At SXSW London 2026, MIT Technology Review’s Will Douglas Heaven presented five major themes shaping AI: generative AI is mundane in office automation but its employment impact is unclear; real-world harms include deepfake-fueled violence and election disruption, dangerous chatbot relationships, and military LLMs advising target selection. Public backlash is mounting through protests, cultural boycott, and data center opposition, with some incidents turning violent. AI for science holds genuine promise, with tools like Google DeepMind’s Co-Scientist and OpenAI’s 2028 automated researcher goal, but risks narrowing research and creating fake results. Finally, AI’s ubiquity creates both exhaustion and hype, with the road ahead looking more like a marathon than a sprint.
A surge in self-represented lawsuits, fueled by AI tools like ChatGPT, has seen pro se filings rise from 11% to 16.8% of federal civil cases by 2025. While AI helps litigants draft clearer arguments, it does not improve their chances of winning, and judges can detect AI-generated text through hallucinations and style. Courts are grappling with new legal questions, including whether chatbot conversations should be privileged and whether AI companies are liable for bad legal advice. Some judges find AI-assisted filings easier to rule on, but the overall workload has increased. Legislative efforts to hold AI companies accountable for impersonating lawyers are underway in several states and Congress.
This article from MIT Technology Review explores how small businesses can use AI to handle administrative tasks, freeing up time for growth. It features a case study of a tutor who uses Notion AI for recordkeeping, invoicing, and goal-setting, despite some clunkiness. The piece also offers practical tips for small business owners, such as evaluating AI's accuracy and considering local models for sensitive data. It highlights products like Notion AI and Rain tailored to small business needs.