Is AI rewiring our minds? Scientists probe cognitive cost of chatbots
In our daily lives, the use of artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT is obvious. Students employ them to churn out term papers. Office workers ask them to organize calendars and help write reports. Parents prompt them to create personalized bedtime stories for toddlers.
Inside our brains, how the persistent use of AI molds the mind remains unclear.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
26 minutes ago
- Forbes
Retailer Stablecoins Are A Real Opportunity For Stable Retailers
People shop at a Walmart in Rosemead, California, on April 11, 2025 (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP ... More via Getty Images). The Wall Street Journal reports that some big players, including Walmart and Amazon, are exploring the idea of issuing their own retailer stablecoins in order to bypass the 'traditional' payment systems and exploit their 'troves of data'. This makes them a threat to banks, including regional and community lenders. Whether they succeed in stablecoins or not, the fact remains that retailers may have a much bigger role in the future of fintech. Retailer Stablecoins Are Within Reach Walmart is, of course, a focus for those of us looking at the retail/fintech possibilities and they have been looking in this direction for some time. Back in 2022, CTO Suresh Kumar said that crypto will become "an important payment tool" across the Metaverse and social media, as these will be the spaces where consumers discover new products. (Walmart are active in many directions here: their Mastercard credit card is expected to launch this fall, with the experience embedded inside the OnePay app.) The noted venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz single out Walmart in their argument for 'how stablecoins will eat payments' pointing out that Walmart made $648 billion in annual revenue and $15.5 billion in profit, but paid $10 billion in fees to the payment networks (they also point out that for another supermarket chain, Krogers, net income and payment fees are approximately equal). Thus, they say, greater stablecoin adoption would significantly improve profitability in many businesses, including small businesses like coffee shops or restaurants. Stable or unstable? I am not commenting on their math, other than to say that payment fees cover a lot more than the cost of the payment and when considering the costs and benefits, it is also important to look at what additional services might be cross sold from payments. I might also comment that stablecoins are not the only way to drive down these costs and as Richard Crone points out that adding adding a pay-by-bank capability inside a retailer's wallet, such as OnePay, with the attendant anti-fraud benefits such as strong user authentication, could result in significant savings. Real-time payments have been around since 2017 thanks to The Clearing House starting the RTP network that year, but only some banks have adopted the new tool, and those that have signed up have had tepid uptake in the marketplace. The launch in 2023 of the Federal Reserve's competing instant system, FedNow, has boosted adoption by banks, but real world use remains limited: Walmart might change that. Sarah Arnio, Walmart's director of digital payments recently said that 'We're really bullish on instant payments and hoping to move forward with them within the next year'. Now, Walmart already gives customers the option to sign up on its website to be able to pay directly from a bank account, moving those payments via low-cost automated clearing house transfers (ACH) transfers but Arnio sees this as a 'stepping stone' to faster instant payments because "We at Walmart really have a drive internally to speed up everything'.. Looking beyond the current payments landscape, Walmart are also exploring AI-driven shopping assistants as an entirely new type of customer, distinct from traditional consumers, and they will need ways to pay too, as well as exploring a future where consumers may opt for third-party shopping agents built by technology firms, ensuring its systems are adaptable to external AI-driven purchasing solutions. (Walmart know, as I am fond on repeating, that AI agents won't just facilitate transactions in existing processes, they will reshape the entire retail experience.) They are also taking their first steps into the metaverse, the coming augmented and virtual reality space where customers will go to work, rest and play. They have their Walmart Realm to experiment with more 'engaging' buying options. Justin Breton, Walmart's director of brand experiences says that they are following three trends here: customers enjoy brands more when they have unique virtual experiences; customers want to be entertained while shopping; and customers are inspired by virtual games where they can purchase items they discover'. I've used Walmart as the example here but of course all big retailers must be looking at these new technologies with some similar ideas. Partly because of reduced costs and increased speed but also because of the potential for new business models. One advocate is Shopify, which recently announced it has already started allowing customers to pay with popular stablecoin USDC allow their small business base to tap into global markets. As they said in rheir press release, 'Small businesses should be able to sell to a customer on the other side of the world as easily as their next-door neighbor'. All in all, you can see why retailers might be motivated to move now, although it is fair to observe, as Brady Dale does, it would be on them to find a way to convince customers to hold enough stablecoins to fund their purchases The Bank Response To Retailer Stablecoins So what does the mean for banks? Tom Brown's summary seems pretty accurate to me. That so, stablecoins are having a moment [and] all of this attention has left large banks with a very bad case of FOMO. The fear may be justified. Ron Shevlin, a well-respected industry analysts, says that stablecoins could divert significant transaction volume—and core deposits—away from banks as retailers, fintechs, and Big Techs issue branded stablecoins that lead consumers to move cash into stablecoins for convenience, rewards, or programmability. It is hard to disagree with him when he says that for some people stablecoins become functional equivalents of bank deposits—but without the FDIC insurance, relationship ties, or regulatory protections banks provide. As Ron points out, this risk isn't theoretical: Deposit displacement has been happening for years. A new study from Cornerstone Advisors found that $2.15 trillion has already left banks for fintech investment accounts—two-third of it from Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. This is on top of the estimated $10 billion that Americans have sitting in merchant mobile apps like Starbucks' in any given week. So how can banks, who enjoy a great income stream from interchange right now, position themselves for a world of retailer stablecoins and instant payments? The networks have already been active—they are not sitting back and waiting—but on the general assumption that payments margins are on the way down, the banks' strategic response should be to add value around the transactions, not to try and survive off of shrinking interchange in the face of competition from non-card alternatives such as Walmart Pay-By-Bank or an Amazon coin. Those services might, for example, include safety and security, data and decisioning, not only the payments themselves.
Bloomberg
30 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Humanoid Robots Play Soccer Badly in Beijing
Humanoid robots played a 5-3 soccer match in Beijing, demonstrating balance, agility, and AI-powered decision-making, with the winning team Vulcan from Tsinghua University. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
41.6% of Billionaire Bill Ackman's Hedge Fund Is Invested in These 3 Unstoppable Companies
Ackman holds sizable stakes in Alphabet, Uber, and Chipotle. All three companies are leaders in their respective industries. They also seem to still have excellent long-term prospects. 10 stocks we like better than Uber Technologies › Getting investing ideas and inspiration from the most successful money managers on Wall Street isn't a bad approach, but you should still do your due diligence before pressing the buy button. Let's apply that strategy by looking at Pershing Square Capital Management, a hedge fund led by the billionaire Bill Ackman. A sizable percentage -- 41.6%, to be exact -- of the hedge fund's portfolio is in three companies: Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER), and Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG). Should you consider following Ackman's lead with these stocks? In my view, the answer is a resounding yes for all three. About 14% of Ackman's portfolio is invested in Alphabet, including more than 5.7% in the class A shares that grant its holders voting rights, and nearly 8.3% in the non-voting class C shares. Alphabet was not a great stock to hold in the first half of the year. Even considering market volatility, shares underperformed the broader market by a significant margin. However, this isn't because the company's financial results aren't strong. It's more likely that the market is pricing in several specific risks Alphabet faces, including the possibility that U.S. regulators will succeed in forcing it to get rid of its Chrome web browser following an antitrust lawsuit. Still, there are good reasons to be optimistic about Alphabet's future, particularly when you consider its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) businesses. According to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, both industries are still in their early innings. Alphabet is a leader in both, and should benefit as these markets embark on a journey of significant long-term growth. The company can also rely on its streaming ambitions with YouTube, one of the most popular platforms around. Furthermore, Alphabet benefits from a wide moat thanks to network effects and switching costs. Even with the antitrust threat, the company looks attractive once we focus on its growth opportunities and consistent earnings and cash flow. If you're a long-term investor, I think you should seriously consider adding the stock to your portfolio. As of the first quarter, Uber Technologies was Pershing Square Capital Management's largest holding. In fact, the fund opened its position in the ride-hailing specialist during the period, acquiring some 30.3 million shares of the company. Now is as good a time as any to get on the Uber bandwagon. Over the past couple of years, it has evolved into a profitable company that also generates substantial cash flow. In the first quarter, Uber's revenue grew by a solid 14% year over year to $11.5 billion. Net income was $1.8 billion compared to a net loss of $654 million in the year-ago period, while free cash flow soared by 66% year over year to $2.3 billion. More important than its recent results, though, are Uber's still-strong prospects, thanks in part to its platform's network effect. More drivers within its ecosystem make it more attractive to clients. Uber may have competition for its services, but its trips and gross bookings far exceed those of its biggest direct challenger, Lyft. That says something about the company's competitive edge. Uber has substantial long-term prospects. One reason is that younger generations are driving less, which will, over the long run, create a greater need for the kinds of services the company offers. While Uber's stock has performed well this year, it's not too late to get in on the act yet. Chipotle comes in at roughly 9% of Pershing Square Capital Management's portfolio. Here's another company that has not performed well in 2025, partly because of the potential impact of tariffs on its financial results. Chipotle imports ingredients for its famous bowls from various places around the world, and President Donald Trump's trade agenda could lead to cost increases for the restaurant chain. Even beyond that, Chipotle's first-quarter results were not a hit due to weak foot traffic within its stores. Do these issues justify giving up on the stock? My view is that they don't. Chipotle is a consistently profitable business with strong restaurant-level margins and attractive growth prospects. Economic conditions are likely affecting consumers' decisions to pull away from Chipotle right now, but that won't last forever. Meanwhile, the company continues to add new locations; it opened 57 restaurants during the first quarter. Chipotle's long-term goal is to get to 7,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada; it currently has 3,800 restaurants worldwide. Its expansion plans in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere provide significant long-term growth potential. Chipotle might be struggling right now, but for long-term investors, the recent dip is an excellent opportunity to buy its shares. Before you buy stock in Uber Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Uber Technologies wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $713,547!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $966,931!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,062% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Prosper Junior Bakiny has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends Lyft and recommends the following options: short June 2025 $55 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 41.6% of Billionaire Bill Ackman's Hedge Fund Is Invested in These 3 Unstoppable Companies was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
