You could use AI to craft a breakup text. But should you?

People are using AI tools in their dating lives to navigate emotional conversations and enhance their photos. (maxuser/Shutterstock)

Marisa Cohen is seeing more people turn to artificial intelligence when making their online dating profiles.

"You need to take it with a grain of salt," the relationship therapist said, adding that using AI-powered dating aides is like getting love advice from friends or family members.

Cohen says her clients use AI to create messages to potential partners, and edit their biographies and photos. People also use it to help craft breakup messages, break the ice and navigate other emotionally charged subjects. 

While some people have concerns about how AI is used in the dating game, AI ethicists say the technology is just a tool that's not inherently good or bad, but what matters is how people use it.

Richard Lachman, who researches AI ethics at Toronto Metropolitan University, says AI dating assistants can help address surface level needs but are ultimately unfulfilling.

"I think of AI in these contexts as a combination of self-help books and astrology. There may be some good advice there but you're projecting a lot," he said.

Worldwide shortages of hormone replacement medication leave women struggling

Worldwide shortages of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medications mean many women are unable to find relief from symptoms. (Andrey Popov/Shutterstock)

Karen Golden can vividly recall the symptoms of menopause she experienced during a shortage of her hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medication five years ago.

"It wasn't a good time," recalled the Toronto-based lawyer. 

Golden is one of many women around the world who have been affected by worldwide shortages of HRT medications, used to help manage menopausal symptoms. The shortages have left women in the lurch, unable to find relief from symptoms that range from inconvenient to debilitating.

Drug Shortages Canada, an online database of drug shortages and discontinuations in the country, shows that since 2017, there have been 92 shortages and four discontinuations of products containing estradiol, a form of estrogen commonly used in HRT drugs. The products include transdermal patches, pills, vaginal rings, topical gels and creams.

"If the woman can't get her medication, she's not going to be functioning as well. She's not going to be sleeping. Her mood may drop significantly," said obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Alison Shea.

HRT shortages also put a burden on doctors and pharmacists, Shea said, since they have to spend extra time looking for alternatives for their patients — adding stress to an already overloaded health-care system.

"So really, it's chaos for everyone."

Precious 1st-edition of The Hobbit found amid reference books and children's tomes

This copy of The Hobbit was found in a house clearance sale, among children's tomes and reference books. (Auctioneum)

In a find that would be worthy of a place among Smaug's pile of gold and jewels underneath the Lonely Mountain, a rare book specialist has found a first-edition copy of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

"It's such a monumental piece of fantasy history. It's one of the Holy Grails of book collecting," said Caitlin Riley.

The relic was found not in a dragon's lair, but amid reference books and tattered children's tomes at a house clearance sale. 

Over 100 million copies of the book have sold since it was published in 1937, but only 1,500 first-edition copies were printed. Since it's a children's book, many copies are battered and worn, with few still possessing their dust cover. 

On Wednesday night, it sold for £43,000 (around $79,000 Cdn) to a private collector in the U.K., setting a record for a sale of The Hobbit without a dust cover.

"It's gone to well over three times my estimate, so I don't think we realized quite how exciting it was going to be," said Riley.

Could cable cars help fix traffic problems in Canada?

Cable cars are seen in Santiago, Chile, on Feb. 13, 2022. (Javier Torres/AFP/Getty Images)

What if your daily commute didn't mean enduring bumper-to-bumper traffic but soaring above it instead? 

In parts of the world, cable cars or gondolas — typically seen at ski resorts or tourist spots — are used as public transit, helping people get around in their day-to-day life. 

In Oregon, the Portland Aerial Tram averages 9,000 rides each weekday, while Mi Teléferico in La Paz, Bolivia, has a capacity of as many as 34,000 passengers per hour in each direction. 

As Canadian cities grapple with "brutal" congestion and spotty transit service, some transportation planners believe cable cars could offer this country an affordable and efficient fix.

"It's not very expensive to operate," said Reece Martin, a Toronto-based independent transportation planner. "And frankly, they're not very expensive to build, either." 

"You install some poles, you string some cable and then it's good to go," Martin said. "It's a lot faster to build than some of the transit projects we might be familiar with."