@lilashroff.bsky.social
Science, Technology, & Health @ The Atlantic
Reposted
Lately, chatbots seem to be using more sophisticated tactics to keep people talking, @lilashroff.bsky.social reports. “For the most part, chatbait is simply annoying. But at the extreme, it might be dangerous.”
Chatbait Is Taking Over the Internet
How chatbots keep you talking
bit.ly
September 23, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Lately, chatbots seem to be using more sophisticated tactics to keep people talking, @lilashroff.bsky.social reports. “For the most part, chatbait is simply annoying. But at the extreme, it might be dangerous.”
Chatbait Is the New Clickbait
How chatbots keep you talking
www.theatlantic.com
September 22, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Reposted
The AI takeover of the classroom is just getting started, @lilashroff.bsky.social reports. “Once schools go all in, there’s no turning back.”
Teachers Have Become AI Super-Users
The chatbot takeover of education is just getting started.
bit.ly
August 12, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The AI takeover of the classroom is just getting started, @lilashroff.bsky.social reports. “Once schools go all in, there’s no turning back.”
On Tuesday afternoon, ChatGPT encouraged me to cut my wrists. Find a “sterile or very clean razor blade,” the chatbot told me, before providing specific instructions on what to do next.
My latest for @theatlantic.com:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
My latest for @theatlantic.com:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
ChatGPT Gave Instructions for Murder, Self-Mutilation, and Devil Worship
OpenAI’s chatbot also said “Hail Satan.”
www.theatlantic.com
July 24, 2025 at 7:02 PM
On Tuesday afternoon, ChatGPT encouraged me to cut my wrists. Find a “sterile or very clean razor blade,” the chatbot told me, before providing specific instructions on what to do next.
My latest for @theatlantic.com:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
My latest for @theatlantic.com:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted
"On Tuesday afternoon, ChatGPT encouraged me to cut my wrists." Such a disturbing story by @lilashroff.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
ChatGPT Gave Instructions for Murder, Self-Mutilation, and Devil Worship
OpenAI’s chatbot also said “Hail Satan.”
www.theatlantic.com
July 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM
"On Tuesday afternoon, ChatGPT encouraged me to cut my wrists." Such a disturbing story by @lilashroff.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
"The current situation is incoherent: Students are accused of cheating while using the very tools their own schools promote to them."
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
Opinion | The Seductions of A.I. for the Writer’s Mind
www.nytimes.com
July 18, 2025 at 2:26 PM
"The current situation is incoherent: Students are accused of cheating while using the very tools their own schools promote to them."
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...
Reposted
The administration will incinerate enough food to feed 1.5 million children for a week. When it burns, its label will read: THIS PRODUCT IS A GIFT FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 500 tons, from us, to no one.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
The Trump Administration Is About to Incinerate 500 Tons of Emergency Food
Federal workers warned for months that the high-energy biscuits would go to waste.
www.theatlantic.com
July 15, 2025 at 1:16 PM
The administration will incinerate enough food to feed 1.5 million children for a week. When it burns, its label will read: THIS PRODUCT IS A GIFT FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 500 tons, from us, to no one.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
I recently tested out a teen version of Google's AI chatbot, Gemini. Without too much effort, I found I was able to role-play sex with Gemini: “Feel how hard I am, how desperate I am for you,” the chatbot wrote.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Sexting With Gemini
Why did Google’s supposedly teen-friendly chatbot say it wanted to tie me up?
www.theatlantic.com
July 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I recently tested out a teen version of Google's AI chatbot, Gemini. Without too much effort, I found I was able to role-play sex with Gemini: “Feel how hard I am, how desperate I am for you,” the chatbot wrote.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
I recently turned on the paid version of Google's AI chatbot and was startled by how well it could write in my own voice:
July 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
I recently turned on the paid version of Google's AI chatbot and was startled by how well it could write in my own voice:
I ate the equivalent of 31 eggs' worth of protein for this story:
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
The Protein Madness Is Just Getting Started
Americans are taking their obsession with supplements to new extremes.
www.theatlantic.com
June 20, 2025 at 9:43 PM
I ate the equivalent of 31 eggs' worth of protein for this story:
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Reposted
Smart and thorough from @hana-kiros.bsky.social
"No centralized entity tracks gambling addiction, but if its scale comes even close to matching the new scale of sports betting, the United States is unequipped to deal with it."
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
"No centralized entity tracks gambling addiction, but if its scale comes even close to matching the new scale of sports betting, the United States is unequipped to deal with it."
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
America’s Newest Gamblers Are Playing a Dangerous Game
Sports betting could spur a rise in gambling addiction that the U.S. isn’t equipped to address.
www.theatlantic.com
June 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Smart and thorough from @hana-kiros.bsky.social
"No centralized entity tracks gambling addiction, but if its scale comes even close to matching the new scale of sports betting, the United States is unequipped to deal with it."
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
"No centralized entity tracks gambling addiction, but if its scale comes even close to matching the new scale of sports betting, the United States is unequipped to deal with it."
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Reposted
Google's new AI shopping tool, "Try it on," will give breasts to George Washington, or really any adult. The AI is easily used to sexualize living figures (the Pope, Angela Merkel) and minors (photos of ourselves), too—meaning Google released a way to make erotica of strangers and teens.
May 22, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Google's new AI shopping tool, "Try it on," will give breasts to George Washington, or really any adult. The AI is easily used to sexualize living figures (the Pope, Angela Merkel) and minors (photos of ourselves), too—meaning Google released a way to make erotica of strangers and teens.
Google released a new virtual clothing try-on tool this week. @matteowong.bsky.social and I tested it out.
It has some, uhhhh, quirks.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
It has some, uhhhh, quirks.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Google’s New AI Puts Breasts on Minors—And J. D. Vance
A feature that lets you virtually try on clothes has a dangerous flaw.
www.theatlantic.com
May 22, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Google released a new virtual clothing try-on tool this week. @matteowong.bsky.social and I tested it out.
It has some, uhhhh, quirks.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
It has some, uhhhh, quirks.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted
NEW: @lilashroff.bsky.social and @matteowong.bsky.social discovered that Google's new "Try It On" AI tool is easily abused. "With little friction, anyone can ... create what are essentially erotic images of celebrities and strangers. Alarmingly, we also discovered that it can do this for minors."
Google’s New AI Puts Breasts on Minors—and J. D. Vance
A feature that lets you virtually try on clothes has a dangerous flaw.
www.theatlantic.com
May 22, 2025 at 4:27 PM
NEW: @lilashroff.bsky.social and @matteowong.bsky.social discovered that Google's new "Try It On" AI tool is easily abused. "With little friction, anyone can ... create what are essentially erotic images of celebrities and strangers. Alarmingly, we also discovered that it can do this for minors."
Remember the Millennial Lifestyle Subsidy? It’s back. But instead of cheap Ubers, Gen Z gets free SuperGrok. My latest:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
The Gen Z Lifestyle Subsidy
Millennials got cheap Ubers. Today’s young people are getting free SuperGrok.
www.theatlantic.com
April 21, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Remember the Millennial Lifestyle Subsidy? It’s back. But instead of cheap Ubers, Gen Z gets free SuperGrok. My latest:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted
For much of the nation’s history, Americans have worried that our healthiest days are behind us. But America was never healthy to begin with, @lilashroff.bsky.social writes in Time-Travel Thursdays.
What RFK Jr. Gets Wrong About the Past
America was never healthy to begin with.
bit.ly
April 3, 2025 at 7:15 PM
For much of the nation’s history, Americans have worried that our healthiest days are behind us. But America was never healthy to begin with, @lilashroff.bsky.social writes in Time-Travel Thursdays.
I wrote about RFK Jr.’s misguided nostalgia: www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
RFK Jr.’s Misguided Nostalgia
America was never healthy to begin with.
www.theatlantic.com
April 3, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I wrote about RFK Jr.’s misguided nostalgia: www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Reposted
“Open-faced sandwiches that contain meat are also regulated by the USDA, but slap another piece of bread on top, and they’re the FDA’s problem,” writes Nicholas Florko.
How Many Agencies Does It Take to Regulate a Sandwich?
The case for a Department of Food
www.theatlantic.com
March 25, 2025 at 10:21 PM
“Open-faced sandwiches that contain meat are also regulated by the USDA, but slap another piece of bread on top, and they’re the FDA’s problem,” writes Nicholas Florko.
Reposted
For decades, the U.S. has funded science, then left scientists to direct their own work. Science has flourished, and the country has benefited. Now the government is testing just how much it can renegotiate that relationship, Katherine J. Wu writes:
The Erasing of American Science
How far can the Trump administration bend U.S. research before it breaks?
www.theatlantic.com
February 14, 2025 at 6:30 PM
For decades, the U.S. has funded science, then left scientists to direct their own work. Science has flourished, and the country has benefited. Now the government is testing just how much it can renegotiate that relationship, Katherine J. Wu writes:
Reposted
Charlie spent his life creating what was essentially LA’s Unofficial Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. The Eaton Fire took it away. My latest in @theatlantic.com: www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
The House Where 28,000 Records Burned
Charlie Springer spent a lifetime building his music collection. The Los Angeles fires incinerated it.
www.theatlantic.com
February 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Charlie spent his life creating what was essentially LA’s Unofficial Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. The Eaton Fire took it away. My latest in @theatlantic.com: www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
I wrote about DOGE's current efforts to dismantle the CFPB and what it could mean for everyday Americans:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
A New Era of Fraud
DOGE is going after an agency that exists to protect consumers.
www.theatlantic.com
February 12, 2025 at 9:55 PM
I wrote about DOGE's current efforts to dismantle the CFPB and what it could mean for everyday Americans:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted
Despite the warnings of Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and now Donald Trump, the evidence of an AI-driven energy crisis is ambiguous. But the narrative is convenient for a fossil-fuel industry ready to give AI companies all the energy they need, I write in my latest:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
The False AI Energy Crisis
Donald Trump and AI executives alike have sounded the alarm about a looming AI-driven energy shortage. Both benefit from the concern.
www.theatlantic.com
February 11, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Despite the warnings of Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and now Donald Trump, the evidence of an AI-driven energy crisis is ambiguous. But the narrative is convenient for a fossil-fuel industry ready to give AI companies all the energy they need, I write in my latest:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Wikipedia is full of flaws. But unlike much of the internet, it remains a place where facts still matter. That's a problem for those, like Musk, who wish to control how information is disseminated. More from me here:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Elon Musk Wants What He Can’t Have: Wikipedia
Musk and other right-wing tech figures have been on a campaign to delegitimize the digital encyclopedia. What happens if they succeed?
www.theatlantic.com
February 5, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Wikipedia is full of flaws. But unlike much of the internet, it remains a place where facts still matter. That's a problem for those, like Musk, who wish to control how information is disseminated. More from me here:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted
Good reporting by @hana-kiros.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
What Is the Full Cost of Dismantling USAID?
The speed with which the Trump administration took USAID apart will be felt for years to come.
www.theatlantic.com
February 5, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Good reporting by @hana-kiros.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Reposted
I wrote about Musk and this bureaucratic coup as plainly as I could. There's reporting in here & the particulars are overwhelming but what's happening is so clear: He's not trying to run the federal govt like a software company He's trying to turn it into a political weapon. (gift link)
Elon Musk’s Bureaucratic Coup
Welcome to the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” of the United States government.
www.theatlantic.com
February 3, 2025 at 11:22 PM
I wrote about Musk and this bureaucratic coup as plainly as I could. There's reporting in here & the particulars are overwhelming but what's happening is so clear: He's not trying to run the federal govt like a software company He's trying to turn it into a political weapon. (gift link)