The Government Has Made College an Overpriced Scam
Thankfully, you don't need fancy dining halls or a college degree to have a good life or get a good job.
Technology
Be Like Pixar, Not NASA
Artificial intelligence poses the most risk when it is embedded in a centralized, tightly coupled organization. But it can facilitate decentralization too.
Can We Trust A.I. To Tell the Truth?
Humanity has always adjusted to the reliability of new information sources.
We Don't Need a War on Screen Time
Unwired makes an unconvincing argument for heavy-handed tech regulation.
Is YouTube Bad for Us?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1 p.m. Eastern this Thursday for a discussion with director Alex Winter about his new documentary The YouTube Effect.
Americans Love NASA, But Private Firms Do the Real Work in Space
People see a continuing role for the space agency, but mostly in national defense.
Studies Keep Finding That Social Media Algorithms Don't Increase Polarization. Why Is the Press So Skeptical?
New research on Facebook before the 2020 election finds scant evidence to suggest algorithms are shifting our political views.
Jean Twenge and Elizabeth Nolan Brown: What Do Millennials Want?
A boomer, a Gen Xer, and a Millennial discuss the causes and conflicts of today's generational gaps.
Industrial Policy Isn't About Creating Jobs
It's a short-sighted approach that distracts us from the more important question.
Elizabeth Warren and Lindsey Graham Will Break the Internet
The senators say they're creating an "independent, bipartisan regulator charged with licensing and policing the nation's biggest tech companies." What could go wrong?
Government Wants To Control Your Digital Identity
As states continue to implement digital ID systems, it is essential that they build tools in ways that inherently protect civil liberties rather than asking citizens to just trust government officials.
Nearly 200 School Districts Are Suing Social Media Platforms
Plus: court strikes down Arizona law against filming cops, GOP candidates want to cut Social Security for young people, and more...
FTC Investigates OpenAI Over Inaccurate Information From ChatGPT
Plus: Few Americans support full abortion bans, a win for cryptocurrency in Ripple case, and more...
With Microsoft Victory, Courts Go On Epic Killstreak Against FTC Antitrust Agenda
The gaming market remains competitive with a wide variety of options.
Attack of the Twitter Clones
Plus: Groups ask Supreme Court to say public officials can't block people, latest jobs report shows openings down, and more...
This Election Season, Beware of These False Promises
Many politicians offer a simplified view of the world—one in which government interventions are all benefits and no costs. That couldn't be further from the truth.
Kevin Kelly: Excellent Advice for Living From the World's Leading Optimist
Wired's "senior maverick" on his new book of accumulated wisdom, backlash against tech, and why the future still looks bright.
Can Grandmas Be Bitcoin Cypherpunks? Q&A With Jameson Lopp
The enigmatic privacy obsessive is fighting to keep the cypherpunk dream alive.
Biden's $42 Billion Broadband Boondoggle
More than 90 percent of Americans already have access to high-speed internet.
Polls Reveal Americans' Fears About A.I.
Americans are more afraid than excited about A.I. But these technologies offer far more to cheer than to fear.
Gadgets and Gizmos That Inspired Adam Smith
Smith appreciated the beauty and allure of intricate systems.
Lindy CEO: A.I. Might Be 'the Biggest Change in Human History'
"People are comparing A.I. to smartphones or the internet. I think it's much closer to the invention of fire or the wheel," says Flo Crivello.
Why Is So Much of Reddit Dark Right Now?
When your business relies on volunteer moderators and user-generated content, angry denizens can threaten the whole enterprise.
The Federal Trade Commission's Latest Frivolous Antitrust Suit Takes Aim at Amazon
Plus: Texas’ new anti-porn law, Biden meets with A.I. critics, and more...
Don't 'Pause' A.I. Research
Doomsayers have a long track record of being wrong.
It Takes 6 Clicks To Cancel Amazon Prime and the FTC's New Lawsuit Says That's Too Many
The ideal number of clicks to cancel an online subscription may be four or five instead of six, but we don't need government to make that decision.
Europe's Bitcoin-Busting Mistake
The E.U.'s new virtual currency regulations will endanger privacy and trigger an exodus of tech talent from Europe, hobbling its role in the future of finance.
Google Comes Out Against a 'Department of A.I.'
As the company explains, pre-market licensing would delay—or even deny—our access to artificial intelligence's potential benefits.
Review: Computer-Generated Art, Decades Before Midjourney
Futuristically thrilling but aesthetically limited
The A.I. Defamation Cases Are Here: ChatGPT Sued for Spreading Misinformation
Plus: Age-verification laws threaten our First Amendment right to anonymity, New York bill would set minimum prices for nail services, and more...
Fast Reloading of Guns in the 19th Century
Manufacturing improvements made affordable many types of guns that previously had been available only to the wealthy
E.U.'s Digital Services Act Threatens Americans' Free Speech
Online platforms should resist binding us all to the rules of censorship-happy jurisdictions.
YouTube Abandons Election Misinformation Policy That Censored Political Speech
"We find that while removing this content does curb some misinformation, it could also have the unintended effect of curtailing political speech."
Fast reloading of guns in the 19th century
Manufacturing improvements made affordable many types of guns that previously had been available only to the wealthy
Josh Hawley Wants the Government To Silence A.I.
The Missouri senator is once again pursuing misguided tech regulation.
Clea Conner: America Needs More and Better Debates
The CEO of Open To Debate wants us to disagree more productively—especially when it comes to presidential debates.
Childproofing the Internet
How online “child protection” measures could make child and adult internet users more vulnerable to hackers, identity thieves, and snoops.
Not Every Study on Teen Depression and Social Media Is Bad. Only Most of Them.
The few good studies on teen depression and social media undercut attempts to establish causal connections between the two.
The Founders were well aware of continuing advances in arms technology
Building on what had come before, the Madison-Monroe research program led the way to the many innovations of the 19th century
Succession Is a Darkly Comic Warning About the Transfer of Generational Power
The old guard titans might have been monsters. But, the HBO series warns, the young wannabes vying for power might be even worse.
How Ron DeSantis, Tucker Carlson, and Elon Musk Will Change the Section 230 Debate
Expect the very foundations of the internet to come under attack from politicians and the mainstream media.
The Surgeon General Exaggerates the Threat Social Media Poses to Kids
A new report calls for policy makers to take action when none is required.
'Now Is Better,' Says Legendary Designer Stefan Sagmeister
His bold new exhibition draws on the work of Steven Pinker, Our World in Data, and Human Progress to document how much life has improved since the good old days.
Stefan Sagmeister: An Artist Who Believes 'Now Is Better'
The legendary graphic designer juxtaposes 18th- and 19th-century paintings with visualizations of how much life has improved over the centuries.
Simplify the Tax Code Instead of Creating an IRS Rival to TurboTax
Americans collectively spend billions of hours each year preparing their taxes. Rather than adding a government-run website into the mix, politicians should just simplify the tax code.
Ed Sheeran, Vanilla Ice, and a Monkey Walk Into A.I. Copyright Law
If government officials and lawyers create a new legal framework for A.I.-generated content, society risks losing the potential benefits of the next tech revolution.
Jaan Tallinn and Robin Hanson: Should We Pause A.I.?
The co-creator of Skype says yes. The George Mason University economist says no.