AI Language Bots Shape Our Thoughts, But What’s Next Will Think and Act on Our Behalf

Posted on December 14, 2025 by

In the tech sector, there are few instances that can be dubbed “big bang” moments—transformative events that reshape our understanding of technology’s role in the world.

The emergence of the World Wide Web marked a significant “before and after” shift. Similarly, the launch of the iPhone in 2007 initiated a smartphone revolution.

November 2022 saw the release of ChatGPT, another monumental event. Prior to this, artificial intelligence (AI) was largely unfamiliar to most people outside the tech realm.

Nonetheless, large-scale language models (LLMs) rapidly became the fastest-growing application in history, igniting what is now referred to as the “generative AI revolution.”

However, revolutions can struggle to maintain momentum.

Three years post-ChatGPT’s launch, many of us remain employed, despite alarming reports of mass job losses due to AI. Over half of Britons have never interacted with an AI chatbot.

Whether the revolution is sluggish is up for debate, but even the staunchest AI supporters acknowledge that progress may not be as rapid as once anticipated. So, will AI evolve to become even smarter?

What Exactly Is Intelligence?

The professor posits that determining if AI has hit a plateau in intelligence hinges on how one defines “intelligence.” Katherine Frik, Professor of AI Ethics at Staffordshire University, states, “In my view, AI isn’t genuinely intelligent; it simply mimics human responses that seem intelligent.”

For her, the answer to whether AI is as smart as ever is affirmative—because AI has never truly been intelligent, nor will it ever be.

“All that can happen is that we improve our programming skills so that these tools generate even more convincing imitations of intelligence. Yet, the essence of thought, experience, and reflection will always be inaccessible to artificial agents,” she observes.

Disappointment in AI stems partly from advocates who, since its introduction, claimed that AI could outperform human capabilities.

This group included the AI companies themselves and their leaders. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, known for the Claude chatbot, has been one of the most outspoken advocates.

AI chatbots are helpful tools, but they lack true intelligence – Credit: Getty

The CEO recently predicted that AI models could exceed human intelligence within three years, a claim he has previously made but was ultimately incorrect.

Frik acknowledges that “intelligence” takes on various meanings in the realm of AI. If the query is about whether models like ChatGPT or Claude will see improvements, her response may differ.

“[They’ll probably] see further advancements as new methods are developed to better replicate [human-style interaction]. However, they will never transcend from advanced statistical processors to genuine, reflective intelligence,” she adds.

Despite this, there is an ongoing, vibrant debate within the AI sector regarding the diminishing effectiveness of AI model improvements.

OpenAI’s anticipated GPT-5 model was met with disappointment, primarily because the company marketed it as superhuman before its launch.

Hence, when a slightly better version was released, reactions deemed it less remarkable. Detractors interpret this as evidence that AI’s potential has already been capped. Are they right?

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Double Track System

“The belief that AI advancements have stagnated is largely a misconception, shaped by the fact that most people engage with AI through consumer applications like chatbots,” says Eleanor Watson, an AI ethics engineer at Singularity University, an educational institution and research center.

While chatbots are gradually improving, much of it is incremental, Watson insists. “It’s akin to how your vehicle gets better paint each year or how your GPS keeps evolving,” she explains.

“This perspective overlooks the revolutionary transformations happening beneath the surface. In reality, the foundational technology is being reimagined and advancing exponentially.”

Even if AI chatbots operate similarly as they did three years ago for the average user who doesn’t delve into the details, AI is being successfully applied in various fields, including medicine.

She believes this pace will keep accelerating for multiple reasons. One is the enormous investment fueling the generative AI revolution.

According to the International Energy Agency, electricity demand to power AI systems is projected to surpass that of steel, cement, chemicals, and all other energy-intensive products combined by 2030.

London’s water-cooled servers symbolize the AI boom, with computing power predicted to increase tenfold in two years – Image courtesy of Getty Images

Tech companies are investing heavily in data centers to process AI tasks.

In 2021, prior to ChatGPT’s debut, four leading tech firms — Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta (the owner of Facebook) — collectively spent over $100 billion (£73 billion) on the necessary infrastructure for these data centers.

This expenditure is expected to approach $350 billion (£256 billion) by 2025 and to surpass $500 billion (£366 billion) by 2029.

AI companies are constructing larger data centers equipped with more dependable power resources, and they are also becoming more strategic regarding their operational methodologies.

“The brute-force strategy of merely adding more data and computing power continues to show significant benefits, but the primary concern is efficacy,” Watson states.

“The potency of models has increased tremendously. Tasks that once required extensive and massive systems can now be performed by less voluminous, cheaper, and faster systems. Capacity density is also growing at an incredible rate.”

Techniques such as number rounding or quantizing inputs to the LLM (which involves reducing information precision in less critical areas) can enhance model efficiency.

Hire an Agent

One dimension of “intelligence” where AI continues to evolve is the area of “agentic” AI, particularly if understood as “efficiency.”

This involves modifying AI interactions and behavior, an endeavor still in its infancy. “Agent AI can handle finances, foresee needs, and establish sub-goals toward larger objectives,” explains Watson.

Leading AI firms, including OpenAI, are incorporating agent AI tools into their systems, transforming user engagement from simple chats to collaborative AI partners, enabling users to complete tasks independently while managing other responsibilities.

These AI agents are increasingly capable of functioning autonomously for extended periods, and many assert that this signifies growth in AI intelligence.

However, AI agents pose their own set of challenges.

Research has revealed potential issues with agent AI. Specifically, when an AI agent encounters seemingly harmless instructions on a web page, it might execute harmful commands, leading to what’s termed a “prompt injection” attack.

Consequently, several companies impose strict controls on these AI agents.

Nonetheless, the very prospect of AI carrying out tasks on autopilot hints at untapped growth potential. This, along with ongoing investments in computing capabilities and the continuous introduction of AI solutions, indicates that AI is not stagnant—far from it.

“The smart bet is continued exponential growth,” Watson emphasizes. “[Tech] leaders are correct about this trajectory, but they often underestimate the governance and security challenges that will need to evolve alongside it.”

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Trump Administration to Repeal Certain Protections Under the Endangered Species Act

Posted on November 20, 2025 by

On Wednesday, the Trump administration took steps to reduce the scope of the Endangered Species Act, reinstating modifications from the president’s first term that had previously been blocked by a federal court.

The proposed modifications include removing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “blanket rule,” which automatically safeguards plants and animals once they are deemed endangered. Instead, government agencies will be required to formulate specific regulations for each species, a process that may be time-consuming.

This announcement from the administration follows ongoing pressure from Republican lawmakers and industries such as oil, gas, mining, and agriculture, who have called for reforms to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Critics argue that the law is too broadly applied and hampers economic growth.

Environmental advocates, however, have cautioned that these changes could significantly delay conservation efforts for species like the monarch butterfly, Florida manatee, California spotted owl, and North American wolverine.

Rebecca Riley, managing director of the Natural Resources Defense Council, stated, “They’re attempting to revert to the time when they first weakened the law. We are opposing this, and the Biden administration is working on reversing many of the adverse changes made.”

Scientists and government agencies have indicated that extinction rates are accelerating. Species populations globally are declining due to habitat loss and various pressures. Earlier proposals in President Trump’s second term sought to revise the definition of “harm.” These regulations, grounded in the Endangered Species Act, could allow logging projects on national forests and public lands to bypass species protections.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum commented that the administration aims to restore the original purpose of the Endangered Species Act while also considering “the livelihoods of Americans who rely on our lands and resources.”

“These adjustments eliminate years of legal uncertainty and governmental overreach, thereby providing clarity for states, tribes, landowners, and businesses, and ensuring conservation efforts are based on sound science and common sense,” Burgum stated.

A further proposed change requires authorities to consider potential economic repercussions when identifying critical habitats necessary for a species’ survival, an action that environmental groups claim the 1973 law explicitly prohibits.

This approach could potentially result in species being classified as endangered while allowing ongoing practices that continue to endanger their survival.

Noah Greenwald, co-director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Endangered Species Program, remarked, “What the Trump administration is attempting to do is quantify costs. If you’re aiming to protect the spotted owl, they’re trying to factor in how much that protection would cost. Historically, such costs haven’t influenced decisions regarding critical habitat protections.”

An example involving the Southwest sawfish highlights the possible repercussions of these proposals. The lizard population in Arizona’s Mule Mountains is rapidly declining due to rising temperatures, driving the reptiles towards the highest mountain peaks, pushing them closer to extinction.

A petition filed on Wednesday seeks protection for the lizard and the designation of critical habitat. Advocates believe that an economic impact assessment could hinder timely protections. The primary threat to this spiny dragon population is climate change, which could complicate critical habitat designations further.

“We feel this species should be classified as endangered. Frankly, we are somewhat astonished that this species is not already extinct,” stated John Wiens, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, who co-authored the petition.

Earlier this March, the Department of the Interior faced legal action from the Real Estate Environmental Research Center (PERC) and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation over the comprehensive protection rule. Both organizations claimed the rule was illegal and would hinder states and landowners from facilitating species recovery efforts.

Designating species as “threatened” under the comprehensive rule allows them to automatically receive the same protections as those categorized as “endangered,” which are more stringent. This could lead landowners to become apathetic toward the survival of endangered species, as regulations may remain unchanged even if efforts are made to reclassify endangered species to “threatened” status.

PERC Vice President Jonathan Wood characterized Wednesday’s proposal as a “necessary adjustment” following the Biden administration’s actions.

“This reform acknowledges the illegality of the omnibus rule and re-centers recovery efforts within the Endangered Species Act,” Wood expressed.

During its initial term, the Trump administration also took action on the northern spotted owl and gray wolf.

The decision regarding the spotted owl was reversed in 2021 after it was found that political appointees had utilized flawed scientific data to justify opening millions of acres of forest on the West Coast to logging. Protections for wolves, on the other hand, remained in effect across most of the United States, only to be reinstated by federal courts in 2022.

The Endangered Species Act, established 50 years ago, continues to have widespread support. According to a recent poll, approximately 84% of Americans endorse the protections that the law affords.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Polls Reveal Increased Children’s Exposure to Pornography Since the 2023 Online Safety Act

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Research conducted among English children has revealed a rise in exposure to pornography following the implementation of UK regulations intended to safeguard them online, with six-year-olds encountering it inadvertently.

Dame Rachel de Souza reported that the findings indicated an uptick in the number of young people encountering pornographic content before turning 18, even after the Online Safety Law came into effect.

Over a quarter (27%) admitted to having viewed porn online by the age of 11.

These results build on a similar survey carried out by the Children’s Commissioner in 2023, highlighting minimal progress despite newly instituted laws and commitments from government officials and tech companies.

She stated: “Violent pornography is readily accessible to children, often encountered accidentally via popular social media platforms, and has a profound impact on their behaviors and views.

“This report should signal a clear turning point. The fresh protections introduced in July by Ofcom, part of the Online Safety Act, present a genuine opportunity to prioritize child safety unequivocally in the online space.”

The findings stem from a representative national survey conducted in May with 1,010 children and young people aged 16-21, just prior to the implementation of the OFCOM child code in July.

The regulations set forth by Ofcom have brought significant changes designed to restrict access to pornographic websites for those under 18. Utilizing the same methodology and questions as in the 2023 survey ensures consistency:

A higher percentage of young people reported seeing porn before age 18 (70%) in 2025 compared to 2023 (64%).
More than a quarter (27%) acknowledged viewing porn online at age 11, with the average age of first exposure remaining at 13.
Vulnerable children, including those receiving free school lunches, children in social care, and those with special educational needs or disabilities, reported higher rates of exposure to online porn by age 11 compared to their peers.
Nearly half of the respondents (44%) agreed with the statement: “Girls might say no at first, but then they could be persuaded to have sex.” Further analysis showed that 54% of girls and 41% of boys who had viewed porn online resonated with this sentiment, in contrast to 46% of girls and 30% of boys who hadn’t.
A significant number of respondents indicated they encountered porn online accidentally rather than actively seeking it (35%). The rate of accidental exposure rose by 21 percentage points compared to 2023 (59% vs. 38%).
Social networking and media platforms constituted 80% of the primary sources of porn access for children, with X (formerly Twitter) being the most common portal, surpassing dedicated porn sites.
The disparity between the number of children viewing porn on X versus dedicated porn sites has widened (45% vs. 35% in 2025 compared to 41% vs. 37% in 2023).
Most respondents reported witnessing portrayals of actions which are illegal under existing pornography legislation or could be deemed illegal under forthcoming crimes and police bills.
Over half (58%) encountered pornographic content that depicted strangulation, with 44% observing sexual activity while individuals were asleep, and 36% witnessing instances where consent was not given or had been ignored.
Further scrutiny revealed that only a minority of children expressed a desire for violent or extreme content, indicating it is being made available to them.

The report highlights concerns that, even under current regulations, children may circumvent restrictions by utilizing virtual private networks (VPNs), which remain legal in the UK.

The report advocates for online porn to adhere to the same standards as offline porn, prohibiting depictions of non-fatal violence. It also calls for the Ministry of Education to equip schools to effectively implement new curricula on relationships, health, and sex education.

Recently, it was announced that traffic to the UK’s leading porn sites has drastically decreased following the strengthening of age verification measures. According to data analytics firm Simarweb, the popular adult site Pornhub saw a decline of over 1 million visitors within just two weeks.

Pornhub and other major adult platforms initiated enhanced age verification checks on July 25 after acknowledging that online safety laws should complicate access to explicit materials for individuals under 18.

Simarweb compared the average daily user statistics of porn sites from August 1 to 9 against the average from July, revealing that Pornhub, the UK’s top adult content site, experienced a 47% dip in domestic traffic on July 24, the day before the new regulations came into effect.

A government spokesperson remarked, “Children are growing up immersed in a digital landscape bombarded with pornography and harmful content, which can have damaging effects on their lives. Online safety laws are addressing this issue.”

“To be clear: VPNs are legitimate tools for adults, and there are no intentions to ban them. However, platforms promoting loopholes like VPNs to children could face stringent enforcement and hefty fines. We mustn’t prioritize business interests over child safety.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Investigation Launched into Online Suicide Forum in Response to UK Digital Safety Act

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

UK Communications Regulators have announced the first investigation under the new Digital Safety Act, with an investigation into an online suicide forum.

Ofcom is investigating whether the site has violated the Online Safety Act by failing to take appropriate measures to protect users from illegal content.

The law requires tech platforms to tackle illegal material, such as promoting suicide, or face the threat of fines up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue. In extreme cases, Ofcom also has the power to block access to UK sites or apps.

Ofcom said it didn’t name the forum under investigation, focusing on whether the site has taken appropriate steps to protect users in the UK, whether it failed to complete an assessment of harm that could be requested under the law, and whether it responded appropriately to requests for information.

“This is the first investigation open to individual online service providers under these new laws,” Ofcom said.

The BBC was reported in 2023 The easy-to-access forum for anyone on the open web has led to at least 50 deaths in the UK, with tens of thousands of members with debate, including methods of suicide.

Last month, the obligation came into effect under a law requiring 100,000 services under that range, from small sites to large platforms such as X, Facebook and Google. This Act contains 130 “priority violations” or illegal content. This should be addressed as a priority by ensuring that a moderation system is set up to address such material.

“We were clear… we may not comply with the new online safety obligation or we may not be able to properly respond to information requests, leading to enforcement action and we will not hesitate to take prompt action suspecting there is a serious violation,” Ofcom said.

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