Can an artificial intelligence tool, such as a chatbot, be held responsible if people committed crimes based on information they got from the tool? Should chatbots, which are programmed to closely mimic human thought patterns and are increasingly treated as companions, be subject to legal checks that acknowledge those tools' developing independence or autonomy?

Technology now allows the creation of increasingly realistic AI agents. Human-like AI agents—such as the digital characters that appear as virtual assistants, game characters, and the increasingly lifelike "metahumans" used in film and interactive media—can look remarkably realistic, but their facial behavior during conversation remains stiff and generic. A doctoral thesis defended at Tallinn University has addressed this gap by building a system that enables an AI agent to both interpret and generate facial expressions.

New research from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, has significant implications for understanding both human language development and the behavior of large-scale artificial intelligence language models.

Every second, the data behind billions of emails, TikTok videos and AI queries travels around the world as pulses of light through fiber-optic networks. Along the way, these signals pass through tiny components that act as channels for light: photonic chips. These devices don't just carry signals—they direct and combine them, ensuring information moves efficiently across complex networks.

Symmetry is everywhere in nature, from the bilateral form of vertebrates to the radial geometry of starfish. For decades, roboticists have tried to copy these shapes and their abilities with bodies that look like humans, dogs or insects.