I still remember the first time I saw the phrase “artificial intelligence” in a headline. It chilled me a little. The word “artificial” made it sound like a counterfeit mind, a plastic flower with electricity running through it. Then I heard Donald Trump’s new name for it: “super intelligence.” He said the use of the word “artificial” makes it sound fake. In a way, he is right. “Artificial” is a cold, clinical word. “Super intelligence,” or SI, sounds like something from a heroic comic book. The naming of a technology is never trivial. It shapes how we feel before we…

Christiana Figueres has spent much of her life confronting the heaviest realities of the climate crisis, but in her latest honor, she finds herself stepping into the legacy of a woman who taught the world that hope is not a naive luxury—it is a necessary discipline. The former United Nations climate chief, who guided the 2015 Paris Agreement into existence, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Jane Goodall Earth Medal, a new award created by the Starmus Festival to recognize those who “unite science, courage and responsibility.” The news carries a bittersweet weight, as it arrives just months…