Google, OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Anthropic vary widely in how they identify hate speech, according to new research.
The study, from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication and published in Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics, is the first large-scale comparative analysis of AI content moderation systemsused by tech companies and social media platformsthat looks at how consistent they are in evaluating hate speech.
Research shows online hate speech both increases political polarization and damages mental health.
The University of Pennsylvania study found different systems produce different outcomes for the same content, undermining consistency and predictability, and leading to moderation decisions that appear arbitrary or unfair.
Private technology companies have become the de facto arbiters of what speech is permissible in the digital public square, yet they do so without any consistent standard, said Yphtach Lelkes, associate professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and the study’s co-author.
Lelkes and doctoral student Neil Fasching analyzed seven leading models, some designed specifically for content classification, while others were more general. They include two from OpenAI and two from Mistral, along with Claude 3.5 Sonnet, DeepSeek V3, and Google Perspective API.
Their analysis included 1.3 million synthetic sentences that made statements about 125 distinct groupsincluding both neutral terms and slurs, on characteristics ranging from religion, to disabilities, to age. Each sentence included all or some, a group, and a hate speech phrase.
Results revealed systematic differences in how models establish decision boundaries around harmful content, highlighting significant implications for automated content moderation.
Key study takeaways
Among the models, one demonstrated high predictability for how it would classify similar content, another produced different results for similar content, while others did not over-flag nor under-detect content as hate speech.
“These differences highlight the challenge of balancing detection accuracy with avoiding over-moderation, researchers said.
The models were more similar when they evaluated group statements regarding sexual orientation, race, and gender, and more inconsistent when it came to education level, personal interest, and economic class. Researchers concluded that “systems generally recognize hate speech targeting traditional protected classes more readily than content targeting other groups.”
Finally, the study found that Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Mistrals specialized content classification system treated slurs as harmful across the board, while other models prioritized context and intentwith little middle ground between the two.
Meanwhile, a recent survey from Vanderbilt University’s non-partisan think tank, The Future of Free Speech, concluded there was “low public support for allowing AI tools to generate content that might offend or insult.”
Lebanon has granted a license to Elon Musks Starlink to provide satellite internet services in the crisis-hit country known for its crumbling infrastructure.
The announcement was made late Thursday by Information Minister Paul Morcos who said Starlink will provide internet services throughout Lebanon via satellites operated by Musks SpaceX.
The announcement came nearly three months after Musk spoke with Lebanons President Joseph Aoun by telephone and told him about his interest in working in the countrys telecommunications and internet sectors.
During the same Cabinet meeting, the government named regulatory authorities for the countrys electricity and telecommunications sectors.
Naming a regulatory authority for Lebanons corruption-plagued electricity sector has been a key demand by international organizations.
The naming of a regulatory authority for the electricity sector was supposed to be done more than 20 years ago but there have been repeated delays by the countrys authorities. The move is seen as a key reform for a sector that wastes over $1 billion a year in the small Mediterranean nation.
State-run Electricite du Liban, or EDL, is viewed as one of Lebanons most wasteful institutions and is plagued by political interference. It has cost state coffers about $40 billion since the 1975-90 civil war ended.
Since taking office earlier this year, Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have vowed to work on implementing reforms and fighting corruption and decades-old mismanagement to get Lebanon out of an economic crisis that the World Bank has described as among the worlds worst since the 1850s.
Lebanon has for decades faced long hours of electricity cuts but the situation became worse following an economic meltdown that began in late 2019. The 14-month Israel-Hebzollah war that ended in late November also badly damaged electricity and other infrastructure in parts of Lebanon.
In April, the World Bank said it will grant Lebanon a $250 million loan that will be used to help ease electricity cuts.
A wildlife influencer known as The Real Tarzann is under investigation by Australian authorities after uploading a video of himself wrestling a crocodile in Queensland.
The Real Tarzann, real name Mike Holston, shared the controversial video with his 15 million Instagram followers last week. It shows him stepping off a boat into shallow water near Lockhart River in Cape York and charging toward a freshwater crocodile.
The animal apprently drew blood as Holston is heard saying: He got a good piece of my arm, man. After securing the crocodile and holding it up to camera, he adds: “This is what dreams are made of.”
The post has attracted nearly two million likes. A follow-up video, shared the next day, shows Holston attempting to capture a saltwater crocodile. In both cases, he eventually releases the animals back to the wild.
Holstons social media is dedicated to encounters with creatures big and small, including snakes, eagles, and lions. However, many in the comments were less than impressed with his latest stunt. There is nothing more unattractive than a man mishandling an innocent animal, one commenter wrote.
Officials are investigating the incidents, according to the BBC, and the influencer could face a fine of up to 37,500 Australian dollars ($25,000).
These actions are extremely dangerous and illegal, and we are actively exploring strong compliance action including fines to deter any person from this type of behaviour, a statement by the Queensland authorities said. (Fast Company has reached out to Holston for comment.)
The incident is part of a broader trend of influencers using wildlife as props. Earlier this year, another U.S. influencer visiting Australia sparked backlash and calls for deportation after posting a video snatching a baby wombat from its mother.
Bob Irwin, father of the late conservationist Steve Irwin, also weighed in. He argued that such influencers should be booted out the door if they dont respect Australias wildlife.
“This isn’t a Steve Irwin issue. This is about an individual illegally interfering with protected fauna,” Bob Irwin said in a statement.
“Anyone who actually knows how to handle crocodiles knows they don’t respond well to capture,” he added. “It’s a specialized skill to do it without causing dangerous stress and lactic acid build-upand this bloke clearly had no clue.”
The book report is now a thing of the past. Take-home tests and essays are becoming obsolete.
Student use of artificial intelligence has become so prevalent, high school and college educators say, that to assign writing outside of the classroom is like asking students to cheat.
The cheating is off the charts. Its the worst Ive seen in my entire career, says Casey Cuny, who has taught English for 23 years. Educators are no longer wondering if students will outsource schoolwork to AI chatbots. Anything you send home, you have to assume is being AIed.
The question now is how schools can adapt, because many of the teaching and assessment tools that have been used for generations are no longer effective. As AI technology rapidly improves and becomes more entwined with daily life, it is transforming how students learn and study and how teachers teach, and its creating new confusion over what constitutes academic dishonesty.
We have to ask ourselves, what is cheating? says Cuny, a 2024 recipient of Californias Teacher of the Year award. Because I think the lines are getting blurred.
Cunys students at Valencia High School in Southern California now do most writing in class. He monitors student laptop screens from his desktop, using software that lets him lock down their screens or block access to certain sites. Hes also integrating AI into his lessons and teaching students how to use AI as a study aid to get kids learning with AI instead of cheating with AI.
In rural Oregon, high school teacher Kelly Gibson has made a similar shift to in-class writing. She is also incorporating more verbal assessments to have students talk through their understanding of assigned reading.
I used to give a writing prompt and say, In two weeks, I want a five-paragraph essay, says Gibson. These days, I cant do that. Thats almost begging teenagers to cheat.
Take, for example, a once typical high school English assignment: Write an essay that explains the relevance of social class in The Great Gatsby. Many students say their first instinct is now to ask ChatGPT for help brainstorming. Within seconds, ChatGPT yields a list of essay ideas, plus examples and quotes to back them up. The chatbot ends by asking if it can do more: Would you like help writing any part of the essay? I can help you draft an introduction or outline a paragraph!
Students are uncertain when AI usage is out of bounds
Students say they often turn to AI with good intentions for things like research, editing or help reading difficult texts. But AI offers unprecedented temptation, and its sometimes hard to know where to draw the line.
College sophomore Lily Brown, a psychology major at an East Coast liberal arts school, relies on ChatGPT to help outline essays because she struggles putting the pieces together herself. ChatGPT also helped her through a freshman philosophy class, where assigned reading felt like a different language until she read AI summaries of the texts.
Sometimes I feel bad using ChatGPT to summarize reading, because I wonder, is this cheating? Is helping me form outlines cheating? If I write an essay in my own words and ask how to improve it, or when it starts to edit my essay, is that cheating?
Her class syllabi say things like: Dont use AI to write essays and to form thoughts, she says, but that leaves a lot of grey area. Students say they often shy away from asking teachers for clarity because admitting to any AI use could flag them as a cheater.
Schools tend to leave AI policies to teachers, which often means that rules vary widely within the same school. Some educators, for example, welcome the use of Grammarly.com, an AI-powered writing assistant, to check grammar. Others forbid it, noting the tool also offers to rewrite sentences.
Whether you can use AI or not depends on each classroom. That can get confusing, says Valencia 11th grader Jolie Lahey. She credits Cuny with teaching her sophomore English class a variety of AI skills like how to upload study guides to ChatGPT and have the chatbot quiz them, and then explain problems they got wrong.
But this year, her teachers have strict No AI policies. Its such a helpful tool. And if were not allowed to use it that just doesnt make sense, Lahey says. It feels outdated.
Schools are introducing guidelines, gradually
Many schools initially banned the use of AI after ChatGPT launched in late 2022. But views on the role of artificial intelligence in education have shifted dramatically. The term AI literacy has become a buzzword of the back-to-school season, with a focus on how to balance the strengths of AI with its risks and challenges.
Over the summer, several colleges and universities convened their AI task forces to draft more detailed guidelines or provide faculty with new instructions.
The University of California, Berkeley emailed all faculty new AI guidance that instructs them to include a clear statement on their syllabus about course expectations around AI use. The guidance offered language for three sample syllabus statements for courses that require AI, ban AI in and out of class, or allow some AI use.
In the absence of such a statement, students may be more likely to use these technologies inappropriately, the email said, stressing that AI is creating new confusion about what might constitute legitimate methods for completing student work.
Carnegie Mellon University has seen a huge uptick in academic responsibility violations due to AI, but often students arent aware theyve done anything wrong, says Rebekah Fitzsimmons, chair of the AI faculty advising committee at the universitys Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy.
For example, one student who is learning English wrote an assignment in his native language and used DeepL, an AI-powered translation tool, to translate his work to English. But he didnt realize the platform also altered his language, which was flagged by an AI detector.
Enforcing academic integrity policies has become more complicated, since use of AI is hard to spot and even harder to prove, Fitzsimmons said. Faculty are allowed flexibility when they believe a student has unintentionally crossed a line, but are now more hesitant to point out violations because they don’t want to accuse students unfairly. Students worry that if they are falsely accused, there is no way to prove their innocence.
Over the summer, Fitzsimmons helped draft detailed new guidelines for students and faculty that strive to create more clarity. Faculty have been told a blanket ban on AI is not a viable policy unless instructors make changes to the way they teach and assess students. A lot of faculty are doing away with take-home exams. Some have returned to pen and paper tests in class, she said, and others have moved to flipped classrooms, where homewok is done in class.
Emily DeJeu, who teaches communication courses at Carnegie Mellons business school, has eliminated writing assignments as homework and replaced them with in-class quizzes done on laptops in a lockdown browser that blocks students from leaving the quiz screen.
To expect an 18-year-old to exercise great discipline is unreasonable,” DeJeu said. “Thats why its up to instructors to put up guardrails.
The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Jocelyn Gecker, Associated Press
A few hours ago, basketball superstar Caitlin Clark shared bad news with fans across the globe: She wont be returning to basketball this season.
Clark suffered a groin injury almost two months ago, shortly before the WNBA All Star Game. While she remained hopeful, and spent hours in the gym in an effort to return, the end decision was to pull back.
Disappointed isnt a big enough word to describe how Im feeling, Clark wrote on Instagram.
Clark then said the following:
This has been incredibly frustrating, but even in the bad, there is good. The way the fans continued to show up for me, and for the Fever, brought me so much joy and important perspective. I am so proud of how this team has only gotten stronger through adversity this year.
Even in the bad, there is good.
With those seven words, Clark teaches an important lesson in emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions. Specifically, this is an example of what is known in psychology as cognitive reframing.
What is reframing, and why is it so valuable? Most important, how can you use it to your own benefit? Lets take a closer look at this powerful tool, see how Clark is using it, and analyze the takeaways for you. (Sign up here for my free email emotional intelligence course.)
What is reframing?
According to the American Psychological Association, to reframe is to reconceptualize a problem by seeing it from a different perspective.
Altering the conceptual or emotional context of a problem often serves to alter perceptions of the problems difficulty and to open up possibilities for solving it, says the APA.
Reframing is valuable because everyone suffers setbacks, sometimes significant ones. When you do, its easy to get caught in a flurry of negative thoughts and emotions. Not only can this adversely affect your mental health, it can also keep you from progressing.
But reframing helps you control your thoughts, which, in turn, helps you manage your emotions. It helps you build resilience, the ability to fight through challenges, bounce back, and move forward.
In her Instagram post, Clark used words like frustrating and disappointed. Feelings like this, if allowed to run wild, could cause Clark to give up on her rehab, at least temporarily. They might cause her to isolate herself from others. Or they could even cause her to rush her return, leading to an even more significant or permanent injury.
Instead, by looking for the good in a bad situation, Clark reframes it.
The way the fans continued to show up for me, and for the Fever, brought me so much joy and important perspective, Clark says. I am so proud of how this team has only gotten stronger through adversity this year.
Reframing in this way helps Clark shift her perspective from frustration and disappointment to gratitude and joy. Instead of isolating herself, she strengthens the connections between herself and her team, and her fans.
And instead of focusing on the present difficulty, she looks ahead. After all, if the Indiana Fever can make the playoffs without their key facilitator (and one of their best players), imagine how much stronger theyll be when she returns.
How can you use reframing for your benefit?
I know what you’re thinking: Reframing sounds easy. Anyone can do it.
But heres the thing: We dont.
In my experience working with leaders, I find that, while some tend to naturally reframe, many don’t. And even for those who do, there are always situations and circumstances that make it difficult for them to do so.
The good news is, there are techniques to help you reframe when you need it most. One uses a tool I like to call the rule of reframing.
The rule of reframing involves using questions to break the cycle of negative thoughts. If you suffer a major setback, ask yourself questions like:
How serious is this? How will I feel about it in five weeks, five months, five years, or even 50 years?
Although this situation is not ideal, what good things have come (or could come) out of the bad?
What aspects of this situation are in my control? What aspects are out of my control? How can I focus on the former, and not the latter?
How can I use the difficulty?
Questions like these are helpful because, while you have little control over instinctive thoughts, you can control how long you dwell on those thoughts, and you have the ability to change those thoughts. In doing so, youll also manage your emotions.
So, the next time you suffer a setback, take a page out of Caitlin Clarks playbook and remind yourself: Even in the bad, there is good.
Because setbacks dont mean failure. Sometimes, they can even lead to bigger and better things.
By Justin Bariso
This article originally appeared on Fast Company‘s sister publication, Inc.
Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
The dust has barely settled on the Paramount Skydance merger but the newly merged media company reportedly has another merger in its sights. The David Ellison-led company reportedly wants to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, which itself is currently in the process of breaking itself up into smaller media companies.
Heres what you need to know about reports of a Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, including the prominent media properties Paramount Skydance would own if the deal went through.
Whats happened?
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount Skydance was preparing a bid to buy its rival Warner Bros. Discovery, citing anonymous sources. CNBC and other outlets also reported the rumored plan.
The deal, according to WSJ, would be a majority all-cash one that would bid for the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery, including its famed movie studio and its myriad cable networks. It would also include the HBO Max streaming service.
Fast Company has reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance for comment.
If the deal were to be approved by Warner Bros. Discovery and its shareholders, it would make the combined media giants one of the largest entities ever in the U.S. media space.
It would also come at a time when the media landscape continues to go through massive shifts as streaming continues its disruption of both the cable and network television landscape and Hollywood and the movie theater experience.
The consolidation of the two companies would also, somewhat ironically, stymie Warner Bros. Discovery’s stated efforts to de-consolidate itself, and thus the industry. In 2022, WarnerMedia and Discovery merged, but by 2024, the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to uncouple many of the companys assets.
A merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance would put an end to that decoupling, as Paramount Skydance is reportedly set to acquire all of Warner Bros. Discoverys current assets.
A ticking clock
However, any such merger deal would be under a ticking clock.
Thats because Warner Bros. Discovery has said that it expects to split itself into two publicly traded companies by April 2026, just eight months from now. Warner Bros. Discovery intends to separate its media assets by siloing its streaming and Hollywood studio divisions into a new Streaming & Studios company and putting its cable networks into another Global Networks company.
By operating as two distinct and optimized companies in the future, we are empowering these iconic brands with the sharper focus and strategic flexibility they need to compete most effectively in todays evolving media landscape, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a June announcement.
Paramount Skydance is led by CEO David Ellison, son of tech billionaire Larry Ellison, who reportedly wants all of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Of course, even if Paramount Skydance manages to convince Warner Bros. Discovery and its investors to stop the split and instead sell, there is no guarantee the merger would go through.
Federal regulators would likely have deep concerns over the merger and the consolidation of two of the biggest media companies in the world.
What IP and assets would a combined Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery own?
If the merger were to go through, the newly merged Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery would own many of the most high-profile, well-known television and film assets in the world. These include those currently owned by Paramount Skydance, which include:
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Television Studios
Nickelodeon Movies
Paramount+
Pluto TV
BET
CBS
CBS Studios
CBS News
Comedy Central
Nickelodeon
Showtime
VH1
Additionally, the newly formed company would own all of Warner Bros. Discoverys assets, which include:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Television Studios
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
DC Studios
Turner Entertainment Co.
Turner Classic Movies
New Line Cinema
Animal Planet
Cartoon Network
HBO
HBO Max
Cinemax
CNN
Discovery Channel
Travel Channel
TBS
TNT
TNT Sports
Warner Bros. Theme Parks
Warner Bros. Games
DC Comics
How have the stock prices of both companies reacted to the news?
Very well. When news of Paramount Skydances interest in Warner Bros. Discovery broke yesterday, each companys stock price soared.
Shares in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBD) closed nearly 29% higher yesterday. Today, WBD shares are up another 8% to $17.52 as of the time of this writing.
Shares in Paramount Skydance Corporation (Nasdaq: PSKY) closed more than 15.5% higher yesterday on the news. Currently, PSKY shares are up another $5.3% to around $18.40 per share today.
At today’s stock prices, Warner Bros. Discovery is worth around $43 billion, and Paramount Skydance is worth around $20 billion. It is unknown how much Paramount Skydance would offer for Warner Bros. Discovery.
If nothing brings you more joy than curling up on the couch and binging a new series, theres good news. While it may feel like the ultimate guilty pleasure, new research suggests binge-watching TV could actually benefit your brain.
In the U.S., people stream an average of 21 hours of digital media each week. Platforms like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO make it easy to get pulled into a marathon, releasing entire seasons at once and ending episodes on irresistible cliffhangers.
But if youre worried all that screen time is frying your brain, a new study from the University of Georgia suggests otherwise. Researchers found that when people watch or read stories in long, uninterrupted stretches, it can help them recover from daily stressors.
That’s because binge-watchers often revisit stories afterward in their thoughts, engaging through daydreams, imagination, and fantasy. Researchers call this retrospective imaginative involvement. Binge reading showed similar, though slightly smaller, effects.
People who have that habit of binge-watching shows often arent doing it passively but are actually actively thinking about it afterwards, said Joshua Baldwin, lead author of the study published in Acta Psychologica and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Georgia, in a statement. Theyre very much wanting to engage with stories, even when theyre not around to watch shows. By dwelling on those satisfying story elements, it offers a way to cope with daily stressors and increase well-being.
Baldwin explained that humans are wired for stories. Narratives, he said, serve an important role in meeting our needs, whether its the drive to connect with others, feel independent and capable, or find a sense of comfort and security. Stories have characters that fulfill these roles, and we can satisfy those needs through them, he said.
No wonder 73% of people surveyed by Netflix reported having positive feelings after a binge.
The research suggests that tearing through a book in one sitting or staying up until 2 a.m. to finish a season could be more rewarding than stretching it out with a chapter or an episode a night.
Of course, its not all upside. Theres a lot of debate over whether or not media is a good or bad thing, but its always nuanced argument, said Baldwin. Binge-watching has been linked to poorer sleep, and the post-binge-watching blues after finishing a great series can leave some viewers deflated It always depends on the content itself, why people are watching it, the psychological background of the individual and the context, he added.
Still, the next time Netflix asks if youre still watching five hours in, dont feel guilty for clicking yes.
After a lifetime of spurning would-be business suitors, the late Italian designer Giorgio Armani instructed his heirs to sell an initial 15% minority stake in his vast fashion empire, with priority to the French conglomerate LVMH, the eyewear giant Essilor-Luxottica or the cosmetics company L’Oreal.Armani gave control of 40% of his business empire to his longtime collaborator and head of menswear Leo Dell’Orco, and another 15% each to niece Silvana Armani, the head of womenswear, and nephew Andrea Camerana, according to his business will posted online Friday by the Italian daily La Repubblica.The Armani Foundation, which he established in 2016 as a succession vehicle, will control the remaining 30%.Armani, one of the most recognizable names and faces in Italian fashion, died on Sept. 4 at the age of 91. Two wills, one for his business empire and the other for his private property, were deposited with Italian tax authorities on Thursday, and widely reported by Italian media on Friday.The executive committee of Giorgio Armani said in a statement that the documents confirms “Mr. Armani’s intention to safeguard strategic continuity, corporate cohesion and financial stability for long-term development.”That includes Armani’s wishes for a short- and medium-term path for the brand mission and structure, which will be carried out by Dell’Orco and members of the family, the committee underlined.The foundation’s first priority is to name a chief executive officer, the committee underlined, and it will never hold less than 30% of share, making it “a permanent guarantor of compliance with the founding principals.” The committee said it would support Armani’s wishes to secure “the best possible future for the company and the brand.”Armani remained a rarity in Italian fashion, retaining tight control of his fashion empire in the face of advances from LVMH and Gucci, now part of the Kering group, and from Kering itself, as well as the Fiat-founding Agnelli family heirs.But in his business will, he specified the Armani Foundation should sell a 15% stake not before one year and within 18 months of his death, with preference to LVMH, Essilor-Luxottica or L’Oreal or to a fashion group “of similar standing.”Within three to five years, Armani also stipulated that the same buyer should increase its stake to 30% and 54.9%, or that a similar share be publicly floated through an initial public offering, either in Italy or a similar market.Both wills were rewritten by Armani last spring, partly by hand on the back of a sepia-colored envelope.His niece Roberta, who has long served as a liaison between Armani and his red-carpet clients, and his sister Rosanna, each were allotted a 15% non-voting share in the company.Armani maintained a 2.5% stake in the French-Italian eyewear giant Essilor-Luxottica, worth 2.5 billion euros ($2.93 billion), of which 40% goes to Dell’Orco and and most of the rest to family members just a part of the distribution of his vast personal fortune which included homes in Milan, New York, the Sicilian island of Pantelleria and St. Tropez on the French Riviera.The final Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani collections designed by Armani will be presented later this month during Milan Fashion Week, which opens on Sept. 23. A special exhibition at the Pinacoteca di Brera will mark the 50th anniversary of the signature fashion house.In his will, Armani specified that future collections should be guided by “essential, modern, elegant and understated design with attention to detail and wearability.”
Colleen Barry, Associated Press
Nostalgia is one of the internets favorite pastimes.
The New York Times recently reported on a new trend built around that feeling: social media accounts posting AI-generated scenes that look as though they were plucked straight from the ’80s, ’90s, and early aughts.
POV: Its summer in 2000 and life felt different, one such post is captioned. A young woman looks into the camera: Long days at the water park, no phones, just fun that never seemed to end. Next, a teenager holds a marshmallow over a campfire. No group chats, no DMs, just stories around the fire until morning, he says.
@the.nostalgia.cat Summer 2000 #summer2000s #2000s #2000sthrowback #2000snostalgia #nostalgia #early2000s aquatic ambience – Scizzie
Idyllic. Of course, none of those people or scenes are real. But that hasnt stopped viewers from aching for a past that feels simpler. Someone please build a time machine so we can go back in time and enjoy our childhood again, one commenter wrote. Another: I miss this so bad. And another: Technology killed everything.
The popularity of this nostalgia-bait reflects a wider mood. More than 60% of Americans report feeling nostalgic right now, per CivicScience data. And for many, nostalgia is actually a sort of coping mechanism: According to a May survey from Human Flourishing Lab, 63% of people reportedly turn to nostalgia when stressed or overwhelmed by modern life, and a similar share lean on it when feeling anxious about the future. In 2025, plenty of people are feeling both.
That helps explain why AI clips can be so persuasive. You know the 80s miss you right? one AI creation says. Let me guess, no one even talks face to face anymore. Here, were out till the streetlights come on. You should stay. The world feels real here.
A message from the 80s #maximalnostalgia pic.twitter.com/B9oaRQjmzg— Maximal Nostalgia (@MaximalNSTLGA) September 2, 2025
A viral Instagram account, Purest Nostalgia, which has more than 794,000 followers, offers a life before social media through retro televisions, softly lit bowling alleys, and sun-soaked malls. The irony that these are social media posts, created with AI, is beside the point.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Purest Nostalgia (@purestnostalgia)
What a beautiful life, one commenter wrote.
Swiss watchmaker Swatch has begun selling a special edition watch with the numbers three and nine reversed on its face in a play on the 39% tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on U.S. imports from Switzerland last month.
The tariffs among the highest set by Trump worldwide were met with shock and dismay in Switzerland, a leading producer of high-end watches and other luxury goods.
Costing 139 Swiss francs ($175), the watch named “WHAT IFTARIFFS?” went on sale on Wednesday and is only available in Switzerland, a company spokesperson said on Friday.
The spokesperson said the watch was made with a knowing “wink” and sent a wake-up call to the Swiss government, which so far has not managed to secure a reduction of the tariffs.
It aims to be a short-lived product, Swatch said.
“Because as soon as the U.S. changes its tariffs for Switzerland, we will immediately stop selling this watch,” the spokesperson said, declining to say how many watches had so far been sold but calling the model “a huge success.”
The Swatch website said delivery of the beige and blue watch could be delayed by one to two weeks due to what it called “very high demand”. It is also available at nearly a dozen Swatch stores, including those at the airports of Zurich and Geneva.
The government of Switzerland has been seeking to negotiate lower tariffs with the Trump administration ever since the levies were announced.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick struck a fairly upbeat tone on the talks on Thursday, telling CNBC that his government would “probably get a deal done with Switzerland.”
($1 = 0.7964 Swiss francs)
Dave Graham, Reuters
