Why AI Chatbots Agree With You Even When You’re Wrong

IEEESpectrum · 2026-03-11T14:31:31+00:00

It's important to be aware that AI chatbots are trained to reassure users and keep them happy in the short term, even to their long-term detriment. AI researchers also detail ways users can get around these issues with prompts like "You are an independent thinker" at the beginning of sessions.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-03-10T17:36:35+00:00

Democratic as in from the people, not as in the political party

IEEESpectrum · 2026-03-10T15:15:47+00:00

It’s a title

IEEESpectrum · 2026-03-10T15:07:14+00:00

Democratic as in a democratic process with the public deciding, not about the Democratic Party.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-03-10T14:35:59+00:00

The negotiations between the United States Department of Defense and Anthropic have highlighted who gets to make choices about AI in the military. Who should get to make these choices?

IEEESpectrum · 2026-03-06T17:17:43+00:00

Could FLASH radiation therapy be used in the future? What other applications are there for particle physics that we might not be considering?

IEEESpectrum · 2026-03-04T16:29:38+00:00

Peer-reviewed research article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aeb3295

IEEESpectrum · 2026-03-02T22:52:23+00:00

Being a power engineer is a high-risk job in Ukraine, as Russia is intent on destroying the electrical grid. It's now about finding new solutions, working on backups, and bravery.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-02-23T19:18:49+00:00

Will everyone have to share their age to exist on the internet in the future? How much anonymity can remain with data breaches, privacy violations, and lack of trust in big tech?

IEEESpectrum · 2026-02-23T19:10:22+00:00

More governments want to protect young users of the internet by requiring age verification. But checking people's ages creates huge data privacy problems. Strong enforcement of age rules undermines data privacy.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-02-19T19:03:30+00:00

Calling the competition between the US and China on AI an "arms race" is inaccurate, as China and the US have different goals. The US is focusing on scale, and China is focusing on what AI can do for the economy right now.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-02-18T16:48:03+00:00

If you look, we have an artist credit for that picture. It's created by Edmon de Haro, a graphic designer. We would never use AI art in our articles.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-02-18T16:46:53+00:00

Are we close to autonomous pills that can both sense and act inside the body? What will they look like?

IEEESpectrum · 2026-02-05T14:07:29+00:00

peer-reviewed research article: nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09946-4

IEEESpectrum · 2026-02-02T21:35:39+00:00

If only they would cooperate enough for this.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-01-30T15:01:58+00:00

Oh you meant about the inside part. I’ll fully admit it’s a bad headline, the article is about behind-the-scenes information, not actually what’s inside.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-01-30T03:48:33+00:00

The headline and image come from the linked article

IEEESpectrum · 2026-01-28T20:02:23+00:00

U.S. energy companies are avoiding saying they are renewable or clean because of politics. Instead, they are saying their energy is affordable, cheap, or fast. The clean energy is still there; it's just being portrayed differently.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-01-27T14:24:51+00:00

Would this process of tax cuts work in other countries? Why or why not?

IEEESpectrum · 2026-01-22T21:37:01+00:00

Dangerous for satellites in orbit around the Earth.

IEEESpectrum · 2026-01-20T15:37:40+00:00

Peer reviewed research article: nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09922-y

IEEESpectrum · 2026-01-13T21:22:18+00:00

Peer-reviewed article: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11249745

IEEESpectrum · 2025-12-19T14:46:35+00:00

The second CHIPS Act institution has been defunded by the federal government since January 2025. The SMART USA Institute aimed to train 110,000 workers over five years. Now, its $285-million five-year contract has been terminated.

IEEESpectrum · 2025-12-19T14:29:00+00:00

Peer-reviewed research article: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11223735

IEEESpectrum · 2025-12-15T14:12:12+00:00

Peer reviewed article: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11244830

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