OnlySky

12/31/2024

The editors at OnlySky asked ChatGPT to imagine looking back at 2025 after it happens, combining known and likely factors with plausible black swans. This is the unedited result.

12/20/2024

AI is developing the same problem as cousins who marry, for the same reason.

AI is developing the same problem as cousins who marry—and for the same reason.

12/20/2024

The best time to learn how authoritarianism works is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

11/08/2024

Our UK contributor looks at the American disaster with recently acquired humility.

10/09/2024

As climate conditions intensify, the current evacuation of central Florida may transition into a continuous exodus.

Many Floridians currently fleeing Hurricane Milton are unlikely to return. It may be the first big step in the predicted near-emptying of the climate-exposed peninsula.

10/09/2024

A majority of Americans fear that political violence is imminent. But it may not take quite the form we imagine.

A large majority of Americans fear that political violence is imminent. Are we doomed to make this a self-fulfilling prophecy?

09/25/2024

Star Trek mostly sidestepped the question. Let's see what we can do.

A former music professor tries to imagine the music of the distant future.

09/06/2024

It's no surprise that Trump benefits from a feature you've seen on bad television.

08/28/2024

Our shiny new toy is solving exactly the wrong problem.

08/26/2024

It won't just be the size of the storms, but the terrifying unpredictability.

It's not just the size of the storms that future generations will deal with. It's the terrifying unpredictability.

08/24/2024

Once the default, traditional burials will likely be viewed by future generations as a weird, wasteful choice.

There are many alternatives to traditional burial and cremation. I think I've found the exit I was looking for.

08/21/2024

"We can't continue to approach disaster preparedness with resources and thinking from a world that had more time"—Dr. Samantha Montano

'We cannot continue to approach disaster preparedness with resources and thinking from a world that had more time'

08/20/2024

When we fix a bridge or give someone healthcare, we say that this life, and the one future generations will live in, is worth making better.

When we fix a bridge or give someone better healthcare, we're saying that this life and this world are worth protecting.

08/19/2024

There's a reason weather forecasting is almost impossible. And it's about to get much worse.

Weather forecasts are tangible, daily predictions of the future. But it's damn near impossible to get it right—and that's about to get much worse.

08/05/2024

It’s no surprise that Donald Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, given the unpopularity of its goals. Neither is it a surprise that Trump, notoriously incurious about policy, might in fact be telling the truth when he says, "I know nothing about Project 2025" and "I

08/01/2024

What does it mean when A.I. says 'I'm sorry'?

When it screws up, ChatGPT apologizes to me. It has the desired effect: I am defanged in the moment, willing to move on and trust again. But what is artificial remorse doing to the idea of the apology?