Crossplay, the first of its kind from The Times, pits puzzlers against each other on a shared board. Credit...Jose Flores Supported by By John Otis Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. If you want to solve a tricky problem, it often helps to get organized. You might, for example, break the problem into pieces and tackle ...

Picture an AI absorbing your late-night confession—unwavering, precise, attuned to every tremor in your voice. A year ago, I described artificial empathy as a "cold, polished surface reflecting our ...