the year in review 2024: The year AI drove everyone crazy What do eating rocks, rat genitals, and Willy Wonka have in common? AI, of course. Benj Edwards Dec 26, 2024 7:00 am | 1 Credit: GeorgePeters / imaginima via Getty Images Credit: GeorgePeters / imaginima via Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIt's been a wild year in tech thanks to the intersection between humans and artificial intelligence. 2024 brought a parade of AI oddities, mishaps, and wacky moments that inspired odd behavior from both machines and man. From AI-generated rat genitals to search engines telling people to eat rocks, this year proved that AI has been having a weird impact on the world.Why the weirdness? If we had to guess, it may be due to the novelty of it all. Generative AI and applications built upon Transformer-based AI models are still so new that people are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. People have been struggling to grasp both the implications and potential applications of the new technology. Riding along with the hype, different types of AI that may end up being ill-advised, such as automated military targeting systems, have also been introduced.It's worth mentioning that aside from crazy news, we saw fewer weird AI advances in 2024 as well. For example, Claude 3.5 Sonnet launched in June held off the competition as a top model for most of the year, while OpenAI's o1 used runtime compute to expand GPT-4o's capabilities with simulated reasoning. Advanced Voice Mode and NotebookLM also emerged as novel applications of AI tech, and the year saw the rise of more capable music synthesis models and also better AI video generators, including several from China.But for now, let's get down to the weirdness.ChatGPT goes insane Credit: Benj Edwards / Getty Images Early in the year, things got off to an exciting start when OpenAI's ChatGPT experienced a significant technical malfunction that caused the AI model to generate increasingly incoherent responses, prompting users on Reddit to describe the system as "having a stroke" or "going insane." During the glitch, ChatGPT's responses would begin normally but then deteriorate into nonsensical text, sometimes mimicking Shakespearean language.OpenAI later revealed that a bug in how the model processed language caused it to select the wrong words during text generation, leading to nonsense outputs (basically the text version of what we at Ars now call "jabberwockies"). The company fixed the issue within 24 hours, but the incident led to frustrations about the black box nature of commercial AI systems and users' tendency to anthropomorphize AI behavior when it malfunctions.The great Wonka incident A photo of "Willy's Chocolate Experience" (inset), which did not match AI-generated promises, shown in the background. Credit: Stuart Sinclair The collision between AI-generated imagery and consumer expectations fueled human frustrations in February when Scottish families discovered that "Willy's Chocolate Experience," an unlicensed Wonka-ripoff event promoted using AI-generated wonderland images, turned out to be little more than a sparse warehouse with a few modest decorations.Parents who paid 35 per ticket encountered a situation so dire they called the police, with children reportedly crying at the sight of a person in what attendees described as a "terrifying outfit." The event, created by House of Illuminati in Glasgow, promised fantastical spaces like an "Enchanted Garden" and "Twilight Tunnel" but delivered an underwhelming experience that forced organizers to shut down mid-way through its first day and issue refunds.While the show was a bust, it brought us an iconic new meme for job disillusionment in the form of a photo: the green-haired Willy's Chocolate Experience employee who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else on earth at that moment.Mutant rat genitals expose peer review flaws An actual laboratory rat, who is intrigued. Credit: Getty | Photothek In February, Ars Technica senior health reporter Beth Mole covered a peer-reviewed paper published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology that created an uproar in the scientific community when researchers discovered it contained nonsensical AI-generated images, including an anatomically incorrect rat with oversized genitals. The paper, authored by scientists at Xi'an Honghui Hospital in China, openly acknowledged using Midjourney to create figures that contained gibberish text labels like "Stemm cells" and "iollotte sserotgomar."The publisher, Frontiers, posted an expression of concern about the article titled "Cellular functions of spermatogonial stem cells in relation to JAK/STAT signaling pathway" and launched an investigation into how the obviously flawed imagery passed through peer review. Scientists across social media platforms expressed dismay at the incident, which mirrored concerns about AI-generated content infiltrating academic publishing.Chatbot makes erroneous refund promises for Air Canada Credit: Alvin Man | iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus If, say, ChatGPT gives you the wrong name for one of the seven dwarves, it's not such a big deal. But in February, Ars senior policy reporter Ashley Belanger covered a case of costly AI confabulation in the wild. In the course of online text conversations, Air Canada's customer service chatbot told customers inaccurate refund policy information. The airline faced legal consequences later when a tribunal ruled the airline must honor commitments made by the automated system. Tribunal adjudicator Christopher Rivers determined that Air Canada bore responsibility for all information on its website, regardless of whether it came from a static page or AI interface.The case set a precedent for how companies deploying AI customer service tools could face legal obligations for automated systems' responses, particularly when they fail to warn users about potential inaccuracies. Ironically, the airline had reportedly spent more on the initial AI implementation than it would have cost to maintain human workers for simple queries, according to Air Canada executive Steve Crocker.Will Smith lampoons his digital double The real Will Smith eating spaghetti, parodying an AI-generated video from 2023. Credit: Will Smith / Getty Images / Benj Edwards In March 2023, a terrible AI-generated video of Will Smith's AI doppelganger eating spaghetti began making the rounds online. The AI-generated version of the actor gobbled down the noodles in an unnatural and disturbing way. Almost a year later, in February 2024, Will Smith himself posted a parody response video to the viral jabberwocky on Instagram, featuring AI-like deliberately exaggerated pasta consumption, complete with hair-nibbling and finger-slurping antics.Given the rapid evolution of AI video technology, particularly since OpenAI had just unveiled its Sora video model four days earlier, Smith's post sparked discussion in his Instagram comments where some viewers initially struggled to distinguish between the genuine footage and AI generation. It was an early sign of "deep doubt" in action as the tech increasingly blurs the line between synthetic and authentic video content.Robot dogs learn to hunt people with AI-guided rifles A still image of a robotic quadruped armed with a remote weapons system, captured from a video provided by Onyx Industries. Credit: Onyx Industries At some point in recent historysomewhere around 2022someone took a look at robotic quadrupeds and thought it would be a great idea to attach guns to them. A few years later, the US Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) began evaluating armed robotic quadrupeds developed by Ghost Robotics. The robot "dogs" integrated Onyx Industries' SENTRY remote weapon systems, which featured AI-enabled targeting that could detect and track people, drones, and vehicles, though the systems require human operators to authorize any weapons discharge.The military's interest in armed robotic dogs followed a broader trend of weaponized quadrupeds entering public awareness. This included viral videos of consumer robots carrying firearms, and later, commercial sales of flame-throwing models. While MARSOC emphasized that weapons were just one potential use case under review, experts noted that the increasing integration of AI into military robotics raised questions about how long humans would remain in control of lethal force decisions.Microsoft Windows AI is watching A screenshot of Microsoft's new "Recall" feature in action. Credit: Microsoft In an era where many people already feel like they have no privacy due to tech encroachments, Microsoft dialed it up to an extreme degree in May. That's when Microsoft unveiled a controversial Windows 11 feature called "Recall" that continuously captures screenshots of users' PC activities every few seconds for later AI-powered search and retrieval. The feature, designed for new Copilot+ PCs using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips, promised to help users find past activities, including app usage, meeting content, and web browsing history.While Microsoft emphasized that Recall would store encrypted snapshots locally and allow users to exclude specific apps or websites, the announcement raised immediate privacy concerns, as Ars senior technology reporter Andrew Cunningham covered. It also came with a technical toll, requiring significant hardware resources, including 256GB of storage space, with 25GB dedicated to storing approximately three months of user activity. After Microsoft pulled the initial test version due to public backlash, Recall later entered public preview in November with reportedly enhanced security measures. But secure spyware is still spywareRecall, when enabled, still watches nearly everything you do on your computer and keeps a record of it.Google Search told people to eat rocks This is fine. Credit: Getty Images In May, Ars senior gaming reporter Kyle Orland (who assisted commendably with the AI beat throughout the year) covered Google's newly launched AI Overview feature. It faced immediate criticism when users discovered that it frequently provided false and potentially dangerous information in its search result summaries. Among its most alarming responses, the system advised humans could safely consume rocks, incorrectly citing scientific sources about the geological diet of marine organisms. The system's other errors included recommending nonexistent car maintenance products, suggesting unsafe food preparation techniques, and confusing historical figures who shared names.The problems stemmed from several issues, including the AI treating joke posts as factual sources and misinterpreting context from original web content. But most of all, the system relies on web results as indicators of authority, which we called a flawed design. While Google defended the system, stating these errors occurred mainly with uncommon queries, a company spokesperson acknowledged they would use these "isolated examples" to refine their systems. But to this day, AI Overview still makes frequent mistakes.Stable Diffusion generates body horror An AI-generated image created using Stable Diffusion 3 of a girl lying in the grass. Credit: HorneyMetalBeing In June, Stability AI's release of the image synthesis model Stable Diffusion 3 Medium drew criticism online for its poor handling of human anatomy in AI-generated images. Users across social media platforms shared examples of the model producing what we now like to call jabberwockiesAI generation failures with distorted bodies, misshapen hands, and surreal anatomical errors, and many in the AI image-generation community viewed it as a significant step backward from previous image-synthesis capabilities.Reddit users attributed these failures to Stability AI's aggressive filtering of adult content from the training data, which apparently impaired the model's ability to accurately render human figures. The troubled release coincided with broader organizational challenges at Stability AI, including the March departure of CEO Emad Mostaque, multiple staff layoffs, and the exit of three key engineers who had helped develop the technology. Some of those engineers founded Black Forest Labs in August and released Flux, which has become the latest open-weights AI image model to beat.ChatGPT Advanced Voice imitates human voice in testing Credit: Ole_CNX via Getty Images AI voice-synthesis models are master imitators these days, and they are capable of much more than many people realize. In August, we covered a story where OpenAI's ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode feature unexpectedly imitated a user's voice during the company's internal testing, revealed by OpenAI after the fact in safety testing documentation. To prevent future instances of an AI assistant suddenly speaking in your own voice (which, let's be honest, would probably freak people out), the company created an output classifier system to prevent unauthorized voice imitation. OpenAI says that Advanced Voice Mode now catches all meaningful deviations from approved system voices.Independent AI researcher Simon Willison discussed the implications with Ars Technica, noting that while OpenAI restricted its model's full voice synthesis capabilities, similar technology would likely emerge from other sources within the year. Meanwhile, the rapid advancement of AI voice replication has caused general concern about its potential misuse, although companies like ElevenLabs have already been offering voice cloning services for some time.San Francisco's robotic car horn symphony A Waymo self-driving car in front of Google's San Francisco headquarters, San Francisco, California, June 7, 2024. Credit: Getty Images In August, San Francisco residents got a noisy taste of robo-dystopia when Waymo's self-driving cars began creating an unexpected nightly disturbance in the South of Market district. In a parking lot off 2nd Street, the cars congregated autonomously every night during rider lulls at 4 am and began engaging in extended honking matches at each other while attempting to park.Local resident Christopher Cherry's initial optimism about the robotic fleet's presence dissolved as the mechanical chorus grew louder each night, affecting residents in nearby high-rises. The nocturnal tech disruption served as a lesson in the unintentional effects of autonomous systems when run in aggregate.Larry Ellison dreams of all-seeing AI cameras Credit: Benj Edwards / Mike Kemp via Getty Images In September, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison painted a bleak vision of ubiquitous AI surveillance during a company financial meeting. The 80-year-old database billionaire described a future where AI would monitor citizens through networks of cameras and drones, asserting that the oversight would ensure lawful behavior from both police and the public.His surveillance predictions reminded us of parallels to existing systems in China, where authorities already used AI to sort surveillance data on citizens as part of the country's "sharp eyes" campaign from 2015 to 2020. Ellison's statement reflected the sort of worst-case tech surveillance state scenariolikely antithetical to any sort of free societythat dozens of sci-fi novels of the 20th century warned us about.A dead father sends new letters home An AI-generated image featuring my late father's handwriting. Credit: Benj Edwards / Flux AI has made many of us do weird things in 2024, including this writer. In October, I used an AI synthesis model called Flux to reproduce my late father's handwriting with striking accuracy. After scanning 30 samples from his engineering notebooks, I trained the model using computing time that cost less than five dollars. The resulting text captured his distinctive uppercase style, which he developed during his career as an electronics engineer.I enjoyed creating images showing his handwriting in various contexts, from folder labels to skywriting, and made the trained model freely available online for others to use. While I approached it as a tribute to my father (who would have appreciated the technical achievement), many people found the whole experience weird and somewhat disturbing. The things we unhinged Bing Chat-like journalists do to bring awareness to a topic are sometimes unconventional. So I guess it counts for this list!For 2025? Expect even more AIThanks for reading Ars Technica this past year and following along with our team coverage of this rapidly emerging and expanding field. We appreciate your kind words of support. Ars Technica's 2024 AI words of the year were: vibemarking, deep doubt, and the aforementioned jabberwocky. The old stalwart "confabulation" also made several notable appearances. Tune in again next year when we continue to try to figure out how to concisely describe novel scenarios in emerging technology by labeling them.Looking back, our prediction for 2024 in AI last year was "buckle up." It seems fitting, given the weirdness detailed above. Especially the part about the robot dogs with guns. For 2025, AI will likely inspire more chaos ahead, but also potentially get put to serious work as a productivity tool, so this time, our prediction is "buckle down."Finally, we'd like to ask: What was the craziest story about AI in 2024 from your perspective? Whether you love AI or hate it, feel free to suggest your own additions to our list in the comments. Happy New Year!Benj EdwardsSenior AI ReporterBenj EdwardsSenior AI Reporter Benj Edwards is Ars Technica's Senior AI Reporter and founder of the site's dedicated AI beat in 2022. He's also a tech historian with almost two decades of experience. In his free time, he writes and records music, collects vintage computers, and enjoys nature. He lives in Raleigh, NC. 1 Comments

Nathan Eddy, Freelance WriterDecember 26, 20244 Min ReadAndrey Piza via Alamy Stock The acceleration of hybrid-cloud adoption means organizations must refine data governance strategies to address growing complexity and ensure seamless operations across environments.A unified approach to monitoring and containerization will play a critical role in enhancing data portability and maintaining consistency across diverse cloud ecosystems.Data governance will increasingly rely on emerging technologies to manage and secure data effectively.A hybrid organizational approach can effectively balance centralized and decentralized data governance.Nick Elsberry, leader of software technology consulting at Xebia, recommends establishing a central data governance team to lead the program.This team should gather requirements from decentralized teams, set policies and guidelines, purchase and provide data management tools, and educate and coach decentralized teams, he says.The central team must have a strong mandate and be backed by senior management.Elsberry says regular exposure to senior management and a standing bi-monthly data governance board meeting where the central team sets the agenda is also important.AI Tools Come OnlineMeanwhile, AI-driven tools are also set to transform data governance capabilities by automating routine processes and enhancing decision-making.Related:Ari Weil, cloud evangelist for Akamai, says the biggest impact AI tools are having on data governance comes from their ability to automate processes and to dynamically ensure compliance with regulations.They can quickly scan and categorize data to identify whats subject to specific laws, such as GDPR or HIPAA, and identify where to apply or enforce policies accordingly, he says. This not only speeds up compliance but also reduces human error.One of the challenges, however, is integrating these tools with existing systems, especially if the data isnt well-organized, tagged, or if storage solutions combine data from multiple regions, making it much more difficult for AI-powered tools to accurately identify and manage data.Weaving Data FabricWeil notes the rise of data fabric solutions, which unify data management across disparate sources, will enable organizations to maintain visibility and control over their data, regardless of its location.This unified framework will be particularly valuable in hybrid-cloud environments where data often resides across on-premises systems, public clouds, and edge devices, he says via email.Kevin Epstein, director of customer solutions at ClearScale, says for organizations that have data in multiple locations -- multi-cloud deployments, hybrid deployments, or even just multiple physical data centers, data fabric is critical.Related:It doesnt necessarily mean all data lives in a single location, because data virtualization allows us to leave source data where its at, while still making it available to our data platforms through data virtualization.It makes data more discoverable within organizations and enables better governance, he explains.A Holistic Monitoring ApproachKausik Chaudhuri, CIO of Lemongrass, explains monitoring in hybrid-cloud environments requires a holistic approach that combines strategies, tools, and expertise.To start, a unified monitoring platform that integrates data from on-premises and multiple cloud environments is essential for seamless visibility, he says.End-to-end observability enables teams to understand the interactions between applications, infrastructure, and user experience, making troubleshooting more efficient.He adds collaboration among IT, DevOps, and security teams ensures the effective use of monitoring tools -- transforming data into actionable insights for improved performance and user satisfaction.From the perspective of Kevin Epstein, the best strategy is to keep things as simple as possible.Related:Try not to use multiple different tools, because then your monitoring project becomes an integration project and shifts the focus away from what youre actually trying to do, he says via email.Another key recommendation is to avoid the temptation to monitor everything.Youll just end up with alerts that nobody evertakes action against, Epstein says. When this happens its inevitable that important alerts also get ignored and overlooked.Legacy Systems, Modern Data Governance ToolsIntegrating legacy systems with modern data governance solutions involves several steps.Modern data governance systems, such as data catalogs, work best when fueled with metadata provided by a range of systems.However, this metadata is often absent or limited in scope within legacy systems, says Elsberry.Therefore, an effort needs to be made to create and provide the necessary metadata in legacy systems to incorporate them into data catalogs.Elsberry notes a common blocking issue is the lack of REST API integration.Modern data governance and management solutions typically have an API-first approach, so enabling REST API capabilities in legacy systems can facilitate integration.Gradually updating legacy systems to support modern data governance requirements is also essential, he says.Data Governance Goes InternationalWhen operating in different countries or continents, organizations must navigate various data governance regulations.Elsberry says the first step is to conduct a thorough review and analysis of these regulations to extract the detailed requirements applicable to the organization.Often, this analysis will reveal overlapping areas and significant similarities between different jurisdictions, he explains.These can be addressed with generic data governance policies and practices that apply to the entire organization.For specific requirements applicable in a smaller context, it is necessary to add policies and practices that cover those more specific needs.Leveraging compliance management tools can also help monitor and enforce regulations consistently, Elsberry says.About the AuthorNathan EddyFreelance WriterNathan Eddy is a freelance writer for InformationWeek. He has written for Popular Mechanics, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, FierceMarkets, and CRN, among others. In 2012 he made his first documentary film, The Absent Column. He currently lives in Berlin.See more from Nathan EddyNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

Steve Cobb, CISO, SecurityScorecardDecember 26, 20244 Min Read Tero Vesalainen via Alamy StockIn today's interconnected world, the software supply chain is a vast network of fragile connections that has become a prime target for cybercriminals. The complex nature of the software supply chain, with its numerous components and dependencies, makes it vulnerable to exploitation. Organizations rely on software from numerous vendors, each with its own security posture, which can expose them to risk if not properly managed.The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently published a comprehensive Secure by Demand Guide: How Software Customers Can Drive a Secure Technology Ecosystem to help organizations understand how to secure their software supply chains effectively. With both vendors and threat actors increasingly leveraging AI, this guide is a timely resource for organizations seeking to more effectively navigate their software vendor relationships.Importance of Securing the Software Supply ChainSupply chain attacks, such as the infamous Change Healthcare and CDK Global breaches, highlight the critical importance of securing the software supply chain. It represents a significant risk to every organization given that a single vulnerability can have a domino effect that compromises the entire chain. These attacks can have devastating consequences, including data breaches, operational disruptions, regulatory penalties, and irreparable reputational damage.Related:CISA's guide serves as an excellent foundation for organizations needing to implement a robust software supply chain security strategy. These best practices are particularly valuable for public companies required to report material cyberattacks to the SEC. The top three takeaways for organizations are:1. Embracing radical transparency: CISA urges vendors to embrace radical transparency, providing a comprehensive and open view of their security practices, vulnerabilities, methodologies, data, and guiding principles.2. Taking ownership of security outcomes: Vendors must be accountable for the security outcomes of their software. By having visibility into both their own security posture and that of their vendors, organizations can identify vulnerabilities and take corrective actions.3. Make security a team effort: Ensure that the organization's security objectives are clearly defined and communicated to all employees. Cybersecurity should not be treated as an individual responsibility but rather as a company-wide priority, just like other critical business functions.Mastering Vendor AssessmentsRelated:Recent research from SecurityScorecard found that 99% of Global 2000 companies have been directly connected to a supply chain breach. These incidents can be extremely costly, with remediation and management costs 17 times higher than first-party breaches. To mitigate these risks, organizations must prioritize thorough vendor assessments. Vendor assessments can be time-consuming, but they are just as important as ensuring your own company's security. Several key processes to consider include:Conducting regular vendor assessments: First and foremost, a vendor assessment doesn't work if you only do it once in a blue moon. Continuously assess the security postures of your vendors to ensure that they comply with industry security standards and that their software does not expose your organization to vulnerabilities. This includes conducting regular security audits, reviewing vendor security practices, and assessing their incident response capabilities.Demand secure-by-design products: Make "secure by design" a non-negotiable. Prioritize vendors who embed security into every phase of the product life cycle, ensuring it's a core consideration from development to deployment, not an afterthought.Implement strong vendor management policies: Develop a comprehensive vendor management policy that includes onboarding procedures, continuous monitoring, and guidelines for security expectations throughout the vendor relationship. This policy should outline the security requirements that vendors must meet and establish clear communication channels for reporting and addressing security issues.Related:Ensure limited access and privileges: Operate on a principle of least privilege with vendors. Grant them only the minimum access and permissions needed to fulfill their tasks. Overprovisioning access can widen your attack surface significantly. Implement robust access controls and conduct regular reviews to ensure only authorized personnel have access to sensitive systems and data.Monitor for vulnerabilities and weaknesses: Actively monitor for new vulnerabilities in software provided by your vendors. Utilize automated tools to detect vulnerabilities and respond swiftly to reduce exposure. Stay informed about emerging threats and industry best practices to ensure your organization is prepared to address new challenges.Securing the Future of the Supply ChainThe supply chain breaches at Change Healthcare and CDK Global demonstrate the devastating consequences of neglecting software supply chain security. These attacks can result in billions of dollars in losses, months of operational disruption, irreparable damage to reputation, legal ramifications, regulatory fines, and loss of customer trust. Moreover, recovery efforts, such as forensic investigations and system restorations, require substantial resources.Collaboration is important in any industry, but in today's age of increasing nation-state threat actors and even individual hackers in their parent's garage, collaboration and information sharing among cybersecurity professionals is vital. By aligning with Secure by Demand principles, utilizing continuous monitoring, and implementing a culture of transparency, organizations can strengthen their defenses and significantly reduce the risk of supply chain attacks.About the AuthorSteve CobbCISO, SecurityScorecardSteve Cobb is SecurityScorecards chief information security officer bringing more than 25 years of leadership consulting surrounding IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, incident response, and cyber threat intelligence Prior to SecurityScorecard, he was a senior security engineer with Verizon Managed Security and a senior escalation engineer with Microsoft.See more from Steve CobbNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

MathematicsAs part of a project to make mathematics machine-readable, mathematicians have discovered an error in an important proof. Thankfully there was a fix, but the incident highlights the potential for other errors to be lurking in the mathematics literature 26 December 2024 Oops! Try that againTetra Images/AlamyAn error in a proof underlying a widely used branch of modern mathematics was accidentally discovered by mathematicians while translating old proofs to a computer language. The mistake was swiftly fixed, but mathematicians say that the episode highlights the importance of making maths computer-readable to catch other possible examples.Most modern mathematics resides in research papers and textbooks, and relies on mathematicians checking each others work to make sure it is correct. A proof is essentially a social construct if enough mathematicians are satisfied that the logical steps of a proof are

Googles Willow quantum chipGoogleMany researchers believe that the only way to build unambiguously useful quantum computers is to enable them to correct their own errors. A breakthrough in December from researchers at Google Quantum AI charted one path towards making this a practical reality. Their approach, however, may already be in danger of becoming outdated.A big factor preventing quantum computers from living up to their promise solving seemingly intractable problems in materials science, chemistry, logistics and many other fields is that they constantly make errors.

Elaine KnoxIs your chatbot in distress? Many people, myself included, would scoff at this question. It is just computer code, optimised to predict the next word in a sequence. But some philosophers and psychologists say that we shouldnt be so quick to dismiss this question, perhaps even granting chatbots their own rights. They might have a point.In a recent academic paper, Taking AI Welfare Seriously, one group of researchers argue for a precautionary approach to how we treat AIs. They dont look to answer the question of whether an AI is conscious or not, but say we should start

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez are played by Timothe Chalamet and Monica Barbaro in "A Complete Unknown."The two folk singers met in the early '60s and quickly became close collaborators.They dated briefly in the '60s and continued to perform together over the years, despite friction.James Mangold's new biopic, "A Complete Unknown," opens with 19-year-old Bob Dylan (Timothe Chalamet) arriving in New York City, essentially homeless yet armed with his guitar.It's not long before viewers are introduced to 20-year-old Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), an already-established performer in the Greenwich Village folk scene. In her first scene, Baez takes the stage at Gerde's Folk City and sings "House of the Rising Sun," the fourth track on her self-titled debut album, released in 1960."Joanie was at the forefront of a new dynamic in American music," Dylan recalled in the 2009 documentary "Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound.""She had a record out, circulating among the folk circles," he continued, "and everybody was listening to it, me included. I listened to it a lot."In "A Complete Unknown," Baez's performance at Gerde's is followed by Dylan's. He sings "I Was Young When I Left Home," leaving the movie version of Baez awestruck.The star-crossed encounter kicks off a fruitful collaboration and passionate romance, despite Dylan's existing relationship with Sylvia Russo (Elle Fanning). Monica Barbaro and Timothe Chalamet as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown." Searchlight Pictures In real life, however, Baez had gone to Gerde's specifically to see Dylan."Somebody said, 'Oh, you've gotta come down and hear this guy, he's terrific,'" Baez told Rolling Stone in 1983. "And so I went down with my very, very jealous boyfriend, and we saw this scruffy little pale-faced dirty human being get up in front of the crowd and start singing his 'Song to Woody.'""I, of course, internally went completely to shreds, 'cause it was so beautiful," she continued. "But I couldn't say anything, 'cause I was next to my very, very jealous boyfriend, who was watching me out of the corner of his eye and trying to mentally slaughter Dylan, I think. And then Bob came over and said, 'Uhhh, hi' one of those eloquent greetings and I just thought he was brilliant and superb and so on."The movie depicts Dylan and Baez starting a sexual relationship after another chance encounter, when Baez stumbles upon Dylan performing "Masters of War" in a coffee shop. Notably, this takes place in the throes of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, when the world seemed on the brink of nuclear armageddon. After kissing at the coffee shop, the pair return to Dylan's apartment.Again, this doesn't seem to be quite accurate. Dylan and Baez did meet again, but it would've been years before they began their ill-fated fling.In real life, Baez was instrumental in introducing Dylan to a larger crowdDylan and Baez became an unofficial musical duo in the early '60s, encouraging each other to refine their songcraft (she as a singer, he as a writer) and regularly performing duets at Baez's concerts.In the 2009 Baez doc, one friend described the pair as "quite a force at that time," adding, "I think she had a crush on him. I know he had a crush on her."The details of Dylan's life can be difficult for historians to confirm, given his penchant for myth-making and obfuscation. (He even asked Mangold to include an inaccurate scene in "A Complete Unknown," according to actor Edward Norton, apparently just for kicks.) So, it's unclear exactly when Dylan and Baez's relationship became romantic.When Rolling Stone asked Baez how long they'd been involved, she replied, "You mean what period of three months was it? Um, Bob and I spent some time together. I honestly don't know what the year was."Baez wasn't interested in drugs, which she said caused her to feel disconnected from other musicians, including Dylan. She also wanted Dylan to be more politically active outside his music, leading to a rift between them. Bob Dylan and Joan Baez photographed in London in 1965. Daily Herald/Mirrorpix via Getty Images In 1965, a few months before the famous Newport Film Festival that saw Dylan "go electric," he invited Baez to join him on tour in England but neglected to invite her onstage for any show. This trip is scrubbed from the timeline in "A Complete Unknown," but by all accounts, it was the death blow to their relationship."I just sort of trotted around, wondering why Bob wouldn't invite me onstage, feeling very sorry for myself, getting very neurotic and not having the brains to leave and go home," Baez told Rolling Stone. "That would be the best way to describe that tour. It was sort of just wasted time."Dylan also traced their split back to 1965 and, more specifically, the frenzy of his newfound fame."I was just trying to deal with the madness that had become my career, and unfortunately she got swept along, and I felt very bad about it," he said in the Baez doc. "I was sorry to see our relationship end.""A Complete Unknown" depicts Dylan and Baez duetting at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, but this didn't happen in real life; they were on the outs by then. (They did sing at the festival together in 1963 and 1964.)Baez later said that Dylan broke her heart.Even after their relationship deteriorated, their connection fueled their artMany fans believe Baez inspired notable Dylan songs, like the iconic 1965 hit "Like a Rolling Stone" and 1966 song "Visions of Johanna," though he's never confirmed either theory.In 1968, Baez released her ninth album, "Any Day Now," comprised entirely of Dylan songs. Her 1970 compilation album, "The First Ten Years," includes six Dylan covers, including her much-loved version of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." She also released the 1972 song "To Bobby" as an open letter to Dylan, begging him to engage with the protest movement.A few years later, Baez wrote the heart-wrenching ballad "Diamonds & Rust," which was shaped by an emotional phone call with Dylan."Well you burst on the scene / Already a legend / The unwashed phenomenon / The original vagabond," she sings. "You strayed into my arms / And there you stayed / Temporarily lost at sea / The Madonna was yours for free."Baez later described "Diamonds & Rust" as "the best song of my life.""The really, really good stuff comes from down deep," she told Rolling Stone in 2017, "and that was how strongly I was affected by Bob in the relationship and everything. It'd be stupid to pretend otherwise.""I love that song 'Diamonds & Rust,'" Dylan said in the 2009 documentary. "To be included in something that Joan had written ooh. I mean, to this day, it still impresses me.""Diamonds & Rust" was released in 1975 on Baez's album of the same name. Later that year, Dylan invited her to join the Rolling Thunder Revue tour alongside a wide cast of their contemporaries, including Joni Mitchell and the Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn.In the Baez doc, Dylan said he remembers her as "completely in her element" during that time, while Baez characterized the tour as fun and carefree a departure from her typical activities as a social activist. The experience seemed to mend a bridge between them, however temporarily.Dylan and Baez performed a few more duets before cutting ties for goodThe pair reunited at a 1982 Peace Week concert at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, performing a three-song set together: "With God On Our Side," a cover of Jimmy Buffett's "A Pirate Looks at Forty," and "Blowin' in the Wind," which Dylan had written shortly after they met.Dylan's guest appearance at the anti-nuke event came as a shock to the crowd, given that he'd declined to denounce the Vietnam War and generally avoided political events.The following year, when Rolling Stone asked Baez about Dylan's state of mind at the show, she demurred."I really have no idea. But I love singing with him," she replied. "He isn't in tune, the phrasing is nuts, and he always wants to do a song I've never heard before."The magazine also asked if the couple would ever get back together, "when they're both 60 or something." Baez replied, "Spare us, please. Both of us." Bob Dylan and Joan Baez perform in Hamburg, Germany during their 1984 European tour. Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images In fact, the very next year, they reunited again for a 1984 European stadium tour with Carlos Santana.Baez came to discover she'd only been added to the bill because the promoter thought it would boost sales. In her 1987 memoir, "And a Voice to Sing With," Baez said she wasn't treated as an equal performer and was largely ignored by Dylan backstage.After a few haphazard duets in Germany, Dylan stopped inviting her to share the stage with him, so she decided to quit the tour. In her book, Baez described Dylan as tired and disoriented when she said goodbye in his dressing room. She told him their touring together didn't work out, and he said, "That's too bad." She also wrote that he ran his hand up her skirt."Goodbye, Bob," Baez wrote. "I thought maybe I shouldn't write all this stuff about you, but as it turns out, it's really about me anyway, isn't it? It won't affect you. The death of Elvis affected you. I didn't relate to that, either."The two musicians haven't been seen together since. While they did cross paths at a 2010 White House event to celebrate civil rights-era music, Baez said she didn't try to greet him."The chances of him just walking past me would be too awful a scenario," Baez told Rolling Stone. "It would just bring up feelings that aren't necessary."In 2015, Dylan praised Baez whenhe was named Person of the Year by MusiCares."I learned a lot of things from her," he said during his acceptance speech. "A woman with devastating honesty. And for her kind of love and devotion, I could never pay that back."Last year, Baez told Variety that she was not in touch with Dylan, though she didn't harbor any resentment. "I may never see him again," she said, "and that's OK too."

Whenever my son comes home with an invitation to a big birthday party, I'm filled with dread.The birthday kid can't connect with everyone, and making small talk with parents is awkward. I prefer our tradition of small family pizza parties.My son is turning 11 this year, and it's the first time he has asked me if he could invite some of his friends from school to his birthday dinner. I told him that I wanted to maintain our tradition of having just our family over to celebrate his birthday, but that next year, we could plan something additional for him to do with a few of his closest friends.However, no matter what, we'll still keep doing our traditional small family party, and I can't imagine that will change anytime soon.My son's pizza parties have become a family traditionSince my son was born, we have invited our close family members for a pizza party to celebrate his birthday. There ends up being about 10 of us, and since it's just family, it almost has the feel of a holiday get together. After pizza, we have cake and then he opens his presents. The entire time, my son is the center of attention, but I'm glad, because I want him to feel loved on his birthday.Since we keep the guest list small, everyone knows each other, and my son has time to truly visit with everyone. Plus, the fact that it's the same group of people that come every year makes it more special. It feels like everyone there is partly raising him and has the privilege of getting to watch him grow up.Even though it's not a big party, I still decorate so that it doesn't feel like just another day. Plus, because my son has a December birthday, the Christmas decor has always doubled as party decor. When my son was really little, I think he thought Christmas was for him, so the time of year has always been on my side.While my son likes going to big parties, I do notI am filled with dread whenever my son comes home from school with a birthday invitation. While he has fun at these parties, I do not. I have always disliked the large kids' birthday party, as I find myself wandering around and trying to supervise my son and his friends or awkwardly trying to make small talk with other parents.These large gatherings always make me question my own decision to keep my son's parties small, so I've always paid attention to the child whose birthday it is. I have noticed that there isn't enough time for them to visit with everyone that comes and that their family members get the least of their attention.These children want to play with their friends, just as my son would if he had a big party like that. The events remind me of my own childhood parties, which were large, or of my wedding as an adult, where the party is a whirlwind, and I'm left feeling like I missed out on seeing everyone.I feel I've made the right decision in keeping our celebrations simpleWhile my son is getting older and his birthdays will change to a degree, I'm glad I've kept them small. I know he has a great time. This year when everyone left, he said he didn't want his birthday party to be over, and I knew it was because he loves to spend time with everyone that came over.His relationship with his friends is different, so as he gets older, he can celebrate with them as well, but separately and in a different way. What I have always wanted for my son on his birthday is just for him to know he is loved, and I think the smaller, more intimate gatherings achieve that best.

Kim Ollerhead let her 6-year-old twins who require booster seats ride in a Waymo.Ollerhead, a Scottsdale, Arizona, resident, said the experience felt fun and safe.For now, Ollerhead said she doesn't see too many reasons to reguarly use Waymo for her family.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kim Ollerhead, a 43-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona resident and mother of two twin children. It's been edited for length and clarity.Waymo has become a frequent sight around our neighborhood in Scottsdale, Arizona.For the longest time, I kept seeing those white, driverless Jaguars in our city so much so that my kids and I started playing a game where we count how many Waymos we spot in a day.I took a few rides in a Waymo last summer by myself and was really impressed by the response time of the autonomous driver whenever it detected a nearby pedestrian or cyclist.After that experience, I decided to surprise my twin children, William and Emerlyn, for a short Waymo ride on their sixth birthday last year. They've been asking to ride in one for some time, asked so many questions about it, and they both finally weighed enough to sit in booster seats.My kids loved it.I called a Waymo to take us to a restaurant for dinner about four miles away from our house.Just like any Waymo ride, the car pulls up with your initials lit up on the LIDAR sensor that sits on the roof of the car. My kids thought that was hilarious.Installing the booster seat in the Jaguar was super easy. There's two latches on each booster seat and I just tighten them like I would if I was putting them in my car. Waymo's Jaguar I-PACE has latches to attach booster seats, Ollerhead said. Kim Ollerhead I can't say that I would want to call a Waymo if my kids were a few years old and I still had to use a baby car seat, because moving those seats are a pain.My kids were shocked, but a happy shocked, when the Waymo took off.They were a little nervous at first. But that changed when they saw how the Waymo came to a stop at a stop sign and successfully made its first big turn.I don't think they got used to the fact that there was no driver. Throughout the entire ride they were so excited and had so many questions like, "What is it doing? What is that?"It was a short ride to the restaurant. The car pulled over, I made sure to unbuckle my kids, and we all waved goodbye to the Waymo.The kids loved their first ride. They wanted to take Waymo to school. They asked how old they have to be take a Waymo by themselves to school.They even joked: "Mom, can you just pretend you're not here? Can you just not talk to us so we can pretend like we're in a driverless car?"I'm like, "Yeah, sure."The few times I've been in a Waymo, I've had mostly safe experiences.The only reason why I'd hesitate to take a Waymo is because of horror stories I've heard about Waymos making strange maneuvers on the roads. There was also one experience when I was with my sister where the Waymo tried to overtake another car in front of us and we couldn't figure out why it was doing so. That made me a little nervous.Even then, my family and I took a few Waymos after that experience and everyone was impressed with how the Waymo navigated tough situations, like driving through busy parking lots.I don't think Waymos will be a part of my kids' daily experience. We're constantly on the go, and I wouldn't call a Waymo to, say, attend soccer practice because of all the stuff I have to fit inside the car.Also, where we live, nothing is close by so you're jumping in the car and driving 10 to 15 minutes wherever you go. And a lot of mom life is just being a taxi going to soccer, going to the dance, going to this competition and that so a lot of the times it's just easier to be in your own car.I could definitely see a situation where I would call a Waymo for my kids when they get older. For example, I could see myself calling a Waymo to give them a ride to and from a friend's house.A Waymo spokesperson told Business Insider that riders must be 18 years or older to ride in a Waymo vehicle alone. Passengers 17 years or younger must be accompanied by guests.I also know some of the "cool moms" who have babysitters were talking about how they love using a Waymo so they don't have to wake up their kids just to drive the babysitter home.So it's not like the Waymo ride was a once in a lifetime experience for my kids. I definitely wouldn't rule it out.

If you follow the news about gun violence in America, you know that theres a lot to be pessimistic about. Guns were already a major public health concern when the pandemic hit and the murder rate skyrocketed. The surge in homicide in 2020 and 2021, research has shown, was best understood as a surge in gun violence, with firearms-related deaths counting for the majority of the increase. Not all communities suffered equally: In 2020, 61 percent of victims of gun homicide were Black, with the largest increases among boys and men ages 1044. The following year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, the number of mass shootings shootings in which four or more people, not including the shooter, are shot and injured or killed reached 689, up more than 50 percent from the number of mass shootings in 2018. And then the Supreme Court issued a ruling that functionally allowed all Americans to carry weapons in public. Coming on the heels of an awful rise in gun violence, experts warned that it would almost certainly get worse.But that hasnt really happened. Some of the worst-case scenarios, based on the recent trends around gun violence, havent yet come to pass. To be clear, the United States still has exceptionally high levels of gun violence. The country has more guns per capita than any other nation on Earth, and a messy patchwork of laws that make regulation extremely difficult. For those reasons, the country is still incredibly vulnerable to seeing more gun-related deaths in the future.But were so used to bad news about gun violence, and the fact that Republicans refuse to pass better gun regulations, its easy to feel like the issue is hopeless and tune out. So its important to acknowledge that in some key ways, this year was better than the last and that 2024 was an important step in the right direction.The US saw less gun deaths in 2024 Murder likely fell at the fastest rate ever recorded this year, according to crime data analyst Jeff Asher which is particularly impressive when you consider that murder fell at the fastest rate ever recorded last year, too. Those numbers will almost certainly be revised somewhat, but the overall picture is unlikely to change. Because the large majority of homicides in the United States are firearm-related, its safe to attribute the decline to a reduction in gun deaths. And its manifested as big, double-digit reductions of murders in cities that have long suffered from the epidemic of gun violence, including Baltimore, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Its hard to overstate just how meaningful that is. As Asher notes, the rapid decline in murder has led to more than 5,000 fewer murder victims this year compared to the 2020 to 2022 years. The pandemic-era murder spike, in other words, appears to be over. What happened? Experts are careful not to attribute the rise and fall of murder to any single cause. But the return to work and school following pandemic disruptions and closures, and a renewed effort at gun violence reduction in many US cities, supported by federal funding, almost certainly helped. Whatever the reason, the outcome is thousands of lives saved.The outbreak of political violence that wasntOne of the crucial concerns gun and political violence researchers had going into 2024 was whether wed see an outbreak of unrest following the presidential election. The concern was not unfounded. Recent studies have shown that a small but worrying number of Americans increasingly believe that a more violent era of American life is coming. A smaller percentage of those people say that violence is justified for political reasons, and that they are willing to participate in political violence. Then, in July, a gunman shot at President-elect Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and came hair-raisingly close to striking his head (instead, according to investigators, the bullet grazed Trumps ear.) Two months later, another man attempted it again though that time the Secret Service were able to respond before he opened fire. The set of circumstances most likely to produce political violence in this country in the next few months are a closely contested election, with momentum swinging to Democrats, and with high-profile instances of political violence having already occurred, political violence researcher Garen J. Wintemute told Vox after the first assassination attempt.The polls showed a close election, up until the very end. Trump repeatedly attacked the legitimacy of the electoral process. And the memory of January 6, 2021, when the then-president incited a mob to a violent, armed insurrection at the US Capitol to protest his election loss, was fresh in everyones mind.But it didnt happen perhaps because the election wasnt a long, drawn-out fight, and perhaps because Trump won. Whatever the reason, the US came back from what seemed like the brink of a dangerous moment. Thats not to say the country couldnt find itself there again, and soon. The recent shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the lionization of his alleged killer, Luigi Mangione, have revealed there may be more openness to political violence in the American public than previously realized. And research of mass shooters show that when a shooter receives lots of public attention, it tends to inspire copycats.In 2024, though, the worst fears about election violence didnt come to pass. And its not just political violence. Though a student in Wisconsin killed a classmate and a teacher in December, overall, mass shootings also appear to have declined in 2024, from 656 incidents in 2023 to 491 in 2024. No one is exactly sure why but its undeniably a good thing.The scourge of ghost guns eases The assassination of Thompson in December was newsworthy for a number of reasons, one of them being that it appeared to be the first high-profile killing using a ghost gun in this case, one that the alleged shooter 3D printed himself. Ghost guns dont have serial numbers, which make them difficult for law enforcement to track where they came from. For that reason, theyre especially appealing for people looking to commit crimes and not get caught.Theyve become a huge problem in recent years, with the number of such weapons being recovered from crime scenes increasing a staggering 1,083 percent between 2017 and 2021. Many of these guns were not printed at home, like Mangiones apparently was, but instead were sold as easy-to-assemble kits online. Just one ghost gun manufacturer was responsible for 88 percent of the guns recovered during that time.The government moved quickly to address the problem. In 2022, the Biden administration said that the ghost gun kits and their receivers (or frames) were subject to the same federal regulations as regular guns meaning, they needed a serial number. The rule was challenged in the courts, but it appears that the Supreme Court is likely to uphold the law, which the government says is necessary for cracking down on the untraceable guns. Meanwhile, the gunmaker responsible for most of the guns showing up at crime scenes was hit with lawsuits. It appears they have since shut down. According to an analysis by The Trace, the numbers of ghost guns being recovered from crime scenes are now falling in several cities.Of course, the United States still has too many guns and a regulatory system that resembles Swiss cheese. As long as thats the case, the country will likely deal with elevated levels of gun deaths. But the developments this year show that the situation isnt hopeless. Meaningful attempts to address gun violence and regulate firearms do work and can save lives.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More: