Latest news with #TEDTalks
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
ChatGPT isn't just writing for us - it's changing how we talk, and you might not even realise it
Have you noticed people around you suddenly dropping words like 'meticulous,' 'adept,' or 'delve' in everyday conversations? Maybe your college buddy or that uncle who loves TED Talks has started talking about 'exploring new realms' or 'becoming more adept' at something. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. There's a good chance they've been spending time with AI chatbots, and it's starting to show. ChatGPT's style is everywhere. You might be using AI words without realising it. Here's what's changing in our daily conversations.(Unsplash) Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development have picked up on this trend. They dug into over 280,000 academic YouTube videos and found that, ever since ChatGPT became popular, people are using certain words much more often - words that pop up a lot in AI-generated text. These aren't scripts written by bots, just regular folks, especially in academic circles, picking up the AI way of speaking without even realising it. What's interesting is that these AI-inspired words aren't just getting sprinkled in here and there. They're actually replacing the more colourful, local, and sometimes quirky language we all grew up with. Where earlier you'd hear a passionate, winding argument, now you get neat, structured sentences that sound a bit… well, robotic. It's as if everyone's reading from the same AI-approved dictionary, and the little flavours of our speech are quietly fading away. Some people might shrug and say, 'So what?' But think about it. Language isn't just about getting your point across. It's about showing where you're from, what you care about, and how you see the world. If we all start talking like chatbots, we lose a bit of that personal touch, you know? There's another angle too. Have you ever wondered if being polite to AI - saying 'please' or 'thank you' to ChatGPT - will make us more polite to each other? Or maybe, if we get too used to being blunt with machines, that same tone will slip into our real-life chats, making things a bit less friendly. Let's be honest, though. It's hard to resist the convenience. If you're racing to finish a paper or a work report, ChatGPT is a lifesaver. It's quick, it's clear, and it rarely fumbles for words. But if you lean on it too much, its voice starts to become your own. Over time, your writing might lose its quirks, its local flavour, and start sounding just like everyone else's. Of course, this isn't the first time tech has changed the way we talk. Remember when texting made us say 'LOL' or 'ROFL'? Or when emojis crept into our daily chats? Now, it's AI's turn to shape our language, not because it's better, but because we're getting used to it. It's funny, isn't it? We built AI to sound more like us, and now we're starting to sound more like AI. Maybe it's time to pay a little more attention to the words we use. Bring back those local idioms, those family phrases, the stuff that makes your speech yours. After all, there's nothing wrong with being a little different - especially when the world is starting to sound the same.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Science
- Associated Press
3M and Discovery Education Recognize 32 State Merit Winners and 4 Honorable Mentions in 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge
ST. PAUL, Minn. and CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 24, 2025 /3BL/ - 3M (@3M) and Discovery Education (@DiscoveryEd) today announced the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge ( #YoungScientist ) 32 state merit winners and four honorable mention recipients. As the nation's premier middle school science competition, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge features outstanding innovations from young scientists that demonstrate the power of science to improve the world. To enter the competition, students in grades 5-8 submit a brief video explaining their original idea to solve an everyday problem using science, which are evaluated for their creativity, scientific knowledge, and communication skills. This year, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge offered students a set of new entry categories, including robotics, home improvement, automotive, safety, AR/VR, and climate technology. 'The projects submitted to the 3M Young Scientist Challenge underscore science's critical role in driving progress,' said Torie Clarke, 3M's executive vice president and chief public affairs officer. 'We applaud these students for making the world a better place through their innovative spirit. I'm proud 3M is inspiring students to use science and technology to address global challenges.' Each year, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge recognizes the grand prize winner, 10 finalists, four honorable mentions, and up to 51 state merit winners – nationwide and in Washington D.C. The 32 state merit winners and four honorable mention recipients for this year's competition were selected based on their passion for science and innovation, and superb communication skills. Each state merit winner receives special recognition on the challenge website, along with a prize pack. The 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge State Merit Winners are listed below in alphabetical order by state: For the fifth time in competition history, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge also recognized select entrants with an honorable mention award. These individuals were selected for their unique and innovative concepts and effective communication skills. The four 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge honorable mention recipients are as follows in alphabetical order by last name: To learn more about the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and meet the 2025 competitors, visit 3M Young Scientist Challenge inspires student curiosity and helps build confidence by connecting what's learned in the classroom to the real world in tangible and hands-on ways,' said Amy Nakamoto, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. 'Congratulations to each of the students honored in for your effort to use science to create a better world.' Now in its eighteenth year, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge continues to inspire and challenge middle school students to think creatively and apply the power of STEM to discover real-world solutions. America's Top Young Scientists have given TED Talks, filed patents, founded nonprofits, made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and exhibited at the White House Science Fair. These young innovators have also been named TIME Magazine's Kid of the Year; featured in The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, and Business Insider; and appeared on national television programs such as Good Morning America, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and more. In addition, a 3M Young Scientist Challenge Alumni Network was formed in fall 2022 and includes more than 100 former challenge winners, finalists and mentors, who take part in networking opportunities and more. The award-winning competition supplements the 3M and Discovery Education program Young Scientist Lab, which provides no-cost dynamic digital resources for students, teachers, and families to explore, transform, and innovate the world around them. All the resources are also available on Discovery Education Experience, the essential companion for engaged PreK-12 classrooms. ### About 3M3M (NYSE: MMM) believes science helps create a brighter world for everyone. By unlocking the power of people, ideas and science to reimagine what's possible, our global team uniquely addresses the opportunities and challenges of our customers, communities, and planet. Learn how we're working to improve lives and make what's next at About Discovery EducationDiscovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art, Pre-K-12, digital solutions support learning wherever it takes place. Through award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and strategic alliances, Discovery Education helps educators deliver powerful learning experiences that engage all students and support higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Through partnerships with districts, states, and trusted organizations, Discovery Education empowers teachers with essential edtech solutions that inspire curiosity, build confidence, and accelerate learning. Explore the future of education at ContactsTim Post 3MEmail: [email protected] Grace MaliskaDiscovery EducationEmail: [email protected] Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Discovery Education
Time Business News
7 days ago
- Business
- Time Business News
I Thought I Knew Startups… Until Reality Hit Me
A brutally honest story about startup education, the mistakes I made, and the ₹2,999 decision that changed everything. They say startup life is glamorous. Investors. Product launches. Hustle culture. Tweets. TED Talks. I believed it all — until I started my own. I quit my job in 2021 with a solid idea, some savings, and what I thought was enough knowledge. I had read the books, watched the YouTube gurus, followed all the right people on LinkedIn. But guess what? By mid-2022, I was broke, burned out, and bitter. My startup didn't just fail. It confused me. I didn't even know why it failed. And that haunted me. I sat in a coffee shop one evening scrolling through my phone, trying to figure out what I missed. That's when I stumbled across a line on a forum: 'Most founders don't fail because of lack of effort. They fail because they never learned how to build a startup properly.' That hit hard. I didn't need another motivational video. I needed a roadmap, not random tips. I needed clarity on unit economics, not vague 'build what people want' quotes. I needed to understand how to talk to investors, how to structure a pitch deck, how to know if an idea is even worth building. That's when I discovered No hype. No fluff. No billionaire-founder worship. Just a clear promise: 'Learn how to build a real startup — from idea to execution to fundraising — at just ₹2,999.' Honestly, I was skeptical. I'd already spent more than that on coffee meetings and pitch deck templates. But something felt different here. Maybe it was the tone. Maybe it was how the course spoke to people like me . Maybe I was just ready to listen this time. So I enrolled. This wasn't like Udemy, where you just 'watch and forget.' It felt like someone had reverse-engineered the entire startup journey into small, brutal truths: Why your idea might fail (and how to test it early) How to build a business model that doesn't collapse in 6 months How to calculate if your product can even survive in a market How investors actually think And how to grow without burning cash for likes and downloads I was finally learning what no MBA or LinkedIn thread ever taught me: Startups aren't built on motivation. They're built on systems. I thought I was fundraising-ready before. Turns out, I was just 'pitching blind.' The StartupCoE fundraising section walked me through: Exactly what investors expect to see at different stages at different stages How to structure a pitch deck without sounding like a brochure without sounding like a brochure Real mistakes founders make when reaching out to VCs when reaching out to VCs How to build a data room, calculate unit economics, and prepare for due diligence It didn't give me hope. It gave me preparation. And that was far more valuable. This was the first course that asked: 'Can your startup survive without funding?' It changed how I changed what I built. It made me chase customers before chasing investors. And ironically, that's what made me fundable. Because no one told me this stuff when I started. Because too many brilliant founders are stuck in a loop of noise, jargon, and burnout — when all they need is clarity. Because I wish someone had whispered in my ear earlier: 'Hey, before you burn ₹1 lakh on random tools and failed ads, maybe just spend ₹2,999 to learn how startups really work.' And that's exactly what gave me. No sugarcoating. Just real lessons, for real entrepreneurs. If you're serious about your startup… If you want to raise funds the right way… If you want to build something that doesn't just look good on pitch decks, but actually survives and scales … Then do yourself a favor. Start with ₹2, course. Your entire mindset—rebooted. 'The best founders aren't the smartest. They're the ones who learn early what others only learn after failing.' This is your chance to learn before the fall. Go build it right. — Anonymous (but real) TIME BUSINESS NEWS
New York Post
13-06-2025
- New York Post
8 Best AI Detectors in 2025 (tested for accuracy)
New York Post may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and/or when you make a purchase. We're all living in a digital fever dream. Between ChatGPT ghostwriting half the internet and freshman students submitting essays that sound suspiciously like TED Talks, it's getting harder to know what's real and what's…generated. And while I would love to believe my ex's emotionally intelligent apology text was sincere, I ran it through an AI detector and — shocker — it wasn't. But seriously, AI content is everywhere, and most of it is good enough to pass as human if you're skimping on your caffeine. Advertisement So, whether you're a teacher trying to sniff out a term paper that feels a little too fluent or a marketer vetting freelancers who write like a robot with a concussion, now you need tools that can actually tell the difference, and quickly. We tested the best AI detectors of 2025 — some really impressive, some totally useless — and here's what made the cut. Product Spotlight Best overall: AI Detector AI Detector Pros: Extremely fast Accurately detects multiple LLMs (not just GPT) Includes a rewriting tool to 'humanize' flagged content Cons: Limited to English AI Detector is the cool, competent sibling in a family of try-hards. You don't have to sign up, you don't have to download anything, and you don't have to pretend you know what 'perplexity' means. You paste the text, hit 'Detect AI,' and within seconds you get a detailed breakdown of how machine-y your copy is, complete with a percentage score and sentence-by-sentence analysis. It's fast, intuitive, and genuinely useful whether you're a content strategist, professor, or just suspicious of your friend's suspiciously articulate dating profile. We generated a wedding toast, adding requests for more humanization and details along the way, via ChatGPT. New York Post We plugged in the final wedding toast result by ChatGPT into AI Detector, and these were the (frightening) results. New York Post What makes AI Detector stand out is its range. It doesn't just scan for GPT-3 or 4 — it also flags content written by Claude, Gemini, and other models that most detectors pretend don't exist. There's even a humanizer tool that lets you rewrite flagged content to sound more human — perfect if you're working with AI but don't want to get caught in the act. That's right, it'll help you cheat the test it just gave you. You didn't hear it from us. We rewrote the AI-generated wedding toast ourselves and ran that through AI Detector, which yielded a much more positive result. New York Post Compared to every other tool we tried, it's the most consistent, fastest, and surprisingly nuanced when it comes to mixed-origin text (part AI, part human). It's basically the narc with a heart. AI DETECTOR Best real-time detection: Grammarly Grammarly Pros: Already baked into Grammarly, no extra tool or tab Flags AI while you're fixing your commas and passive voice Familiar, super easy to use Free version available Cons: Doesn't go deep — just gives a general AI score Grammarly's like that friend who's always correcting your grammar in group texts — annoying, sure, but usually right. And now, it's also raising an eyebrow at your writing like, 'Hmm… did you actually write this?' The AI detection tool is built right into the Grammarly app, so if you're already using it to fix your dangling modifiers and overly intense adjectives, you'll see a little alert pop up when your text starts to sound suspiciously synthetic. It won't give you a forensic breakdown or point to specific sentences like the other tools on this list, and it doesn't know if it was written by GPT or Claude or your friend's ChatGPT plugin named 'Cheryl.' But for basic detection without interrupting your flow, it's honestly kind of perfect. It's not the one you'd bring to court, but it's the one quietly judging your Google Docs in the background — and usually, that's enough. Best for academic use: Pros: Very high detection rates for GPT-3/4 Doubles as a plagiarism checker Supports batch uploads and institutional accounts Cons: Paid-only, no free tier Can be a bit overzealous with paraphrased human work is like that uptight but brilliant TA who actually cares about the integrity of your midterm essay. Built with academics and publishers in mind, it's one of the few tools on the market that doesn't just detect AI — it also checks for plagiarism in one seamless scan. It's a paid tool, yes, but if you're in a high-stakes environment where false positives are better than missing a cheater, it's worth the subscription. In our tests, it consistently flagged GPT-3 and GPT-4 content with an impressive 94% accuracy rate. What's more, it offers team management tools, batch uploading, and shareable reports, which makes it ideal for departments or institutions dealing with a large volume of student work. The UI is clean, the results are detailed, and the false positive rate is relatively low, especially for longer-form content. Where it occasionally stumbles is with paraphrased or hybrid content. Sometimes it reads an obviously human-written piece as 'suspect' because of certain sentence patterns or topic density. But in an academic context, caution usually wins out over leniency. If you're in higher ed and tired of guessing whether that 2,000-word essay on metaphysics was really written by a freshman, this is your guy. Best free: GPTZero GPTZero Pros: Totally free and browser-based No registration or email needed Clear sentence-level analysis and visual breakdowns Cons: Less accurate with newer LLMs (Claude, Gemini) No advanced features like file uploads or team reports Risks misidentification of ESL-written pieces as AI GPTZero doesn't charge a dime, doesn't require a login, and still manages to deliver sentence-by-sentence detection with visual cues that feel like a teacher's red pen, if the pen had an algorithm. It was literally created by a Princeton student for educators, and while it's evolved since its viral launch, it's still free and shockingly good for a no-cost tool. In our testing, it handled straight-up AI content well, especially from GPT-3 and early GPT-4 models. The results dashboard is clean, color-coded, and actually useful for non-techy users. You paste the text, it flags suspicious sections based on 'perplexity' and 'burstiness' (linguistic markers of robotic writing), and you get an instant sense of whether that student paper was written by a real person or a caffeinated chatbot. That said, GPTZero's biggest advantage — its accessibility — comes with trade-offs. It doesn't perform as strongly on newer models like Claude or on heavily edited AI text. And while the UX is great, there's no downloadable report or plagiarism check. But honestly, for a tool that costs less than a stale bagel, it punches way above its weight. Best for quick checks: AI Content Detector Pros: Free and lightning fast No sign-up required Great for casual, everyday checks Cons: Lacks deep analytics Doesn't distinguish between LLM models May miss subtle AI insertions If you're just trying to spot-check a paragraph before it goes live or double-check a freelancer's tone, AI Content Detector is perfect. It's stupid simple: paste text, hit 'Analyze,' and boom — instant score telling you whether the content reads as human or synthetic. No login, no tutorial, no existential dread (okay, maybe a little). It's not as detailed or as advanced as other options on this list. There's no sentence-by-sentence breakdown, no support for mixed-language content, and no visibility into what model it's actually detecting. But for speed and simplicity, it wins. It's especially useful in newsroom, agency, or startup settings where speed > nuance. We wouldn't recommend it for high-stakes content checks, like academic submissions or legal writing, but for day-to-day editorial use or social content, it's surprisingly handy. Think of it like a vibe check for your copy. Not deep, but effective. Best for businesses: Copyleaks Copyleaks Pros: Detects AI-generated and plagiarized content simultaneously Supports over 30 languages Offers LMS integrations and robust API access Granular analytics and side-by-side comparison tools Cons: Interface is a bit clunky for first-time users Pricing gets steep at scale Copyleaks is the enterprise workhorse of AI detectors. It's not just scanning for machine-written content — it's checking for plagiarism across academic databases, web sources, and internal libraries. It's used by government agencies, universities, and Fortune 500 companies for a reason. It offers one of the most sophisticated dashboards on the market, complete with similarity indexes, AI probability heatmaps, and team-level reporting. There's a learning curve, but once you're in, it's powerful. If you're managing a large volume of content, like admissions essays, agency output, or branded copy, Copyleaks earns its keep. Best multilingual: Sapling Sapling Pros: Supports content in multiple languages Clean, fast interface Works inside chat tools like Zendesk, Salesforce, and Gmail Great for customer service and business teams Cons: Lacks plagiarism checking Not ideal for academic-length documents Sapling flies under the radar, but it's one of the few detectors that performs well on non-English content. Built as a writing assistant for business teams, it includes a surprisingly capable AI detector baked into its grammar and tone tools. It's designed to be especially useful for customer support managers vetting auto-generated replies or chatbot content in multiple languages. While it's not built for longform content, its real-time integrations and speed make it great for quality control in fast-paced environments. Best for teachers: Winston AI Pros: Designed specifically for educators and writers High accuracy on GPT-3, 3.5, and 4 Supports PDF, DOCX, TXT, and image scans with OCR Includes reading level analysis and humanization suggestions Cons: No free version Winston AI is the honor student in the room — polite, precise, and academically inclined. What sets it apart is how well it performs with scanned documents and handwritten-to-text conversions, thanks to its built-in OCR support. It flags AI-written essays quickly and correctly, while also offering a readability score and humanization suggestions. Teachers and tutors will especially appreciate its classroom-friendly reports and side-by-side visual breakdowns. It's not flashy, but it is incredibly effective where it counts. Tool Best For Free Version Detects Multiple Models Plagiarism Tool Humanizer Tool Batch Uploads AI Detector Most use cases Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Grammarly Built-in/live detection Yes No No No No Academic and publishing No Yes Yes No Yes GPTZero A robust free tool Yes Partial No No No Quick one-off checks Yes No No No No Copyleaks Businesses Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Sapling Detecting multiple languages Yes Yes No No Yes Winston AI Teachers and SEO writers No Yes Yes Yes Yes The verdict AI content is no longer a novelty — it's the norm. And whether you're building syllabi, editing blog posts, reviewing resumes, or just trying to decode the suspiciously perfect text your friend's boyfriend sent at 2 a.m., you need an AI detector that's fast, accurate, and future-proof. After testing the top tools of 2025, AI Detector stood out as the most consistent and best overall performer. It's fast — lightning fast. It's smart — able to sniff out not just ChatGPT, but also newer models like Claude and Gemini, which many competitors still ignore. It's intuitive — no steep learning curve, just paste your text and get your results. And maybe most importantly in the current arms race of human vs. bot, it offers a rewriting tool that helps you 'humanize' flagged content without the awkwardness of rewriting from scratch. How we tested Our goal was to simulate the kind of messy, inconsistent, very-human behavior that AI detectors should be able to flag — and also the kind they routinely get wrong. First, we gathered a batch of fresh AI-generated text from ChatGPT-4, Claude, and Gemini. We asked each model to write essays, cover letters, Reddit-style rants, even birthday toasts (which, fun fact, GPT is weirdly good at). Then we got human with it — rewrote chunks, added slang, threw in spelling errors, and used tools like Quillbot to paraphrase whole paragraphs beyond recognition. We also used real human writing: old college papers, Substack entries, poetry, and blog posts that were 100% organic and occasionally unhinged. Each detector was tested across: Pure AI text Pure human text Paraphrased and hybrid text Short (100–200 word) samples and long-form (800+ word) entries We scored them on accuracy, false positives, false negatives, ease of use, speed, and transparency — aka, whether the tool told us why something was flagged instead of just wagging its digital finger. Bottom line: if a detector let a robot essay skate by or flagged a real person just for using a semicolon, we took notes. The tools that survived? They earned their spot. FAQs on AI detectors How accurate are AI detectors? They're good, but not omniscient. Most top detectors hover around 90–95% accuracy for GPT-3 and 4, according to Cornell University. But paraphrased or hybrid content throws a wrench in the works, especially if it's been human-edited. Can detectors tell which AI wrote something? Some can. AI Detector does a decent job of differentiating between ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. But many tools just say 'This looks AI-ish' without naming names. Think of it like a scent trail, not a fingerprint. Will AI detectors stay reliable as models get better? Only if they evolve alongside them. As LLMs get smarter, detectors need regular training on the outputs. Tools that aren't actively updated (hi, random Chrome extensions) are basically paperweights. Do they work on non-English content? Mostly, no, and this is worth noting. Nearly all detectors are trained on English-language data. Anything multilingual or heavily idiomatic may either pass through clean or get flagged unfairly. Is using an AI detector enough on its own? Nope. They're tools, not judges. Think of them as bloodhounds — you still need human judgment, especially in academic or legal contexts. Use them as part of a broader strategy, not your only line of defense. 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Forbes
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Is Donald Trump An Authentic Leader?
On the performative nature of authenticity, and why Trump exposes the paradoxical and unscientific meaning of the term. In a world obsessed with personal branding, real and deep fake influencers, and AI-fueled persuasion, 'authenticity' seems more valuable than ever, as the distinction between what's real and what isn't transcends everything and everyone. We no longer expect our leaders to be merely competent — a trait that, inconveniently, remains hard for most voters to identify. We want them to be 'real,' too, though no one can quite agree on what that entails in an era where even authenticity can be performative. From viral LinkedIn mantras to inspirational TED Talks, authenticity is praised as the antidote to crooked leaders, political doublespeak, and robotic managerialism, not to mention phony politicians. Indeed, research suggests that people rate 'authentic leaders' as more trustworthy, relatable, and morally grounded. And yet, despite its near-universal appeal, authenticity remains vague and elusive as a concept. We want, admire, demand it — but few can define it, especially in a sensible or cogent way, and even fewer appear to know how we would go about measuring it, at least with some degree of precision or objectivity. In the leadership literature, authenticity is generally associated with transparency, consistency, and self-awareness. In line, leaders who are seen as authentic inspire greater followership, because they appear more predictable and less manipulative. Employees trust them more, and citizens are more likely to forgive their mistakes. Consider why figures like Nelson Mandela or Angela Merkel continue to command admiration — not merely for their achievements, but for the perceived harmony between what they believed, said, and did. They were not just competent, but coherent. Conversely, politicians who appear to shapeshift with every poll are penalized — not always for their views, but for the whiff of inauthenticity. Voters would rather support someone they disagree with than someone they suspect of pandering. Indeed, perceptions of authenticity are less about ideological alignment and more about emotional resonance. People tend to see those they like as authentic — and label those they dislike as fake. Unsurprisingly, Trump supporters view him as the embodiment of authenticity, just as Obama's admirers did with him. Ask their detractors, however, and the verdict flips. In a way, the real litmus test of authenticity is whether even your critics concede that you are 'the real deal.' On that front, Trump may score higher than Obama, unless you deny the possibility that more authentic doesn't always equate to more effective… Therein lies the philosophical catch: authenticity, for all its cultural currency, is not a fixed trait. It is an attribution — something we project onto others. We can't scan a person's soul (Neuralink hasn't cracked that yet) to verify the alignment between their inner essence and their outer behavior. In truth, we struggle to verify even our own. As neuroscientist David Eagleman put it, 'The conscious mind is like a broom closet in the mansion of the brain.' Much of what drives us is hidden from ourselves, let alone others. What feels authentic might just be a well-rehearsed act — one we've repeated so often, we've come to believe it ourselves (which, admittedly, sounds great, except for the fact that the most brutal dictators in history were pretty good at it). That's why psychologists argue authenticity is socially constructed. It's not some universal signal — it's context-dependent. A CEO crying in a board meeting might be praised for vulnerability in Silicon Valley, and ridiculed as unfit in Frankfurt. Compare Obama's curated 'cool dad' persona with Merkel's austere pragmatism: both were labeled authentic, but by very different cultural standards. In the end, we judge authenticity not by some Platonic essence of the self, but by how well someone's performance matches our expectations of who they ought to be. Which brings us, inevitably, to Trump. The question is not whether he is authentic — we can't ever truly know — but why he seems authentic to so many. Trump checks all the cultural boxes of 'realness': he's blunt, unfiltered, often incoherent (even when not spontaneously so), and defiantly unrehearsed. He rants on social media at ungodly hours and insults opponents with the fervor of a WWE heel. These are not behaviors traditionally associated with leadership—but to many, that's the point. His refusal to play by the rules of political etiquette is precisely what makes him persuasive. Unlike the focus-grouped politician who triangulates every utterance, Trump performs spontaneity. And for a certain kind of voter, that performance is more persuasive than policy. So how do we assess authenticity more analytically? As I illustrate in my forthcoming book, we can determine this by examining Trump vis-à-vis the four mainstream tenets or mantras for examining authenticity in others (not just leaders), namely: (1) always be honest with yourself and others; (2) always be true to your values, no matter what; (3) don't worry about what people think of you; and (4) bring your whole self to work. 1. Is Trump brutally honest with himself and others? Trump is certainly honest with others — at least in the sense that he says what he thinks. Whether those thoughts are factually accurate is another matter entirely. Although there's little evidence of self-reflection or self-critique, we simply don't know whether his statements are improvised or calculated, even when they seem spontaneous. Furthermore, there's no way to know whether he truly believes some of the over-the-top comments he makes, for instance on his own capabilities. When he tells us that he is 'a very stable genius', does he truly believe it? It would be easier to prove or disprove whether such statements are factually correct than whether he actually believes them himself. Evolutionary psychology shows that truly believing such statements even when they are not factually correct (what psychologists refer to as self-deception) is rather common in humans because it helps us display convincing signs of confidence and be regarded as competent. In other words, the best way to fool others is to fool yourself first. This introduces an interesting paradox: your likelihood of being perceived as authentic increases when you are not honest with yourself. By the same token, if you are honest with yourself, and therefore aware of your limitations, you may not be perceived as confident and therefore competent! In this way, Trump's self-deception may be a powerful tool to come across as genuine and competent – people are more likely to believe you are a stable genius if they see that you truly believe it yourself when you make such statements. 2. Is Trump uncompromisingly true to his values? Trump's values are difficult to pin down ideologically, but he is consistent in tone and temperament. He prizes dominance, loyalty, and personal success — values that appear deeply ingrained across decades of business and political life. He doesn't pivot or play nice to broaden appeal. That may limit his coalition, but it boosts the perception that he 'sticks to his guns.' Also, his decisions seem consistently optimized to enhance self-interest (either at national, party, or individual level), and despite his self-presentation as master deal maker he seems quite transparent in the goals and outcomes he pursues. To be sure, those who don't share his values will not accept that he is acting authentically by 'following his values no matter what'. This is an important reminder of the fact that value-centricity is not inherently beneficial or effective in leaders: what matters is what your values are, whether they are shared by others, and how they impact others (not just your voters, but society at large). In fact, history is replete with examples of leaders who were clearly true to their values, and impressively executed against them, but without having much in the form of positive effects (and often many negative effects) on their followers. 3. Is Trump unbothered by what people think of him? This one seems tailor-made for Trump. He thrives on attention but is often indifferent — when not hostile — to criticism. Most politicians spin, apologize, or moderate. Trump doubles down. Whether it's calling opponents nicknames, attacking journalists, or airing grievances, he seems genuinely unconcerned with being liked by everyone. In the authenticity game, that's a powerful signal: he performs as someone who is beyond calculation. To be sure, breaking prosocial etiquette norms does not make you authentic, just like being controversial doesn't make you right. Still, given that overt and aggressive confrontation tends to be uncharacteristic in a typical politician (and even someone with traditional political skills), it can make you seem authentic regardless of whether this is a calculated self-presentational strategy. It's like being a social media troll: you offend, and some people will celebrate your radical candor! That said, this disregard for what people think of you is also emblematic of a narcissistic personality, whether in its clinical or sub-clinical (highly functioning) form. Research on vulnerable narcissism suggests that those who lash out or seem impervious to criticism may in fact be protecting a fragile ego—especially when rejection threatens their self-image. Trump's combative and adversarial style, far from indicating thick skin, may signal the opposite: a compulsive need to dominate the narrative to avoid feeling diminished. As a result, what looks like radical candor may actually be a meticulously constructed performance of invulnerability. 4. Does Trump bring his whole self to work? Unquestionably. Trump does not compartmentalize. The same persona that tweets 'covfefe' at midnight is the one addressing (and trying to dismantle) the UN General Assembly. His speeches, interviews, and online posts share the same syntax, cadences, and vocabulary. His business brand, political identity, and personal life blur into one. That's the very definition of bringing your whole self to work—for better or worse. In fact, applying one of the most common scientific and popular criteria for defining authenticity, namely consistency between what leaders say and do, there's no question that with Trump (at least his current iteration) what you see is what you get – after nearly 150 days of presidency, he has enacted most of his intended plans and promises. To be sure, unlike Melania, who also has access to the private or personal version of the president, we will never know whether the home version of Trump is radically different from his professional self, which is the norm with most leaders (and people). Conclusion: More Authentic, Less Effective? So, is Trump an authentic leader? From the perspective of public perception, probably yes — at least to those who admire him. Even many critics concede that his rawness makes him 'real.' He stands out precisely because he does not seem like a conventional politician. But here's the irony: the very traits that enhance his reputation for authenticity—lack of filter, abrasiveness, impulsivity — also limit his effectiveness as a leader, particularly in contexts that require diplomacy, coalition-building, and emotional intelligence. Indeed, if you were tasked with coaching Trump, the likely strategy would be to curb his most 'authentic' impulses: inject some tact, broaden his emotional bandwidth, tone down the narcissism, and embrace more perspective-taking. That might make him more effective — but also less 'himself.' Such is the paradox of authenticity in leadership: being too true to yourself can inhibit your leadership talents. Ultimately, the case of Donald Trump reminds us that authenticity is not an unqualified virtue. Like most traits, it is only beneficial in moderation and context. What followers experience as authenticity may simply be a refusal to conform. But in politics — as in life —there's a fine line between being genuine and being a jerk. The best leaders know how to walk that line without losing either their compass or their followers. In other words, they are clear about where their right to be themselves ends, and their obligation to others begins. Importantly, while people seem to genuinely love the concept of 'authenticity' (not just in leaders, but humans in general), we would do well to acknowledge that, alas, there is just no objective way to quantify how authentic someone is, or whether someone is acting in an authentic way or not. Rather, authenticity is retrofitted to affection: we tend to deem people authentic if we like them, and fake if we don't. In politics, this creates a curious paradox. Donald Trump is hailed as the very embodiment of authenticity — by his supporters. So too is Barack Obama — by his own. But ask the other side, and the verdict flips. Same goes for charisma: it is an attribution we make about people we like and admire, because they seem better able to influence and persuade us, because we share their beliefs, values, and personal attributes, to the point of embodying a part of who we are or want to be. In that sense, Freud was onto something when we noted that our connection with leaders is in itself narcissistic: we love people who represent who we are, and when they are also leaders who appear to love us, our love is a subliminal and socially legitimate way of loving ourselves. In the end, authenticity may be less a moral virtue than a psychological illusion —comforting, relatable, and occasionally dangerous. We crave it in leaders because it reassures us that someone, somewhere, is being 'real' in a world that often feels fake. But the paradox is hard to escape: the more someone tries to prove their authenticity, the less authentic they seem. Perhaps the lesson is this: in leadership, as in life, being true to yourself only matters if your 'self' is worth following.
