As a retiree, I want to stay close to my grandkids. I worry that not learning how to use AI will leave me behind. What's the easiest tool for me to learn, and should I be worried? I promise that you do not need to learn how to use a generative AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude to ensure your grandkids see you as a relevant, informed person. If anything, I would say that our culture has tipped over the past year to generally oppose the use of generative AI tools due to their outsize environmental impact, ethical concerns over their data scraping, and general sludginess of the outputs.

A software company is hoping to fill job openings using artificial intelligence. "Our mission in life is to really think about how we change the way people can connect in an increasingly digital world," said CEO and co-founder of Soul Machines Greg Cross. He hopes artificial intelligence could help fill in the gaps for all kinds of businesses. "Machines we're creating can improve our lives," Cross said. Cross is already rolling out digital creations for positions that are in critical need, like nurses, teachers, and other helper roles.

Preface: Three decades ago while working at Air Force Research Laboratory, I developed the first interactive Augmented Reality system, enabling users to reach out and touch a mixed world of real and virtual objects. I was so inspired by the reactions people had when they tried those early prototypes, I founded one of the first VR companies in 1993, Immersion Corp, and later founded the early AR company, Outland Research. Yes, I've been a believer for a long time. Looking forward, I expect augmented reality to become the platform of our lives, replacing smartphones as our primary means of accessing digital content. I still believe in the magical potential, but also fear the negative consequences. To paint a balanced picture of what our augmented lives will be like ten years from now, I've written the short narrative below. Like any fictional forecast it will not play out exactly like this, but I'm confident that the convergence of augmented reality and artificial intelligence will make much of this portrayal come true. It was a tiny room no larger than a walk-in closet. A small woman in a crisp white lab coat stood beside a large optometry machine, its smooth black surface covered in silver dials and knobs and levers. Flipping between settings she asked, "Better or worse?" "Better," rang a voice from behind the contraption. The woman pulled the machine forward, revealing Gordon Pines, squinting as the overhead lights suddenly came on. Balding with gray stubble, he looked older than his 68 years would suggest. That's because he was tired -- exhausted from the simple act of leaving his small apartment and venturing out into the busy city. Chicago had been his home for three decades but somehow it just didn't feel familiar anymore.

Even after they set the bar really high, where they've done these amazing things, they still manage to do it." Geek's Guide to the Galaxy host David Barr Kirtley agrees that episodes like "Total Rickall," about aliens who pretend to be old friends by implanting false memories of themselves, are excellent examples of science fiction. "Even if you took all of the humor out of it, and told it just as a straight, serious science fiction story, it's a good enough story on its own to get published in a science fiction magazine," he says. Parallel worlds are a familiar idea in science fiction, but Rick and Morty pushes the concept almost to the breaking point, with dozens of versions of its main characters scheming against each other. Author Matt London loves the show, but acknowledges that the story is at constant risk of spiraling out of control. "I can understand why it took them years to write Season 3," he says, "because once you open this box it's very hard to get it closed again." Such mind-bending antics aren't for everyone, and Rick and Morty also has a streak of wild misanthropy that will alienate some viewers. TV critic Carli Velocci gives the show a strong recommendation, but warns that it should be approached with caution. "It's definitely not a show for the faint-hearted," she says. "There's so much gore and violence.

What do we all have in common? Surprisingly, the answer is menopause. But scientists still haven't quite figured out why this phenomenon exists. After all, if the purpose of evolution is to make sure that we most effectively pass on our genes, then why would women stop reproducing after a certain age? A study published on Thursday in PLOS Computational Biology may offer some insight into the evolution of menopause in humans.