Large language models (LLMs) – the advanced AI behind tools like ChatGPT – are increasingly integrated into daily life, assisting with tasks such as writing emails, answering questions, and even supporting healthcare decisions. But can these models collaborate with others in the same way humans do? Can they understand social situations, make compromises, or establish trust? A new study from researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, and the University of Tübingen, reveals that while today’s AI is smart, it still has much to learn about social intelligence.

Promoting adherence to medical recommendations remains one of the oldest yet most persistent challenges of modern clinical practice. Traditional models treat nonadherence as an intrinsic patient behavior, which can undermine patients’ autonomy as well as blame them for poor health outcomes. The authors draw on sociological labeling theory to show that “nonadherent” is not a neutral clinical finding but a social judgment made by clinicians. 

New Haven, Conn. — Immediately after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, a group of 10 Yale students from a variety of backgrounds convened on campus to discuss the unthinkable.

Brought together by the university’s Civic Thought Initiative (CTI), which encourages open dialogue on difficult issues in small, seminar-style settings, the group included Jewish students with diverging views on Israel, students who were active advocates for Palestinians in Gaza, and a former childhood war refugee.

“Understandably, it was an emotionally charged and difficult conversation,” recalled Enza Jonas-Giugni, a recent Yale College graduate who at the time was a student fellow with the program. “And yet, instead of talking past one another, remaining entrenched in previously formed views about the conflict, or descending into hostility, we grieved, asked questions about parts of the conflict’s history that we remained ignorant of or uncertain about, and confronted the tough questions head on.”

In 2019, Yale political scientist Bryan Garsten created CTI in response to what he saw as a hunger among students to engage in intellectual discussions on important issues, but in an environment that encouraged them to try out ideas and hear from people with a range of political and philosophical perspectives. Now, six years later, Yale is building on that small initiative with the launch of a new nonpartisan Center for Civic Thought.

In an era defined by polarized views on everything from public health to politics, a new Tulane University study offers insight into why people may struggle to change their minds—especially when they turn to the internet for answers.