Culture & Human Agency
Human judgment, cognition, social effects, philosophy, ethics, media, and public meaning.
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Talking through an idea is not the same as revising an essay
In a classroom comparison with 65 secondary students, idea-level discussion was more common with the Maike chatbot. Students who moved from those ideas to essay changes also tended to gain points. The abstract does not show that the chatbot caused higher scores between groups.
arXiv cs.HC · Nov 6, 2026 -
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An AI-assisted draft cannot show who did the thinking
A study examined 962 prompts from 105 first-year university computing students. Its prompt journals suggest looking at what students chose during the work, not sorting them by prompt style. Prompts alone do not prove learning, and this is not a school grading guide.
arXiv · Nov 3, 2026 -
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When should an AI tool stop and ask a person?
A modeling preprint asks when AI systems that use tools should interrupt a person. The authors compare asking, finding a public answer, and continuing other work. Their tests include 864 synthetic cases, not measured time saved at a school or workplace.
arXiv · Oct 30, 2026 -
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A human plan changed the range of AI-written stories
Where should a person step into an AI writing process? In a preprint study, one human at the planning stage led to more varied stories than an all-AI chain. The stories kept the creativity scores seen with the all-AI chain. This is a result about the writing tasks tested, not a rule for every writer.
arXiv cs.HC · Oct 30, 2026 -
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A death clock gave one reporter more worry, not proof
Jason Parham tried a health app that predicts how long someone might live. His estimate changed with questionnaire answers, and he describes more anxiety and follow-up prompts. His experience does not show whether the app helps or harms people overall.
WIRED · Oct 29, 2026 -
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AI-assisted proofs may be big. Verification still comes first.
WIRED spoke with computer scientists after OpenAI and Anthropic published claimed AI-assisted proofs challenging a long-held theory. Researchers describe excitement and the cost of reading a flood of new work. The proofs still need independent checks and a clear explanation.
WIRED · Oct 29, 2026 -
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Macmillan’s AI launch got a party. Workers say the tool did not last.
Macmillan staff told WIRED its workplace AI tool was unreliable. The company disputes parts of their account. A launch party did not prove the tool helped.
WIRED · Oct 28, 2026 -
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If AI does the science, can people still explain the result?
Two researchers argue that people should still be able to explain and challenge scientific claims, even when AI does part of the work. This is a proposal, not a trial.
arXiv cs.AI · Oct 28, 2026 -
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News is being packaged for AI readers
WIRED reports that Axios has launched a deal-content feed for subscribers using AI tools. Every offers ways to ask questions of its reporting. Later Axios feeds are still plans, not launched products.
WIRED · Oct 27, 2026 -
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Naming AI use is not the same as owning a claim
A scholar argues that disclosing AI use is not enough. Authors still need to explain and defend the claims they put in their work.
Ethics and Information Technology / arXiv · Oct 23, 2026 -
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Small private apps may win where public sites struggle
Ben Thompson says cheap AI coding makes small private apps worth building. His own team and home use them, but his forecast for the public web is opinion, not a measured trend.
Stratechery · Oct 26, 2026 -
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A peer group offers women a way into AI
A WIRED interview follows a small group where women bring real questions to try with AI. One founder says she revised a consulting rate after the group tested her proposal.
WIRED · Oct 22, 2026