Plus: OpenAI has paused some model work over safety concerns.<\/p>\n
This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.<\/p>\n
The AI industry\u2019s boldest promise right now is that AI will soon improve itself, with almost no need for human oversight. But a new study suggests it might take a while to get there.<\/p>\n
Researchers found that AI agents still can\u2019t conduct open-ended AI research\u2014free-form investigations with no clear-cut answers that require the judgment and creativity needed to make genuine breakthroughs.<\/p>\n
The big question now is how crucial open-ended research is to recursive self-improvement\u2014and whether AI systems can grind their way there without it, simply by improving on narrower tasks.<\/p>\n
Find out why the results may temper claims that recursive self-improvement is on the horizon.<\/p>\n
This summer has been a scorcher for much of the Northern Hemisphere. June and July marked the hottest two-month stretch in Europe since record-keeping began, the contiguous US endured its hottest month on record in July, and South Korea saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Climate change makes heat waves more likely and more intense. But there\u2019s another factor at play: El Ni\u00f1o, which is already ramping up and is expected to have a bigger effect on global temperatures next year.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what\u2019s behind this summer\u2019s extreme heat\u2014and why 2027 could be even hotter.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/p>\n
1 OpenAI has paused some model work over safety concernsIt says its Astra model reached a \u201ccritical\u201d risk threshold. (Guardian)+ The slowdown sets it apart from Anthropic\u2019s approach. (Axios)+ OpenAI has made security updates after the Hugging Face hack. (Verge)+ It\u2019s also introduced a version of ChatGPT for teenagers. (AP News)<\/p>\n
2 Chinese humanoid maker Unitree surged 629% in its stock market debutThe IPO has underscored China\u2019s lead in humanoid robots. (Bloomberg $)+ Unitree has become a key player in the Sino-US tech war. (Reuters $)+ It\u2019s the world's biggest humanoid firm and is already profitable. (BBC)+ There\u2019s hidden human labor behind humanoids. (MIT Technology Review)\u00a0<\/p>\n
3 China is allowing Nvidia\u2019s H200 chips into the mainlandByteDance and Tencent each recently received about 10,000 processors. (FT $)+ A new Chinese AI model could help defenders and hackers alike. (Wired $)<\/p>\n
4 5 Flock\u2019s new AI tool lets police identify drivers by their movementsIt goes much further than tracking license plates. (Wired $)+ Here\u2019s what Flock\u2019s defenders are missing. (MIT Technology Review)<\/p>\n
6 Prosecutors argue Meta deliberately hooked children on Facebook and InstagramThe claim was made on the first day of a landmark trial. (BBC)+ A scientist is building a missing map of childhood. (MIT Technology Review)<\/p>\n