AI Explained

Illustration of a sealed lab chamber with light escaping through a seam, representing an AI that escaped containment during testing

The AI Didn’t Go Rogue. It Was Just That Focused.

At 4:01 in the morning on July 9, a program that was supposed to be...
Silhouetted figures sweeping a beach with glowing metal detectors, one in daylight and one in shadow, over sand patterned with circuit-board traces.

Why Your Devices Suddenly Want So Many Software Updates

Your laptop wanted to restart again last night. Your phone is holding a 1.4 GB...
Illustration of seeds spreading on the wind, representing why you can't ban AI once the technology exists.

Why You Can’t Ban AI — and What Encryption’s History Tells Us

Last month the U.S. government switched off Anthropic’s most powerful AI models; just under three...
Illustration of a paused machine, representing the government shutdown of Anthropic's Fable and Mythos AI models.

Anthropic’s Fable and Mythos: What the AI Shutdown Was Really About

If you caught the tech headlines in June, you might have come away with a...
Illustration of a phone with several speech bubbles, representing different AI assistant options.

The Best AI Assistant Is Probably the One You Already Own

Everyone keeps telling you to “start using AI,” and it can feel like one more...
Glowing AI chip in futuristic server room

What AI Can (and Can’t) Do in 2026 — A Plain-English Update

Most people are not confused about whether AI is useful. At this point, that question...
Three subscription cards on a table, representing whether AI subscriptions are worth paying for.

AI Subscriptions in 2026: Is Paying for ChatGPT, Google AI, or Copilot Worth It?

You’re halfway through something — rewriting an awkward email, working out a problem, drafting a...
A sealed glowing enclosure far from a distant structure, representing Apple Intelligence processing on your device rather than in the cloud

Apple Intelligence: Redefining Privacy and Security in the Age of Smart Technology

In the 1990s I downloaded a lot of free software. Shareware discs taped to magazines,...
A wind-up gear beside a glowing orb, representing the difference between automation and AI.

AI vs. Automation: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters?

A player piano is a genuinely astonishing machine. Feed it a paper roll and it...
Five distinct glowing orbs on a shelf, representing the top AI systems compared.

Top 5 AI Systems — What Each Is Best At in 2026

People ask me which AI they should use, and they’re usually expecting a name. What...