World News: Your weekend must reads 📰

Saturday, February 4

Today, this newsletter is being written by a human. Tomorrow ... ?

Good morning, friends! I'm John Riley, the aforementioned human, and this is The Short List weekend edition✨, where we revisit some of the most compelling stories in USA TODAY. First up this week are stories on a new artificial intelligence writing program that may eventually render me obsolete. (Gulp.)

🤖Beware of the bot: The free computer program ChatGPT launched on Nov. 30, 2022, and within days, more than a million people were using it. The online tool draws on millions of pages of writing from all over the internet to understand and respond to text-based queries. The speedy text generator is so good, the nation's largest school districts have banned it as they're concerned students will use it to cheat or plagiarize. In response, ChatGPT's makers have created tools to help distinguish between text written by a human vs. artificial intelligence. (One interesting use for ChatGPT: Real estate agents are using it to help write up home listing descriptions.)

🟣The week in wellness: An offhand remark about past cocaine use by actress Gwyneth Paltrow sparked a compelling column by USA TODAY's David Oliver . "Paltrow's statement begs the question: Who can casually mention their previous or current drug use, and who can't?" he wrote. "It comes down to a combination of privileges, experts say, that include race and class."

More great wellness reads:

•	A husband forgave his wife who's charged with murdering their three kids. That shouldn't be a shock.
•	A YouTuber cured 1,000 blind people for a video. Is it just performative altruism or is it genuine?
•	How soon is too soon to have sex when dating someone new?
•	Grip strength: Why your doctor should be checking this key 'vital sign'

There are more great reads below.👇 See you next week!

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis speaks on Eliza Fletcher's abduction during a press conference Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, outside the Donnelley J. Hill Public Safety Building in Memphis. Fletcher, a 34-year-old Memphis teacher, was reportedly abducted Friday on the University of Memphis campus. Her body was found by law enforcement Monday afternoon in the 1600 block of Victor Street. Cleotha Abston, 38, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of a kidnapping. He made his first court appearance Tuesday morning.

She came as a 'rising star.' Why Memphis' police chief is facing her...

Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis has faced increased scrutiny after the death of Tyre Nichols, three days after he was beaten by Memphis police officers.