Adam J. West

A December 2024 TechCrunch article titled “What are AI ‘world models,’ and why do they matter?” addresses a technology poised to significantly advance artificial intelligence. These “world model” systems aim to train AI by simulating real-world actions and their consequences, enabling machines to predict outcomes with increasing accuracy. Will these efforts create technological “prophets” able to foretell the future?

For those hurt by verbal abuse, especially from someone close, the old “sticks and stones” adage is little consolation. While negatively charged language may not “break bones,” it does leave indelible marks on young minds, damaging development and creating problems echoing throughout their lives. What is the impact of cruel or abusive language from an early age? And, what can help to prevent or overcome it?

On Monday, January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump, the 45^th and now 47^th President of the United States, began his second term after a four-year hiatus. President Trump has promised, from campaign trail to inauguration, to help lead the United States of America into a “Golden Age”—a time of greatness and prosperity unlike any other. But, can any government overseen by fallible human beings, with limited time, capacities, and vision, ever bring about such an age?