As AI becomes more human-like, what will happen to humanity?

Feb. 16, Robert Hunt, director of global theological education at the SMU Dallas Perkins School of Theology, for a commentary considering how artificial intelligence already is impacting our humanity. Published in The Hill under the heading As AI becomes more human-like, what will happen to humanity?  https://tinyurl.com/yxx3dyya 

 

It’s looking increasingly likely that 2025 will be the year “My people will talk to your people” becomes “My AI will talk to your AI.” Are you ready?

OpenAI recently introduced an artificial intelligence model that emulates human-like reasoning about complex problems. It even shows the steps in its reasoning, so that humans (or other AIs) can check its work.

This advance was quickly emulated by other AI developers. What then followed was “agentic AI,” where AI agents can be given a complex goal, use their new reasoning power to work out the complex steps necessary to achieve that goal, and then, if given control of a computer, do what is necessary to achieve the goal.

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Tariffs won’t bring back American manufacturing

Feb. 7, Macabe Keliher, an associate professor in the Clements Department of History at SMU Dallas, for a commentary that cautions that the implementation of tariffs and loss of international partners will expose U.S. inadequacies in manufacturing. Published in The Hill under the heading Tariffs won’t bring back American manufacturing: https://tinyurl.com/33vchhww 

 

Tariffs targeting China, Canada and Mexico reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the American economy — and especially America’s manufacturing challenges. While the proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico have been paused for 30 days, those on China remain, and there is little hope they will revive American manufacturing.

The uncomfortable truth is that we can’t simply tax our way back to industrial dominance — we’ve lost not just factories but the entire ecosystem that once made American manufacturing great.

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Tariffs are a ruse to give our economy an excuse to avoid global market competition

Feb. 7, Michael Davis, economics professor at the Cox School of Business, SMU Dallas, for an op-ed analyzing the tool of tariffs and highlighting some of the negative outcomes. Published in the San Antonio Express-News under the heading Tariffs are a ruse to give our economy an excuse to avoid global market competition: https://tinyurl.com/yw3maw6p 

 

 America is in pretty good shape despite the negativities left over from the last election.

Our economy is growing faster than economies in Europe, Japan and almost every other developed country. We have significantly lower unemployment rates than China, Canada and the entirety of the European region. Americans have a higher level of disposable income than any other nation.
 
Sure, we could be doing better — that’s always true.

So why do our politicians act like America can’t compete? Of course, they never say that. They flatter us by telling us how we’re all wonderful. But if they really believe American business and American workers are so great, why do they want to put us in a bubble that makes it harder to compete against the rest of the world?

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Young people are abusing ADHD drugs with dangerous consequences

Dec. 29, Neely Myers, professor of anthropology at SMU and adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern, for an op-ed about how abusing ADHD drugs could lead to psychotic episodes. Published in the San Antonia Express-News under the heading Young people are abusing ADHD drugs with dangerous consequences: https://tinyurl.com/2s3trcy9 

 

A few years ago, a student in my college-level medical anthropology class at SMU Dallas wrote a paper about how students at her Title 1 high school who could not afford a psychiatrist to prescribe “study drugs” were at a disadvantage.

 When did access to performance-boosting prescriptions become a sign of privilege?

A lot of young people use and misuse Adderall to meet cultural expectations of achievement and productivity, and to have fun. At the same time, the misuse of prescription drugs has been on the rise, especially for people who are young, white, male and socially active.

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The Holidays and the Ambiguity of Hope

Dec. 26, Anthony Elia, director and J.S. Bridwell Foundation Endowed Librarian and associate dean for Special Collections and Academic Publishing at SMU, for a commentary about the spirit of adventure during the holidays. Published in Park Cities People under the heading The Holidays and The Ambiguity of Hope: https://tinyurl.com/2xfa7kc7 

 

I love airplanes and happen to live near DFW international Airport. So close, in fact, I constantly hear the industrial engines of passenger jets cruising over my home as the planes prepare to land or are accelerating into the atmosphere.

I travel frequently and enjoy my short transitions in the airport terminals, albeit, even with the crowds, especially around the holidays when airports are adorned with bows, wreaths, and candy cane decorations. I don’t mind the low expectations about lines and processed travel foods or the uncertainty of ever-changing gates and schedules. But I also just like to watch the airplanes parked at their gates, being pushed off their aprons, taxiing along the flight lines, and taking off or landing.

There is a silent joy about the ‘in between’ nature of an airplane — where groups of strangers gather for a few or dozen hours, are shuttled off to one place or another, a few hundred miles or 10,000, and defy the laws of gravity. We should only be in wagons, really. But that’s another story.

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Texas Business Court is a bold experiment in corporate governance

Dec. 2, Shane Goodwin, associate dean and professor of practice at the Cox School of Business at SMU Dallas, for a commentary highlighting the profound impact the just-established Texas Business Court will have on corporate litigation. Published in the Dallas Morning News under the heading Texas Business Court is a bold experiment in corporate governance: https://tinyurl.com/yst92tdu 

 

The just-established Texas Business Court represents more than just a judicial development, it marks a transformative moment for corporate governance in the United States.

With this bold initiative, Texas has positioned itself as a direct challenger to Delaware’s long-standing dominance in corporate litigation. As I explore in my paper, “The Lone Star Docket: How the Texas Business Court Will Shape the Corporate Landscape,” this court is currently operational in five of its 11 geographical divisions, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.

The court is not merely about competing for corporate charters; it aims to redefine the framework and expectations of corporate governance for the 21st century, offering a vision that balances innovation, efficiency and accountability.

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SMU professor: Young psychosis patients need early intervention

Nov. 26, Neely Myers, professor of anthropology at SMU Dallas and adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern, for a commentary about the need for families and community stakeholders to identify psychotic youth and help them find treatment before they cause harm to themselves or others. Published in the Dallas Morning News under the heading Young psychosis patients need early intervention: https://tinyurl.com/39a99zkf 

 

Michael remembers the episode very clearly. So does his sister.

“I would think my family was trying to kill me … I was thinking I was Jesus,” Michael said. “It made Mom really depressed,” his sister Liza added, “because she did not know how to help him.”

This is unfortunately not so rare. Every day in the U.S., up to 900 people under the age of 25 experience the onset of first episode psychosis, which can lead to schizophrenia and long-term disability without effective early interventions. On average, a young person will wait 3.7 years after their symptoms start before they get treatment.

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Disrupt Or Disappear: Why Business Schools Must Evolve Or Become Obsolete

 Nov. 15, Shane Goodwin, Associate Dean and a Professor of Practice at the Cox School of Business, SMU Dallas, for a commentary warning business schools that they must evolve in to navigate future challenges. Published in Poets & Quants under the heading Disrupt Or Disappear: Why Business Schools Must Evolve Or Become Obsolete: https://tinyurl.com/szx2tvzu 

Donald Trump’s 2024 decisive victory serves as a clarion call and stark reminder that business schools must prepare future leaders to be resilient in the face of sweeping economic changes. Today’s leaders are navigating the disruptive shifts in trade, healthcare, tax, immigration, and regulatory policy—changes they should have been prepared to handle. Business schools cannot alter the readiness of current leaders, but they can—and must—equip tomorrow’s leaders with the adaptability and insight to thrive in an unpredictable world. This moment underscores the urgency of transforming business education to anticipate and prepare for future challenges.

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Why Is the Video Game Industry Fretting ‘Game Over’ Trends?

Nov. 6, Elizabeth Storz-Stringer, director of academics at Guildhall, the videogame development school at SMU Dallas, for a piece advocating that the industry players reinstate gaming competitions to keep up-and-coming developers involved and creating new games. Published in Inside Sources under the heading Why Is the Video Game Industry Fretting ‘Game Over’ Trends? https://tinyurl.com/yc69vukx 

 

Video games, the dominant market segment of the global media and entertainment industry, continue to eclipse film, television and music combined.  According to the New Zoo 2024 Global Games Market report, which surveyed 35 countries, revenue is projected to grow by 2.1 percent yearly, amassing $187.7 billion. With the number of players expected to reach 3.42 billion — an increase of 4.5 percent — 2024’s positive momentum seems unstoppable.

Despite the significant revenue and consumer gains, game creators find themselves at an all-too-familiar crossroads. The industry’s recurring cycle of talent acquisitions, studio consolidations and publisher efficiency cutbacks have once again led to fewer companies having a disproportionate share of the successful game launches. 

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In an SMU classroom, George W. Bush was a lesson on civic virtue

Oct 26, Dallas Gingles, Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Perkins School of Theology at SMU Dallas, for a commentary about how George W. Bush exhibited ‘civic virtue’ during a visit to his theology class. Published in the Austin American-Statesman under the heading: In an SMU classroom, George W. Bush was a lesson on civic virtuehttps://tinyurl.com/ftrp6b23 

 

I had the rare honor in September of welcoming a former president of the United States into my classroom. President George W. Bush surprised the students in my seminar, “Presidential Rhetoric and American Political Theology,” at Southern Methodist University, by arriving five minutes into the class and staying for a full hour to take questions from every student in the room.

The 43rd president periodically makes these visits to engage with students in SMU classrooms – one of the great perks that comes with the location of the George W. Bush Presidential Center on our campus. On this visit, as always, President Bush was thoughtful, honest, reflective and wise. But more than anything he was an exemplar of civic virtue.

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