Thankfully, the difference between humans and machines in the real world is easy to discern, at least for now. While machines tend to excel at things adults find difficult—playing world-champion-level chess, say, or multiplying really big numbers—they find it hard to accomplish stuff a five-year-old can do with ease, such as catching a ball or walking around a room without bumping into things.
This fundamental tension—what is hard for humans is easy for machines, and what’s hard for machines is easy for humans—is at the heart of three new books delving into our complex and often fraught relationship with robots, AI, and automation. They force us to reimagine the nature of everything from friendship and love to work, health care, and home life. Read the full story.
—Bryan Gardiner
This story is from the next edition of our print magazine, which is all about relationships. Subscribe now to read it and get a copy of the magazine when it lands on February 26!
If you’re interested in how technology is influencing our relationships, why not check out these stories:
+ Chatbots are rapidly changing how we connect with our spouses, kids, colleagues, friends, and even ourselves. And they’re providing us with everything from argument arbitration tips and emotional support to parenting help and even romance. Read the full story.
+ An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself—but the company doesn’t want to “censor” it. Read the full story.
+ How cuddly robots could change dementia care. Researchers are using AI and technological advancements to create companion robots. Read the full story.
+ Technology that lets us “speak” to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready? Digital clones of the people we love could forever change how we grieve.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 DOGE plans to use AI to decide federal workers’ fate
The department will feed employees’ emails into an AI model which will determine whether their jobs are necessary. (NBC News)
+ It’s part of its cut-first-ask-questions-later approach. (WP $)
+ Even Trump appointees are taken aback by how gung-ho Elon Musk is being. (Vox)
+ The now-public email address has been inundated with spam. (TechCrunch)
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