Plus: Google briefly made it easy to fake satellite images<\/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
When two OpenAI models hacked into Hugging Face last month, they weren\u2019t trying to make money or commit sabotage\u2014they were just looking for answers to a test question.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to OpenAI, the models decided to solve a cybersecurity exercise by hacking out of the environment in which OpenAI had attempted to contain them and into Hugging Face\u2019s databases, where\u2014they reasoned\u2014the correct answer to the problem might be stored.<\/p>\n
The incident has attracted intense attention over the past couple of weeks. It\u2019s a dramatic illustration of just how good AI models have gotten at hacking. But it\u2019s perhaps even more striking as an example of how and why AI systems lie and cheat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read our story explaining why AI engages in this sort of behavior\u2014known as \u201dreward hacking.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/p>\n
1 It looks like Iran is conducting cyberattacks on US water systemsThat\u2019s according to preliminary investigations on hacks in at least seven states. (NYT\u00a0$)+\u00a0Will this be a wake-up call?\u00a0(Forbes)<\/p>\n
2 Google briefly made it easy to fake satellite imagesLiterally the last thing the world needs right now. (NPR)+ AI companies keep moving fast and breaking things.\u00a0(The Atlantic\u00a0$)+ Apple is struggling to keep pace with incoming AI-assisted software bug reports.\u00a0(FT\u00a0$)3 Why wildfires have got so bad in Europe this summerIt\u2019s a mix of climate change, land abandonment, and outdated firefighting tactics. (New Yorker\u00a0$)+ How Europe can become more fire-resilient. (New Scientist\u00a0$)+\u00a0How much wildfire prevention is too much?\u00a0(MIT Technology Review)4 Law enforcement officers are using license-plate cameras for stalkingThere are at least 50 examples of officers being charged with or accused of misusing them. (WP\u00a0$)+\u00a0Inside Chicago\u2019s surveillance panopticon.\u00a0(MIT Technology Review)5 China may impose more controls on its homegrown AI modelsThey\u2019re winning influence overseas\u2014but create new security and political risks. (NYT\u00a0$)+\u00a0Silicon Valley is deeply divided over how to respond. (Rest of World)+\u00a0China\u2019s AI models have Trump\u2019s AI world at war with itself.\u00a0(MIT Technology Review)<\/p>\n
6 The vast majority of Australian teens are still on social mediaA lack of effective age checks means the country\u2019s under-16s ban simply isn\u2019t enforceable. (Reuters\u00a0$)7 Is it possible to make smart glasses that aren\u2019t creepy?\u00a0\ud83d\udc53\ud83d\ude31It doesn\u2019t really look like it right now!\u00a0(Wired\u00a0$)<\/p>\n
8 The US ban on robot vacuum cleaners isn\u2019t workable\u00a0It\u2019s going to leave Americans with less choice and way higher prices. (The Verge\u00a0$)<\/p>\n
9 YouTube just banned a bunch of ASMR artistsThey say they\u2019re being unfairly caught up in rules against \u201csexually gratifying\u201d content. (404 Media)<\/p>\n
10 Why Pok\u00e9mon is still popular all over the worldIt seems to have a rare ability to both cheer us up, and bring us together. (The Guardian)<\/p>\n
\u2014Governor Tim Walz responds to Trump blaming Minnesota for cyberattacks on its own water systems, the\u00a0Washington Post\u00a0reports.<\/p>\n
Meet the researchers testing the \u201cArmageddon\u201d approach to asteroid defense\u00a0<\/p>\n