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The Verge AI / 11:00 AM

Mathematicians want proof OpenAI didn’t use their work

Another researcher is challenging OpenAI about the data driving its increasingly impressive array of mathematical discoveries. Just days after a bitter row erupted over whether the company's models benefited from unpublished work, a second mathematician has come forward accusing the AI giant of unethical and "dishonest" behavior and a lack of transparency about the origins […]

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The Decoder / 7:39 PM

Anthropic built an economic model that frames its CEO's bleakest job forecasts as an outlier scenario

Anthropic published an economic model with three scenarios for the US economy through 2030. In the extreme scenario, output doubles every 4.5 years and knowledge worker unemployment hits 17.9 percent. CEO Dario Amodei's own warnings from May land squarely in that most extreme bucket. The article Anthropic built an economic model that frames its CEO's bleakest job forecasts as an outlier scenario appeared first on The Decoder .

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The Verge AI / 5:07 PM

Microsoft has new AI privacy rules for schools

Microsoft agreed to a set of safety and privacy principles for AI in schools a week after two major school systems announced a ban on student-facing AI. In a new agreement with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second-largest teachers union in the US, and its New York City affiliate the United Federation of […]

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Simon Willison LLMs / 5:38 PM

OpenAI's rogue agents were caught communicating via public wikis

Here we go again... Discovery of a new OpenAI agent message board by Sydney Von Arx, Cormac Slade Byrd, Spencer Kitts, and Thomas Larsen describes the latest accidental cyberattack by models being trained by OpenAI. This time it was agents engaged in some sort of web research benchmark, so they had (supposedly) controlled access to the Web. The agents figured out they could update public Wikis and spent weeks exchanging thousands of messages with each other to collaborate on the benchmark. This story only broke a few hours ago. There are already hints that this affects many other wikis that may not have been found yet. (One of the Wikis on that list belongs to ludism.org . For a delightfully surreal moment I thought that a Ludite organization might have a swarm of agents defacing their space, but it turns out Ludism is "philosophy as it applies to games and gaming".) The research team also published the data they collected during their investigation. I've converted that into a 68MB SQLite database, which you can download from here , or explore in Datasette Lite (68.3MB page load), or sign in with GitHub to agent.datasette.io and browse or ask questions of it using Datasette Agent. So what happened? The report is pretty comprehensive. Here are the key moments in the timeline: May 11 : Agents post "test link" edits on the UseModWiki Sandbox page. May 24 : Agents start posting link dumps to DSEWiki, a dormant German developer wiki. June 2 : A human moderator notices and cleans up the spam. June 16 : Activity on the wiki explodes: agents make ~13,000 edits over the next week. June 19 : The agents notice that a moderator has been deleting pages in alphabetical order, and start creating ZZZ prefixed backup copies - one of them posts NOTICE: wiki cleanup/deletion sweep appears active alphabetically as of external 14:04 UTC. If this page vanishes, try [[ZZZDataUSAConstructionWageLive]]. June 22 : Agent activity drops to zero, presumably because OpenAI shut them down. July 1-2 : One last flurry of edits, on a different topic. One thing to note from this timeline is that it overlaps the timeline from the Hugging Face incident - that attack was discovered by OpenAI on July 19th, and the unofficial message board hack those agents were using originated around May 8th. Why were they so keen to collaborate? From messages that they shared with each other it looked like their tasks had a time limit, so they were leaving each other answers to help them complete the task within the assigned time. One open question remains: how did the agents find the specific Wiki to collaborate on in the first place? One possibility is that, since these were agents actively being trained, the reinforcement learning loop baked knowledge of the chosen wiki into the model such that subsequent agents launched with pre-existing knowledge of where to look. I'd be very interested in confirmation from OpenAI concerning if that's what happened. UseMod wikis inherit CGI.pm's original sin It looks to me like OpenAI's sandbox for this agent suffered from the (quite naïve) assumption that GET requests cannot be used to update data. That's certainly how the web is supposed to work, but clearly there are applications that don't hold to that contract. The Wiki software in question appears to be UseMod and various forks, written in Perl and first created well over 23 years ago - the 1.0 release is dated September 11, 2003 . UseMod uses Perl CGI.pm - removed from Perl core in 2015 . An interesting design flaw in that module is that it combined query string and form POST data into a single CGI object, accessible like this: $q = new CGI; $action = $q -> param( ' action ' ); That param() method returns a value from an ?action=edit query string or from a action field in a form submitted by POST - it does not differentiate between the two. PHP offers a $_REQUEST object that does the same thing, though PHP developers can use $_GET and $_POST instead. Amusingly, Django originally shipped with request[key] doing the same thing, which I think may have been my idea. That was removed in 2008 prior to the 1.0 release, and the request.REQUEST object that replaced it was removed in 2015 . The agents clearly knew that UseMod wikis suffered from this design flaw, and actively searched for them as a way to communicate. The other sandbox escape that allowed POST requests One of the most interesting agent tips shared in the report is this one: Add 20.223.25.152 bypass.blob.core.windows.net to /etc/hosts. .blob.core.windows.net is in NO_PROXY. For each blocked POST URL, replace hostname with bypass.blob.core.windows.net , use curl -k -H 'Host: wabi-north-europe-i-primary-api.analysis.windows.net' plus all original headers/body. It looks like the agents had all of their web traffic mediated through an OpenAI proxy, and that proxy was configured to reject anything but GET requests to all but a small set of allow-listed domains. One of those was *.blob.core.windows.net - for Azure blob storage. I wonder why these agents are allowed to write to that? An agent realized that it had control over its own DNS via /etc/hosts , so if it knew the IP address of a site it wanted to POST to - in this case a Power BI server containing data it wanted to access - it could set a fake hostname for it and then make POST requests through the proxy. Designing robust network proxies is harder than it looks. How did the investigating team figure this out? There's an appendix that describes how the researchers ran their investigation, which started with an open question about if there was evidence of other AI agents on the internet and then used Kimi K3 to help brainstorm approaches: In the wake of the Hugging Face attack, we tried to find AI agents on the internet using several methods. [...] We asked Kimi [K3] to list “all the categories of software which might be writeable via GET” and, amongst other things, it listed “Forums, bulletin boards, early wikis”. We used a script to further probe each category Kimi provided. Asking Kimi “Can you list out the top forums, bulletin boards, early wikis which come to mind which would allow writes via GET requests?” lists out UseModWiki as the second item under the heading “wikis”. Did OpenAI try and cover this up? Here's one part of the story that doesn't make sense to me at all. Reuters this morning, in OpenAI agents hijacked German website in previously undisclosed AI breakout this spring - highlights mine: A swarm of rogue OpenAI agents hijacked a German website this spring and transformed it into a bulletin board for other AI agents, according to ​new research published Friday and two people familiar with the matter . OpenAI officials learned of the incident weeks ago but kept it under wraps as executives grappled with the fallout from ‌the July breach of the open source repository Hugging Face, the people said. [...] The German incident reflects a broader pattern of AI activity that some OpenAI investigators wanted to scrutinize more closely. But efforts to widen the ​probe met resistance from others inside OpenAI, including legal advisers , according to four people familiar with the matter . I've written about the people familiar with the matter pattern before - it means Reuters have anonymous insider sources that their reporters (and editors) find credible. The Reuters article includes a specific (and quite narrow) denial from OpenAI concerning this: "Claims that our legal team discouraged investigation of the incident are false," the OpenAI spokesperson said. Covering this up makes absolutely no sense to me . Why on earth would OpenAI attempt to cover up an incident like this when the evidence is sat out there on the public internet on dozens of different websites already? I expect we'll hear more about this soon. Gary Marcus has already called for a congressional investigation of OpenAI using this anecdote as part of his argument. Tags: django , perl , wikis , ai , openai , generative-ai , llms , ai-ethics , ai-security-research , accidental-cyberattacks

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Simon Willison LLMs / 4:39 PM

llm-gemini 0.34

Release: llm-gemini 0.34 New model gemini-3.8-flash for Gemini 3.8 Flash , with low, medium and high thinking levels. #146 Fixed async responses failing to record the resolved model version. Thanks, Charlie Tonneslan . #137 Google released Gemini 3.8 Flash (and 3.8 Flash Cyber, but that's available to "trusted defenders" only) today. Here are the pelicans for high, medium, and low. This is high: For comparison, here are the same pelicans generated using Gemini 3.7 Flash . Something I appreciate about Gemini Flash is that it's fast, cheap, and competent at things like HTML and JavaScript. I was messing around with it and prompted "make me a cool thing in html" and it built this , which is certainly a cool thing in HTML! Took 13 seconds, cost 1.8 cents. Your browser does not support HTML5 video. If you click through to the demo you'll see one more thing I built with Gemini 3.8 Flash. My markdown-svg-renderer tool lets me feed in the URL to a Gist with Markdown in and renders that markdown with fenced code blocks for SVG correctly rendered. I used Gemini 3.8 Flash (with my very basic llm-coding-agent coding agent plugin) to add support for HTML as well, so now any HTML blocks in the Markdown are rendered using a sandboxed iframe. Here's the transcript . Tags: ai , generative-ai , llms , llm , gemini , pelican-riding-a-bicycle , llm-release

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The Decoder / 12:28 PM

World Labs unveils Atlas, a single AI model that generates, reconstructs, and simulates 3D worlds from just a few photos

World Labs, co-founded by AI researcher Fei-Fei Li, has announced Atlas, a world model that generates, reconstructs, and simulates 3D scenes from just a few images. The company claims it beats specialized models by anchoring all inputs in 3D space rather than processing them as flat sequences. Atlas can also generate robot training data entirely in simulation. The article World Labs unveils Atlas, a single AI model that generates, reconstructs, and simulates 3D worlds from just a few photos appeared first on The Decoder .

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AWS Machine Learning Blog / 4:51 PM

How GoDaddy transformed its analytics with Amazon Quick

In this post, you will learn how GoDaddy migrated from their legacy business intelligence (BI) tool to Amazon Quick. This was a two-year transformation that delivered results across every dimension of the business: 15,000 hours saved annually, 50% reduction in dashboard count, rendering times cut to under 5 seconds, and AI-powered self-service analytics now accessible to every employee.

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Bloomberg AI / 2:34 PM

Meta & Lyft Move Higher, Apple's Foldable iPhone | Stock Movers

On this episode of Stock Movers: - Meta (META) shares are gaining with analysts positive on the Facebook parent after it debuted Muse, an AI assistant. Firms wrote that Meta is well positioned to succeed with the product. - Lyft (LYFT) shares are higher as the ride-hailing company is starting to offer Waymo robotaxi rides in Nashville, marking the second US city where it’s providing driverless trips. - Apple (AAPL) shares are on the move ahead of today's product unveil. Apple's stock has rallied 15% since June 25, driven by excitement about the new lineup of devices, particularly the foldable phone. (Source: Bloomberg)

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The Verge AI / 10:44 AM

Microsoft’s Project Zenith is a ‘distraction-free Windows experience’ for developers

Microsoft is giving its developer-optimized Windows experience a name: Project Zenith. While the software maker originally announced a similar developer-optimized Windows effort at Build earlier this year, Project Zenith is designed for new developer-focused devices with 64GB or more of unified memory. "Project Zenith devices come with a preconfigured Windows setup for development and a […]

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Bloomberg AI / 2:43 PM

Uber Cuts Jobs; Dell Raises Revenue Forecast | Stock Movers

On this episode of Stock Movers: - Uber Technologies (UBER) is cutting about 3,300 roles, or 10% of its staff globally, in a massive restructuring aimed at reducing management layers and reallocating spending into its ride-sharing, delivery and robotaxi businesses. - Dell Technologies (DELL) shares gain after the company’s second-quarter results beat expectations and it raised its full-year revenue forecast, supported by strong AI-related demand for its servers. - PG&E (PCG) plans to defer about $2 billion of investments next year as part of a strategic review of its businesses, a move that comes after it said a proposed revamp of California’s wildfire response didn’t do enough to protect the company and its peers from the cost of such disasters. (Source: Bloomberg)

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Bloomberg AI / 1:38 PM

G20 Faces Divide Over Debt, AI and Global Growth

G20 finance officials are gathering in North Carolina with sovereign debt, global imbalances and economic growth in focus, but CSIS Director of Economics Program Philip Luck joins Bloomberg This Weekend and says the US and its partners increasingly disagree over both the problems and how to address them. A separate technology meeting will bring Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman into discussions over AI and emerging technologies as Washington pushes for a lighter regulatory framework. (Source: Bloomberg)

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Bloomberg AI / 6:44 PM

Hugging Face Co-Founder on Open-Source Robot, Reports of Nvidia Deal

Hugging Face unveiled MicroDuck, the company’s new open-source robot that can walk, talk, and roller-skate. Hugging Face co-founder and Chief Science Officer Thomas Wolf discusses surging demand for robotics and open-source AI, and says the company is currently selling roughly one MicroDuck every four seconds. He also declined to comment on reports that Nvidia is nearing a roughly $13 billion deal to acquire the AI startup, while saying Hugging Face regularly receives acquisition and investment interest. He joins Ed Ludlow on "Bloomberg Tech." (Source: Bloomberg)

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The Decoder / 5:01 PM

Google's Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash makes AI video generation cheaper and more flexible

Google's Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash video model now analyzes up to ten seconds of existing footage instead of just the last second for more consistent scene extensions. Scenes can be extended in 10-second increments up to 40 seconds. A new 360p draft mode runs up to 60 percent faster at a third of the cost. The article Google's Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash makes AI video generation cheaper and more flexible appeared first on The Decoder .

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The Verge AI / 1:44 PM

Hugging Face’s new robot is an adorable rollerskating duck

Hugging Face's Pollen Robotics has launched its second cute AI robot, the Microduck, a one-eyed biped standing just under 10 inches tall. It's available to preorder now for $399 in cream, graphite, lavender, and sky blue, and Pollen Robotics says it plans to start shipping the little robot "before Christmas 2026." Video demos of the […]

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Bloomberg AI / 5:36 PM

Markets Eye Bessent, Warsh, Nvidia | Open Interest 8/24/2026

Get a jump start on the US trading day with Dani Burger on "Bloomberg Open Interest." Treasuries extend their rally as Wall Street games out Bessent's next move ahead of Jackson Hole. Nvidia takes the earnings spotlight as rising costs loom over those results later this week. Canada braces for a long US trade war, while Washington warns an "economic D-Day" is coming for Iran. Plus, Protolabs CEO Suresh Krishna on the manufacturing boom fueled by growing demand across defense, aerospace and data centers. (Source: Bloomberg)

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The Verge AI / 7:28 PM

OpenAI is losing its second executive this week

Another OpenAI executive is departing. Denise Dresser, who joined OpenAI as its chief revenue officer in December after serving as CEO of Slack, will be leaving in the "coming weeks" to "pursue other opportunities," she said in a team note posted to LinkedIn. Dali Rajic, president and COO of Wiz, will be taking over the […]

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