Artificial Intelligence

It’s all about what’s next

(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Big Tech keeps spending billions on AI. There’s no end in sight.

Much of the money is going to new data centers, which are predicted to place huge demands on the U.S. power grid.

Inflatable tube men with the text "buy our A.I."

The AI hype bubble is deflating. Now comes the hard part.

How to fix college finances? Eliminate faculty, then students.

AI is about to make the online child sex abuse problem much worse

An A.I.-generated image of a duck in a Meta AI screenshot.

How to use Meta’s new AI chatbot that you can’t avoid

Taylor Swift’s new album leaked, but it was only half the story

Meta’s AI chatbot is coming to social media. Misinformation may come with it.

How the robots will remember us when we’re extinct

Google will provide AI to the military for disaster response

AI and Your Life

(The Washington Post; iStock; Meta)

How to use Meta’s new AI chatbot that you can’t avoid

April 20

I’ve been living with a $699 AI Pin on my chest. You probably shouldn’t.

April 11

The AI deepfake apocalypse is here. These are the ideas for fighting it.

April 5

Is this AI? See if you can spot the technology in your everyday life.

April 2

Why you shouldn’t rely on ChatGPT for exercise suggestions just yet

March 3

More coverage

Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal

Virginia data centers that process nearly 70 percent of global digital traffic need more electricity. Coal-fired power plants in neighboring states are going to provide it.

April 17

Microsoft invests in Arabic AI firm as U.S. tries to limit China’s sway

The investment in Abu Dhabi-based G42, a regional technology giant, is expected to forge closer ties between U.S. and Middle Eastern technology interests.

Updated April 16

With French under fire, Mali uses AI to bring local language to students

As the popularity of French wanes, RobotsMali is using AI to create books in Bambara.

April 13

The future of AI will run on Amazon, company CEO says

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says the company is positioned to dominate generative AI despite its recent pullback on ambitious cashierless checkout technology and widespread views that it is behind in the next great tech race.

Updated April 11

I’ve been living with a $699 AI Pin on my chest. You probably shouldn’t.

Humane’s Pin is one of the first dedicated AI gadgets out there, but it’s as frustrating as it is fascinating.

April 11

How AI could transform baseball forever

Artificial intelligence is driving a new “Moneyball.”

April 11

This is the most consequential technology in America

This is America’s most popular social app by a mile, the top way to listen to music, the healthiest economy on the internet and essential AI training fuel.

April 9

OpenAI prepares to fight for its life as legal troubles mount

OpenAI is playing defense amid a rush of lawsuits, investigations and potential legislation that threaten its goal of building the world’s most powerful AI.

April 9

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More coverage

Meta expands AI labeling policies as 2024 presidential race nears

Facebook’s parent company said it will apply “Made with AI” labels to audio and images. Meta’s previous policies against manipulated media only applied to video content.

April 5

This $400 toothbrush is peak AI mania

An essential question for every tech hype moment: Just why?

April 5

The AI deepfake apocalypse is here. These are the ideas for fighting it.

A growing group of researchers and start-ups are building tools to identify and track deepfake images before they take over the internet completely.

April 5

As the internet gets scarier, more parents keep their kids’ photos offline

Parents are increasingly rethinking what it means to create an online footprint their child can’t actively consent to.

April 5

Israel offers a glimpse into the terrifying world of military AI

The IDF is allegedly using an AI-powered database identify targets to eliminate, according to a new report by journalist Yuval Abraham. That military tool’s name? “Lavender.”

April 5

Big Tech usually dismisses fears that AI kills jobs. Now it’s studying them.

Microsoft, Google, IBM, Cisco and others will produce a report on how AI might change tech jobs.

Updated April 4

In a first, FDA authorizes AI-driven test to predict sepsis in hospitals

Prenosis, an artificial intelligence company, developed a tool to predict patients’ risk of developing sepsis, which contributes to at least 350,000 U.S. deaths a year.

Updated April 3

Is this AI? See if you can spot the technology in your everyday life.

Tell us if these everyday technologies are AI and see how you compare to the experts.

April 2

I tried the new Google. Its answers are worse.

The AI-“supercharged” version of Google sometimes makes up facts, misinterprets questions and picks low-quality sources — even after nearly 11 months of public testing.

April 1

A museum is using AI to let visitors chat with World War II survivors

An exhibit at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans lets visitors converse with AI-driven video images of veterans and Holocaust survivors. Is this the future of history?

March 30

AI hustlers stole women’s faces to put in ads. The law can’t help them.

Artificial intelligence is spurring a new type of identity theft, altering people’s social media posts to sell erectile dysfunction pills or praise Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Updated March 28

Princess Catherine cancer video spawns fresh round of AI conspiracies

The video, in which the Princess of Wales shared her cancer diagnosis and pleads for privacy, is real, experts say. Some online commentators may not care.

March 27