Sigal Samuel

Washington, D.C.

Senior Reporter at Vox

Senior Reporter at Vox. Former Religion Editor at The Atlantic. Author of the children's book OSNAT AND HER DOVE and the novel THE MYSTICS OF MILE END.

Articles

Why Pope Leo has so much to say about AI, briefly explained

1 week ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

Just days after the new pope, Leo XIV, took up his position as head of the Catholic Church, he started talking about artificial intelligence. In his first speech to the press, he recognized that AI has “immense potential” but emphasized that we need to “ensure that it can be used for the good of all.”And in his first address to the cardinals, he explained that he actually chose the name Leo XIV because of AI.
How to find a meaningful job: try “moral ambition,” says Rutger Bregman

3 weeks ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

We’re told from a young age to achieve. Get good grades. Get into a good school. Get a good job. Be ambitious about earning a high salary or a high-status position. But many of us eventually find ourselves asking: What’s the point of all this ambition? The fat salary or the fancy title…are those really meaningful measures of success? There’s another possibility: Instead of measuring our success in terms of fame or fortune, we could measure it in terms of how much good we do for others.
Does your job feel pointless? This might be the answer.

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Sigal Samuel

We’re told from a young age to achieve. Get good grades. Get into a good school. Get a good job. Be ambitious about earning a high salary or a high-status position. But many of us eventually find ourselves asking: What’s the point of all this ambition? The fat salary or the fancy title…are those really meaningful measures of success? There’s another possibility: Instead of measuring our success in terms of fame or fortune, we could measure it in terms of how much good we do for others.
My family has money but doesn’t give to charity. How do I challenge them without being weird?

1 month ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

Your Mileage May Vary is an advice column offering you a unique framework for thinking through your moral dilemmas. To submit a question, fill out this anonymous form or email [email protected]. Here’s this week’s question from a reader, condensed and edited for clarity:I have family and friends who are relatively well-off but don’t spend much time thinking intentionally about how to do good.
Political news is harming my mental health. Is it wrong to unplug?

1 month ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

Your Mileage May Vary is an advice column offering you a unique framework for thinking through your moral dilemmas. To submit a question, fill out this anonymous form or email [email protected]. Here’s this week’s question from a reader, condensed and edited for clarity:Lately, in order to help with my mental health, I’ve been avoiding news about the current political situation, and it’s been really helping.
AI art creates risk of moral injury, not just copyright infringement

1 month ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

Every artist I know is furious. The illustrators, the novelists, the poets — all furious. These are people who have painstakingly poured their deepest yearnings onto the page, only to see AI companies pirate their work without consent or compensation. The latest surge of anger is a response to OpenAI integrating new image-generation capabilities into ChatGPT and showing how they can be used to imitate the animation style of Studio Ghibli.
My boyfriend wants to pay my expenses. Am I a bad feminist if I let him?

2 months ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

Your Mileage May Vary is an advice column offering you a unique framework for thinking through your moral dilemmas. To submit a question, fill out this anonymous form or email [email protected]. Here’s this week’s question from a reader, condensed and edited for clarity:I’m getting married and struggling with what is “fair” when it comes to combining incomes and sharing expenses.
Federal government employee: Should I quit or keep working under Trump?

2 months ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

Your Mileage May Vary is an advice column offering you a new framework for thinking through your ethical dilemmas and philosophical questions. To submit a question, email Sigal at [email protected] or fill out this anonymous form. Either way, if we choose your question, it’ll be anonymized. Here’s this week’s question, condensed and edited for clarity:I work for the federal government in a policy role.
How to make people happier, explained in one chart | Vox

2 months ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

Want to improve someone’s well-being? These are the “best buys” identified so far.
Trump foreign aid cuts: Where to donate to support live-saving programs

2 months ago | vox.com | Sigal Samuel

President Donald Trump has put millions of lives at risk by shutting down most of America’s humanitarian and development work abroad. After freezing almost all spending on foreign aid, the administration this week finished its purge at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), announcing that 83 percent of its programs are being axed. But you can help keep some of these lifesaving programs going.