I am fascinated and awed by the new generative AI models popping up everywhere. But I have struggled with how to think about them. Should we be excited or anxious about this fast-moving technology—or both? The abilities of “large language models”—of the sort that power ChatGPT, a chatbot made by OpenAI—seem to have surprised everyone, including their creators. One recently passed the American Uniform Bar Examination, a fearsome test of lawyers' skills, in the 90th percentile. Our aim with this week’s issue was to help make sense of it all. In a special, expanded Science and Technology section, our writers explain how large, creative AI models work, the ways they could go wrong and what capabilities they might gain next. They’ve done a superb job of describing complex concepts in a clear and accessible way, including with interactive diagrams in digital versions of the articles. In an accompanying essay we look to history—from the printing press to computer browsers—to understand how this technology might change the world. Our leader pages, meanwhile, weigh the risks and opportunities of AI.

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The machines have not taken over entirely this week, however. I also recommend our deeply reported article on why conflicts are lasting longer. The escalating crisis in Sudan is shocking. Sadly, our analysis shows that it is part of a broader trend.

A way in which inflation can boost tax revenues. In most tax systems, workers must earn a certain amount before they pay income tax, or pay it a higher rate. If those allowances are not uprated every year in line with inflation, workers end up paying more in tax in real terms when their wages rise. Read about how Britain’s tax take is getting bigger, but the country’s tax system is deeply flawed. 

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