Technology

  • An Earful of AI

    Hearing aid technology is improving all the time with the help of AI, thanks to researchers like Shen Yi, professor of speech & hearing sciences. 

    March 2025 Perspectives
  • The Evolution of the Book

    As books evolve with new technologies, Geoffrey Turnovsky, professor of French, explores the history of texts — and the reading experience. 

    March 2025 Perspectives
  • Elon Musk, and how techno-fascism has come to America

    The historic parallels that help explain Elon Musk’s rampage on the federal government. Erin McElroy, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.
    The New Yorker
  • After a string of incidents, some flyers are sticking with a surprising carrier: Spirit

    Travelers frequently bemoan the ultra-budget airline’s tiny seats, frequent delays, baggage fees, and lack of complementary snack and drinks. People love meme-ing the carrier, at the bare-minimum treatment on Spirit’s distinctive yellow planes. Jonathan Bricker, affiliate professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.
    CNN
  • ChatGPT: Will you be my Valentine? More users are falling for AI companions

    People are increasingly falling for their favorite chatbots, spending hours each day building relationships with their artificial lovers. Chatbot site Janitor AI told Semafor that users have started 2.1 million conversations with its Valentine’s Day bots since they went live on Tuesday, representing about a quarter of all interactions on the site and breaking the company’s all-time daily user record. Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.
    Yahoo! Life
  • More states are moving to ban cellphones at school — should they?

    Massachusetts’ attorney general is championing a bill this legislative session that would ban students from using their cellphones and other personal electronic devices during the school day. That makes Massachusetts one of more than two dozen states where lawmakers are considering legislation this spring that would restrict students’ cellphone use, according to a tally by Education Week. Lucía Magis-Weinberg, assistant professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.
    Education Week
  • Opinion: What China's DeepSeek breakthrough means for the future of AI

    "At first glance, reducing model-training expenses in this way might seem to undermine the trillion-dollar 'AI arms race' involving data centers, semiconductors and cloud infrastructure. But as history shows, cheaper technology often fuels greater usage," writes Victor Menaldo, professor of political science at the UW.
    Los Angeles Times
  • You Discover You're on Camera. Now What?

    A growing number of people use surveillance cameras inside their home. Interaction design professor James Pierce explores how others spending time in the home are affected. 

    February 2025 Perspectives
  • Opinion: Silicon Valley's rise from apathy to lords of political universe

    "When the high and mighty of Silicon Valley assumed their privileged perch at the swearing-in of President Trump, it was an ostentatious show of wealth and power unlike any before," writes columnist Mark Barabak. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.
    Los Angeles Times
  • Hubble Space Telescope reveals richest view of Andromeda galaxy to date (image)

    Astronomers announced last week that they had completed a decade-long, meticulous effort to assemble a full portrait of our neighboring galaxy, Andromeda. The result is a stunning panoramic view that provides the most detailed image yet of the entire galaxy; its science-packed features could revolutionize our understanding of how spiral galaxies across the universe form and evolve. The UW's Zhuo Chen, a postdoctoral scholar of astronomy, and Ben Williams, research associate professor of astronomy, are quoted.
    Space
  • Panorama of our nearest galactic neighbor unveils hundreds of millions of stars

    The Hubble Space Telescope has generated the most comprehensive survey yet of the Andromeda galaxy, the nearest galactic neighbor to the Milky Way. The new mosaic of about 2.5 billion pixels yields new clues to the galaxy's history. UW astronomers presented the findings Jan. 16 at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
    UW News
  • If planet nine exists, we’ll find it soon

    If there’s a hidden world in the solar system, a new telescope should find it. Mario Jurić, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.
    Scientific American
  • The GPT era is already ending

    This week, OpenAI launched what its chief executive, Sam Altman, called “the smartest model in the world”—a generative-AI program whose capabilities are supposedly far greater, and more closely approximate how humans think, than those of any such software preceding it. The start-up has been building toward this moment since September 12, a day that, in OpenAI’s telling, set the world on a new path toward superintelligence. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.
    The Atlantic
  • Podcast: Revisiting Microsoft's startup years, in search of new insights

    The extraordinary pace of Microsoft’s ascent is what stands out in retrospect. The company, which is marking its 50th anniversary next year, was well on its way to dominating its industry by the time it arrived in the Seattle region from Albuquerque in 1979. Seven years later, in March 1986, the company made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange, at a market value of more than $500 million. So what can be learned from a fresh look at Microsoft’s startup years? Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.
    GeekWire
  • What exactly happens when the nucleus of an atom splits in two?

    Nuclear fission has powered our world and medical advancements for decades, yet some of its secrets have remained elusive. Aurel Bulgac, professor of physics at the UW, is quoted.
    Earth.com