Stories by Steven Melendez

Steven Melendez is an independent journalist based in Chicago.

A judge sits at the bench between flags, looking down with one hand to her face and eyeglasses raised in the other.

Artificial IntelligenceMay 22, 2026

AI keeps inventing fake cases. Lawyers keep citing them

The trend of attorneys getting caught citing AI-hallucinated cases points to a broader problem: instead of checking AI’s work, people keep trusting it

Steven Melendez

The exposed internal pneumatic mechanisms, keyboard, foot pedals, and central perforated paper roll of a vintage player piano isolated on a white background.

Artificial IntelligenceApril 17, 2026

AI music is booming, and the player piano saw it coming

As AI songs get harder to tell apart from human-made music, an older technology offers a revealing preview of the fight over artistry, labor and pay

Steven Melendez

A young man experiences stress during late night at work

Artificial IntelligenceMarch 3, 2026

AI was supposed to save coders time. It may be doing the opposite

Studies find AI helps developers release more software—while logging longer hours and fixing problems after the code goes live

Steven Melendez