https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/artificial-intelligence/RSS feed for Artificial IntelligenceenWed, 12 Aug 2026 19:00:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/following-pope-leo-vivs-encyclical-the-vatican-announces-a-new-art-triennial-celebrating-human-creativity-and-empathy-in-the-age-of-ai-180989321/More than 100 artists will showcase their art on four continents as the Catholic Church continues to emphasize human creativity and relationships over artificial intelligence toolsWed, 12 Aug 2026 19:00:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/following-pope-leo-vivs-encyclical-the-vatican-announces-a-new-art-triennial-celebrating-human-creativity-and-empathy-in-the-age-of-ai-180989321/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-total-solar-eclipse-is-coming-to-spain-this-madrid-museum-is-celebrating-with-a-digital-artwork-illuminating-its-paintings-in-the-light-of-the-eclipse-180989311/A new animation from The Prado, called "El Prado a la luz del eclipse," uses A.I. to imagine masterpieces by Goya and Velázquez as if their scenes occurred during a total solar eclipseTue, 11 Aug 2026 21:08:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-total-solar-eclipse-is-coming-to-spain-this-madrid-museum-is-celebrating-with-a-digital-artwork-illuminating-its-paintings-in-the-light-of-the-eclipse-180989311/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-invented-a-plant-based-plastic-that-removes-microplastics-from-the-environment-as-it-biodegrades-180989254/Eighteen-year-old Arya Satheesh created her award-winning Eco Purge to help address the global problem of plastic pollutionThu, 06 Aug 2026 11:06:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-invented-a-plant-based-plastic-that-removes-microplastics-from-the-environment-as-it-biodegrades-180989254/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-went-to-the-opera-projecting-images-for-an-anniversary-production-of-wagners-ring-cycle-at-the-theater-where-he-first-staged-the-masterpiece-180989270/It took Richard Wagner a quarter-century to complete the four-part opera. The new production, called "10010110," uses generative artificial intelligence to explore the artwork’s evolutionWed, 05 Aug 2026 21:03:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-went-to-the-opera-projecting-images-for-an-anniversary-production-of-wagners-ring-cycle-at-the-theater-where-he-first-staged-the-masterpiece-180989270/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-recover-artworks-looted-by-the-nazis-researchers-are-getting-creative-with-new-strategies-including-an-ai-chatbot-and-a-campaign-of-wanted-posters-180989247/University researchers hope their new artificial intelligence chatbot makes provenance research easier and more accessibleMon, 03 Aug 2026 21:33:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-recover-artworks-looted-by-the-nazis-researchers-are-getting-creative-with-new-strategies-including-an-ai-chatbot-and-a-campaign-of-wanted-posters-180989247/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-ai-will-reshape-radiologywithout-replacing-radiologists-180989220/Human experience and flexibility are still necessary even as digital diagnostic tools improveWed, 29 Jul 2026 18:15:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-ai-will-reshape-radiologywithout-replacing-radiologists-180989220/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-disproves-a-decades-old-mathematical-idea-the-biggest-conjecture-that-the-tech-has-played-a-role-in-yet-180989189/A mathematician announced that he used one of Anthropic's A.I. models to find a counterexample to a problem called the Jacobian conjecture. While experts consider it a milestone, the work raises questions about the future of mathematical researchMon, 27 Jul 2026 17:12:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-disproves-a-decades-old-mathematical-idea-the-biggest-conjecture-that-the-tech-has-played-a-role-in-yet-180989189/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/a-brief-history-of-hold-music-from-early-patents-to-the-soundtrack-of-customer-service-purgatory-180989185/Sixty years ago, Alfred A. Levy patented his “telephone hold program system.” Little did he know a teenager’s unearthed New Age practice tape would become its enduring anthemFri, 24 Jul 2026 16:00:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/a-brief-history-of-hold-music-from-early-patents-to-the-soundtrack-of-customer-service-purgatory-180989185/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/would-you-chat-with-an-ai-ghost-of-a-deceased-loved-one-new-research-suggests-that-the-tech-can-provide-comfort-and-closure-180989176/Commercial "griefbots" are becoming more popular, and many experts have questions about their psychological and ethical impacts. A new study aims to ensure that the bots are designed responsiblyThu, 23 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/would-you-chat-with-an-ai-ghost-of-a-deceased-loved-one-new-research-suggests-that-the-tech-can-provide-comfort-and-closure-180989176/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-music-is-already-here-to-protect-human-artists-the-record-industry-proposes-labels-for-it-like-those-for-explicit-lyrics-180989128/The proposal comes as A.I.-generated music makes up an increasing share of what’s available on streaming platformsWed, 15 Jul 2026 18:47:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-music-is-already-here-to-protect-human-artists-the-record-industry-proposes-labels-for-it-like-those-for-explicit-lyrics-180989128/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-deciphered-the-surviving-fragments-of-a-2000-year-old-philosophical-treatise-frozen-in-time-by-mount-vesuvius-eruption-180989036/The papyrus manuscript was part of a vast library preserved by volcanic ash. Now, the remaining passages—which examine ethics, knowledge and human nature—are accessible for the first time since 79 C.E.Fri, 26 Jun 2026 19:51:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-deciphered-the-surviving-fragments-of-a-2000-year-old-philosophical-treatise-frozen-in-time-by-mount-vesuvius-eruption-180989036/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-odyssey-one-of-the-worlds-oldest-stories-gets-a-modern-spin-with-ai-generated-audiobook-narration-by-the-voice-clone-of-an-oscar-winner-actor-michael-caine-180989006/Meanwhile, other actors are pushing back against the use of artificial intelligence in creative projects, including through a new “human consent” registry toolWed, 24 Jun 2026 18:56:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-odyssey-one-of-the-worlds-oldest-stories-gets-a-modern-spin-with-ai-generated-audiobook-narration-by-the-voice-clone-of-an-oscar-winner-actor-michael-caine-180989006/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/100-years-ago-students-across-the-us-took-the-first-sat-today-relatively-few-colleges-require-the-test-where-is-it-headed-180988997/The standardized exam has evolved over the past century, all in the name of testing for college readiness. Now, it has become a symbol of the American higher education systemTue, 23 Jun 2026 16:16:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/100-years-ago-students-across-the-us-took-the-first-sat-today-relatively-few-colleges-require-the-test-where-is-it-headed-180988997/