Showing 1 - 10 of 18
Rupture, reform and how to rebuild
Oped, Robert F Godec, Published on 23/04/2026
» The world is teetering on the edge of a cliff. Russia, China, and the United States are using their military and economic power in the ruthless pursuit of power and domination. In doing so, they have ruptured an international system that for 80 years was characterised by rules, institutions, and a measure of cooperation.
How to give expert advice in transformational times
Oped, Robert Lempert, Published on 11/11/2025
» I am a policy analyst. My job is to provide expert information to decision makers and the public to help improve public policy. This job, always hard, has become harder.
Authoritarians' brave new cities
Oped, Robert Muggah & Carlo Ratti, Published on 23/09/2025
» Few policy ideas are as radical -- or as misleadingly packaged -- as "freedom cities". Championed by Silicon Valley's techno-libertarian elite and recently embraced by right-wing politicians like Donald Trump, the idea is to create digitally powered, master-planned enclaves of deregulated innovation.
Is AI a curse or a blessing for education?
Oped, Matthew Robert Ferguson, Published on 17/08/2024
» My collegiate rowing coach at the University of Western Ontario was an eccentric West German named Dr Volker Nolte, a stocky and imposing figure who was only funny when he didn't mean to be. He was a biomechanics wizard, obsessing over the countervailing forces of the rower and shell, currents and winds, blades and water. In the early 80s, as part of his doctoral research, he designed a sliding rigger that moved along the hull of the boat on slides in tandem with the rower, which, when compared to a fixed rigger, effectively doubled the force and propulsion of every stroke. It made second-tier rowers competitive with the best in the world.
Ozone layer recovery offers hope
Oped, Robert Redford & Xiye Bastida, Published on 30/04/2024
» There was a time, not so long ago, when the depletion of Earth's ozone layer seemed like an insurmountable challenge. Decades of using harmful chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), had threatened to cause irreparable damage to our planet. Without swift action, we faced the risk of climate destabilisation, ecosystem collapse, and the breakdown of our food system. Consequences that were once almost unthinkable became painfully real.
Deepfakes will hijack your brain -- if you let them
News, F D Flam, Published on 22/02/2024
» Realistic AI-generated images and voice recordings may be the newest threat to democracy, but they're part of a longstanding family of deceptions. The way to fight so-called deepfakes isn't to develop some rumour-busting form of AI or to train the public to spot fake images. A better tactic would be to encourage a few well-known critical thinking methods -- refocusing our attention, reconsidering our sources, and questioning ourselves.
Musk must be more transparent about Neuralink
News, F D Flam, Published on 05/02/2024
» When researchers with Elon Musk's company Neuralink implanted a chip in someone's brain, they were working under a Food and Drug Administration clearance. But that doesn't mean this experiment was safe or ethical.
Loss and Damage Fund's potential
Oped, Monique Barbut & Robert R Filipp, Published on 02/02/2024
» In the vein of We Are the World, the 1985 hit that sold more than 20 million copies globally, the song Lasting Legacy was released at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. The official charity anthem features 13 artists from around the world singing about unity, cooperation, and climate action.
Time to prioritise social justice
News, Gilbert F Houngbo, Published on 01/05/2023
» Today is widely known as Labour Day, a day when we celebrate the contribution of workers worldwide. It is a moment for pride, celebration and hope.
Navigating the risks of AI will require a team effort
Oped, Robert Muggah, Gabriella Seiler & Gordon LaForge, Published on 11/03/2023
» Recent months may well be remembered as the moment when predictive artificial intelligence went mainstream. While prediction algorithms have been in use for decades, the release of applications such as OpenAI's ChatGPT3 -- and its rapid integration with Microsoft's Bing search engine -- may have unleashed the floodgates when it comes to user-friendly AI.