Author: damazah@gmail.com

We thank Meng for articulating important methodological and interpretive questions about our findings. The appropriate human baseline depends on the expected social role of artificial intelligence (AI). In real-world use, AI models are perceived to serve a variety of purposes, such as adviser, neutral outside opinion, editor, and assistant (1, 2). These roles come with different expectations for how often agreement, validation, or corrective feedback should occur. To complicate matters, users often view a single AI system as fulfilling multiple roles (3, 4). Because of the ambiguity of AI’s social role, any single human baseline is an imperfect comparison point.…

The 2026 Open Championship’s first round is in the books.Jackson Suber is your surprise first-round leader in his first-ever trip to Europe. The former Ole Miss standout watched YouTube to learn about Royal Birkdale’s ins and outs, and clearly it worked. He’s a shot ahead of Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im heading into Friday.Here’s a look back at the best highlights from Thursday at The Open.Full leaderboard

Nigerian streamer and content creator, Carter Efe, has voiced his frustration after revealing that his application for a United States visa was denied, saying he feels “trapped” in Nigeria because of the difficulty of travelling abroad. The social media personality made the remarks during a recent livestream, where he expressed disappointment over his inability to secure the visa despite efforts made on his behalf. Speaking candidly to his audience, Carter Efe said, “Chat, I won’t lie to you. We’re trapped in this country. Yes, in case you don’t know, we’re trapped. We can’t go anywhere we want. We can’t go…

By Dr Eugene Itua Every rainy season, Lagos floods. And every rainy season, the same debate returns. The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway is blamed for virtually every flood event—from Victoria Island to Lekki, Ajah, and even communities far beyond the project corridor. Social media amplifies dramatic images, commentators draw sweeping conclusions, and before long, opinion begins to replace evidence. The challenge is not that people ask difficult questions. They should. Major infrastructure projects deserve scrutiny. The real challenge is that public debate increasingly relies on assumptions rather than science. If Nigeria is to make better infrastructure decisions, we must distinguish between…

NewsFeedAt least 2 people are dead, and over 200 were rescued in catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country region of the state. Governor Greg Abbott said one man was swept away in an RV and a woman was swept away while driving.Published On 17 Jul 202617 Jul 2026Click here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharegoogleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo

Reinforcing its commitment to sustainable finance and long-term economic inclusion, Sterling Bank partnered with the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) to convene financial sector leaders, policymakers, and corporate executives at the 2026 FITC Sustainability and ESG Conference in Lagos. The conference focused on accelerating sustainable finance, strengthening governance frameworks and mobilising local capital to address Africa’s climate and development financing needs.  The bank reinforced its position at the forefront of Africa’s green transition, mobilising industry dialogue on sustainable finance and fostering partnerships that promote inclusive economic growth and long-term prosperity for the nation. Setting the tone for the event, the…

CLEVELAND, OHIO – JULY 23: A closeup view of the Cleveland Guardians logo on the Nike jersey worn by José Ramírez #11 prior to a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on July 23, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)Diamond Images/Getty ImagesThe Cleveland Guardians are tied with the Chicago White Sox for the division lead.The Guardians, White Sox, Tigers, and Twins all have a shot at winning the American League Central.sports.yahoo was upbeat about the Guardians first half.The Guardians have been staying relevant while Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez remain on the…

Get ready for more AI characters in Fortnite. Developer Epic Games is going to let Fortnite creators publish experiences featuring characters with AI-powered voices starting on July 30th, and ahead of that launch, it’s created 36 characters with “consistent voices and personas” that creators can use as NPCs. The characters include Fortnite staples like Agent Jonesy, Peely (the banana), Fishstick (a walking fish), and Cuddle Team Leader (who wears a pink bear mascot head).Epic tested the waters of AI characters with last year’s Darth Vader NPC that was powered by James Earl Jones’ voice — a collaboration that Jones’ estate…

John L Esposito, a prominent scholar of religion and international affairs at Georgetown University, passed away on July 15, 2026, due to complications from heart surgery.He was a towering intellectual who published more than 55 books, mainly with Oxford University Press, which have been translated into dozens of languages. He uniquely shaped the modern study of Islam and Muslim societies during the late 20th and early 21st century, particularly in the area of Islam-West relations during key moments of friction following the 1979 Iranian revolution and 9/11.John was born into a working-class Italian-American family in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940.…

For much of my career in computer science, I viewed the detection of software vulnerabilities as a craft. The best researchers combine technical skill with intuition: the ability to tell whether a software crash was a minor glitch or a sign of a more serious vulnerability. For decades, machines found bugs and humans decided which ones mattered. Now, with the advance of artificial intelligence, that is set to change drastically.My research has focused mostly on building better fuzzers — automated tools that bombard software with millions of unexpected inputs to uncover bugs. Generating crash reports (detailed files that record the…