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OVAC Honors Doug Huff For Contributions To High School Sports
WHEELING – During his storied sports writing career, Doug Huff’s influence on high school sports stretched beyond the Ohio Valley and across the United States. MaxPreps made that clear when it placed him eighth on the list of the most influential people in high school football history. The Ohio Valley Athletic Conference joined MaxPreps in […]
Suze Orman: This Overlooked Health Insurance Detail Could Cost You Thousands in 2026
Suze Orman says your maximum out-of-pocket cost is the health insurance detail most people overlook -- and in 2026, that could cost you up to $10,600.
Mike Myers went full 'Shrek' to honor Eddie Murphy at AFI Life Achievement Award Ceremony
AFI honored Eddie Murphy with its Life Achievement Award in a ceremony that included tears, laughter, and a cameo from a certain green ogre voiced by Mike Myers.
Huawei Pura X Max: Pre-launch hands-on images show iPhone and Samsung how it's done
Newly leaked hands-on images of the Huawei Pura X Max have surfaced online hours before the official April 20 launch, offering the first real-world look at the world’s first "wide foldable". The live photos confirm a disruptive 16:10 aspect ratio and a premium textured design, effectively beating Samsung and Apple to the market with this new form factor. While the hardware showcases Huawei's innovation leadership, the device will launch without Google Play Services, running HarmonyOS instead.
Experts reveal why 'nonnamaxxing' trend may improve mental, physical health
'Nonnamaxxing' is a growing trend inspired by Italian grandmothers that promotes cooking from scratch, taking daily walks and reducing screen time. Experts say it can boost mental health.
Ryan Reynolds on Business Ventures, Blake Lively and ‘Deadpool’
In part one of this Sunday Sitdown Live, Ryan Reynolds joins Willie Geist in front of a packed crowd to discuss the rapid rise of Wrexham A.F.C., his many business ventures like his Maximum Effort, the young audience he’s found at home for his “Deadpool” franchise and what’s next for the superhero. Reynolds also shares support for his wife Blake Lively and reveals how he is feeling about his upcoming 50th birthday milestone. (Sponsored by More to Parkinson’s and brought to you by Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. Venue sponsored by City Winery)
Nurburgring 24h Qualifiers: Pit stop destroys Max Verstappen’s victory chances
Verstappen and team-mate Lucas Auer had to make an unexpected stop, which put them well behind the leaders
10 Things In Your Bedroom You Should Toss Today
From bookshelves and overly-cluttered dressers to lighting and furniture sets, these are the things Southern designers say it’s time to retire or replace in the bedroom for a place of calm and rest.
Charlize Theron slams Timothée Chalamet's 'reckless' ballet comment: 'I hope I run into him one day'
Charlize Theron slammed Timothée Chalamet's recent 'reckless' comment about ballet: 'In 10 years, AI is going to be able to do Timothée’s job, but it will not be able to replace a person on a stage dancing live.'
Cher files for conservatorship of son Elijah Blue Allman again after arrests: 'His drug dependency is at its worst'
Cher has filed to place her 'gravely disabled' son Elijah Blue Allman under a temporary conservatorship after he was arrested in New Hampshire: 'His drug dependency is at its worst.'
Juha Miettinen dies in seven-car crash during Max Verstappen's Nurburgring race
Driver Juha Miettinen passes away following seven-car incident during Nurburgring race, which has received wide interest due to Max Verstappens participation; Formula 1 returns with a Sprint weekend in Miami on May 1-3, live on Sky Sports F1
'Heated Rivalry' showrunner calls season 2 'much more serious territory,' teases Troy's arrival
'Heated Rivalry' season 2 will get into 'much more serious territory,' showrunner Jacob Tierney teased during a BookCon 2026 panel this weekend. He also confirmed that new character Troy Barrett will be 'quite damaged': 'We're digging into that even harder.'
Why isn't Pete Davidson in 'Lorne,' the new documentary about 'SNL' boss Lorne Michaels? Its director explains
'Lorne' director Morgan Neville reveals why Pete Davidson isn't in his new documentary about 'SNL' boss Lorne Michaels.
Apple AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs. Sony WH-1000XM6: Who Wins High-End ANC?
We tested the latest premium noise-cancelleing cans from Apple, Bose, and Sony. Here’s how they stack up on price, performance, and features. And boy, is it a close race!
Charlize Theron is 'not haunted' anymore by her mother fatally shooting her father: 'He was going to kill us'
"I think these things should be talked about because it makes other people not feel alone," the "Mad Max: Fury Road" star said in a new interview.
Charlize Theron is 'not haunted' anymore by her mother fatally shooting her father: 'He was going to kill us'
Charlize Theron is 'not haunted' anymore by the memory of her mother fatally shooting her father when she was 15: 'He was going to kill us.'
Huawei Pura X Max live images leaked ahead of April 20 launch
Huawei has already showcased the official look of the Pura X Max foldable via teasers, but if you have been waiting for a real-life appearance, then the live images of this device are out. Some key specs of the wide folding phone have also been tagged along. A Weibo tipster has shared the live images […]
What WA doctors think about how ‘The Pitt’ portrays mental health
As the doctors, medical students and nurses on “The Pitt” made their way through the TV show’s second season, mental health has been impossible to ignore.
Apple AirPods Max 2 vs. Sony WH-1000XM6: What's the Best Choice for Apple Users?
How do the AirPods Max 2 stack up to Sony's excellent WH-1000XM6 headphones? CNET's audio expert David Carnoy gives you the full rundown.
An 80-year-old woman has an elite VO2 max thanks to simple habits
Linda Kelly is 80 years old. She's as fit as someone decades younger and has an elite-level VO₂ max. Her easy daily habits add up to peak longevity.
Russia Signals Pullback in Business Support as Budget Strains Mount
Russia’s government warned it will scale back new support for businesses as mounting fiscal pressures limit its ability to sustain the stimulus that helped drive recent economic growth, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said Friday.
My Mom, 60, Walked 30 Miles in Comfy Sneakers From the Brand Amal Clooney, 48, and Jennifer Lawrence, 35, Wear
An InStyle fashion editor’s 60-year-old mom swears by the Adidas VL Court 3.0 Sneakers for long days on her feet. Shop the travel-perfect pair while it’s on sale for $60 at Amazon for a limited time.
Seattle sports power couple Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe announce split
The sports power couple announced Friday that they are ending their 10-year relationship and phasing out their popular podcast, “A Touch More.” They dropped the news together on the podcast.
Cumming man accused of stealing more than $30K from business using company credit card
A Forsyth County man is accused of using a company credit card to steal more than $30,000 through fraudulent purchases of money orders, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
White House chief of staff to meet with Anthropic CEO over its new Mythos AI model
The meeting comes after tensions have run hot between the Trump administration and the safety-conscious Anthropic, which has sought to put guardrails on the development of AI to minimize any potential risks and maximize its economic and national security benefits for the U.S.
MLB Broadcaster Defends AI Usage After Internet Pile on Following Health Struggles
MLB broadcaster Angie Mentink defended her use of AI after a viral video showed her asking for questions to ask after a 'tough loss' on Thursday, April 16. Mentink has suffered a stroke two months prior.
X-Men's 'Avengers: Doomsday' return is 'opportunity to pit multiple universes against each other' (exclusive)
The X-Men in 'Avengers: Doomsday' became 'an amazing opportunity to pit multiple universes against each other,' Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige tells EW at CinemaCon. 'I think people know that the story of Doomsday is inspired by a very famous comic run in which universes are colliding.'
Caitlyn Jenner slammed over asking Donald Trump for help changing passport gender
'The View' star Ana Navarro slammed Caitlyn Jenner for asking Donald Trump for help after her passport was changed to reflect the gender she was assigned at birth: 'Cry me a f---ing river.'
New movies to watch this weekend: See 'Lee Cronin's The Mummy' in theaters, rent 'Alpha,' stream 'Dust Bunny' on HBO Max
New movies to check out this weekend — like Bob Odenkirk's action flick "Normal" and a World Cup caper starring Mark Wahlberg.
What Happens to Your Body When You Eat the Same Thing Every Day
Eating the same meal daily could support your health goals, but it may also impact nutrient intake, gut health, and meal satisfaction.
iPhone 18 Pro's Four Rumored Colors Revealed, Including 'Dark Cherry'
A source said to be familiar with Apple's supply chain today revealed the color options Apple is planning for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the upcoming foldable iPhone. Image via Macworld. The information comes from Macworld, which says the signature new color for this year's Pro models will be Dark Cherry, a deep wine-like red. While other sources had previously reported on a "Dark Red" option, the hue is said to be considerably closer to wine than a brighter red.
18 thoughts and tidbits on Sixers vs. Celtics 1st-round series
The Sixers’ first-round playoff series vs. the Celtics is full of storylines.
Tavernier wants maximum points from split as Rangers target title
Rangers captain James Tavernier has set his side a title-clinching target of five wins from five after the split. The Ibrox side, who were 13 points adrift of leaders Hearts when Danny Rohl took charge in October, are now just a point off the pace. Rangers begin their post-split games at home to Motherwell next weekend while Hearts are at Easter Road for an Edinburgh derby against Hibernian and third-place Celtic host Falkirk.
Sports quiz of the week: I Am Maximus, Marie-Louise Eta and Rory McIlroy
Did you follow the big stories in football, rugby, golf, baseball, basketball, boxing, snooker, cricket and racing?
Christina Applegate's rep addresses report the actress is in the hospital
Christina Applegate's rep addresses report she's been hospitalized since late March amid her ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis.
OnePlus' new power bank and charger are capable of 120W output
OnePlus has two new high-power accessories on the way. The new accessories are a dual-port power bank and a dual-port GaN charger, and both have a max power output of 120W.
iPhone 17 Pro Max Units With Dents And Scuffs Are Being Restored To Near-Pristine Levels, Similar To Cars Getting Repaired
Some owners cannot stand the sight of their shiny new iPhone 17 Pro Max getting bumps or scratches, causing them to seek those who can restore them
What happened to the 'Desperate Housewives' cast? See the ladies of Wisteria Lane, then and now
With a 'Desperate Housewives' reboot currently in development, check in on the stars of ABC's soapy sensation more than 20 years after its debut.
Pentagon defends Pete Hegseth using 'Pulp Fiction' monologue as prayer at worship service
The Pentagon is defending Pete Hegseth after the secretary of war used a Samuel L. Jackson monologue from 'Pulp Fiction' as a prayer at a worship service.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Latest Leak Signals Significant Design Change
This fall’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max may have changes to the back and front, compared to the current versions.
Did Pete Hegseth just quote 'Pulp Fiction' during a Pentagon worship service?
Pete Hegseth seemed to quote 'Pulp Fiction' as he paraphrased a Bible verse during a recent Pentagon worship service.
Lainey Wilson on Managing Mental Health After a Days-Long Panic Attack and Why She Once Had 3 Therapists (Exclusive)
Lainey Wilson opens up about her mental health journey and the importance of speaking up in this week's PEOPLE cover story. She also shares why she had three therapists at one point and the time she experienced a days-long panic attack.
Avoid these common small business tax mistakes
Block Advisors Strategy and Small Business Program Manager, Latasha Randle, chats with Host, Elizabeth Gore, about how self-employed entrepreneurs can simplify taxes, retirement, and healthcare planning. Randle shares practical advice on staying organized year-round, maximizing deductions, and building long-term financial security through proactive planning.
Tyrese Maxey-led Sixers outlast Magic in play-in tournament, will face Celtics in first round of playoffs
Philadelphia is returning to the playoffs after missing out last season.
Aliens exist! Steven Spielberg shows off 'Disclosure Day' extraterrestrials at CinemaCon
Steven Spielberg showed off the first glimpses of aliens from his new UFO thriller 'Disclosure Day' at CinemaCon on Wednesday during Universal Pictures' panel.
Steve Guttenberg broke into elderly couple's home and carried them out to save them from Palisades fire
Steve Guttenberg's tales of heroics during the 2025 Palisades fire continue, as the 'Police Academy' star opens up about breaking into an elderly couple's home and carrying them out during the blaze.
Meghan Markle Says She Was Once the 'Most Trolled Person in the Entire World'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visited a youth mental health group during the third day of their trip to Australia. During a discussion with young people, Meghan said she was once 'the most trolled person in the entire world' and she has been 'bullied and attacked' every day for 10 years on social media.
Jaylen Brown shares positive health update ahead of playoffs: 'I feel a lot different than last year'
"I'm excited to maximize my potential and take advantage of every opportunity that I have to win."
AirPods Max 2 Review: A Bigger Upgrade Than You Think
You might not be able to tell the difference between the AirPods Max 2 and the originals at a glance, but the internal upgrades are a big deal.
Joey and Pacey forever! Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson walk the red carpet together at 'Brunello' screening
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson had a sweet 'Dawson's Creek' reunion on the red carpet Tuesday night, which comes two months after the untimely death of their costar James Van Der Beek.
MSI accidentally announces GeForce RTX 5070 12GB Laptop GPU in new Crosshair 16 Max spec sheet
MSI GeForce RTX 5070 laptop with 12GB VRAM, GPU spec which does not officially exist MSI may have just added another piece to the GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop
5 Everyday Breakfast Foods to Support Brain Health
Start the day with foods that may sharpen memory, focus, and cognitive performance.
Maximum-security KY prison neared riot over guard planting contraband on inmates
Investigators say an officer who “discovered” contraband secretly planted it.
Worried about the midterms, Republicans mobilize rural Virginia voters against redistricting
Republican groups are mounting an intensifying, 11th-hour campaign to mobilize rural voters ahead of Virginia’s April 21 referendum to redraw its US House maps. At stake are as many as four US House seats Democrats want to redraw in their favor for the midterms. To maximize Democratic advantage, the map would put wealthy Washington, DC, suburbs in the same districts as farm communities 90 miles away, including in one misshapen district nicknamed the “lobster claw.”
Max Hodak’s Science Corp. is preparing to place its first sensor in a human brain
Human trials on the hybrid sensor are expected to begin in the years ahead.
Max Hodak’s Science Corp. is preparing to place its first sensor in a human brain
Human trials on the hybrid sensor are expected to begin in the years ahead.
How to Use Google Chrome’s New AI-Powered ‘Skills’
The premade Skills available through the Gemini sidebar in Chrome include ways to maximize protein in recipes or summarize YouTube videos.
Balloons Over Bend Brings Family Fun, Night Glows & High-Flying Entertainment to Central Oregon
The REMAX Key Properties Balloons Over Bend is set to return July 24–26, 2026, bringing a weekend of hot air balloon launches, live entertainment, and community celebration to Central Oregon. This signature summer event will feature free sunrise balloon launches each morning, vibrant Night Glow celebrations, and activities for all ages. “Bend is more than a […]
Q&A with chemist Max Delferro: Unlocking breakthroughs in catalytic science
In this Q&A, chemist Max Delferro explains how his team is combining catalysis, artificial intelligence and robotics to speed chemical discovery — cutting catalyst development from decades to years while advancing more efficient industrial processes.
Joey Fatone lost power to his house on Christmas because he couldn't pay the bill: 'I was asking people for money' (exclusive sneak peek)
Joey Fatone reveals in an exclusive 'Boy Band Confidential' sneak peek that the power company shut off his lights on Christmas when he was near bankruptcy. 'I had family over at my house. Good thing I had the water, but the power just went pew,' he tells EW.
How YouTube is helping Americans learn about U.S. history, science and innovation
Watch the America 250 celebrations and NASA Artemis II mission through our expanded partnership with C-SPAN and official NASA livestreams. Find educational playlists on YouTube Kids and explore the history of space flight through an interactive hub designed for students and families.
Q&A with chemist Max Delferro: Unlocking breakthroughs in catalytic science
In this Q&A, chemist Max Delferro explains how his team is combining catalysis, artificial intelligence and robotics to speed chemical discovery — cutting catalyst development from decades to years while advancing more efficient industrial processes.
10 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Google.org and the Johnson & Johnson Foundation are launching a $10 million initiative to train rural U.S. healthcare workers in AI.
Google is providing AI training and grants to help rural health clinics use tools that improve operations for healthcare workers.
Jennie Garth says she got 'bad vibes' from 'What I Like About You' co-creator Dan Schneider
Jennie Garth reflected on working with disgraced television producer Dan Schneider on sitcom 'What I Like About You' with Amanda Bynes.
'The Winds of Winter' release leak is false, George R. R. Martin's publisher says
That 'Winds of Winter' leak is 'false,' George R. R. Martin's publisher tells EW.
'My 600-Lb. Life' Star Dolly Martinez’s Cause of Death Revealed
The former reality star died at age 30 following years of weight-related health problems.
'View' stars slam Donald Trump sharing image of himself as Jesus: 'Blasphemous'
'The View' star Sunny Hostin called for the use of the 25th amendment after Donald Trump shared image of himself as Jesus: 'God is not to be mocked,' added former Trump staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin.
Legendary Entertainment on Expanding 'Dune' and Monsterverse
James Ngo, shares how the company is transforming flagship franchises like "Dune" and Monsterverse into immersive, year-round experiences.
Intel May Have an Answer to AMD's Most Powerful Gaming CPUs
The Intel and AMD CPU rivalry is getting exciting again.
Max Lousada and Julie Greenwald are in business. Welcome to 26.2 — in partnership with Sony Music
Ex-Warner veterans take the wraps off 26.2 – a record label with global ambitions…
Huawei kicks off the wide foldable trend with Pura X Max ahead of iPhone, more
Huawei has shown off its next foldable, the Pura X Max, which has a super wide form factor we’re expecting...
New Huawei Foldable Looks a Lot Like Apple's Rumored iPhone Fold
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone is expected to feature a book-style form factor that's relatively uncommon in the foldables market, but Huawei's new Pura X Max appears to share a similar wide aspect ratio. Set to be released in China next week, Huawei's new device actually builds upon a design used by the original, smaller Pura X, which was marketed last year as an extra-wide flip phone.
PAHO’s 2025 Country Reports highlight the Region’s progress in health
Washington, D.C., April 10, 2026 (PAHO) — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today presented the 2025 Annual Reports of its country offices, detailing the main results of technical cooperation achieved in collaboration with governments and strategic partners across the Region.Each report highlights concrete results, impacts, and stories from the field stemming from PAHO’s technical cooperation tailored to each country’s context and health priorities.
Conservation groups call for 'science-based' approach to Alberta grizzly bear hunt proposal
Conservation groups say recent calls for the provincial government to legalize the hunting of threatened grizzly bears in Alberta aren't justified by science due to a lack of up-to-date population studies.
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Color Likely as Android Rivals Prep Same Shade
Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro is very likely to come in a new deep red color, claims a Chinese leaker, because the color is already being prototyped by Android phone makers. In February, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple is testing a deep red finish for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Rumors of purple and brown finishes have also circulated, but Gurman believes those are just variants of the same red idea.
In VfB masterclass: why Mittelstädt just let fly
In VfB Stuttgart’s impressive performance against Hamburger SV, Maximilian Mittelstädt was especially in the spotlight. The left-back not only delivered a flawless defensive display in the Swabians...
The foldable redesign we've been waiting to see from Samsung and Apple is already here
HUAWEI just beat Samsung and Apple to the wide fold party with the Pura X Max.
Women in Business Fund supports NNY professionals; grant applications due May 1
WATERTOWN — Professional women across the Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties are invited to apply by Friday, May 1 for 2026 grant support from the Maxine Quigg Women in
No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont reveals early-onset Parkinson's disease diagnosis
No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont reveals that he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's, one month before the band is set to reunite for their Las Vegas residency at the Sphere.
'American Pie' star Shannon Elizabeth recalls dancing for Jason Biggs in 'difficult' audition
Shannon Elizabeth says the 'American Pie' Barenaked Ladies scene was flipped for her audition — meaning she hd to dance for Jason Biggs: 'I was really scared.'
Woman, 26, Had Excessive Itching but Was Told 'It's Just One of Those Things.' She Then Self-Diagnosed Her Cancer (Exclusive)
A young woman suffered from excessive itching and was dismissed by multiple doctors, before she eventually self-diagnosed herself with cancer. Sumbul Ari recalls her health journey in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Latest Leak Signals Significant Design Change
This fall’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max may have changes to the back and front, compared to the current versions.
The Screen Time Maximalists Who Spend an Ungodly Amount of Time on Their Phones
As debates over social media addiction rage, people with extreme screen times tell WIRED they have no plans to cut back.
Costco Just Introduced the Kirkland Product Fans Have 'Been Waiting For,' and It's Selling Out Fast
Costco’s Kirkland Signature Ultra-Filtered Reduced Fat Milk, which is remarkably similar to Fairlife 2% Lactose-Free Milk, boasts 13 grams of protein per serving and half of the sugar compared to regular milk, at a fraction of the cost.
'DWTS' alum Hayley Erbert says her heart is 'breaking into a million pieces' after having first baby with Derek Hough
'DWTS' alum Hayley Erbert says her heart is 'breaking into a million pieces' after having her first baby with Derek Hough two years after a life-threatening health scare: 'Motherhood is even more complex and contradicting than I could have ever imagined.'
$10,000 bounty on the implementation of rollback netcode for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 placed by Maximilian Dood
It's been nearly 15 years since Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was released on November 15, 2011. Funnily enough, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was released about nine months after Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (February 15, 2011), which spawned ...
“AI polls” are fake polls
A few weeks after Donald Trump’s second presidential win, I took the train up from London (where I was living at the time) to Oxford to attend a conference on polls and forecasts of the 2024 election. Most of the attendees were pollsters or academics, but I also watched presentations from Aaru and Electric Twin, two companies that do what is interchangeably called synthetic sampling, silicon sampling, or synthetic audiences. Stripped of startup jargon, that means they use large language models (LLMs) to simulate responses to public opinion polls by having AI agents take on the role of survey respondents. I had already heard of Aaru thanks to some articles with eye-catching headlines like “No people, no problem: AI chatbots predict elections better than humans” in the months leading up to Election Day. The founders were making some big, some might even say far-fetched claims, such as: “within two years, we will simulate the entire globe — from the way crops are grown in Ukraine to how that impacts production of oil in Iraq, trade through the strait of Malacca, and elections for the mayor of Baltimore.” When Semafor asked Aaru’s cofounders — Cameron Fink and Ned Koh — about my boss, they said “we respect all those who came before us.” Nate (as he so often does) shared his thoughts on Twitter: Fink and Koh were relatively good-natured about this back-and-forth when we spoke at Oxford. They even offered to mail me one of the t-shirts featuring Nate’s quote they apparently had made. I never took them up on the offer, which I now somewhat regret. These synthetic sampling companies fell off my radar for a while, but they do still exist. In fact, Aaru recently received a $1 billion valuation. Is what they’re doing anywhere close to the most important frontier in AI development? Not by a longshot, especially when Anthropic just developed a model so adept at exploiting software vulnerabilities that it’s only being released to 40 companies. Still, silicon sampling is increasingly finding its way into public polling. Axios reported in March that “a majority of people trust their own doctors and nurses” based on findings from Aaru — without mentioning that the “people” in that sentence were actually LLMs. Around the same time, the Public Sentiment Institute “boosted” their online sample of 373 real survey respondents with 114 AI agents.1 (Spoiler alert: even the co-founder of Electric Twin doesn’t think that’s a particularly defensible approach.) Polling companies like Qualtrics and Ipsos are also developing synthetic data panels. So, what should we make of these … “polls”? Let’s get one thing out of the way: whatever they are, they’re not polls in the way that term is usually defined. Subscribe You can’t replace polls with AI On one hand, using LLMs to essentially make up fake survey respondents sort of sounds like the dumbest idea ever, one that will at best imperfectly replicate real polls while introducing all sorts of biases. On the other hand, with LLMs improving at a remarkable, perhaps even alarming rate, maybe that means I’m a dinosaur at the ripe old age of 24 because I still want to rely on polls that talk to actual people. I’m not going to argue that synthetic samples are completely useless. In fact, as I’ll return to later, there is evidence that some techniques can replicate topline survey results quickly and cheaply. But the marketing from certain companies can be slightly optimistic. “No traditional poll will exist by the time the next general election occurs,” said Fink in 2024. We’re just 206 days away from the midterms, and based on the fact that I still have to collect a bunch of polls every day, I’d say he should have run that prediction by a sample of AI agents before the interview.2 To see why synthetic samples can’t replace polls, here’s a quick primer on how they work. The simplest version of these models involves taking a LLM (like ChatGPT or Claude), giving it a demographic profile (e.g., a white, college-educated woman who lives in Utah and makes $70k a year), and then asking it to respond to a survey question. You repeat that process a few thousand times using different demographic profiles and end up with a sample of synthetic survey responses. The actual models used by private companies are more sophisticated than this, usually because they incorporate more hypothesized demographic characteristics for each agent and provide them with extra information. Aaru, for example, feeds agents a diet of news and information they’d be likely to consume, while Electric Twin incorporates their customers’ proprietary data about the audience they’re trying to replicate. The way Ben Warner, the co-founder of Electric Twin, explained it to me was “we have a large amount of data on […] for instance, 5,000 people. Can we make an accurate prediction of how they would respond to another question?” Still, it should be obvious why synthetic samples can’t replace polls. Polling is fundamentally a data collection process. We might use surveys to make predictions by feeding them into election forecasts, but the main purpose of a poll isn’t prediction, it’s gathering new data about what people think and how they feel. Silicon sampling, on the other hand, produces no new data. It’s simply a model: you input LLM training data, demographic prompts, and a bunch of other information, and it spits out a prediction for what a poll would say. We love models here, but models aren’t polls. That difference is an important philosophical sticking point for most pollsters I talk to. “I think politics should stay away from [synthetic sampling], because we’re trying to […] represent the voice of the people,” said Natalie Jackson, a vice president at GQR Insights. Democratic pollster John Hagner told me: “I think I’m just incredibly skeptical of this idea. I don’t think it’s research. At that point, you’re asking the machine to tell you what you already believe.” Hagner has seen some presentations of early synthetic sampling experiments, but so far, “if it’s being used in a campaign, people are keeping it incredibly quiet.”3 But Eli, I hear you saying, aren’t polls themselves increasingly governed by modeling decisions? Indeed they are: pollsters’ choices on which sampling method to use, how to define their likely voter models, and how to weight their samples can and do lead to dramatic differences in the results they publish. Aaru even referenced these limitations in the methodology statement included with that maternal mortality “poll” — although I’m using the term “methodology statement” loosely here, because it doesn’t really explain how the model works at all. We can ignore the (frankly preposterous) implication that synthetic sampling isn’t subject to a separate set of biases. The important point is that there’s still a meaningful difference between using weighting and other statistical techniques on actual polling data and using a model to predict what a poll would say. The latter is far closer to election forecasts or techniques like MRP — potentially useful models, but not a replacement for polls.4 To be fair, other synthetic sampling companies are perfectly happy with the distinction between polls and models. Warner compared polling and synthetic sampling to different tools in a toolbox. “The mistake I think we make is we think that these new tools should either work in exactly the same way or somehow replace these old tools,” he said. “Rather than thinking of it as, okay, so we’ve always had the hammer, we’ve always had the screwdriver, now we’ve got a saw. But don’t use a saw to try [to] do the job of a hammer.” A quick comment from Nate Eli didn’t ask me for a comment — rather rude of him, don’t you think? But since I’m editing this story, I figured I’d add a few quick thoughts rather than putting words in his mouth. Beyond the frequently misleading marketing, what bothers me about the AI “poll” hype is that as AI tools make statistical inference cheaper and/or better (note that these are not synonyms) that actually increases the comparative value of collecting original data. You might be able to train a model to make a reasonable estimate of what some hard-to-reach poll respondent would say — say, a young Black man who voted for Trump. (Such a person checks a number of boxes for a voter who is usually hard to reach in surveys.) Indeed, this is closely related to what models like the Silver Bulletin forecast already do. They essentially smooth out the kinks in noisy survey data by making inferences based on past voting patterns or national polls or surveys of other states. But you don’t actually know what these voters think unless you’re reaching them directly. If there’s a shift in opinion among this subgroup, you’re not going to detect it. So if I were running a campaign, I’d invest more in going the extra mile to find a representative sample of those voters. And then I’d hire some smart quants — or Claude? — to figure out the implications for campaign strategy based on proprietary data that my competitors didn’t have access to. -Nate Silver Are these models any good? If synthetic surveys are just a new type of model, the next obvious question is whether the models are at least accurate. The answer very much depends on who you ask. On one end of the spectrum, you have the maximalist argument that synthetic sampling is more accurate than actual polls. “It’s an incredibly challenging problem to go to someone and say ‘hey, we’re going to be more accurate at predicting human behavior than you, even when you talk to your customers directly’,” Koh recently told CNBC. In his view, synthetic sampling isn’t a saw to polling’s hammer, it’s “magic.” There’s certainly evidence that synthetic samples can replicate certain survey toplines. But if Aaru does have any examples of their approach outperforming the polls, they’re keeping those to themselves.5 Aaru’s 2024 election model, for example, had Kamala Harris leading in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin on November 4th. And although they’ve since taken down their forecast page, they gave Harris a 50.5 percent chance of winning the race on November 2nd.6 After the election, Fink told Semafor he was happy enough with those results because they were “within margin of error,” a term that is completely meaningless when applied to a “sample” of AI agents. And of course, Aaru says their models have improved since 2024, so supposedly now they’d be more accurate than the polls? Still, their stronger argument is on cost: “We are significantly faster and cheaper than traditional polling, and still more accurate,” said Fink. The first two claims are undeniably true, but the third brings us to the opposite end of the spectrum. Both Jackson and Hagner are skeptical that these models are reliable for anything beyond replicating common survey toplines. “I just […] don’t think the machines are what we want when we’re looking for nuanced views. My example on this is people in Arizona and Nevada in 2024 who voted for Trump and voted for expanding abortion in their states on ballot initiatives,” said Jackson. Hagner identified another issue. Maybe the synthetic respondents, like sycophantic LLMs, are inhuman in one important way: they’re too nice. “The reports that have come through at the meetings that I’ve been at are that the early experiments on this, they cannot get respondents to be as racist or sexist or, frankly, as negative as human respondents,” he said. Academic research mostly agrees on this point. While there are some papers that show promising results when using LLMs to replicate polling data, most show that LLMs suffer from various quirks like producing too few “don’t know” responses and can seriously overpredict the favorability of politicians like Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. They also seem to struggle with too little variation between demographic subgroups, so the difference in predicted opinion between Democrats and Republicans, for example, is too small. When I asked Warner about these studies, his response to these papers was that just because academics can’t get synthetic sampling to work doesn’t mean that the technique doesn’t work in general. “Actually, the argument is, okay, yours does not [work]. That does not mean […] for this complex set of machinery, which uses a lot of investment, a lot of time, a lot of money, you can’t get it to work.” Cards on the table, I’m somewhat sympathetic to this argument because academics aren’t exactly great at making election forecasts. Usually, the people with skin in the game are the most accurate. Warner’s argument is that the approach Electric Twin takes — which includes, for example, making multiple predictions for each synthetic respondent using different models and prompts and subsequently averaging those to get a final prediction in a sort of ensemble forecast — produces better results than the simpler academic models. Warner shared a comparison between his method and the method from a recent academic paper with me, and Electric Twin was indeed able to get more accurate replication. But even still, he acknowledged that synthetic sampling “is not a crystal ball.” “If you asked me, do I think using other data sources will be more accurate than asking somebody who they will vote for, I would probably say no. But if you asked me ‘would your system be useful for our turnout modeling today?’ I would say yes.” For better or worse, it looks like the method is already getting more popular in the market research world. Most of the clients Aaru touts these days are businesses like EY and McDonald’s. And AI will probably begin to pop up in other parts of the political polling process. Pollsters are already using it to code open-ended survey responses, and some firms, like YouGov, are testing using LLMs to ask survey respondents questions. More worryingly, one danger to actual polls is that AI agents can be used to infiltrate online surveys. Most online polls use various checks to prevent that from happening, but there’s conflicting evidence on how effective those filters are and how prevalent AI agents currently are in online panels. If those agents ever become impossible to detect, it might spell the end of online polling, but the solution isn’t to replace all of your respondents with ChatGPT. Silver Bulletin is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe 1 That particular poll obviously doesn’t meet Silver Bulletin standards for aggregation. But we exclude all Public Sentiment Institute polls from our averages because we classify them as an amateur polling firm. 2 You could argue that Fink meant the next presidential election, but (a) I’m also confident we’ll still have real polls in 2028 and (b) in that case he should have asked an LLM to define “general election.” 3 Quick caveat: that’s reporting from a Democratic pollster. It’s possible that Republicans are more willing to use AI in political campaigns. 4 Indeed, Silver Bulletin does not include “polls” produced by MRP in our forecasts or averages, and we think it’s extremely misleading when their practitioners describe them in a way that suggests original data had been collected among a large number of states or Congressional districts. 5 A recent report from Aaru and EY did show two examples of a synthetic estimate being closer than a survey to a real-world benchmark — but I’d take those findings with a grain of salt because the report reads more like an ad and didn’t involve any sort of prediction being made ahead of time. 6 For comparison, our odds for Harris on the same day were 48.2 percent.
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