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A play about the revolt of workers – not machinery – gave us the word 'robot'

By Emma Bowman

Published September 11, 2025 at 5:03 PM EDT

Melania Trump used the word during a recent White House task force meeting to refer to AI. But "robot," was first introduced in a 1920 Czech play in which human workers were the robots.

Emma Bowman

See stories by Emma Bowman

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He said, she said, it said: I used ChatGPT as a couple's counselor. How did we fare?

Emma Bowman

Looking for backup, I turned to an AI chatbot for relationship wisdom. It took my side. It was only when I challenged the bot's biases — and my own — that we had a communication breakthrough.
The David Lynch estate auction doubled as a caffeinated wake

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Most of the bidding action was online. But at a ritzy Beverly Hills hotel, hopeful bidders united by genuine affection for Lynch admired the tools of the late artist's trade. It was a mirthful wake.
Hopeful bidders remember influential filmmaker David Lynch at estate auction

Emma Bowman

Six months after his death, hundreds of items belonging to filmmaker and writer David Lynch were sold at auction in Beverly Hills this week. Some hopeful bidders there were still processing his death.