates that, although there exists the potential for generative AI to supercharge disinformation, it can also be part of the solution.
View More How ChatGPT Can Combat Conspiracy Theories
The highly anticipated MMO survival game, The Day Before, faced significant backlash upon release due to misleading marketing tactics by Fntastic, the game developers. The discrepancies between the polished trailers and the actual state of the game, coupled with allegations of fabricated footage and unfair labor practices, have led to widespread disappointment among players. This incident highlighted the need for greater transparency and accountability within the gaming industry, emphasizing the importance of ethical marketing practices to rebuild trust between developers and players.
View More The Day Before: The Ethical Lesson of Misleading Game Marketing
Neuralink’s Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology, brain chip, has demonstrated its potential to restore mobility to those with paralysis. However, the brain chip’s technical challenges and ethical dilemmas have begun to surface after its first clinical trial. The human brain and machine connection raises heated ethical discussions about BCI’s potential implications.
View More Neuralink’s Gamble: Public Response After First Clinical Trial’s Failure
CrowdStrike released a faulty system update that caused computers to crash on a large scale all over the world. From grounding flights, to delaying medical treatment, the outage reveals the dangers of putting all your cybersecurity defenses into one company.
View More CrowdStrike’s Global Computer Crash Fiasco