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Getting AIs working toward human goals − study shows how to measure misalignment

  • Written by Aidan Kierans, Ph.D. Student in Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut
imageSelf-driving cars are only one example where it's tricky but critical to align AI and human goals.AP Photo/Michael Liedtke

Ideally, artificial intelligence agents aim to help humans, but what does that mean when humans want conflicting things? My colleagues and I have come up with a way to measure the alignment of the goals of a group of humans and...

Read more: Getting AIs working toward human goals − study shows how to measure misalignment

Same-sex marriage is under attack by state lawmakers, emboldened by Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ measures and the Supreme Court’s willingness to overturn precedent

  • Written by Paul M. Collins Jr., Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst
imageJeff Sralla, left, and his partner of 28 years, Gerald Gafford, wed in 2015 in Texas.AP Photo/Eric Gay

Same-sex marriage, which the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 legalized nationwide in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, is facing resurgent hostility.

In the decade since the court’s decision, public support for same-sex marriage has increase...

Read more: Same-sex marriage is under attack by state lawmakers, emboldened by Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ measures...

Are twins allergic to the same things?

  • Written by Breanne Hayes Haney, Allergy and Immunology Fellow-in-Training, School of Medicine, West Virginia University
imageIf one has a reaction to a new food, is the other more likely to as well?BjelicaS/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Are twins allergic to the same things? – Ella, age 7, Philadelphia

Allergies,...

Read more: Are twins allergic to the same things?

How and where is nuclear waste stored in the US?

  • Written by Gerald Frankel, Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University
imageA Southern California Edison employee measures radiation at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on March 10, 2020.Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

Around the U.S., about 90,000 tons of nuclear waste is stored at over 100 sites in 39 states, in a range of different structures and containers.

For decades,...

Read more: How and where is nuclear waste stored in the US?

ICE has broad power to detain and arrest noncitizens – but is still bound by constitutional limits

  • Written by Rose Cuison-Villazor, Professor of Law and Chancellor's Social Justice Scholar, Rutgers University - Newark
imageU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers restrain a detained person on Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md.Associated Press

News reports of noncitizens unexpectedly being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, have dominated headlines in recent weeks. Those being detained include noncitizens who hold lawful permanent...

Read more: ICE has broad power to detain and arrest noncitizens – but is still bound by constitutional limits

How the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service protects public health at home and abroad

  • Written by Mark Dworkin, Professor of Epidemiology, University of Illinois Chicago
imageThe Epidemic Intelligence Service has produced a cadre of highly trained public health experts over its 74-year history.peterhowell/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

When the Trump administration announced in February 2025 that it was cutting 10% of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it seemed that a small but...

Read more: How the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service protects public health at home and abroad

Utilities choosing coal, solar, nuclear or other power sources have a lot to consider, beyond just cost

  • Written by Erin Baker, Distinguished Professor of Industrial Engineering and Faculty Director of The Energy Transition Institute, UMass Amherst
imageA turbine from the Roth Rock wind farm spins on the spine of Backbone Mountain behind the Mettiki Coal processing plant in Oakland, Md.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Trump administration is working to lift regulations on coal-fired power plants in the hopes of making its energy less expensive. But while cost is one important aspect, utilities...

Read more: Utilities choosing coal, solar, nuclear or other power sources have a lot to consider, beyond just...

Pennsylvania may be short 20,000 nurses by 2026

  • Written by Kymberlee Montgomery, Senior Associate Dean of Nursing, Drexel University
imageEducation bottlenecks, burnout and an aging workforce are straining the system.Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images

Imagine nearly every seat in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center − over 20,000 seats − are empty. That’s the scale of Pennsylvania’s projected shortfall of registered nurses by 2026, according to...

Read more: Pennsylvania may be short 20,000 nurses by 2026

In trade war with the US, China holds a lot more cards than Trump may think − in fact, it might have a winning hand

  • Written by Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Auburn University

When Donald Trump pulled back on his plan to impose eye-watering tariffs on trading partners across the world, there was one key exception: China.

While the rest of the world would be given a 90-day reprieve on additional duties beyond the new 10% tariffs on all U.S. trade partners, China would feel the squeeze even more. On April 9, 2025, Trump rai...

Read more: In trade war with the US, China holds a lot more cards than Trump may think − in fact, it might...

Companies will still face pressure to manage for climate change, even as government rolls back US climate policy

  • Written by Ethan I. Thorpe, Fellow at Private Climate Governance Lab, Vanderbilt University
imageAmazon partnered with Dominion Energy to build solar farms in Virginia to power its cloud-computing service.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

As the federal government moves to eliminate U.S. climate rules, companies still face pressure to be better stewards of the planet from their customers, investors, employees, local communities, lenders, insurers, glob...

Read more: Companies will still face pressure to manage for climate change, even as government rolls back US...

More Articles ...

  1. Pikachu protesters, Studio Ghibli memes and the subversive power of cuteness
  2. Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote
  3. AI-generated images can exploit how your mind works − here’s why they fool you and how to spot them
  4. Tiny cut marks on animal bone fossils reveal that human ancestors were in Romania 1.95 million years ago
  5. A Roman governor ordered Jesus’ crucifixion – so why did many Christians blame Jews for centuries?
  6. White House plans for Alaskan oil and gas face some hurdles – including from Trump and the petroleum industry
  7. Pornography may be commonplace, but a growing body of research shows it causes lasting harm to the brain and relationships
  8. ICE can now enter K-12 schools − here’s what educators should know about student rights and privacy
  9. What the Supreme Court’s ruling on man wrongly deported to El Salvador says about presidential authority and the rule of law
  10. Cancer hijacks your brain and steals your motivation − new research in mice reveals how, offering potential avenues for treatment
  11. Tax Day highlights the costs of single living – but demographics are forcing financial change
  12. Fill-in-the-blank training primes AI to interpret health data from smartwatches and fitness trackers
  13. Race isn’t a ‘biological reality,’ contrary to recent political claims − here’s how scientific consensus on race developed in the 20th century
  14. Trump’s nomination for NASA leader boasts business and commercial spaceflight experience during a period of uncertainty for the agency
  15. Schools are harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize courses in hospitality management
  16. Black Americans are more likely than other racial groups to express their faith in the workplace
  17. China’s new underwater tool cuts deep, exposing vulnerability of vital network of subsea cables
  18. Will Africa’s young voters continue to punish incumbents at the ballot box in 2025? We are about to find out
  19. Universities in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union thought giving in to government demands would save their independence
  20. Supreme Court’s decision on deportations gave both the Trump administration and ACLU reasons to claim a victory − but noncitizens clearly lost
  21. Why you should think twice before using shorthand like ‘thx’ and ‘k’ in your texts
  22. Colorado’s early childhood education workers face burnout and health disparities, but a wellness campaign could help
  23. Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe
  24. What would happen if Section 230 went away? A legal expert explains the consequences of repealing ‘the law that built the internet’
  25. Shark AI uses fossil shark teeth to get middle school kids interested in paleontology and computer vision
  26. Two key ingredients cause extreme storms with destructive flooding – why these downpours are happening more often
  27. Why some storms brew up to extreme dimensions in the middle of America – and why it’s happening more often
  28. Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe
  29. The founder kings of Silicon Valley: Dual-class stock gives US social media company controllers nearly as much power as ByteDance has over TikTok
  30. Social media before bedtime wreaks havoc on our sleep − a sleep researcher explains why screens alone aren’t the main culprit
  31. How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination can raise fire risk for Black Californians
  32. Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research
  33. Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed
  34. The ‘courage to be’ in uncertain times − how one 20th-century philosopher defined bravery
  35. AI isn’t what we should be worried about – it’s the humans controlling it
  36. What is reinforcement learning? An AI researcher explains a key method of teaching machines – and how it relates to training your dog
  37. American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today
  38. EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean?
  39. The trade deficit isn’t an emergency – it’s a sign of America’s strength
  40. Alcohol causes cancer, and less than 1 drink can increase your risk − a cancer biologist explains how
  41. Animal tranquilizers found in illegal opioids may suppress the lifesaving medication naloxone − and cause more overdose deaths
  42. Housing instability complicates end-of-life care for aging unhoused populations
  43. How the small autonomous region of Puntland found success in battling Islamic State in Somalia
  44. What ancient animal fables from India teach about political wisdom
  45. Hip-hop can document life in America more reliably than history books
  46. The hidden power of marathon Senate speeches: What history tells us about Cory Booker’s 25-hour oration
  47. More than just chips: Chinese threats and Trump tariffs could disrupt lots of ‘made in Taiwan’ imports − disappointing US builders, cyclists and golfers alike
  48. Being alone has its benefits − a psychologist flips the script on the ‘loneliness epidemic’
  49. Abolition wasn’t fueled by just moral or economic concerns – the booming whaling industry also helped sink slavery
  50. Florida is home to about 341,000 immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti who may soon lose residency, work permits