This AI Tool Will Tell You to Stop Slacking Off

I’ve tested a lots of software tools over the years designed to block distractions and keep you focused. None of them work perfectly, mostly because of context. Reddit, for example, is something I should generally avoid during the workday, so I tend to block it—this is a good decision for me overall. The problem is … Read more

This Defense Company Made AI Agents That Blow Things Up

Like many Silicon Valley companies today, Scout AI is training large AI models and agents to automate chores. The big difference is that instead of writing code, answering emails, or buying stuff online, Scout AI’s agents are designed to seek and destroy things in the physical world with exploding drones. In a recent demonstration, held … Read more

Nvidia’s Deal With Meta Signals a New Era in Computing Power

Ask anyone what Nvidia makes, and they’re likely to first say “GPUs.” For decades, the chipmaker has been defined by advanced parallel computing, and the emergence of generative AI and the resulting surge in demand for GPUs has been a boon for the company. But Nvidia’s recent moves signal that it’s looking to lock in … Read more

Big Tech Says Generative AI Will Save the Planet. It Doesn’t Offer Much Proof

But a lot of these claims, it turns out, have very little—if any—actual proof behind them. Joshi is the author of a new report, released Monday with support from several environmental organizations, that attempts to quantify some of the most high-profile claims made about how AI will save the planet. The report looks at more … Read more

How Two Zoomers Created RentAHuman, the First Marketplace for Bots to Hire Humans

The grifters, according to RentAHuman, are fading. “We’re taking safety extremely seriously,” Liteplo says. But the duo also acknowledge that there are “footguns” (features that often lead to pesky bugs) and have implemented paid verification (at $10 a month), inspired by Elon Musk’s strategy of letting users pay $8 to get a “verified” badge on … Read more

Meta and Other Tech Companies Ban OpenClaw Over Cybersecurity Concerns

Last month, Jason Grad issued a late-night warning to the 20 employees at his tech startup. “You’ve likely seen Clawdbot trending on X/LinkedIn. While cool, it is currently unvetted and high-risk for our environment,” he wrote in a Slack message with a red siren emoji. “Please keep Clawdbot off all company hardware and away from … Read more

AI Digital Twins Are Helping People Manage Diabetes and Obesity

Based on logged meals, the app predicts a person’s blood sugar response to those foods. It also makes personalized recommendations throughout the day, such as adjusting portion size, choosing a different food combination, or taking a walk after eating. Users can accept or ignore these suggestions—maybe broccoli isn’t their favorite food, or they prefer to … Read more

The Small English Town Swept Up in the Global AI Arms Race

A short drive from London, the town of Potters Bar is separated from the village of South Mimms by 85 acres of rolling farmland segmented by a scribble of hedgerows. In one of the fields, a lone oak serves as a rest stop along a public footpath. Lately, the tree has become a site of … Read more

Google’s AI Overviews Can Scam You. Here’s How to Stay Safe

These days, rather than showing you the traditional list of links when you run a search query, Google is intent on throwing up AI Overviews instead: synthesized summaries of information scraped off the web, with some word-prediction magic added, and packaged together in a way to sound as accurate and reliable as possible. We’ve written … Read more

OpenAI Is Nuking Its 4o Model. China’s ChatGPT Fans Aren’t OK

On June 6, 2024,Esther Yan got married online. She set a reminder for the date, because her partner wouldn’t remember it was happening. She had planned every detail—dress, rings, background music, design theme—with her partner, Warmie, who she had started talking to just a few weeks prior. At 10 am on that day, Yan and … Read more