We’re ordering takeout more than we used to: Where takeout used to be a weekly or even monthly treat, it seems to now play a more permanent fixture in our daily meal intake. Sales from fast-food and quick-serve restaurants in the US saw an average 5.75% y-o-y increase in 2Q 2023, reports The Washington Post, citing data collected from the earnings reports of 43 major restaurant chains. That’s compared to a 2.38% increase in sales at fine-dining and sit-down restaurants.

What’s driving growth? Inflation and a wealth of options: While analysts are optimistic that US inflation has peaked, grocery prices remain high as a knock-on effect from the war in Ukraine and residual supply-chain disruptions from the pandemic. Low-income families in the US are also left with reduced purchasing power, after the government rolled back its covid-era enhanced food stamps benefits for groceries. For a family of four, for example, a takeaway pizza is a more affordable option than a healthier home cooked meal. That said, there’s been an uptick in healthier fast-food options, with chains that sell salads now the second fastest-growing restaurant type in the US currently, as “better for you” options attempt to appeal to a growing population of Gen Z shoppers that lean towards vegetarianism.

Plus, there’s a diminishing interest in human interaction: Data indicates that on-premise dining fell 14% between February 2020 and April 2023, while during the same period off-premise dining rose 14%, with drive-thru up 12% and delivery 5%. It might not necessarily be that we no longer want to eat en masse, but rather that many popular fast-food chains no longer provide dining spaces and that the shift away from WFH has brought back desk lunches, WaPo says.

Are students at risk of getting the short straw with inaccurate AI detection tools? With reports of AI bots passing law exams and cheating high school students using tools like ChatGPT, education institutions have also been increasingly relying on AI detection tools — although these tools run the risk of falsely accusing students of cheating, the Washington Post says. ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI, recently shut down its detection software due to serious reliability concerns, while AI detection program GPTZero has also proven faulty after claiming the US Constitution was the product of AI. Still, AI detection tools are still used in schools and universities, the WaPo says

There’s plenty of recourse for students (or working adults) to avoid falling into trouble: Educators and AI scientists stress that AI tools should not be taken as the final word, and that students accused of cheating using AI (particularly when that accusation comes from an AI tool) can fight back against these claims. AI detection tools may appear scientific, but they are prone to false positives, especially for nonnative speakers, these experts say. Teachers and bosses should also be exercising their judgment and knowledge of the person’s work before leveling accusations, they note. “Our guidance is, and has been, that there is no substitute for knowing a student, knowing their writing style and background,” said Annie Cechitelli, Turnitin chief product officer.

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