AI-automated kitchens

+ what's behind the anti-DEI backlash? US Edition - Today's top story: Robots are coming to the kitchen − what that could mean for society and culture [View in browser]( US Edition | 29 August 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Active shooter drills – isn’t there a better way to protect students?]( - [Democratic men are taking a step back – and that’s a step forward]( - [How the Nuremberg trials continue to influence biomedical ethics]( Lead story You probably use artificial intelligence every day, maybe without even thinking about it. It’s a key technology behind your phone, smart speaker, favorite e-commerce website and late-model car. But would you turn it loose in your kitchen? Robots are already busily flipping burgers and cooking noodles, looking like they were laid off from an auto assembly line and had to take a job in a fast-food restaurant. And smaller AI devices are already being marketed for the home kitchen. Technology ethicist Patrick Lin [takes a look at the potential consequences]( of robo-kitchens for family life and culture, and finds clues in the history of an earlier form of automation: the microwave oven. [ [Our most interesting science stories each week. Sign up for our weekly Science Editors’ Picks newsletter](. ] Eric Smalley Science + Technology Editor Today's newsletter supported by [readers like you.]( Robotic kitchens aren’t on homemakers’ must-have lists yet, but they are starting to gain traction in restaurants. Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty Images [Robots are coming to the kitchen − what that could mean for society and culture]( Patrick Lin, California Polytechnic State University Can automated restaurants still be community and cultural spaces, or will they become feeding stations for humans? These and other questions loom, as AI and robot cooks reach the market. Ethics + Religion - [Retirement doesn’t just raise financial concerns – it can also mean feeling unmoored and irrelevant]( Marianne Janack, Hamilton College If you have spent 40 years of your life working 40 hours a week, retirement isn’t just a financial consideration, writes a philosopher. - [The Nuremberg Code isn’t just for prosecuting Nazis − its principles have shaped medical ethics to this day]( George J Annas, Boston University The Nuremberg Code was developed during trials for Nazi officials accused of performing inhumane experiments − but its influence has been far wider. Economy + Business - [Conservative opponents of DEI may not be as colorblind as they claim]( Abigail Folberg, University of Nebraska Omaha; Laura Brooks Dueland, University of Nebraska Omaha; Mikki Hebl, Rice University New research suggests anti-Black racism plays a key role in conservative anti-DEI sentiment. - [Why restaurant self-service kiosks can actually result in customers ordering less food]( Lu Lu, Temple University; Wangoo Lee, Temple University New research on food-ordering kiosks introduces the social dynamics at play and offers alternatives for designing a more effective and customer-friendly self-service process. Education - [Today’s school children practice running for their lives – but there are better ways to keep students safe from shooters]( Luke J. Rapa, Clemson University The persistent threat of school shootings demands a more thoughtful response to their prevention. Science + Technology - [Mitochondria keep your brain cells alive − helping them run smoothly may protect against Parkinson’s disease]( Rebecca Zhangqiuzi Fan, Florida International University; Kim Tieu, Florida International University As the powerhouse of the cell, mitochondria lie at the intersection of many essential biochemical pathways. When they go awry, neurodegenerative diseases can result. Politics + Society - [Signs, props and light-up wristbands − the 2024 political conventions find a home in the Smithsonian collections]( Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Institution; Claire Jerry, Smithsonian Institution; Lisa Kathleen Graddy, Smithsonian Institution The Whigs started holding political conventions in the 1830s − and historians from the Smithsonian who visited the GOP and Democratic conventions this year found the tradition is still very vibrant. - [How the 14th Amendment prevents state legislatures from subverting popular presidential elections]( Eric Eisner, Johns Hopkins University; David B. Froomkin, University of Houston Law Center A little-noticed provision of the US Constitution would strip any state of almost all its electoral votes if legislators sought to overrule the will of the voters. - [Democratic men are stepping up for a woman president by stepping back, at last]( Karrin Vasby Anderson, Colorado State University The masculinity on display at the Democratic convention was groundbreaking as men − from Joe Biden to Pete Buttigieg to Tim Walz to Doug Emhoff − aimed unreservedly to lift up women as leaders. Trending on site - [Black voters, Latino voters and other voters of color show solidarity at the ballot box]( - [What links aging and disease? A growing body of research says it’s a faulty metabolism]( - [A new ‘guest star’ will appear in the sky in 2024 − a space scientist explains how nova events work and where to look]( Today's graphic 📈 [A recent survey of LGBTQ people across the U.S. found that their experiences with police differ significantly by gender. Cisgender men and women were less likely to have been stopped, searched, arrested or held in custody by police over the past year than transgender and nonbinary respondents. Consequently, cisgender men and women were much more likely to say that they'd call the police if they became the victim of a crime.]( From the story, [Gift card scams generate billions for fraudsters and industry as regulators fail to protect consumers − and how one 83-year-old fell into the ‘fear bubble’]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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