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Technology

Can you trust AI search results?

Can we really trust AI? hide caption

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It's Been a Minute

Can you trust AI search results?

After Grok's MechaHitler gaffe this summer, and President Trump's executive order to, "strip AI models of ‘ideological agendas," Brittany wondered, "how much influence does AI already have on our minds?"

How much can we really trust AI?

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Crime scene tape surrounds the perimeter of Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed , Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Social media is promoting different views of why the shooter acted.

Crime scene tape surrounds the perimeter of Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed , Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Social media is promoting different views of why the shooter acted. Lindsey Wasson/AP hide caption

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Lindsey Wasson/AP

Analysis

Social media is shattering America's understanding of Charlie Kirk's death

There is a deep schism in how Americans understand the assassination that took place a little more than a week ago and that gap is being widened by social media.

Chris Hughes, assistant water and wastewater operator for the towns of Cavendish and Proctorsville in Vermont, deals with the effects of a power outage at a drinking water facility.

Chris Hughes, assistant water and wastewater operator for the towns of Cavendish and Proctorsville in Vermont, deals with the effects of a power outage at a drinking water facility. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

Deep Dive

National Security

Flushable wipes and Iran: Water treatment facility adds cyberattacks to worry list

Water treatment workers are grappling with how to protect against a new threat: hackers burrowing into the system and wreaking havoc.

VERMONT WATER HACKERS ATC VERSION

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The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston.

The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption

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Michael Dwyer/AP

U.S. vs. China: Inside a great power rivalry

Trump says talk with China's Xi yielded progress, including on TikTok

Officials have been working on a deal to bring popular video app TikTok under U.S. ownership to avoid shutting it down in the United States.

Trump says talk with China’s Xi yielded progress, including on TikTok

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Megan Garcia and Matthew Raine are shown testifying on Sept. 16, 2025. They are sitting behind microphones and name placards in a hearing room.

Megan Garcia lost her 14-year-old son, Sewell. Matthew Raine lost his son Adam, who was 16. Both testified in congress this week and have brought lawsuits against AI companies. Screenshot via Senate Judiciary Committee hide caption

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Screenshot via Senate Judiciary Committee

Shots - Health News

Their teenage sons died by suicide. Now, they are sounding an alarm about AI chatbots

Grieving parents and online safety advocates at a congressional hearing called for new laws to regulate AI companion apps to protect the mental health of minors.

A cursor moves over Google's search engine page, in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 28, 2018. The most valuable information Google is being forced to share under Judge Amit Mehta's ruling is users’ click-and-query data. That refers to the information Google collects from users about what they search for (the queries) and what links they select (the clicks).

A cursor moves over Google's search engine page, in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 28, 2018. The most valuable information Google is being forced to share under Judge Amit Mehta's ruling is users' click-and-query data. That refers to the information Google collects from users about what they search for (the queries) and what links they select (the clicks). Don Ryan/AP/AP hide caption

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Don Ryan/AP/AP

A judge ordered Google to share its search data. What does that mean for user privacy?

The ruling in the Google antitrust trial has led to a host of hard-to-answer questions about the future of Google's search data, which the tech giant must now share with competitors. What does that mean for users' data privacy?

A judge says Google has to share its search data. What that means for user privacy

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A national flag hangs over the site where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University last week. Experts say foreign governments have been doing their best to spin events to fit their narratives.

A national flag hangs over the site where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University last week. Experts say foreign governments have been doing their best to spin events to fit their narratives. Jesse Bedayn/AP hide caption

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Jesse Bedayn/AP

National Security

Foreign influencers are doing their best to spin the Charlie Kirk assassination

Russia, Iran and China have all attempted to shape the narrative, but so far, their influence has been relatively minor, experts say.

After Charlie Kirk's death, foreign disinformation aims to widen division in the U.S.

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OREM, UTAH - SEPTEMBER 11: FBI agents walk through the courtyard at Utah Valley University as authorities search for the man who killed political activist Charlie Kirk on September 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his "American Comeback Tour" when he was shot in the neck and killed.

FBI agents walk through the courtyard at Utah Valley University at the site of where political activist Charlie Kirk was killed on Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Kirk shooting videos spread online, even to viewers who didn't want to see them

Graphic videos of the Charlie Kirk shooting spread widely online, raising concerns over the emotional and political toll of exposure to violent imagery.

This photo, in New York, taken Sept. 11, 2023, shows various Google logos when searched on Google.

This photo, in New York, taken Sept. 11, 2023, shows various Google logos when searched on Google. Richard Drew/AP hide caption

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Richard Drew/AP

Business

What does the Google antitrust ruling mean for the future of AI?

A federal judge's mild ruling in the Justice Department's suit over Google's search engine monopoly has critics worried that the tech giant can now monopolize artificial intelligence.

What does the Google antitrust ruling mean for the future of AI?

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FILE - The TikTok app logo appears in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2020.

FILE - The TikTok app logo appears in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2020. Kiichiro Sato/AP hide caption

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Kiichiro Sato/AP

Business

Officials announce a 'framework' for keeping TikTok online in the U.S.

U.S. officials have announced a "framework" that would let Chinese-owned short video platform TikTok continue operations in the United States, although the two countries are still working out the details.

TIKTOK FRAMEWORK

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AI can keep you alive forever. Should it?

AI is creating a digital afterlife industry. hide caption

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AI can keep you alive forever. Should it?

The AI digital afterlife industry is here. But can legal and ethical frameworks keep us safe from it?

AI can keep you alive forever. Should it?

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An illustration depicts a preteen boy with white skin and blond hair, wearing a backward baseball hat. He sits cross-legged on the floor with over-the-ear headphones pulled down around his neck, while he stares down at a tablet in his hands. Speech bubbles, emojis, an exclamation point and a question mark emanate from the screen, off to either side of him. A hand reaches into the frame as his parent puts a hand on his shoulder, symbolizing discussing the use of AI with your children and teens.

Parents should broach the AI conversation with their children when they are elementary school-age, before they encounter AI through their friends at school or in other spaces, says Marc Watkins, a lecturer at the University of Mississippi who researches AI and its impact on education. Eva Redamonti for NPR hide caption

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Eva Redamonti for NPR

Life Kit

Why parents need to talk to their teens about AI — and how to start the conversation

Many teens are using artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT for everything from homework to relationship advice. Experts say parents must lead the way in helping them understand the technology.

A Boston Dynamics robot is seen on a media tour at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant, in Ellabell, Ga., in March.

A Boston Dynamics robot is seen on a media tour at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant, in Ellabell, Ga., in March. Mike Stewart/AP hide caption

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Mike Stewart/AP

Word of the week

A play about the revolt of human workers — not machines — gave us the word 'robot'

A Czech playwright introduced the word to English in the 1920s. But back then, it wasn't analogous to machinery. New interpretations of the robot reflect a modernity once skewered by the writer.

A play about the revolt of workers – not machinery – gave us the word ‘robot’

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People are turning to Chatbots like Claude to get help interpreting their lab test results.

People are turning to Chatbots like Claude to get help interpreting their lab test results. Smith Collection/Gado/Archive Photos/Getty Images hide caption

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Smith Collection/Gado/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Running your lab results by ChatGPT? Here's what to keep in mind

KFF Health News

While patients wait to hear back from their doctors about test results, many turn to AI assistants for answers. There are issues with privacy and accuracy.

How AI slop is clogging your brain

It's Been a Minute

How AI slop is clogging your brain

Bizarre videos, uncanny photos, and Luigi Mangoine's likeness on Shein...? AI slop is taking over the web. It's putting money in people's pockets, and driving them offline, too.

Is AI killing the internet?

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Pray.com is producing several AI-generated videos about the Bible each week. Many depict epic stories from the Old Testament and Book of Revelation.

Pray.com is producing several AI-generated videos about the Bible each week. Many depict epic stories from the Old Testament and Book of Revelation. Pray.com hide caption

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Pray.com

Fantasy or faith? One company's AI-generated Bible content stirs controversy

"The AI Bible is a way to really bring these stories to life in a way that people have never seen before. Think of if we were like, the Marvel Universe of faith," said one of the site's creators.

Fantasy or faith? One company’s AI-generated Bible content stirs controversy

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The Intel logo is displayed on a sign in front of Intel headquarters on July 16, 2025 in Santa Clara, California.

The Intel logo is displayed on a sign in front of Intel headquarters on July 16, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America

Business

The U.S. government is taking a stake in Intel. It's rare — and it has some risks

In the past, the federal government has taken stakes in American companies during wars or economic crises. But now the government's motivation has more to do with the race for AI chips and technology.

The U.S. government is taking a stake in Intel. It's rare — but not unprecedented

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A case against Anthropic AI brought by a group of authors was settled on Friday.

A case against Anthropic AI brought by a group of authors was settled on Friday. Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Anthropic settles with authors in first-of-its-kind AI copyright infringement lawsuit

A U.S. district court is scheduled to consider whether to approve the settlement next week, in a case that marked the first substantive decision on how fair use applies to generative AI systems.

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