‘Uncanny Valley’: Iran War in the AI Era, Prediction Market Ethics, and Paramount Beats Netflix

Zoë Schiffer: Emil Michael, you should turn off your views on LinkedIn because people can see when they look at your phone. Brian Barrett: Yeah, that’s a tip for Emil Michael if you’re listening. And then, if you listen to Uncanny Valleywhich you should. Leah Feiger: And this is really the Trump official that’s kind … Read more

What AI Models for War Actually Look Like

Anthropic might have misgivings about giving the US military unfettered access to its AI models, but some startups are building advanced AI specifically for military applications. Smack Technologieswhich announced a $32 million funding round this week, is developing models that it says will soon surpass Claude’s capabilities when it comes to planning and executing military … Read more

What Is That Mysterious Metallic Device US Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia Is Using?

Joe Gebbia, cofounder of Airbnb and the US chief design officer appointed by President Trump, was spotted in San Francisco today using a mysterious metallic device. In a social media posts on He’s wearing metallic buds that bisect his ears, with a matching clamshell-shaped disc in front of him on the counter. After the video … Read more

OpenAI Fires an Employee for Prediction Market Insider Trading

OpenAI has fired An employee following an investigation into their activity on prediction market platforms including Polymarket, WIRED has learned. OpenAI CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, disclosed the termination in an internal message to employees earlier this year. The employee, she said, “used confidential OpenAI information in connection with external prediction markets (eg Polymarket).” “Our … Read more

OpenAI Announces Major Expansion of London Office

OpenAI has announced plans to turn its London office into its largest research hub outside of the United States. The company—which established a UK office in 2023—says it will expand its London-based research team, scooping up talent emerging from leading British universities. It has not indicated how many researchers it will hire. “The UK brings … Read more

Riley Walz, the Jester of Silicon Valley, Is Joining OpenAI

Riley Walz, a The software engineer famous for his online stunts, is joining OpenAI to research and develop new ways for humans to interact with AI, WIRED has learned. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the hire. Walz built a reputation as Silicon Valley’s jester and has created a series of viral web projects that double as … Read more

Perplexity’s Retreat From Ads Signals a Bigger Strategic Shift

Perplexity is abandoning plans to put ads in its AI search product as the industry looks for sustainable business models that won’t hurt user trust. The changes are part of a larger strategic shift for the company, which has long focused on disrupting Google Search’s business. “Google is changing to be like Perplexity more than … Read more

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

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

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