Work In Progress

two views of the human brain
Illustration By Erik Carter / The Atlantic. Source: Getty.

What Does Sentience Really Mean?

The fact that AI isn’t alive doesn’t mean it can’t be sentient, the sociologist Jacy Reese Anthis argues.

Picture of a clock surrounded by electric-blue dots
Illustration by Joanne Imperio / The Atlantic

AI Is a Waste of Time

The newest AI tools are accelerating basic research and scaring the general public. But many people are simply using them as toys.