NEWS YOU CAN’T MISS

Is Talking to ChatGPT Making You Lonely?

OpenAI has released its first ever research into how using ChatGPT affects people’s emotional wellbeing.

The studies were conducted in partnership with the MIT Media Lab and included two parts: an analysis of 40 million real-world ChatGPT interactions, and a four-week experiment with nearly 1,000 participants using the chatbot daily.

Here’s what they found:

• Only a small number of users engage emotionally with ChatGPT, while most use it for practical tasks like writing or coding.

• Those who did use it like a companion often spent 30 minutes or more with it daily.

• The more the participants trusted and “bonded” with ChatGPT, the more likely they were to report feelings of loneliness and a growing reliance on the chatbot.

• Those who interacted with a voice mode of a different gender than their own reported greater emotional dependency and increased loneliness.

• Women appeared to be more affected overall — after 4 weeks of regular ChatGPT use, they showed a greater decline in social interaction compared to men.

These early findings don’t claim definitive answers. As AI professor Kate Devlin pointed out, self-reported data can miss the nuance of how people truly feel.

Still, it’s a meaningful first step in measuring what effect AI companions have on our social lives.

Disney’s New Robot Looks Like It’s Alive

These two small robots became unexpected stars at Nvidia’s GTC 2025 conference.

Inspired by Star Wars, “Besh and Grek” are real-life droids built by Disney Imagineering. They can walk, turn, and respond with a level of coordination and timing that’s noticeably smooth. Their subtle, lifelike movements and pauses made them stand out to many in the audience.

The droids were developed using Newton, Nvidia’s new physics engine developed in collaboration with Google DeepMind and Disney Research.

What makes Newton different? At the center of the physics engine is something called a digital twin — a virtual version of the robot that can be trained entirely in simulation. Before the physical droid ever takes a step, its digital twin practices walking, reacting, and interacting in a virtual environment that mirrors real-world physics.

Here’s how it works:

• The digital twin attempts tasks like walking across a floor or reacting to someone nearby.

• Newton calculates what would happen in the real world, down to how the robot’s weight shifts or how fast it turns.

• Over time, the robot learns what works and what doesn’t — and only once it’s reliable enough in simulation does it move to the real world.

To make the Disney droids feel more human, the creative team at Disney first sketched out how emotions like shyness or curiosity should look on the robots, down to specific gestures and facial cues. Then, using Newton, the virtual models were trained to perform those expressions physically, with lifelike movement and timing.

Nvidia sees potential far beyond entertainment for Newton; the company estimates the market for simulation-trained robots could reach $10 trillion. This would include applications in healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing — any setting where reliability matters and physical trial-and-error is too risky or expensive.

It would be exciting to see these robots act in films as well. Their lifelike movements could bring characters to life without relying so much on CGI.

Your Photos Could Save Japan’s Cherry Blossoms

Each spring, millions gather under Japan’s cherry blossoms—snapping photos and sipping drinks. The tradition, known as hanami, is all about slowing down and enjoying the blossoms with friends, food, and good weather.

But behind the scenes, many of these iconic trees are quietly aging out. Most were planted after WWII, and now, decades later, local governments are struggling to keep them healthy with limited budgets and staff.

To support these trees, Japanese beverage company Kirin Brewery has launched Sakura AI Camera, a free tool that lets anyone take a photo of a cherry tree and get an instant health check. The AI looks at trunk size and shape to estimate age and vitality, then shares the data with local officials so they know which trees need care.

The company hopes to turn casual springtime moments into acts of conservation, helping more people take part in preserving cherry blossoms and keeping the tradition alive for generations to come. 🌸

What do you think of this approach?