In 2025, two scholars of religion decided to make a multiday pilgrimage along the Kumano Kodō trail—an ancient route in Japan connecting Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples—guided by an artificial intelligence assistant.
AI is changing pilgrims’ journeys, but sacred journeys have always adapted to new technology
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Turning people into frogs—and back into princes—is the stuff of fairy tales. But back in January 2026, this fate befell a Heber City, Utah, police officer when AI accidentally cast the spell. Transcription software picked [...]
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The Center for the Creator Economy at Syracuse University—the nation’s first academic center dedicated to the advancement of interdisciplinary academics, independent research, policy engagement and support for creator-based ventures—today released the findings from its inaugural [...]
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A new study led by Flinders University finds both autistic and nonautistic suspects may be judged more harshly if any idiosyncratic behaviors in interviews stray beyond what observers consider normal. The research also undermines the [...]
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How can AI provide police officers with better support in complex situations? In an interdisciplinary collaboration, researchers in police research and computing science at Umeå University have explored the opportunities and risks associated with using [...]
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The University of Virginia has published the Global Capitalism Index (GCI), a first-in-kind data set offering unprecedented insights into the globe’s capitalism conditions in every country. Assembled from more than two hundred data sets across [...]
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Most Michigan city and township officials report positive or neutral impacts from recent state election administration reforms, but many cite the costs and staffing demands associated with nine days of early in-person voting as a [...]
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Most voters see Congress through floor debates, campaign promises and partisan conflict. Yet about half the work done by the average congressional office involves helping constituents, businesses, nonprofits, universities and local governments navigate federal agencies.This [...]
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Public health strategies that helped reduce cigarette smoking in the United States could provide a model for reducing the appeal and use of firearms, particularly handguns, according to a new paper from the Annenberg Public [...]
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Adding LED lights to illuminate crime hot spots throughout the city of Newark reduced violent crime by nearly 46% and burglaries by 58%, according to new research from Rutgers University–Newark published in the Journal of [...]
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Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to create convincing fake political content and harder to tell what’s real. Now, a University of Missouri expert is helping voters navigate that changing information landscape ahead [...]
