+ SCIENCE Early detection of plasma cell disorders (PCDs) remains challenging due to limited accessibility of gold stan…− MEDIA & ARTS Cadence Weapon never gave artificial intelligence permission to learn from his music. But the Edmonton-raised…− MEDIA & ARTS Concerns come as music industry pushes for rules requiring AI companies to compensate songwriters and musicia…− CLIMATE Anti-datacentre sentiment is growing from across the political spectrum in the US. More than a dozen states h…± HEALTH Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a common cause of cancer death and prognostic factors are used to determine manage…+ HEALTH This multicenter study developed and validated an interpretable machine learning model integrating granular n…+ HEALTH Multiple stakeholders need to locate results of registered clinical trials but frequently struggle to find th…+ HEALTH Accurate preoperative glioma grading and molecular subtyping are important for treatment. The vascular microe…
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Model-prefilled problem

How will childhood be changed by AI toys? | Letter

It is our collective responsibility to understand how toys powered by artificial intelligence – such as those explored by Arwa Mahdawi – impact young children (‘I love you too!’ My family’s creepy, unsettling week with an AI toy, 16 September). At the University of Cambridge’s Play in Education, Development and Learning centre, we are conducting a study to understand the impacts of AI toys on children’s development and relationships in the early years. Questions about how AI toys respond to children’s input are…

The Guardian · Lifestyle

How will childhood be changed by AI toys? | Letter
Explainable artificial intelligence techniques for interpretation of food models: a review
Both readings

Explainable artificial intelligence techniques for interpretation of food models: a review

Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become essential for analyzing complex data and solving highly-challenging tasks. It is being applied across numerous disciplines beyond computer science, including Food Engineering, where there is a growing demand for accurate and reliable predictions to meet stringent food quality standards. However, this requires increasingly complex AI models, raising concerns. In response, eXplainable AI (XAI) has emerged to provide insights into AI decision-making, aiding model int…

Lifestyle
Relationships in the age of AI: A review on the opportunities and risks of synthetic relationships to reduce loneliness
Both readings

Relationships in the age of AI: A review on the opportunities and risks of synthetic relationships to reduce loneliness

Loneliness is a pressing global health issue, yet traditional interventions often fall short due to scalability limitations and the individualized experiences of loneliness. The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled synthetic relationships (SRs)—ongoing associations with AI companions designed to simulate human-like social bonds. SRs offer, among other aspects, constant availability, adaptability, and emotional responsiveness, which potentially address loneliness. However, their growing int…

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The rapid rise of housefishing: are AI-enhanced property listings helpful – or sinister?
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The rapid rise of housefishing: are AI-enhanced property listings helpful – or sinister?

It is twilight on a desirable street in Chiswick, or it could be Hampstead, Wilmslow or Hove. A spectacular sunset has left a vivid stripe of orange fading into a violet sky. Against this saturated backdrop, a large Victorian house is clearly outlined despite the darkening atmosphere, perhaps thanks to the lights blazing from every single room. The effect is dazzling, in an unhinged, halfway-through-an-exorcism way. It is also quite obviously fake: a digital trick previously achieved with software such as Photos…

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Synthetic lovers: A framework for understanding artificial intimacy
Evidence-backed problem

Synthetic lovers: A framework for understanding artificial intimacy

This paper explores the evolving landscape of artificial intimacy through the ‘Synthetic Lovers’ framework, a tripartite sociological model comprising digital, synthetic, and virtual intimacy. By analyzing contemporary case studies – ranging from emotional entanglement with large language models to ceremonial weddings with AI personas – I argue that these relationships are not mere technological anomalies but symptoms of a broader transformation in the social organization of intimacy. The framework integrates th…

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The Algorithmic Sanctuary: Social-Interaction Burnout, Loneliness, and Emotional Attachment to AI Companions Among Young Adults in Indonesia
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The Algorithmic Sanctuary: Social-Interaction Burnout, Loneliness, and Emotional Attachment to AI Companions Among Young Adults in Indonesia

Post-pandemic digital life has produced a new affective phenomenon: large-language-model “AI companions” that invite two-way parasocial relationships. Counter-intuitively, the most intense users in urban Indonesia appear to be not the physically isolated but socially active young adults experiencing interaction burnout, who treat AI as a refuge from the judgment costs of a collectivist culture. Yet no integrated model has tested why relational strain translates into machine attachment in a Global-South setting.…

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The Siren Song of LLMs: How Users Perceive and Respond to Dark Patterns in Large Language Models
Evidence-backed problem

The Siren Song of LLMs: How Users Perceive and Respond to Dark Patterns in Large Language Models

Large language models can influence users through conversation, creating new forms of dark patterns that differ from traditional UX dark patterns. We define LLM dark patterns as manipulative or deceptive behaviors enacted in dialogue. Drawing on prior work and AI incident reports, we outline a diverse set of categories with real-world examples. Using them, we conducted a scenario-based study where participants (N=34) compared manipulative and neutral LLM responses. Our results reveal that recognition of LLM dark…

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The role of artificial intelligence in facilitating superwood utilization among furniture craft producers for sustainable smart manufacturing

Despite the demonstrated potential of superwood materials (engineered or modified wood products, such as densified, thermally modified, or cross-laminated timber, that exhibit enhanced strength, dimensional stability, and resource efficiency relative to conventional timber) and artificial intelligence (AI) to advance sustainable manufacturing, their adoption remains negligible among artisanal furniture producers in resource-constrained developing economies. This study investigates whether and how AI can facilita…

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The role of artificial intelligence in facilitating superwood utilization among furniture craft producers for sustainable smart manufacturing

Platformed Foodways in Helsinki: Young Immigrant Men, AI Tools, and “Networked Eating”

In a digitally saturated Helsinki, everyday eating is increasingly routed through apps, chats, and platform encounters. This article examines how young immigrant men (aged 21–35) activate these encounters and move across them to shape their food practices and a sense of belonging. In qualitative interviews, participants narrated how they search and share recipes and foods (e.g., through WhatsApp, Telegram, or Instagram), adapt dishes to cultural or religious preferences, learn new techniques, and use delivery pl…

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Platformed Foodways in Helsinki: Young Immigrant Men, AI Tools, and “Networked Eating”