The DRIVE Series - February 2026
Discoveries, Resources, Ideas, Values, Experiments
Welcome to the DRIVE series, complete with a gimmicky name for my pleasure. At the end of every month, I’ll provide some combination of discoveries, resources, ideas, values, or experiments involving AI, technology, and healthcare. Let’s go!
Here’s my list for the month, in no particular order. As you can see, there are some popular, mainstream media sites I gravitate towards. The most important thing for me when I read essays or articles is that there is a high quality reporting and writing.
In a world where most young people are getting their news from social media, when respectable news outlets are being taken over by politically biased powers (CBS, The Washington Post), it is more important than ever that we support independent journalism.
AI Is Making Doctors Answer a Question: What Are They Really Good For?
By Gina Kolata - The New York Times
The current and future role of doctors is discussed. Some doctors use AI chatbots regularly. Some are more suspicious.
America Isn’t Ready For What AI Will Do To Jobs
By Josh Tyrangiel - The Atlantic
Huge article trying to figure out how the job market will change with the adoption of AI. There’s a mixed picture; people think jobs will be lost. How much and where is debated.
“America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs”
By Derek Thompson - Plain English Podcast
One of my favorite podcasts on technology, culture, politics, media, healthcare (basically everything relevant) features an interview with The Atlantic article above.
What Is Claude? Anthropic Doesn’t Know, Either
By Gideon Lewis-Kraus - The New Yorker
Anthropic has been making plenty of headlines recently, especially because of their standoff with the Department of
DefenseWar. Here you can find a great look at the company and their chief product: Claude.
Can Ozempic Cure Addiction?
By Dhruv Khullar - The New Yorker
One of the most interesting and surprising stories about GLP drugs was its ability to cure addictions (not just to food, but to smoking and alcohol. This article explores this phenomenon and the science behind it.
Life on Peptides Feels Amazing
By Ezra Marcus - New York Magazine
Peptides are all the rage on social media, especially among niche communities. What’s going on here?
Are Doctors Replaceable?
By Charlotte Blease - Aeon Magazine
A fascinating essay that questions whether doctors should be the one to decide the role of AI in medicine. You may agree with it or it may make you mad.
Do You Feel the AGI Yet?
By Matteo Wong - The Atlantic
A nice overview of the hype behind artificial general intelligence the last few years.
Science is Drowning in AI Slop
By Ross Anderson - The Atlantic
One of the more underrated consequences of large language models is how much the output in science journals has suffered. What is a real experiment and what is AI-generated? How much of some papers have been written by AI? Can we trust studies anymore? How can editors of science journals separate real versus fake?
AI Isn’t Coming For Every White Collar Job. At Least Not Yet
By Cade Metz - The New York Times
There are two or more sides to every debate. In some scenarios, white collar workers still feel that they have time.
The Edge of Mathematics
By Matteo Wong - The Atlantic
Terence Tao, perhaps considered the greatest living mathematician today, has changed his tune on AI. He is no longer a skeptic.
“The Media Theory That Explains “99 Percent of Everything”
By Derek Thompson - Plain English Podcast
Are we in post-literate era? Some are arguing that we are now in a second age of orality. We re no longer writing and reading as much, but we are definitely talking.
I Thought I Understood A.I Companies, I Couldn’t Have Been More Wrong
By Jason Furman - The New York Times
Interesting op-ed about the competition between AI companies. Many of the models are becoming more powerful, while the cost for each query is decreasing for the user. Meanwhile, the major AI companies themselves are having a hard time turning a profit.