1. Human-AI Co-Embodied Intelligence for Scientific Experimentation and Manufacturing
A visionary research preprint describes a new “human-AI co-embodied intelligence” paradigm, where wearable hardware, human expertise, and agentic AI collaborate in real time to guide and correct complex lab-scale manufacturing and experimentation—demonstrated by an APEX mixed-reality system that outperforms general multimodal LLMs in a cleanroom fabrication workflow. (arxiv.org)
“Here, we introduce human-AI co-embodied intelligence, a new form of physical AI that unites human users, agentic AI, and wearable hardware into an integrated system...”
2. How did evolution shape the human appreciation of beauty?
This thoughtful Aeon essay traces a co-evolutionary “virtuous spiral” between producers and consumers of beauty: as intricate patterns emerge, perceptual sensitivity sharpens, driving both taste and creative skill to ever greater heights. (aeon.co)
“Michael Baxandall wrote that taste is ‘the conformity between discriminations demanded by a painting and skills of discrimination possessed by the beholder.’”
3. Huge swathes of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too
Cornell researcher Deepak Varuvel Dennison exposes how the digital dominance of Western, English-language sources means GenAI systems marginalize oral traditions, low-resource languages, and centuries of local wisdom—threatening the resilience and diversity of global knowledge. (aeon.co)
“By amplifying these hierarchies, GenAI risks contributing to the erasure of systems of understanding that have evolved over centuries, disconnecting future generations from vast bodies of insights and wisdom...”
4. Design Matters: Craig Federighi and Alan Dye
In a rare live conversation at Apple’s Cupertino studio, two of the company’s most influential creatives reflect on the “behavioral language” that underpins iOS 26 and every Apple interface—revealing how form and function are woven into a seamless, cross-device experience. (printmag.com)
“Together, Craig and Alan represent the rare combination between engineering and design at its highest level. Their partnership doesn’t just shape how Apple products work, it shapes how they feel and behave.”
5. What makes a memorable image? Q&A with Stuart Franklin of Magnum
Magnum photographer Stuart Franklin delves into the alchemy of visual memory, arguing that images endure not only through dramatic content but often by “breaking a mold”—through light, surprise, and archetypal resonance—as he illustrates with examples from Vermeer, Van Gogh, McCullin, and contemporary quiet portraits. (aeon.co)
“Often, for me, the most memorable images are ones that break a mold, or break a silence.”