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Top headlines
Lead story
Robocalls are a staple of political campaigns, and using robocalls to mislead voters is nothing new.
What is new is the widespread availability of artificial intelligence technologies, which have given just about anybody the ability to make deepfake audio and video. A misleading robocall sent to New Hampshire voters using a deepfake of Joe Biden’s voice is the latest – and almost certainly not the last – dirty trick to deploy AI.
Boston University media and disinformation scholar Joan Donovan explains how the proliferation of deepfake technology – including impersonation–as–a–service apps and websites – makes it difficult to distinguish reality from fiction. She also describes how citizens can fight back.
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The fake robocall urged Democratic voters in New Hampshire not to vote in the Jan. 23, 2024, primary election.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Joan Donovan, Boston University
Deepfake technology is widely available, and a pivotal election year lies ahead. The fake Biden robocall is likely to be just the latest of a series of AI-enhanced disinformation campaigns.
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Arts + Culture
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Rob Haskins, University of New Hampshire
The new note will be sustained for a relatively ‘brief’ two years.
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Lisa Coulthard, University of British Columbia
A tension between cult, critical and popular appeal is part of Norman Jewison’s most prominent legacy.
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Economy + Business
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Jake Rosenfeld, Washington University in St Louis
Because the economy gained 3 million jobs in 2023, unions had to draw hundreds of thousands of new members just to hold their ground.
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Science + Technology
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James A. Perkins, Rochester Institute of Technology
From body snatching to Photoshop and virtual reality, the techniques of medical illustration have evolved. But its essential role in showing clinicians how to care for the body continues today.
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Pulickel Ajayan, Rice University; Abhijit Biswas, Rice University
Two forms of the same boron nitride molecules couldn’t look and act more different – but combining them could lead to applications that have the best of both worlds.
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Politics + Society
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Ñusta Carranza Ko, University of Baltimore
Amid signs of growing domestic disquiet over his repressive regime, North Korea’s leader is trying to deflect scrutiny by upping war rhetoric.
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John Rothchild, Wayne State University
A battle over the voting districts in Detroit has landed in the Supreme Court, but any ruling may come too late for 2024 state elections.
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Sarah Burns, Rochester Institute of Technology
In the wake of US attacks against Houthi militants in Yemen, a scholar of presidential power to use the military examines the history and present of the laws around US military action.
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Education
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Maria Khan, West Virginia University
With therapy and social support, children and adults who experienced child sexual abuse can regain a sense of control over their lives.
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International
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Nuurrianti Jalli, Oklahoma State University
How should Southeast Asian countries manage algorithmic biases that often unfairly affect minority ethnic groups and women?
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