Artificial intelligence
A selection of our stories on AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing rapidly. The technology, which relies on large datasets and powerful computers, has recently made huge strides in solving real-world problems. As “large language models”—the type of AI that powers ChatGPT, a chatbot made by a startup called OpenAI—have been scaled up, they have surprised even their creators with their unexpected talents.
Below you will find our most recent coverage, including an explanation of how AI works, and why it matters. For a greater understanding of how AI might change the course of history, read our analyses of its economic impact and of how deep learning will improve scientific research.
Latest developments
How Microsoft could supplant Apple as the world’s most valuable firm
It hopes to seize on AI to transform the future of work
ChatGPT mania may be cooling, but a serious new industry is taking shape
Three forces will shape the business of generative AI
Abu Dhabi throws a surprise challenger into the AI race
It has released the world’s most powerful open-source model, and will soon launch an AI company
Could OpenAI be the next tech giant?
What the business of AI’s leading startup says about the technology’s future
Why the EU will not remain the world’s digital über-regulator
It is not a big enough player in AI
How artificial intelligence can revolutionise science
Consider the historical precedents
Technology and research
The bigger-is-better approach to AI is running out of road
If AI is to keep getting better, it will have to do more with less
Artificial brains are helping scientists study the real thing
No model is perfect. But that doesn’t stop them being useful
What does a leaked Google memo reveal about the future of AI?
Open-source AI is booming. That makes it less likely that a handful of firms will control the technology
Just how good can China get at generative AI?
Its models may in time rival America’s. But that may not translate into an economic or military edge
Business and economics
AI is setting off a great scramble for data
Feeding ever-larger models is requiring makers to get creative
Your employer is (probably) unprepared for artificial intelligence
That is bad news for your earnings—and the broader economy
A Lego-lover’s guide to preparing for the AI age
How to transform companies for the digital era, brick by pixel
Surging stockmarkets are powered by artificial intelligence
We calculate the extent to which the recent rally depends on tech optimism
The AI boom has turbocharged Nvidia’s fortunes. Can it hold its position?
Competition and regulation may pose a threat—but only eventually
How to invest in artificial intelligence
Private startups or public markets?
Policy and regulation
How worried should you be about AI disrupting elections?
Disinformation will become easier to produce, but it matters less than you might think
AI will change American elections, but not in the obvious way
How polarisation inoculates Americans against misinformation
What are the chances of an AI apocalypse?
Professional “superforecasters” are more optimistic about the future than AI experts
AI is making Washington smarter
So far, lawmakers are taking cautious, bipartisan steps toward regulating it
How Britain can become an AI superpower
Rishi Sunak’s enthusiasm is welcome. But his plans for Britain fall short
Why tech giants want to strangle AI with red tape
They want to hold back open-source competitors
AI and...
AI could make it less necessary to learn foreign languages
That is good news for travellers, bad news for soulful connection
The world’s poor need to know about weather disasters ahead of time
Three things need to be done to make the most of meteorology’s potential
Generative AI could radically alter the practice of law
Even if it doesn’t replace lawyers en masse
Art made by artificial intelligence is developing a style of its own
AI models not only reflect but magnify what they see in the images they are fed
Artificial intelligence is remixing journalism into a “soup” of language
The rise of the robot reporter implies profound changes to the nature of the news