By Molly Babel, Professor of Linguistics, University of British Columbia
Amanda Cardoso, Lecturer, Department of Linguistics, University of British Columbia
An AI accent manipulation tool may be “cool” technology, but it is arguably also a form of discrimination against workers whose voices are being altered.
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By Irene Vitoroulis, Associate Professor, Developmental Psychology, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Jonathan B. Santo, Professor of Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha
Many of us, at one time or another, have been in situations where something someone said or did felt offensive, hurtful or dismissive. These can be subtle, often unintentional, comments, questions or actions that suggest bias and negative assumptions about a person based on their identity.
Social scientists refer to them as microaggressions. They are called “micro” not because they have a small impact, but because they’re…
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By Marcin Kaczmarski, Lecturer in Security Studies, University of Glasgow
Less than a week after hosting Donald Trump, China’s leader Xi Jinping welcomed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to Beijing. Unlike Trump’s visit, this was a routine meeting. The Chinese and Russian presidents have met more than 40 times since 2013, with the latest meeting marking Putin’s 25th visit to China.
The frequency of talks is itself a testimony to the expanding scope of shared interests between the two states. And, as is typical for Sino-Russian summits, Xi and Putin signed…
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By Tim Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Policing, Bangor University
In the recent king’s speech, King Charles outlined a series of UK government proposals, including plans to move forward with digital identity through the digital access to services bill.
The government says the scheme is designed to modernise access to public services, allowing people to verify who they are more quickly and securely. The proposal is voluntary. But after last September’s politically bruising debate over compulsory national ID cards, digital identity may once again become a contentious…
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By Angus Harrison, Senior Lecturer in Law, The University of Law
The 46 countries bound by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) have signed a new declaration on migration, setting out how they believe human rights law should apply to migration issues.
With the ECHR playing a contentious role in immigration discourse in the UK, the UK government trailed this declaration as a…
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By Eva Cheuk-Yin Li, Lecturer in Screen Industries, King's College London
Set in 1930s Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule, Taiwan Travelogue follows fictional Japanese novelist Aoyama Chizuko and her Taiwanese interpreter, Ō Chizuru (or Ông Tshian-ho'h), as they journey across colonial Taiwan by rail, encountering its diverse local food cultures. But Taiwan Travelogue is far more than a historical travel narrative. Through meals, translation and silences, Yáng explores colonial power, intimacy and the limits of empathy.
At first glance, the novel almost resembles a cookbook. Each…
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By Olga Lazareva, Professor of Psychology, Drake University
Reggie Gazes, Associate Professor of Psychology, Bucknell University
On your mental number line, are the numbers smaller on the left or on the right? Two comparative cognition researchers explain how culture may influence the orientation – but also may not.
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By HaDi MaBouDi, Research fellow, University of Sheffield
Even advanced technology can struggle when the real world becomes unpredictable. In April 2026, a Waymo robotaxi in San Antonio, Texas, drove into a flooded lane during severe weather, prompting the company to recall about 3,800 vehicles for a software fix.
No one was injured, but the incident exposed a deeper challenge: intelligence is not just about processing data. It is about knowing where to look, what to notice, when to act and…
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By Amir Bahman Radnejad, Chair and Associate Professor of Innovation and Marketing, Mount Royal University
Brenda Nguyen, Associate Professor, Dhillon School of Business - Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, University of Lethbridge
For Canada’s regulatory reform proposals to work, federal leaders need to stick to tight timelines even when faced with lawsuits and provincial pushback.
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By Scott Shackelford, Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University
The federal task force that defends US elections has been largely absent this election cycle, and the threat-sharing hub it relied on has been defunded.
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