DIGITAL LIFE

Should you accept internet cookies? Researchers say the open web could suffer without them

It's a choice you may face multiple times a day—and, at this point, your reaction is probably reflexive. Are you going to accept those internet cookies, reject them, or spend a little time customizing your settings?

Increasingly, internet users are pushing back against cookies—the digital crumbs used by websites and advertisers to spot returning customers—by choosing privacy-enhancing browsers or clicking that reject button. But ditching the cookies may have big implications for the free web. If digital companies, content creators, and advertisers aren't making money from our surfing, the quality and usefulness of the products they offer might suffer too.

In a new study, Boston University researchers highlight the potential impact the loss of cookies has on advertisers and how alternative systems designed to balance privacy and revenue fail to recoup the costs.

They analyzed 200 million ad impressions—or views—worldwide and found that removing cookies cut website publishers' revenue by more than a third. They also discovered that privacy-enhanced alternatives, notably a major Google project called Privacy Sandbox, only clawed back a small portion of that lost revenue. The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Internet cookies—especially third-party cookies—have been central to how online advertising works," says Garrett Johnson, a BU Questrom School of Business associate professor of marketing. Third-party cookies are those placed by an organization, like an advertiser, not connected to the site you're on. "In our study, removing third-party cookies reduced publisher ad revenue by about 35%—and about 66% in the European Union—showing that cookies still play a major economic role in supporting the open web." The European Union has tougher online privacy rules than much of the rest of the world.

According to Zhengrong Gu, a Questrom Ph.D. candidate, because cookies help advertisers spot users around the web, they can better target and measure their ads. That makes advertisers' spending more efficient, putting more ad money in the pockets of content creators and publishers. "If more users decline cookies, it would likely reduce the effectiveness of digital advertising and the revenue that supports much of the open web," says Gu (Questrom'26).

The downside of cookies: no one really likes being followed. "Website cookies are online surveillance tools," wrote Wayne State University researcher Elizabeth Stoycheff in a Conversation article, "and the commercial and government entities that use them would prefer people not read those notifications too closely."

There have been a couple of different responses to the decline in cookie use. One is the implementation of paywalls and subscriptions to keep the cash flowing; another is requiring customers to use log-ins that work across multiple sites. Tech companies are also experimenting with privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) that try to balance advertising needs with user privacy concerns. One of the best known PETs is Privacy Sandbox, Google's now-defunct six-year experiment in cookie alternatives, which included innovations such as a browser tool that shared a customer's interests rather than their detailed online history.

"In our study, Privacy Sandbox recovered only about 4% of the revenue lost when cookies were removed," says Shunto J. Kobayashi, a Questrom assistant professor of marketing. That weak impact was in part due to the limited adoption of the new tools and because they changed the user experience, he says, introducing "technical frictions, especially slower ad loading times."

In their paper, the researchers write that their findings, alongside those from other studies, "informed Google's decision to abandon its plan to replace cookies with Privacy Sandbox. The episode underscores the difficulty of aligning privacy, performance, and competition goals in digital markets."

To examine privacy technologies in a real-world setting, the BU team used data from ad management firm Raptive, and leveraged an experiment conducted by Google and overseen by the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority. During the study, Chrome users were randomly assigned to one of three groups: cookies-enabled, cookies-disabled, or cookies replaced by Privacy Sandbox. The study included around 60 million desktop and mobile Chrome users.

"The experiment created a rare opportunity for independent, large-scale evaluation open to external participants," says Johnson, an expert on digital marketing who has studied privacy regulations, online ad effectiveness, and the economics of digital advertising.

He adds that many European regulators are considering even tighter online privacy rules, which could have a negative impact: "Our results provide unusually strong evidence—from a global, industry-wide field experiment—that restricting cookies carries significant economic downsides that regulators should consider."

As for users faced with that daily accept or reject decision, Johnson recognizes that everyone will make the call that works for them—but he leans toward clicking "accept."

"From my perspective, accepting cookies creates substantial benefits for the advertising ecosystem and the publishers I care about," he says, "with what I perceive to be little personal risk."

Provided by Boston University

TECH

Microcombs unlock 112 Gbps wireless link at 560 GHz for 6G

Researchers at Tokushima University have demonstrated single-channel wireless transmission at 112 Gbps in the 560 GHz band using soliton microcombs, marking a significant step toward next-generation 6G communications.

Scientists have pushed wireless speed into territory that current mobile networks can’t touch. A Tokushima University team demonstrated a 112Gbps wireless connection in the 560GHz band, using soliton microcombs to generate a more stable terahertz signal for future 6G systems.

The near-term prize isn’t a faster handset. It’s the hidden infrastructure that carries traffic between network sites, where backhaul capacity can decide whether future 6G speeds feel real or get trapped behind crowded network pipes. That makes this a useful 6G speed breakthrough to watch, even if consumers won’t see it on a spec sheet anytime soon.

Conventional electronic technologies face fundamental limitations in generating stable high-frequency signals beyond 350 GHz, including reduced output power and increased phase noise. These challenges have hindered the realization of ultra-high-speed wireless communication in the terahertz regime, which is expected to play a key role in future 6G systems.

The 560GHz band gives the 112Gbps result its edge. The team sent a single-channel wireless signal well beyond the range where conventional electronic hardware starts running into weaker output power and higher signal noise.

That frequency range sits in the terahertz zone, which researchers are exploring as a way to open wider data lanes for 6G. Earlier communication systems at these frequencies have often stayed in the range of a few to several dozen gigabits per second. This test crossed the 100Gbps class beyond 420GHz, which pushes the work into a more serious category.

At these frequencies, raw speed depends on control as much as bandwidth. Phase noise and limited output power make wireless transmission harder to keep stable, especially when a system is trying to move more data through one channel without the signal falling apart.

Tokushima University’s system uses a compact fiber-coupled microresonator, which reduces the need for precise optical alignment. It also includes temperature control to make the optical resonance behavior more repeatable. Those details sound incremental, but they’re the kind of engineering work that separates a flashy lab number from something that can eventually run for longer periods.

No one should read this as a phone upgrade arriving soon. The researchers still need to cut phase noise further, support higher-order modulation, improve terahertz output power, and extend transmission distance with better antenna design.

The first useful home for the technology will probably be mobile backhaul or photonic-wireless network links. That’s less visible than a new 6G phone, but it’s more important to the network itself. Before 6G can deliver massive speeds to everyday devices, the infrastructure behind those devices needs a faster way to move data around.

Microcomb system tackles key hurdles...To overcome these challenges, the research team developed a microcomb-driven terahertz wireless communication system that combines fiber-coupled microcombs with high-order modulation techniques. The system leverages the high frequency stability and low phase noise of microcombs to generate a low-noise terahertz carrier.

This enabled wireless transmission at 112 Gbps in the 560 GHz band, significantly exceeding conventional terahertz communication systems at these frequencies, typically limited to data rates of a few to several tens of gigabits per second, and demonstrating for the first time 100 Gbps-class wireless communication beyond 420 GHz, opening a new frontier in high-frequency wireless technologies. The research is published in Communications Engineering.

Compact design boosts stability and power...The system is based on a compact and stable microcomb device using a fiber-coupled microresonator. By directly bonding an optical fiber to a silicon nitride microresonator, the researchers eliminated the need for precise optical alignment, enabling significant miniaturization and improved operational stability. This configuration also allowed high-power optical pumping and long-term stable operation, establishing a platform for low-noise terahertz signal generation.

In addition, the integration of a temperature control function for the microresonator improves the reproducibility of optical resonance characteristics and enhances robustness against environmental temperature fluctuations.

High-speed transmission and future directions...In the wireless transmission experiment, two highly stable optical carriers were generated via optical injection locking of the microcomb and modulated using QPSK and 16QAM formats. These signals were converted into a 560 GHz terahertz wave through photomixing and transmitted wirelessly. At the receiver, the signals were recovered using heterodyne detection with a sub-harmonic mixer. As a result, data rates of 84 Gbps (QPSK) and 112 Gbps (16QAM) were achieved.

"This result represents a major step toward practical 6G wireless systems and ultra-high-speed mobile backhaul," said Prof. Takeshi Yasui of Tokushima University.

This work establishes a key technological foundation for ultra-high-speed mobile backhaul links and photonic–wireless integrated networks in 6G systems. Future work will focus on further reducing phase noise, enabling higher-order modulation formats, and extending transmission distance through improved terahertz output power and antenna design.

Provided by Tokushima University

 

DIGITAL LIFE

Brazilian identities sold for around $40 on the dark web

On the dark web, it's possible to buy stolen personal data, including complete identity packages, for just a few dollars. To illustrate how accessible this data has become, the cybersecurity company NordVPN created an interactive calculator that allows users to see how much their accounts and documents would cost.

“Every online account you have has a price on the dark web,” said Marijus Briedis, the company's Chief Technology Officer (CTO), in a statement. “Your streaming subscriptions, your email, your bank login, your social media profiles. Most people would be shocked at how cheap it is for a criminal to buy your entire digital identity,” he added.

Although the United States accounts for the majority of ads related to stolen payment cards—more than 70% of the total analyzed—on dark web marketplaces, data from South Americans, including Brazilians, appears frequently.

To give you an idea, a Brazilian payment card is sold for an average price of US$12.82. In countries where stolen data is less common, such as Japan and Singapore, prices are significantly higher.

In the case of a complete Brazilian package, known as "fullz," which contains information such as CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID), date of birth, and address, the price is US$40.

"For less than the cost of a meal, a criminal can buy enough information to start building a false identity in someone else's name," Briedis pointed out.

He continued: "Most people think identity theft is something that won't happen to them or that it's something they would easily notice. The reality is that your data may already be for sale, and you wouldn't know without actively checking."

Corporate and exchange accounts are more expensive... NordVPN's tool reveals that stolen corporate accounts have a significantly higher value than common personal access. While personal email credentials can be traded for as little as $1, stolen Brazilian Office 365 accounts are sold for an average price of $26.50.

Social media accounts are popular assets on dark web marketplaces. Facebook accounts represent about 40% of ads involving social profiles, with an average price of $38. TikTok accounts go for $60 and Snapchat for $34.50.

Streaming accounts are relatively cheap. Netflix accounts go for $4.55 and Spotify for $28. On the other hand, cryptocurrency exchange accounts are among the most expensive items. A stolen Coinbase account has an average price of $107.50 and a Binance account, $160.

According to NordVPN's survey, retail accounts also have their value. A stolen Amazon account costs around US$50 and is used to buy products with gift cards and resell them.

To reduce the risk of having your data stolen and sold on the dark web, the company makes some recommendations:

Use tools that alert you when data becomes compromised, allowing for quick action.

Use unique passwords for each account, with reliable password managers.

Enable two-factor authentication whenever possible.

Limit the sharing of personal data.

Disable unnecessary cookies.

Do not provide sensitive information.

Review bank statements.

Reports indicate that personal identities of Brazilian citizens are indeed being sold on the dark web for approximately (40)

Key findings on Dark Web identity pricing

A recent analysis of underground marketplaces reveals that various forms of compromised Brazilian data are traded at relatively low prices:

Complete Identity Packages (Fullz): Comprehensive records—which may include full name, CPF (taxpayer ID), address, and banking credentials—typically cost around $40.

Social Media Accounts: Stolen Facebook accounts from Brazil are frequently traded for an average price of $38, while TikTok accounts can go for as much as $60.

Government and Corporate Access: Access to Brazilian Office 365 accounts averages $26.50, while compromised government or law enforcement email accounts can also be found for as little as $40.

Context of massive data leaks...These sales are often fueled by massive data breaches that have exposed millions of Brazilians:

Mega-leaks: Historical breaches have exposed over 223 million records, including names, CPFs, and facial images.

Bulk availability: While individual high-quality profiles sell for ~$40, bulk datasets containing millions of entries are sometimes auctioned for thousands of dollars or sold for as little as $1 per record in large quantities.

How to protect your identity...To mitigate risks from these data leaks, experts recommend several steps through the mundophone report and official tools:

Monitor your CPF: Use the Banco Central's Registrato tool to check for unauthorized bank accounts or loans opened in your name.

Enable Security Measures: Always use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and unique, strong passwords for every service.

Official Inquiries: If you suspect your data is part of a leak, you can use the Consumidor.gov.br portal to file complaints or seek information from companies regarding data handling.

mundophone

DIGITAL LIFE

"Catholic Tinder": an unexpected digital penance

An app created to unite faith and serious relationships landed in Northeast Brazil surrounded by expectation, but users report crashes, bugs, and an almost impossible-to-use experience.

The idea seemed perfect for modern times: a dating app aimed at Catholics seeking marriage, serious relationships, and connections "with purpose." Amid the wear and tear of traditional apps, the proposal sounded almost like a technological miracle. But it only took a few days for the experience to take on a different tone. Between frozen screens, messages that don't open, and profiles that mysteriously disappear, the so-called "Catholic Tinder" ended up becoming a topic of conversation on social media for reasons quite different from those planned.

The Catholic Encounter app recently arrived in Northeastern states promising something rare in the world of dating apps: serious dating, Christian values, and a declared focus on marriage.

The proposal was clear from the slogan: "dating with purpose, marriage as a sacrament."

Available for Android and iPhone, the app quickly aroused curiosity precisely because it tried to occupy a niche little explored in Brazil.

In theory, it would be a space for Catholics tired of the superficial atmosphere of traditional dating apps, where quick relationships, ghosting, and disposable conversations dominate much of the experience.

Registration follows the format already known on dating platforms: photos, personal description, and interests.

But there's a detail that caught attention right from the start: the app only works with heterosexual relationships, without different orientation options in the registration.

Even so, the app's biggest problem doesn't seem to be exactly in its proposal.

Users report crashes, bugs, and broken functions...Soon after the first tests, complaints began to emerge involving practically all parts of the experience.

Users report difficulties adding photos, constant crashes, excessive slowness, and even problems navigating between profiles.

In some cases, the app reportedly blocked basic functions without a clear explanation.

According to reports published on social media, some people couldn't even complete the registration.

Others claim they received messages about a daily limit on likes even without having interacted normally with profiles.

And when the system suggests a premium subscription, another curious detail emerges: sometimes even the subscription price doesn't appear correctly.

The feeling described by several users is that of an app launched before it was truly ready.

Even so, some people persisted for days trying to get the system to work.

In one of the most commented reports, a user said they even got a match — but the app wouldn't allow them to open the received conversation.

The "miracle" of flirting simply froze before the message appeared on the screen.

Social media became a collective confessional of bugs... With the increase in complaints, the comments on the app's social media began to turn into a mixture of frustration and unintentional humor.

Some users asked the responsible team for help directly.

One follower stated that she couldn't send photos or use the basic navigation buttons. According to her, the commands simply didn't respond.

Another said she gave up completely after filling out part of the registration and realizing that no function progressed correctly.

"I uninstalled it," she summarized.

Meanwhile, others preferred to turn the situation into a joke.

A comment saying that "the women will be on the choir" received an immediate response from the app's official profile: "Then the app isn't for you. The focus is the altar."

The humorous tone ended up helping the subject circulate even more on social media.

But behind the jokes lies a real problem for the platform: many users seem to quickly abandon the app after the first few minutes of use.

According to reports, the number of active profiles visibly decreased a few days after the regional launch.

The idea still attracts curiosity — but the app seems stuck in its own purgatory...Despite the technical problems, many people recognize that the app's proposal has potential.

In an era marked by quick relationships, superficial interactions, and apps increasingly focused on people's immediate consumption, there is an audience interested in platforms segmented by religious values ​​and more traditional objectives.

The app's own discourse attempts to exploit exactly that.

According to the official description, the platform seeks to unite technology and faith to create lasting relationships based on coexistence, respect, and Christian principles.

But, so far, the main obstacle seems to be much more basic: technical stability.

Without quick fixes, dating apps often suffer from a classic domino effect problem. When many users give up early on, the number of active profiles drops rapidly—further reducing the interest of those who remain.

In the case of Encontro Católico (Catholic Encounter), several users already describe the experience almost as a "digital Stations of the Cross."

The irony is hard to ignore.

An app created to bring people closer ended up leaving many people alone in front of frozen screens, messages that never load, and buttons that seem to need divine intervention to work.

And perhaps there is something symbolic in all of this.

Before finding their soulmate, users still need to find something rarer within the app: a function that actually responds to touch.

The so-called "Catholic Tinder" — whose official name is the Catholic Encounter app — has recently become a problem due to a severe wave of technical failures and unstable bugs that make basic use of the platform impossible. Although the app was launched with an attractive proposal to promote "purposeful dating" focused on marriage and church principles, the digital experience has turned into what users themselves call a true "penance" or "technological purgatory" on social media.

The main problems that have generated frustration and memes on the internet include:

-Structural and technical failures: Constant crashes: The app is slow and stops working repeatedly during navigation.

-Problems with photos: New users report great difficulty or total impossibility of uploading photos to their profiles.

-Broken messages: The system fails to send messages and, in many cases, users receive match notifications, but the app simply doesn't open the conversation so they can interact.

-Unresponsive buttons: The screen's navigation commands and buttons freeze and ignore user clicks.

Impact on user experience...The technical inability to keep the service online caused the number of active profiles to drop rapidly after launch. Faced with a lack of responses and support from the developers, the app's official pages became a "collective confessional" of humorous complaints and harsh criticism, with users commenting that "not even with fervent prayer" does the system work.

mundophone

TECH

Why could a "wooden box" help reduce space debris?

A small experimental satellite challenges decades of space engineering by testing an unlikely material in orbit. The idea seems simple, but it could change how we deal with space debris.

For decades, the space race has been built on strong metals, sophisticated alloys, and materials designed to survive the most hostile environment possible. Now, a Japanese experiment proposes almost the opposite: using one of humanity's oldest materials to tackle one of the most modern problems of the space age. The proposal seems improbable at first glance, but it hides an increasingly urgent discussion about the future of Earth's orbit.

When we think of space debris, we usually imagine broken satellites or fragments traveling at high speed through space. But there is another, less visible problem happening much closer to Earth. Every satellite launched eventually returns to the atmosphere. And, in that process, a large part of its metallic components transforms into microscopic particles that remain suspended in the upper layers of the atmosphere for long periods.

The impact is still being studied, but the trend worries experts. The number of satellites in orbit is growing at an accelerated pace thanks to new private constellations for internet, climate monitoring, and global communication. In the coming decades, thousands of these devices will reach the end of their useful life.

This means more atmospheric re-entries, more metallic debris, and increasing pressure on an environment that, until recently, seemed practically infinite. The issue is no longer just technological. Today, it is also environmental.

It was precisely in this context that Japanese researchers decided to bet on something that seemed unthinkable within the space industry: wood.

Why using wood in space isn't as absurd as it seems... At first glance, the idea sounds contradictory. Space is associated with extreme temperatures, intense radiation, and a total absence of atmosphere. Wood seems exactly the type of material that wouldn't survive in this scenario.

But its behavior outside Earth surprised the researchers.

In the vacuum of space, for example, there isn't enough oxygen for combustion. This means that the wood doesn't "catch fire" as it would here on the planet. In addition, some specific types exhibit interesting structural stability in the face of extreme temperature variations between direct sunlight and orbital shadow.

Another detail caught the engineers' attention: wood interferes less with electromagnetic signals than traditional metallic structures. In small experimental satellites, this can facilitate the operation of sensors and antennas without the need for more complex systems.

The Japanese project, known as LignoSat, was born precisely as an orbital laboratory to understand whether organic materials can withstand months exposed to cosmic radiation, micrometeorites, and constant thermal changes.

Before launch, different wood samples underwent tests in space and then returned for analysis. The choice of the final material was not related to aesthetics or symbolism. It was based on stability, resistance, and ease of manufacture.

The main motivation of the project is not to immediately replace aluminum or carbon fiber in complex space missions. The objective is more specific: to reduce the environmental impact caused by the disposal of small satellites.

When a conventional satellite re-enters the atmosphere, part of its metallic structure generates persistent chemical residues. A satellite with organic components tends to produce mainly water vapor and relatively smaller amounts of metallic particles.

This does not automatically transform the space industry into something sustainable. Rockets continue to emit pollutants, and orbital congestion remains a serious problem. Wood also doesn't solve the risk of collisions or prevent the increase of debris in orbit.

But the experiment changes the logic of thinking. For the first time, space engineers are beginning to consider not only how a satellite functions in its lifetime, but also the impact it leaves after its "death."

It's an important shift in mindset in a sector accustomed to prioritizing exclusively technical performance.

An old idea for an extremely modern problem...Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the project is precisely the contrast between past and future. In the age of artificial intelligence, reusable rockets, and orbital megastructures, a wood-based technology emerges as a candidate to reduce environmental damage in space.

This shows that innovation doesn't always mean creating more complex materials. Sometimes it means revisiting old solutions under new conditions.

The Japanese experiment will hardly solve the space debris crisis on its own. But it points to a trend that should grow in the coming years: thinking about space exploration also under sustainability criteria.

Because space has ceased to be just a territory for scientific exploration. It is becoming the permanent infrastructure of modern civilization. And all infrastructure, sooner or later, needs to deal with the waste it produces.

That this conversation is beginning with a small "wooden box" orbiting above the Earth is perhaps the most curious detail of this whole story.

The satellite made of wood is important because it represents an ecological alternative to reduce space and atmospheric pollution caused by the disposal of traditional satellites. Developed by researchers at Kyoto University in Japan, the small prototype called LignoSat seeks to transform the future of space exploration.

Below are the main reasons that make this innovation a historical milestone:

1. Elimination of toxic debris in the atmosphere

-Complete combustion: Unlike metal equipment, wood burns completely upon re-entering the Earth's atmosphere at the end of its useful life.

-No aluminum oxide: Conventional satellites release harmful metallic particles that float in the stratosphere and can damage the ozone layer. Wood generates only a thin layer of biodegradable ash.

2. Surprising durability in space

-Absence of degradation factors: Although it seems fragile, wood does not rot, warp, or catch fire in the vacuum of space, as there is no oxygen, water, or living organisms there.

-Extreme resistance: The chosen material (magnolia wood) has proven to be as resistant as aluminum and withstands extreme temperature variations ranging from -150°C to +150°C.

3. Sustainability and economy

-Renewable resource: Wood is a biological material that can be grown on Earth, reducing dependence on heavy metal mining.

-Cheaper: Manufacturing external structures with this component reduces production costs compared to advanced aerospace metal alloys.

4. Long-term vision for space bases

-Future colonies: Testing the technical feasibility of wood serves as a scientific basis for studying the use of biological materials in the construction of manned shelters on the Moon or Mars.

mundophone

TECH

Lost in translation? Why human expertise still matters in the age of AI

From courtrooms to hospitals, interpreting demands more than language fluency—yet experts warn AI is changing how the profession is understood and valued.

When more than 200 interpretation errors emerged in a Victorian Supreme Court trial, the issue was not simply technical. Lawyers argued the mistakes distorted evidence given by an Arabic-speaking witness, raising concerns about fairness in the judicial process. Proceedings continued only after transcripts were reworked with a second interpreter's review.

For those working in translation and interpreting, the case is a stark reminder of what is at stake.

While the Victorian case did not involve AI, experts say it highlights the complexity and responsibility embedded in interpreting work at a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping the industry.

They warn that language translation is not a simple automation task where word replaces word—and that misunderstanding the profession risks real-world consequences.

"People keep asking what the future holds," says Professor Ludmila Stern, an expert in translation and interpreting from ADA's School of Humanities & Languages.

"There is a lot of concern about AI, but I don't believe the profession will disappear. What we need to be careful about is how these technologies are used."

Prof. Stern is the founder of UNSW's Master of Interpreting and Translation, now in its 20th year, and has played a key role in shaping translation and interpreting education in Australia.

The state of play...Machine translation tools and large language models are now embedded across the industry, particularly in written translation.

But UNSW Professor Sandra Hale, a pioneer in legal interpreting research and one of the main contributing authors of the National Standards for Working with Interpreters in Courts and Tribunals, says this growing reliance reflects a misconception of the profession itself.

"A lot of people assume it's just about knowing another language," she says. "But interpreting involves analytical, cultural and ethical judgment. You're making decisions constantly."

Unlike written translation, interpreting is done in real time, and interpreters must process and deliver meaning instantly while managing nuance, tone and context. Those demands are especially difficult to achieve in high-pressure environments such as courtrooms, hospitals and police interviews.

"You're not just transferring words," Prof. Hale says. "You're interpreting meaning—not just what is said but also how it is said, to achieve the same effect in the listener as the original message—and you have to do that instantly."

At the same time, demand in interpreting is rising. Australia's linguistic diversity continues to expand, placing pressure on systems already stretched. Courts alone may require interpreters across hundreds of languages, from migrant communities to Indigenous languages.

"The demand keeps growing," Prof. Stern says. "That creates real pressure on the system."

Yet the workforce has struggled to keep pace. Training pathways and working conditions remain uneven, and qualified practitioners are not always available when needed.

"We know there are situations where untrained people are used, or where conditions are less than ideal," Prof. Hale says. "That can affect quality, even for very experienced practitioners."

For Prof. Hale, the risks are clear. "Court interpreting is a very high-stakes job. It requires highly trained professionals and proper conditions—otherwise errors will occur, with serious consequences."

Where AI helps and where it falls short...Technology is both part of the solution and part of the challenge. For experienced translators, AI tools can improve efficiency and help manage large volumes of text. But Prof. Hale emphasizes that these systems cannot replace professional judgment.

"A machine doesn't understand meaning, it processes patterns," she says. "So whatever it produces still needs to be checked by an expert translator."

Without that expertise, errors can easily slip through. Studies have shown that people without formal training often struggle to detect inaccuracies in machine-generated translations.

"There's a real danger in assuming the technology is always right," Prof. Hale says. "If you're not trained, you may not even realize when something is wrong."

Beyond accuracy, AI also raises ethical concerns. Because systems are trained on existing data, they can reproduce biases embedded in language over time.

"We've made progress in addressing bias in language, but AI can reintroduce it," Prof. Hale says. "It reflects what it's been trained on."

There are also risks around confidentiality. Many free online tools store or process data externally, making them unsuitable for sensitive material.

Integrating AI into translation and interpreting practice...For Prof. Stern, the question is no longer whether AI will be used, but how. In areas such as media subtitling and publishing, AI-assisted workflows are becoming standard, but always with human oversight.

"The important thing is that there is always a human in charge of the final product," she says. "That's what guarantees accuracy and accountability."

Interpreting, however, remains far less vulnerable to automation. Its reliance on real-time interaction, judgment and human presence makes it difficult to replicate.

"In situations where accuracy really matters, a human interpreter is still essential," Prof. Stern says. "At this stage, there is no real substitute."

The pandemic accelerated other shifts. Remote interpreting, particularly via video, is now commonplace. While it has improved accessibility, it has also introduced new challenges—especially when services rely heavily on audio alone.

"Telephone interpreting is often seen as a cheaper option, but it comes at a cost," Prof. Hale says. "Without visual cues, communication becomes much harder, and the quality can suffer."

As the profession evolves, education remains central to ensuring high standards. Training programs have adapted to incorporate new technologies, expand language offerings and respond to emerging industry needs.

"Our [UNSW] Program has always been closely linked to research and practice," Prof. Hale says. "What we learn feeds directly into how we train students, and that in turn supports the profession. There is a cross-fertilization between research, training and practice."

Stern says that adaptability has been essential as the linguistic landscape shifts.

"When we started two decades ago, the needs were different," she says. "Now we're seeing a much wider range of languages and contexts. Training has had to evolve alongside that."

Despite the pace of change, both scholars remain optimistic about the future. While AI will continue to reshape workflows, they argue the profession's core purpose—enabling meaningful communication across languages—remains unchanged.

"At the end of the day, it's about enabling people to understand each other," Prof. Stern says. "That's something that still relies on human judgment, empathy and responsibility."

For Prof. Hale, that human element is precisely what ensures the lasting relevance of the field.

"It's an incredibly demanding profession," she says. "But that's also what makes it essential, especially in a world where clear and accurate communication matters more than ever."

Provided by University of New South Wales 

TECH

3D printing enables powder metallurgical hot isostatic pressing of large, critical parts

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a method that uses additive manufacturing (AM)—3D printing—to fabricate custom canisters for powder metallurgical hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP), streamlining production of large-scale metal components used in aerospace, energy and medical applications. Their work is published in the journal Powder Technology.

PM-HIP is a process that consolidates metal powder into fully dense parts such as turbine components, pressure vessels and other large structural parts using high temperature and pressure inside a sealed container, or canister. Traditionally, producing these canisters requires multiple steps, including metal forming, machining and welding, which can introduce defects, increase costs and limit design flexibility.

Using the PM-HIP process, the canister was filled with metal powder, vacuum-sealed and subjected to high heat and pressure to form a dense metal component. Credit: Fred List III/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The ORNL team used AM to fabricate these canisters instead. This approach enables precise, complex geometries tailored to the final component while eliminating multiple manufacturing steps. As a result, parts can be produced closer to their final shape, minimizing material waste and shortening production time.

After printing, the canister is filled with metal powder, vacuum-sealed and processed in a hot isostatic press. Heat and pressure compress the powder into a solid metal component with minimal internal defects, producing large, structurally robust parts. Until now, the application of AM in fabricating HIP canisters has not been explored.

"This work lays the foundation for a transformative shift in the PM-HIP landscape for large-scale components," said ORNL researcher Pavan Ajjarapu. "By harnessing the strengths of both additive manufacturing and hot isostatic pressing, we are paving the way for greater design freedom and expanded applications in hydropower and next-generation nuclear reactors."

The team successfully used AM to fabricate canisters using several types of 3D printing, including laser- and wire-based methods. The canister then undergoes the standard PM-HIP process to produce a fully dense metal component. These components are designed for demanding applications in energy and aerospace systems, where strength, reliability and performance under extreme conditions are critical.

A team at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory 3D printed a 2,000-lb PM-HIP canister using 410NiMo, a stainless-steel alloy. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

PM-HIP also enables the use of advanced alloys that can be engineered for enhanced resistance to corrosion. Researchers can control the material's internal structure, tailoring properties such as radiation resistance and stability at high temperatures that are essential for nuclear applications.

Innovation strengthens U.S. manufacturing, supports national security..."This approach offers an alternative to casting and forging," said ORNL's Soumya Nag. "It could also help strengthen U.S. manufacturing and national security by easing supply chain shortages."

Another key advantage of PM-HIP technology is its ability to predict shrinkage and distortion when producing large, nearly finished parts.

"A deeper understanding of how the PM-HIP process works can help eliminate uncertainties related to these predictions," said Subrato Sarkar, an ORNL researcher who is developing custom models to predict how parts may distort or change shape using simulations of heat and pressure during processing.

ORNL's Jason Mayeur added, "We further enhanced the effectiveness of PM-HIP technology by using a mechanics-based computational model to reduce developmental costs and lead times by eliminating trial-and-error approaches."

This model enables more precise predictions, allowing for optimized processing and improved outcomes in manufacturing large-scale parts.

Provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratory