Science & Health

The impact and implications of large language models

Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Google Bard have attracted a great deal of publicity in recent months …

Continue reading →

We need to stop treating AI like humans

The artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer Geoffrey Hinton recently resigned from Google, warning of the dangers of the technology “becoming more intelligent …

Continue reading →

Our female genital mutilation laws are broken

A nurse once told me many health professionals don’t report female genital mutilation (FGM) because it could result in children …

Continue reading →

Rationalists and circumcision

On 14 April 2023, it will be 10 years since I sent out the very first edition of ‘RSA Daily’.  …

Continue reading →

Lessons from social science forecasting during the pandemic

Imagine being a policymaker at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. You have to decide which actions to recommend, how …

Continue reading →

Multiverse: Betting on what’s beyond the horizon

It’s easy to envisage other universes, governed by slightly different laws of physics, in which no intelligent life, nor indeed …

Continue reading →

How amateur scientists are making important discoveries

What images does science conjure up in your mind? You may well be visualising a laboratory, equations scrawled on a …

Continue reading →

The future role of human judgement

There is an old Chinese curse, “May you live in an interesting age.” It continues: “They are times of danger …

Continue reading →

Why I wrote a book on circumcision

I’ve spent the last 10 years researching and writing a book on circumcision. The first question most people ask me …

Continue reading →

The gaping problem at the heart of scientific research

Researchers can’t progress their work without access to very expensive scientific journals. The rebellion against the publishers and their fees …

Continue reading →

Success without substance

New Zealander Nigel Richards has won the French Scrabble championship twice. What’s more remarkable than double wins is that Nigel doesn’t …

Continue reading →

In defence of nudging

Nudging – the idea that simple changes to how a choice is presented can lead people to make better decisions …

Continue reading →
Facebook Twitter Email linkedin