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Today, I had the opportunity to attend a conference organized by the University of Massachusetts Boston on ethics in the age of artificial intelligence. As Boston’s only public research university, UMass Boston has long served as a space for discussing contemporary social issues. Amid a bustling campus filled with students, beneath a clear blue sky and brilliant sunshine, with sea breezes carrying the unmistakable saltiness of the ocean across the grounds, the peaceful setting created an interesting contrast with the urgency of the conference. More than 150 participants from across the Commonwealth gathered to discuss ethics in the age of AI. Legislators shared their perspectives on policy, while government representatives and administrators discussed programs being implemented in schools and initiatives designed to support businesses. Amid the carefully developed presentations and policy recommendations concerning the future of technology, I found myself reflecting on a paradox: we ar...

If you ever thought AI was coming only for the livelihoods of programmers and writers, think again. The next knockout punch might come from an unexpected direction: the marriage of Tesla-style electric vehicles and SpaceX-inspired rocket technology. And the first people sweating over their job security might just be our beloved traffic cops. Imagine a beautiful sunny day. You’re cruising fifteen meters above the ground in your shiny flying Tesla Roadster when "oops!" you exceed the speed limit. Suddenly, that legendary traffic baton, the one that has sent countless drivers obediently pulling over to the roadside, becomes nothing more than a useless stick. Down on the street, the officer cranes his neck and waves frantically. Up in the sky, you cheerfully wave back, convinced he’s simply trying to start an airborne sing-along. Even his famously sharp whistle is drowned out by the roar of your rocket-powered engine, leaving him standing in a cloud of dust, wondering whether he ...

Paris in Turmoil: An Elegy for an Intellectual Movement The social upheaval and unsettling images coming out of France in recent days have left me with a heavy heart. To those who have never lived there, Paris may be little more than a glamorous capital, a tourist destination, or a symbol of fashion and the arts. But for those who have experienced the changing seasons of France, from the golden autumn leaves along Parisian boulevards to the sunlit Mediterranean coast of Nice in winter, the quiet charm of Bordeaux’s old streets in spring, and the vibrant summer days of Lyon between its two rivers, these images are more than news on a screen. They touch our memories and our affection for a country that has left a lasting impression on our lives. If Jean-Paul Sartre or Albert Camus could return to life and stroll along Boulevard Saint-Germain on a suffocating Parisian afternoon, amid social tensions and public unrest, they would surely have much to contemplate. Perhaps they would still ch...

Bias is not entirely the enemy of humanity, but neither is it something we can freely indulge. In everyday life, our preferences, memories, and personal attachments give each of us a unique way of experiencing the world. However, when we turn to evaluating facts, constructing knowledge, or making judgments that affect others, bias can distort our understanding, lead us to accept only what reinforces our existing beliefs, and reject contrary evidence. More dangerously, when bias is concealed beneath academic credentials, specialized terminology, and an appearance of erudition, it can become a form of pseudo-intellectualism: using the authority of knowledge to protect the ego rather than to seek the truth. The issue, therefore, is not whether human beings have biases, but whether we can recognize the limits of our own understanding and how we respond to evidence. We can maintain our personal preferences without turning them into universal truths; we can defend a position while remaining ...