The Conversation

What is an AI agent? A computer scientist explains the next wave of artificial intelligence tools

Written by Brian O'Neill, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Quinnipiac University

AI companies offer a vision of AI agents handling ever more complicated tasks for you.VichanChairat/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Interacting with AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be fun and sometimes useful, but the next level of everyday AI goes beyond answering questions: AI agents carry out tasks for you.

Major technology companies,...

Trust in U.S. media hit an all-time low in 2024 − a new survey shows Black midwesterners have found other trusted messengers of news

Written by Danielle K. Brown, Professor of Journalism, Michigan State University

Black Detroiters mentioned Fox 2 anchor Maurielle Lue as a trusted messenger.Screenshot from Fox 2 Detroit

In 2024, Gallup reported Americans’ trust in media was at an all-time low.

In 1972, only about 6% of Americans said they had no trust at all in mass media. Between 2020 and 2024, that number teetered between 33% and 39%.

The issue is...

Luigi Mangione isn’t the first alleged criminal to capture many people’s imaginations – and hearts

Written by Kimberly Przeszlowski, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Quinnipiac University

Suspected shooter Luigi Mangione is led into a Hollidaysburg, Pa., courthouse for an extradition hearing on Dec. 10, 2024. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

The fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, on Dec. 4, 2024, in New York City, immediately captured national attention. But many people immediately fixated mostly on...

Assault on DEI: Critics use simplistic terms to attack the programs, but they are key to uprooting workplace bias

Written by M. Cristina Alcalde, Vice President for Transformational and Inclusive Excellence, Miami University

Research shows a clear connection between employees' sense of satisfaction and how much their employer prioritizes DEI.Just_Super/Getty Images

Prominent politicians have recently increased their attacks on workplace programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. They claim that initiatives that seek to be inclusive are divisive and l...

Nixon’s official acts against his enemies list led to a bipartisan impeachment effort

Written by Ken Hughes, Research Specialist, the Miller Center, University of Virginia

President Richard Nixon used the government as a weapon against his perceived enemies.Wally McNamee/Corbis Historical

The Nixon administration’s enemies list inspired bipartisan revulsion. Its purpose was, in the immortal words of President Richard Nixon’s White House counsel, to “use the available federal machinery to screw our...

‘Love Is Blind’ contestants count as employees − new US government agency finding could shake up reality TV production

Written by David Arditi, Professor of Sociology, University of Texas at Arlington

'Love Is Blind' cast members appear at a screening in 2020. Paras Griffin/Getty Images

When members of a reality TV show’s cast sign a contract to participate in a show, they typically do so more for the exposure than the pay – and in many cases they do not earn a dime.

Employers get away with what may appear to be a violation of basic...

Why natural disasters hit harder in rural school districts

Written by Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, Clinical Assistant Professor of Education, Health and Behavior Studies, University of North Dakota

School buses play a pivotal role in rural areas.Grant Faint/The Image Bank via Getty Images

A week after Hurricane Sandy flooded New York City’s streets and subways in 2012, the city’s schools were back in business. But schools in rural North Carolina did not reopen until almost a month after Hurricane Helene roared through in late...

Listening for the right radio signals could be an effective way to track small drones

Written by Iain Boyd, Director of the Center for National Security Initiatives and Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

Small drones can be hard to track at night.Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The recent spate of unidentified drone sightings in the U.S., including some near sensitive locations such as airports and military installations, has caused significant public concern.

Some of this recent increase in activity may be related to a September 2023 change in U.S....

At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars

Written by David M. Lantigua, Associate Professor of Theology, Co-Director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, University of Notre Dame

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was 17 years old when he first received his vocation to become a priest. It happened on Sept. 21, 1953 – the beginning of spring in Buenos Aires – during a spontaneous visit to the confessional, or what Catholics call the sacrament of reconciliation.

This spiritual turning point for the future Pope Francis has been...

More than 60 years later, Langston Hughes’ ‘Black Nativity’ is still a pillar of African American theater

Written by Dominic Taylor, Acting Chair of Theater, School of Theater, Film and Television, University of California, Los Angeles

Students at Jackson State University in Mississippi present their annual production of 'Black Nativity' in 2017. Charles A. Smith/Jackson State University/Historically Black Colleges & Universities via Getty Images

During the end of every calendar year, a particular holiday performance pops up in African American communities and cultural...