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Will quantum computing make current cybersecurity systems obsolete?
Nowadays, most of the world's digital security—your bank account online, government secrets, WhatsApp messages, even your Netflix password—are protected using encryption. They rely on mathematical puzzles so challenging that even the most advanced supercomputers would take thousands of years to cracRead more
Nowadays, most of the world’s digital security—your bank account online, government secrets, WhatsApp messages, even your Netflix password—are protected using encryption. They rely on mathematical puzzles so challenging that even the most advanced supercomputers would take thousands of years to crack them.
But then comes the simplicity-killer: quantum computing. While traditional computers process information in bits (0s and 1s), quantum computers do so in qubits, which exist in more than one state at a time. That allows them to look for solutions in parallel, potentially doing some sort of math problems at speeds that are unfathomable.
For cybersecurity, it is exciting and terrifying.
Why Encryption Works Today
Enter Quantum Computing
But Here’s the Human Side
It’s important to keep things in perspective. Currently, enormous, beneficial quantum computers don’t exist. We do have noisy, fragile prototypes that can do small-scale work only. Decoding the entire internet remains science fiction—at least through the foreseeable future.
Yes, but looming on the horizon is also a threat in the guise of “harvest now, decrypt later.” Hackers or nations could be quietly vacuuming up encrypted information today, stashing it away, and holding out for quantum computers to be powerful enough to break them. Imagine intimate medical records, military communications, or bank accounts appearing years hence, naked and vulnerable.
The Race for Post-Quantum Security
The good news? We’re not standing still. Researchers and organizations like NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) are already developing post-quantum cryptography—new encryption methods that can withstand quantum attacks. Some approaches involve lattice-based math, code-based encryption, or even quantum key distribution (which uses the principles of quantum physics itself to secure communication).
In a way, it’s like we’re redesigning the locks before the burglars have built the tools to break in.
Why It Matters to Everyday People
For all of us, cybersecurity isn’t abstract—it’s belief. It’s the belief that your pay goes into your account, that your doctor’s notes remain confidential, and that your identity isn’t commandeered in the dead of night. If quantum computers one night ripped through these defenses, it could create panic and chaos and destroy the underpinnings of virtual society.
But if the transition to quantum-resistant systems happens in time, though, most people won’t ever know it. Just as the internet switched from “http” to “https” without fanfare, the upgrade might happen quietly in the background.
The Bottom Line
Will quantum computing make current cybersecurity obsolete? Yes, eventually. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be catastrophic. The race between cryptographers and quantum scientists has already started, and humankind has a history of learning to adapt its weapons to thwart new threats.
The real question isn’t that we will have a quantum security threat—it’s whether we will be ready when it arrives. And, as with climate change or epidemics, the destiny is in the preparation, the cooperation, and the vision.
In the end, quantum computers won’t just break old locks—they will challenge us to build stronger, smarter ones. And that’s a human one: technology disrupts, but we adapt.
See lessAre AI-powered deepfakes the biggest threat to elections worldwide?
When people think of election threats, images of ballot tampering or foreign hacking often come to mind. But today, a newer, less visible danger is spreading: AI-powered deepfakes—ultra-realistic videos, audio clips, and images that can convincingly impersonate real people. Unlike obvious fake newsRead more
When people think of election threats, images of ballot tampering or foreign hacking often come to mind. But today, a newer, less visible danger is spreading: AI-powered deepfakes—ultra-realistic videos, audio clips, and images that can convincingly impersonate real people. Unlike obvious fake news articles of the past, these manipulations are designed to feel authentic, making them especially dangerous in shaping public opinion.
Why Deepfakes Hit Hard During Elections
Elections are about emotions. Voters respond not only to policy but to trust, personality, and image of candidates. One effective video of a politician uttering something outrageous—or an outright false audio clip of them conspiring in secret—can go viral on social media before fact-checkers even get around to it. And before the truth finally comes out, the harm is already done.
Unlike biased headlines or rumors, deepfakes take advantage of one of our strongest impulses: trusting what we see and hear. That makes them unusually effective at eroding faith, planting seeds of doubt, or stoking rifts at times of high stakes in democracy.
Global Issues
Are They the Biggest Threat?
What Can Be Done?
The Human Side
In short: Deepfakes are perhaps not the only election threat, but they are something peculiarly unsettling: a world in which believing is no longer seeing. Their threat is less that they will deceive everybody and more that they will cause everybody to doubt everything. The battle against them is not merely technological—it’s also cultural, political, and fundamentally human.
See lessCan mindfulness and meditation be as effective as medication for anxiety?
Perhaps the most chronic problem of our time is anxiety. Some feel it as a low-level hum in the background — racing mind, tight chest, working brain. Others feel it as a storm: panic attacks, sleeplessness, and the sense that something is always about to fall apart. Traditionally, medication has beeRead more
Perhaps the most chronic problem of our time is anxiety. Some feel it as a low-level hum in the background — racing mind, tight chest, working brain. Others feel it as a storm: panic attacks, sleeplessness, and the sense that something is always about to fall apart.
Traditionally, medication has been the preferred option. But in recent years, meditation and mindfulness have moved from the fringes of religious practice into the mainstream of mental health. The question is, can they really match the power of medication for the treatment of anxiety?
What Medication Offers
But medication often doesn’t address the root causes of anxiety — thought patterns, life stressors, or emotional habits that drive it. And side effects, ranging from drowsiness to risks of addiction, are all too real.
What Mindfulness and Meditation Can Offer
What the Science Says
The Human Side of the Choice
In Simple Words
Mindfulness and meditation are as effective as meds for anyone with anxiety — especially when done every day. But in severe anxiety, medication will still be required, at least for the short term. The greatest outcomes seem to come from using both together: medicine for symptom control, and mindfulness for developing resilience.
In the end, the question is not so much a matter of which one is superior, but rather what works for you, your body, and your life. The medication may level the foundation, but mindfulness teaches you how to walk it with more peace.
See lessWill the 4-day workweek become the global standard?
The 5-day, 40-hour workweek has been the standard for modern life for over a century. But today, there is a movement building momentum that dares to ask one question: what if less work equaled more productivity? Meet the 4-day workweek — a system that promises more rest, more balance, and inRead more
The 5-day, 40-hour workweek has been the standard for modern life for over a century. But today, there is a movement building momentum that dares to ask one question: what if less work equaled more productivity? Meet the 4-day workweek — a system that promises more rest, more balance, and in many instances, even better performance at the workplace.
Why the 4-Day Week is Gaining Momentum
The Human Side of Working Less
The Productivity Debate
Global Adoption — A Reality Check
A Cultural Shift More Than a Policy Change
The 4-day workweek perfectly fits with this shift, as more people are believing that we work to live, not live to work.
In Simple Words
The 4-day workweek is not only a fad — it’s part of a worldwide rethinking of what “work” in the 21st century ought to look like. Will all countries use it? No. Will it transform workplace culture on a large scale? Absolutely.
It might not oust the 5-day week everywhere, but it’s already showing that when individuals are given more time to rest, love, and live, they don’t only end up as better employees — they become better people.
See lessAre Digital Friendships as Meaningful as In-Person Connections?
Friendship has always been about connection, trust, and shared experiences. But the way we connect has changed drastically. Where earlier generations bonded at school, in neighborhoods, or at the office, today it’s common to find people who say their closest friends live hundreds of miles away — friRead more
Friendship has always been about connection, trust, and shared experiences. But the way we connect has changed drastically. Where earlier generations bonded at school, in neighborhoods, or at the office, today it’s common to find people who say their closest friends live hundreds of miles away — friends they may never have physically met.
So, are these digital bonds as meaningful as in-person ones? The answer is layered.
The Rise of Digital Friendships
Emotional Depth Without Physical Presence
What In-Person Offers That Digital Can’t
The Blended Reality
What Really Makes a Friendship Meaningful?
In Simple Words
Friendship is less about where it happens and more about how it feels. A digital friend who listens, laughs, and stands by you can mean as much — sometimes even more — than someone physically close but emotionally distant.
See lessHow is Gen Z reshaping workplace culture compared to millennials?
Each generation makes its mark on the workplace. Millennials introduced new work-life balance and meaning-seeking job expectations. And now, with Gen Z (born c. 1997–2012), they're remaking workplace culture in their own image — quietly — and sometimes radically. The change is less about age, but moRead more
Each generation makes its mark on the workplace. Millennials introduced new work-life balance and meaning-seeking job expectations. And now, with Gen Z (born c. 1997–2012), they’re remaking workplace culture in their own image — quietly — and sometimes radically.
The change is less about age, but more about the other world each generation grew up in.
Digital Natives vs. Digital Adopters
For them, a clunky internal process or too many email chains is old-fashioned and annoying.
Redefining Professional Identity
Attitudes Towards Stability and Growth
Millennials came of age in the 2008 financial crisis, immunizing them to suspicion of corporations but also to loyalty to stable corporations once discovered.
Gen Z, brought up with the pandemic and perpetual uncertainty, is even more skeptical of “job security.”
Communication Styles
They’re not barbarians; they’re highly efficiency-driven and grown up on fast digital transactions.
Mental Health and Boundaries
Social Responsibility & Diversity
They are urging companies to put their money where their mouth is on climate change, diversity, equity, and inclusion — not just tweet about it. They will quickly call them out for hypocrisy, sometimes in public.Where
millennials had softened the workplace into a more human-oriented space, Gen Z is hardwiring that humanity into the core. They’re forcing companies to rethink not only how people work, but why they work, where they work, and what values inform that work.
In a nutshell: Millennials opened the door to change, but Gen Z is entering it with confidence, laptop in one hand, iced coffee in the other, and saying, “This is who we are. Work with us, not against us.”.
See lessHow is screen time affecting children’s long-term brain development?
Screens are ubiquitous — from the tablet that assists a toddler in watching cartoons, to the phone that keeps a teenager in touch with friends, to the laptop for online school. For parents, teachers, and even kids themselves, the genuine issue isn't whether screens are "good" or "bad." It's aRead more
Screens are ubiquitous — from the tablet that assists a toddler in watching cartoons, to the phone that keeps a teenager in touch with friends, to the laptop for online school. For parents, teachers, and even kids themselves, the genuine issue isn’t whether screens are “good” or “bad.” It’s about how much, how often, and in what ways they influence the developing brain.
Brain Plasticity in Childhood
Kids’ brains are sponges. In early life, the brain structures that control concentration, memory, compassion, and critical thinking are in the process of development. Too much screen time can rewire them:
Emotional & Social Development
Screens become a substitute for in-person interactions. Although social media chatting is comfortable like connection, it doesn’t necessarily develop the emotional intelligence children learn from interpreting facial expressions or resolving everyday disputes.
Sleep & Memory
The Content Makes a Difference
What Parents Need to Know & Balance
In Simple Words
Screens are tools. Just as fire can heat food and prepare a meal or burn your hand — it’s up to you. Children’s long-term brain development isn’t sealed with screens, but it is guided by what we permit them to develop today. A child who learns to approach screens in balance, with purpose, and with awareness can succeed both online and offline.
See lessAre conversational AI modes with “emotional intelligence” genuine empathy or just mimicry?
The increased use of conversational AI modes makes it more capable of comprehending what is being said as well as how it is to be saying it. A virtual assistant might reassure an anxious person, or a customer service robot can shift its tone to placate annoyance when it hears something. Such AI machRead more
The increased use of conversational AI modes makes it more capable of comprehending what is being said as well as how it is to be saying it. A virtual assistant might reassure an anxious person, or a customer service robot can shift its tone to placate annoyance when it hears something. Such AI machines are termed emotionally intelligent. Are they actually empathetic or is that just some form of sophisticated mimicry?
The answer lies in how we define empathy—and the amount of “feeling” we expect from machines.
1. What Emotional Intelligence Means for AI
Emotional intelligence for humans is the ability to identify emotions in ourselves and others, manage our own response, and use empathy to create stronger relationships.
With AI, “emotional intelligence” is no longer so much about actual feeling and more about pattern recognition. Through tone of voice analysis, words spoken, facial expression, or even biometrics, AI can predict states of emotion and then personalize its responses.
Example:
2. The Power of Mimicry
Even if it’s “just mimicry,” it can seem real to us. Humans are programmed to react to tokens of empathy—like reassuring tones, reassuring words, or empathetic gestures. If AI successfully imitates those tokens, plenty of people will feel comforted or confirmed.
In that sense, the effect of empathy is stronger than its origin. A child comforted by a talkative toy will not fret that the toy is not alive. In the same way, a desolate person chatting with an empathetic computer might well find actual consolation, even though they know it’s synthetic.
3. Why Genuine Empathy Is Hard for Machines
Real empathy demands awareness—actually feeling what another human experiences. AI isn’t aware, isn’t self-aware, and hasn’t existed; it doesn’t know the sensations of sadness, happiness, or fear; it merely senses patterns of data that seem to indicate those conditions.
This is why most researchers contend that AI will never feel empathy in real terms, regardless of how sophisticated it may be. It can be at best an imitation, not the actual thing.
4. Where This Imitation Still Counts
5. The Risks of Believing AI “Cares”
6. A Balanced Perspective
It is perhaps useful to think of emotionally intelligent AI as a mirror—it reflects back our feelings again, but in a manner that is perceived as useful, but it doesn’t feel. That doesn’t mean it isn’t useful, but it is a reminder to be mindful of keeping things in context.
Humanness adds empathy based on the experience of being human; AI adds empathy-like responses based on data-simulation. Both are desirable, but they are not equivalent.
Short version: Emotional intelligence modes of conversational AI aren’t actually feeling empathy—though they’re emulating. But that emulating, if responsibly developed, can still improve human well-being, communication, and accessibility. The key is to make sure we have the illusion without losing the reality: AI doesn’t feel—we do.
See lessHow Will Immersive AI Modes (Integrated with AR/VR) Redefine Human–Machine Interaction?
Man, AI's already turned the script on how we text, Google, buy random crap at 2am, and even punch the clock at work. But when you begin combining AI with all this AR and VR stuff? That's when things get crazy. All of a sudden, it's not just you tapping away at a screen or screaming at Siri—it's almRead more
Man, AI’s already turned the script on how we text, Google, buy random crap at 2am, and even punch the clock at work. But when you begin combining AI with all this AR and VR stuff? That’s when things get crazy. All of a sudden, it’s not just you tapping away at a screen or screaming at Siri—it’s almost like you’re just hanging out with a digital friend who actually gets you. Seriously, the entire way we work, learn, and binge digital video might be revolutionized.
1. Saying Goodbye to Screens for Real Spaces
Currently, if you want to engage with AI, it’s largely tapping, typing, or perhaps barking voice orders at your phone. But immersive AI? You’re walking into 3D spaces. Imagine this: instead of a dull chatbot attempting to describe quantum physics, you’re in a virtual reality classroom and the AI is your instructor—giving you a tour of black holes as if you were on a school field trip. Or with augmented reality, you’re strolling by a historic building and BAM, your glasses give you the whole history of the building right in front of you. The border between “real” and “digital” becomes less distinct, and for real, it doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.
2. Speaking Like a Real Human
With immersive AI, you don’t have to type or speak. You get to use your hands, your face, your entire body—AI responds to all those subtle cues. Raise an eyebrow, wave your arm around, whatever—AI catches it. So if you’re in a VR painting studio and you just point at something with a look, your AI assistant gets it that you want to change it. It’s like having technology that speaks “human.
3. Worlds Built Just For You
AI’s go-to party trick? Getting everything to be about you. In immersive worlds, that translates to your space changing to fit what you require. Learning chemistry? Now molecules are hovering above your head. Preparing to be a surgeon? Your VR operating theater looks and feels just so for your skill level. Ditch those generic, one-size-fits-all apps. It’s all bespoke, all the time. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
4. No More Borders
Collaborating with folks from all around the globe? Once a nightmare. Now, you all just get into a VR conference room, and the AI handles the ugly stuff—translating everyone, keeping assignments organized, providing instant feedback. Collaborating is no longer this clunky Zoom hellhole. It’s silky, even enjoyable. The AI’s not some additional tool; it’s like the world’s greatest project manager who never has to take coffee breaks.
5. Getting Emotional (But, Like, With Machines)
AIs in AR/VR aren’t all cold, faceless automatons—they develop personalities, voices, even facial expressions. Picture your AI mentor goading you on with a wink or your virtual coach screaming, “Let’s go!” with actual enthusiasm (well, as real as computer code allows). It makes everything seem more. alive. But, yeah, it’s a bit strange too. You might start caring about your AI pal more than your real ones, which is kinda wild to think about.
There’s a line somewhere, and we’ll have to figure out where to draw it.
6. Not All Sunshine and Rainbows
Look, this stuff isn’t perfect. Few things to worry about:
– Privacy—AR glasses and VR headsets could be tracking your every blink and twitch. Creepy, right?
– Getting too comfy—If the digital world feels too good, who even wants real life anymore?
– Not for everyone—All this gear costs money, and not everyone can just drop cash on the latest headset.
We gotta keep an eye on this, or we’ll end up in a Black Mirror episode real quick.
7. Humans + Machines = Besties?
Flash-forward a couple of years, and conversing with AI will be like texting your BFF, only they never leave you on read. Instead of swiping between a million apps, you’ll just walk into a virtual room and your AI is ready to assist or just chat. Less of that sterile, transactional feel—more like sharing stories, ideas, and experiences. Kinda crazy, but also kinda great. Bottom line? Immersive AI isn’t just making technology more flashy. It’s making it feel real—like it’s finally in your world, not just another device you need to learn to use. And that, sincerely, could change everything.
See lessHow are conversational AI modes evolving to handle long-term memory without privacy risks?
Artificial Intelligence has made huge leaps in recent years, but one issue continues to resurface—hallucinations. These are instances where an AI surely creates information that quite simply isn't there. From creating academic citations to quoting historical data incorrectly, hallucinations erode trRead more
Artificial Intelligence has made huge leaps in recent years, but one issue continues to resurface—hallucinations. These are instances where an AI surely creates information that quite simply isn’t there. From creating academic citations to quoting historical data incorrectly, hallucinations erode trust. One promising answer researchers are now investigating is creating self-reflective AI modes.
What do we mean by “Self-Reflection” in AI?
Self-reflection does not imply that an AI is sitting quietly and meditating but instead is inspecting its own reasoning before it responds to you. Practically, it implies the AI stops, considers:
This is like how sometimes we humans pause in the middle of speaking and say, “Wait, let me double-check what I just said.”
Why Do AI Hallucinations Occur in the First Place?
Hallucinations are happening because:
How Self-Reflection Could Help
Real-World Benefits for People
But There Are Challenges Too
Looking Ahead
We’re entering an era where AI doesn’t just generate—it critiques itself. This self-checking ability might be a turning point, not only reducing hallucinations but also building trust between humans and AI.
In the long run, the best AI may not be the fastest or the most creative—it may be the one that knows when it might be wrong and has the humility to admit it.
Human takeaway: Just as humans build up wisdom as they stop and think, AI programmed to question itself may become more trustworthy, safer, and a better friend in our lives.
See less