The Conversation

AI literacy: What it is, what it isn’t, who needs it and why it’s hard to define

Written by Daniel S. Schiff, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Purdue University

AI literacy is a lot more than simply knowing how to prompt an AI chatbot.DNY59/E+ via Getty Images

It is “the policy of the United States to promote AI literacy and proficiency among Americans,” reads an executive order President Donald Trump issued on April 23, 2025. The executive order, titled Advancing Artificial Intelligence...

Federal R D funding boosts productivity for the whole economy − making big cuts to such government spending unwise

Written by Andrew Fieldhouse, Visiting Assistant Professor of Finance, Texas A&M University

Research can make everyone better off. Emilija Manevska/Moment via Getty Images

Large cuts to government-funded research and development can endanger American innovation – and the vital productivity gains it supports.

The Trump administration has already canceled at least US$1.8 billion in research grants previously awarded by the National...

AI tools collect and store data about you from all your devices – here’s how to be aware of what you’re revealing

Written by Christopher Ramezan, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity, West Virginia University

AI tools gather information about you from many types of devices, including smartphones.Prostock-Studio/Getty Images

Like it or not, artificial intelligence has become part of daily life. Many devices – including electric razors and toothbrushes – have become “AI-powered,” using machine learning algorithms to track how a...

Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet

Written by Magali A. Delmas, Professor of Management, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles

The blue Energy Star label is widely recognized across the U.S.Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Since the early 1990s, the small blue Energy Star label has appeared on millions of household appliances, electronics and even buildings across the United States. But as the Trump administration considers terminating some or all of the...

Adolescents who smoke or vape may believe tobacco’s perceived coping benefits outweigh accepted health risks

Written by Adriana Espinosa, Associate Professor of Psychology, City College of New York

Many parents are unaware of their adolescents' tobacco use.Naveen Asaithambi/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Tobacco use in a variety of forms is common in adolescent life today, with over 2.25 million youth using.

Huge progress has been made over the past few decades in reducing cigarette use among young people. But tobacco use – primarily...

How a new bus line in Philadelphia is defying post-pandemic transit trends

Written by Julene Paul, Assistant Professor of Planning, University of Texas at Arlington

The 49 bus connects the Strawberry Mansion, Grays Ferry and University City neighborhoods. Courtesy of SEPTA

When the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority launched the 49 bus route in Philadelphia in early 2019, those who most benefited were older adults and people who already ride the bus – and not commuters who were persuaded...

From Washington’s burned letters to Trump’s missing transcripts, partial presidential records limit people’s full understanding of history

Written by Shannon Bow O'Brien, Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

The presidential Resolute Desk at the White House on Feb. 12, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s second term as president will surely go down in history, though of course, just six months into his four-year term, much of this story has yet to be written.

But it is already clear that most Americans will not be able to...

The complex reality of college student mental health: Data reveals both challenges and positive trends

Written by Jeffrey A. Hayes, Professor of Education and Psychology, Penn State

College students are facing mental health challenges, but not all is lost.Bevan Goldswain/Getty Images

The word “crisis” is used frequently and, I would argue, inaccurately, to depict the psychological well-being of today’s college students.

It is true that college students’ mental health has deteriorated in many regards...

Video games teach students in this class how religion works in the modern world

Written by Michael Naparstek, Associate Teaching Professor Religious Studies, University of Tennessee

A man plays the Chinese action role-playing game 'Black Myth: Wukong' during its launch day in Hangzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on Aug. 20, 2024.STR/AFP via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of the course

Religion and Gameworlds

What...

A portrait taken in North Philly in the 1980s reconnects poet with cherished memories of her own beloved father

Written by Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon, Professor of Theater, Temple University

Local residents sitting on the steps in the shade at 3106 N. Broad St. in North Philadelphia in 1986. Joseph V. Labolito/Philadelphia Collections

To celebrate Father’s Day, The Conversation U.S. asked Philadelphia anthropologist, playwright and poetic ethnographer Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon to reflect on a poem she recently performed to...