Prepare to get manipulated by emotionally expressive chatbots

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05.16.24

Chairman Mark R. Warner speaking at a Senate hearing chamber

TESTIMONY | 3-MINUTE READ

The US Election Threats Are Clear. What to Do About Them Is Anything But

BY WILLIAM TURTON

A Senate Intelligence Committee hearing today saw broad agreement on how AI and other threats loom ahead of the US election—and uncertainty about how to respond.

✚ Politics Lab: The left's favorite political Twitch streamer, Hasan Piker, is not a household name by any means, but he's become one of the most influential political commentators for Gen-Z and young millennial audiences online over the past four years.

Illustration of two people's hands throwing a mix of normal dice and some with different keywords

SAFE SPACE | 5-MINUTE READ

Maven Is a New Social Network That Eliminates Followers—and Hopefully Stress

BY MATTHEW HUTSON

Twitter cofounder Ev Williams is backing a new social network called Maven, which trades likes and follows for algorithms designed to foster serendipity and deep discussion.

A yellow bus parked near electric vehicle chargers on a sunny day

GO BOTH WAYS | 5-MINUTE READ

These Electric School Buses Are on Their Way to Save the Grid

BY MATT SIMON

Loaded with ever more renewables, the grid will need to store a whole lot of energy. Enter: a new kind of magic school bus—one that can both charge and give power back.

FAST FORWARD | 2-MINUTE READ

Prepare to Get Manipulated by Emotionally Expressive Chatbots

BY WILL KNIGHT

The emotional mimicry of OpenAI's new version of ChatGPT could lead AI assistants in some strange—even dangerous—directions.

► WIRED PODCASTS | 36-MINUTE EPISODE

Google Search Is Growing Up

BY MICHAEL CALORE AND LAUREN GOODE

This week, we unpack all the news from Google I/O, where we got a glimpse of how the world's dominant search engine will evolve in the AI era.

Person's hands holding two Google Pixel 8a phones

GOOGLE I/O | 5-MINUTE READ

All the New Features Coming to Android Phones, Watches, and TVs

BY JULIAN CHOKKATTU

At I/O, Google showed off new features in Android 15, the latest version of Wear OS, improvements to Google TV, and more.

● Read more: Google is introducing new AI-powered safety tools in Android that can lock down your phone if thieves nab it.

CUSTOM INSTALL | 3-MINUTE READ

This Microsoft Add-On Is the Ultimate Windows 11 Customization Tool

BY DAVID NIELD

Microsoft's own PowerToys utility can help you unlock the full potential of the Windows desktop.

Wegovy injectable prescription weight loss drug on a white surface with dappled lighting

OBESITY | 2-MINUTE READ

Wegovy Can Keep Weight Off for at Least 4 Years, Research Shows

BY BETH MOLE, ARS TECHNICA

Users receiving weekly injections saw their weight fall, plateau, and stabilize over the course of a four-year trial—but it's still unclear how long these effects last after stopping taking the drug.

Image may contain: Adult, Person, Bench, Furniture, and Sauna

HOT HEADS | 4-MINUTE READ

Saunas Are the Next Frontier in Fighting Depression

BY MAX G. LEVY

The preliminary results of a clinical trial of using heat exposure to combat depression are in—and are fueling cautious optimism that sauna practice could become an accepted treatment.