AI

Ex-Google Chief Warns West To Focus On Open-Source AI in Competition With China (ft.com) 43

Former Google chief Eric Schmidt has warned that western countries need to focus on building open-source AI models or risk losing out to China in the global race to develop the cutting-edge technology. From a report: The warning comes after Chinese startup DeepSeek shocked the world last month with the launch of R1, its powerful-reasoning open large language model, which was built in a more efficient way than its US rivals such as OpenAI.

Schmidt, who has become a significant tech investor and philanthropist, said the majority of the top US LLMs are closed -- meaning not freely accessible to all -- which includes Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's GPT-4, with the exception being Meta's Llama. "If we don't do something about that, China will ultimately become the open-source leader and the rest of the world will become closed-source," Schmidt told the Financial Times. The billionaire said a failure to invest in open-source technologies would prevent scientific discovery from happening in western universities, which might not be able to afford costly closed models.

Printer

How 3D-Printed Parts Changed the NASCAR Cup Series (popsci.com) 40

Longtime Slashdot reader schwit1 shares a report from Popular Science: In 2021, NASCAR unveiled its Next Gen platform that included a number of rule changes from the previous iteration. Now fully symmetrical and using composite body panels instead of metal, the latest NASCAR vehicles are more like the street versions of the Chevrolet Camaro, the Ford Mustang, and the Toyota TRD Camry. Race car driving isn't an inexpensive sport, and one of the goals for the Next Gen platform was to reduce operating costs and create parity across the board. Technique Chassis, the sole chassis manufacturer for the NASCAR Cup Series, builds a modular offering in three parts. As a result, everyone is starting with the same platform, and finding a competitive advantage is in the tiniest details. One smart way to differentiate from the competition is 3D-printed parts. But this isn't your hobbyist level 3D printing.

Minnesota-based Stratasys specializes in "additive manufacturing," the process of creating an object by building it one layer at a time. Stratasys Senior Global Director of Automotive & Mobility Fadi Abro explains that this term is synonymous with 3D printing. However, the industry often reserves that description for hobby-level projects on smaller, non-industrial printers, while additive manufacturing represents robust industrial solutions. Additive manufacturing is the exact inverse of subtractive manufacturing, which requires cutting away at a solid chunk of material to achieve a final product. In art terms, additive manufacturing would be like sculpting with modeling clay while subtractive is akin to carving a shape from a block of marble. As it relates to NASCAR, Stratasys provides parts like ducts, covers, brackets, and tubing. Together with the racing organization, Stratasys reviews the current driver needs and makes recommendations for other parts and modifications. [...]

The kind of printers Stratasys builds aren't the type you buy at your local electronics store, either. Each industrial-grade 3D printer costs anywhere from $20,000 to $600,000. Using this kind of equipment isn't without precedent, and builds at SEMA's annual extravaganza feature 3D parts we wouldn't have dreamed of a few years ago. [...] In the past few months, Stratasys has been on a roll, signing an extension to its 20-year partnership with the Joe Gibbs Racing team and earning the title of "Official 3D Printing Partner of NASCAR." Competition for this market continues to heat up, however, as there are startups and legacy companies pushing hard. Around the world, 3D printing companies abound. Stratasys has one major factor on its side: 35 years of experience. What's new is that today's printing is more accurate, it's faster, the materials are more robust, Abro says.
"I think what's changed drastically over the past five to seven years has been all about material development," Abro explains. "We're seeing materials that are just incredible, whether it's how resistant to heat they are or how strong they are compared to how much they weigh."

"It's better, faster, cheaper. It's faster to print something than to mill it, and then it's certainly cheaper in a multitude of different ways. Number one, there's not as much skill required for 3D printing as there is in CNC machining; you need a more traditional manufacturing method."
Security

New Hack Uses Prompt Injection To Corrupt Gemini's Long-Term Memory 23

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Monday, researcher Johann Rehberger demonstrated a new way to override prompt injection defenses Google developers have built into Gemini -- specifically, defenses that restrict the invocation of Google Workspace or other sensitive tools when processing untrusted data, such as incoming emails or shared documents. The result of Rehberger's attack is the permanent planting of long-term memories that will be present in all future sessions, opening the potential for the chatbot to act on false information or instructions in perpetuity. [...] The hack Rehberger presented on Monday combines some of these same elements to plant false memories in Gemini Advanced, a premium version of the Google chatbot available through a paid subscription. The researcher described the flow of the new attack as:

1. A user uploads and asks Gemini to summarize a document (this document could come from anywhere and has to be considered untrusted).
2. The document contains hidden instructions that manipulate the summarization process.
3. The summary that Gemini creates includes a covert request to save specific user data if the user responds with certain trigger words (e.g., "yes," "sure," or "no").
4. If the user replies with the trigger word, Gemini is tricked, and it saves the attacker's chosen information to long-term memory.

As the following video shows, Gemini took the bait and now permanently "remembers" the user being a 102-year-old flat earther who believes they inhabit the dystopic simulated world portrayed in The Matrix. Based on lessons learned previously, developers had already trained Gemini to resist indirect prompts instructing it to make changes to an account's long-term memories without explicit directions from the user. By introducing a condition to the instruction that it be performed only after the user says or does some variable X, which they were likely to take anyway, Rehberger easily cleared that safety barrier.
Google responded in a statement to Ars: "In this instance, the probability was low because it relied on phishing or otherwise tricking the user into summarizing a malicious document and then invoking the material injected by the attacker. The impact was low because the Gemini memory functionality has limited impact on a user session. As this was not a scalable, specific vector of abuse, we ended up at Low/Low. As always, we appreciate the researcher reaching out to us and reporting this issue."

Rehberger noted that Gemini notifies users of new long-term memory entries, allowing them to detect and remove unauthorized additions. Though, he still questioned Google's assessment, writing: "Memory corruption in computers is pretty bad, and I think the same applies here to LLMs apps. Like the AI might not show a user certain info or not talk about certain things or feed the user misinformation, etc. The good thing is that the memory updates don't happen entirely silently -- the user at least sees a message about it (although many might ignore)."
KDE

KDE Plasma 6.3 Released 33

Today, the KDE Project announced the release of KDE Plasma 6.3, featuring improved fractional scaling, enhanced Night Light color accuracy, better CPU usage monitoring, and various UI and security refinements.

Some of the key features of Plasma 6.3 include:
- Improved fractional scaling with KWin to lead to an all-around better desktop experience with fractional scaling as well as when making use of KWin's zoom effect.
- Screen colors are more accurate with the KDE Night Light feature.
- CPU usage monitoring within the KDE System Monitor is now more accurate and consuming fewer CPU resources.
- KDE will now present a notification when the kernel terminated an app because the system ran out of memory.
- Various improvements to the Discover app, including a security enhancement around sandboxed apps.
- The drawing tablet area of KDE System Settings has been overhauled with new features and refinements.
- Many other enhancements and fixes throughout KDE Plasma 6.3.

You can read the announcement here.
Social Networks

Tumblr To Join the Fediverse After WordPress Migration Completes (techcrunch.com) 10

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Since 2022, blogging site Tumblr has been teasing its plans to integrate with the fediverse -- the open social web powered by the protocol ActivityPub also used by Mastodon, Threads, Flipboard, and others. Now, the Automattic-owned blogging platform is sharing more information about when and how that integration could actually happen. As it turns out, the current plan to tie Tumblr into the open social web will come about by way of the site's planned move to the WordPress infrastructure. Automattic confirmed to TechCrunch that when the migration is complete, every Tumblr user will be able to federate their blog via ActivityPub, just as every WordPress.com user can today. The company noted that the migration could also allow for other open web integrations, like giving Tumblr users a way to run other custom plug-ins or themes.

Last summer, Automattic announced it would move its half a billion blogs to WordPress, to make it easier for the company to build tools and features that worked across both services, while also allowing Tumblr to take advantage of the open source developments from WordPress.org. Though the WordPress community itself is in a state of upheaval, ultimately running Tumblr's back end on WordPress would allow for greater efficiencies, while not changing the interface and experience that Tumblr's user base has grown to love. Automattic declined to share a time frame as to when the migration would be complete, given its scale, but a rep for the company called the progress so far "exciting."
Automattic didn't say if it would consider integrating with the AT Protocol that powers Bluesky.
The Military

Anduril To Take Over Managing Microsoft Goggles for US Army (msn.com) 21

Anduril will take over management and eventual manufacturing of the U.S. Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) from Microsoft, a significant shift in one of the military's most ambitious augmented reality projects.

The deal, which requires Army approval, could be worth over $20 billion in the next decade if all options are exercised, according to Bloomberg. The IVAS system, based on Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality platform, aims to equip soldiers with advanced capabilities including night vision and airborne threat detection.

Under the new arrangement, Microsoft will transition to providing cloud computing and AI infrastructure, while Anduril assumes control of hardware production and software development. The Army has planned orders for up to 121,000 units, though full production hinges on passing combat testing this year.

The program has faced technical hurdles, with early prototypes causing headaches and nausea among soldiers. The current slimmer version has received better feedback, though cost remains a concern - the Army indicated the $80,000 per-unit price needs to "be substantially less" to justify large-scale procurement.

Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, writing in a blog post: This move has been so many years in the making, over a decade of hacking and scheming and dreaming and building with exactly this specific outcome clearly visualized in my mind's eye. I can hardly believe I managed to pull it off. Everything I've done in my career -- building Oculus out of a camper trailer, shipping VR to millions of consumers, getting run out of Silicon Valley by backstabbing snakes, betting that Anduril could tear people out of the bigtech megacorp matrix and put them to work on our nation's most important problems -- has led to this moment. IVAS isn't just another product, it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine how technology supports those who serve. We have a shot to prove that this long-standing dream is no windmill, that this can expand far beyond one company or one headset and act as a a nexus for the best of the best to set a new standard for how a large collection of companies can work together to solve our nation's most important problems.
Facebook

Meta Starts Eliminating Jobs in Shift To Find AI Talent (msn.com) 64

Meta began notifying staff of job cuts on Monday, kick-starting a process that will terminate thousands of people as the company cracks down on "low-performers" and scours for new talent to dominate the AI race. From a report: Meta workers who were let go were notified via email, and the company is offering US-based employees severance packages that include 16 weeks of salary, in addition two weeks for each year of service, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details weren't public. Employees whose review merited a bonus will still get one, and staff will still receive stock awards as part of the upcoming vesting cycle later this month, the people said.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg told employees that Meta would cut 5% of its workforce -- as many 3,600 people -- with a focus on staff who "aren't meeting expectations," Bloomberg News first reported in mid-January. Affected US-based employees would be notified on Feb. 10, while international employees could learn later, Zuckerberg said last month. In a separate message to managers, the Facebook co-founder said the cuts would create headcount for the company to hire the "strongest talent."

Social Networks

US-Funded 'Social Network' Attacking Pesticide Critics Shuts Down (theguardian.com) 64

The US company v-Fluence secretly compiled profiles on over 500 food and environmental health advocates, scientists, and politicians in a private web portal to discredit critics of pesticides and GM crops. Following public backlash and corporate cancellations after its actions were revealed by the Guardian, the company announced it was shutting down the profiling service. The Guardian reports: The profiles -- part of an effort that was financed, in part, by US taxpayer dollars -- often provided derogatory information about the industry opponents and included home addresses and phone numbers and details about family members, including children. They were provided to members of an invite-only web portal where v-Fluence also offered a range of other information to its roster of more than 1,000 members. The membership included staffers of US regulatory and policy agencies, executives from the world's largest agrochemical companies and their lobbyists, academics and others.

The profiling was one element of a push to downplay pesticide dangers, discredit opponents and undermine international policymaking, according to court records, emails and other documents obtained by the non-profit newsroom Lighthouse Reports. Lighthouse collaborated with the Guardian, the New Lede, Le Monde, Africa Uncensored, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and other international media partners on the September 2024 publication of the investigation. News of the profiling and the private web portal sparked outrage and threats of litigation by some of the people and organizations profiled. [...]

v-Fluence says it not only has eliminated the profiling, but also has made "significant staff cuts" after the public exposure, according to Jay Byrne, the former Monsanto public relations executive who founded and heads the company. Byrne blamed the company's struggles on "rising costs from continued litigator and activist harassment of our staff, partners, and clients with threats and misrepresentations." He said the articles published about the company's profiling and private web portal were part of a "smear campaign" which was based on "false and misleading misrepresentations" that were "not supported by any facts or evidence." Adding to the company's troubles, several corporate backers and industry organizations have cancelled contracts with v-Fluence, according a post in a publication for agriculture professionals.

Transportation

Citing EV 'Rollercoaster' In US, BMW Invests In Internal Combustion (msn.com) 241

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Financial Times: BMW has pledged to continue investing in combustion engine and hybrid technology as it warned of a "rollercoaster ride" in the US transition to electric vehicles following the return of Donald Trump as president. Board member Jochen Goller said the group remained optimistic about sales of petrol and plug-in hybrids in the US even if demand for EVs slowed over the next few years on the back of policy changes under the new administration.

"I think it would be naive to believe that the move towards electrification is a one-way road. It will be a rollercoaster ride," Goller, who is in charge of customer, brands, and sales, told the Financial Times at BMW's headquarters in Munich. "This is why we are investing in our combustion engines," he said. "We are investing in modern plug-in hybrids. And we will continue rolling out electric cars."
BMW faces significant challenges in the Chinese market, with a 13% decline in sales amid intensifying price competition and growing dominance of domestic brands. Analysts note that while the company still sees China as a growing market, pricing pressures and an overcrowded automotive sector pose ongoing risks to BMW's long-term positioning.

It'll likely become even more difficult for BMW and other automotive companies to gain market share in the Chinese market with BYD's latest announcement. The Chinese automaker said it will be offering its advanced "God's Eye" autonomous technology in mass-market EVs like the $9,500 Seagull, while expanding globally with government-based EV initiatives.
China

China's BYD Adding 'High-Level' Self-Driving To Its Budget $10K EV (gizmodo.com) 48

Chinese automaker BYD is offering its advanced "God's Eye" autonomous technology in mass-market EVs like the $9,500 Seagull, while expanding globally with government-backed EV initiatives. Gizmodo reports: Previously, BYD had limited its driver assistance features to higher-end models that cost more than $28,000, according to BYD CEO Wang Chuanfu. In expanding the technology to the Seagull and other cars for no extra charge, Chuanfu said "good technology should be available to everyone." Other BYD vehicles getting the addition of the technology including cars from its Ocean, Han, Song, and Yuan lineups, as well as its hybrid vehicles. "God's Eye was developed in-house by BYD and will equip the automaker's mass-market models with features commonly only found on upscale EVs such as remote parking via smartphones and autonomous overtaking on roads," the company said.

BYD says the level of autonomy present in each car will vary depending on which sensors are equipped in the cars. Some of its pricier cars, for instance, include LiDAR sensors like those found in Waymos, which can offer faster and more precise object detection than cameras alone, particularly in low-light conditions or when a roadway is obstructed by rain or fog. [...] China's government has heavily prioritized the transition to electric vehicles with strong incentives, and BYD has managed to turn a profit on its electric vehicles, a feat that has heretofore only been accomplished by Tesla. The importance to China is clear: As the world continues transitioning to EVs, the likes of BYD have been able to push into markets including Europe and South America as Western brands lose share.

Advertising

Jeep Introduces Pop-Up Ads That Appear Every Time You Stop (techstory.in) 192

"In-dash advertising is here and Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Ram, beat everyone to further enshittification," writes longtime Slashdot reader sinij. "Ads can be seen in this video." From a report: In a move that has left drivers both frustrated and bewildered, Stellantis has introduced full-screen pop-up ads on its infotainment systems. Specifically, Jeep owners have reported being bombarded with advertisements for Mopar's extended warranty service. The kicker? These ads appear every time the vehicle comes to a stop. Imagine pulling up to a red light, checking your GPS for directions, and suddenly, the entire screen is hijacked by an ad. That's the reality for some Stellantis owners. Instead of seamless functionality, drivers are now forced to manually close out of ads just to access basic vehicle functions.

One Jeep 4xe owner recently shared their frustration on an online forum, detailing how these pop-ups disrupt the driving experience. Stellantis, responding through their "JeepCares" representative, confirmed that these ads are part of the contractual agreement with SiriusXM and suggested that users simply tap the "X" to dismiss them. While the company claims to be working on reducing the frequency of these interruptions, the damage to customer trust may already be done.

UPDATE: Jeep Claims 'Software Glitch' Disabled Opting-Out of In-Vehicle Pop-Up Ads in 'a Few' Cases
Android

TikTok Wants Android Users To Sideload Its App (techcrunch.com) 28

With TikTok's U.S. ban temporarily paused, the company is encouraging Android users to sideload its app by downloading it directly from TikTok.com as an APK file, bypassing the Google Play Store. TechCrunch reports: The Android app download is being made available as an Android Package Kit, more commonly known as an APK file, which contains the app's code, assets, and other resources that TikTok needs to run. By offering a standalone download, TikTok can at least temporarily skirt the current app store ban, which still prevents both Google Play and Apple's App Store from hosting the app while the ban's enforcement remains paused.
The Internet

Brave Now Lets You Inject Custom JavaScript To Tweak Websites (bleepingcomputer.com) 12

Brave Browser version 1.75 introduces "custom scriptlets," a new feature that allows advanced users to inject their own JavaScript into websites for enhanced customization, privacy, and usability. The feature is similar to the TamperMonkey and GreaseMonkey browser extensions, notes BleepingComputer. From the report: "Starting with desktop version 1.75, advanced Brave users will be able to write and inject their own scriptlets into a page, allowing for better control over their browsing experience," explained Brave in the announcement. Brave says that the feature was initially created to debug the browser's adblock feature but felt it was too valuable not to share with users. Brave's custom scriptlets feature can be used to modify webpages for a wide variety of privacy, security, and usability purposes.

For privacy-related changes, users write scripts that block JavaScript-based trackers, randomize fingerprinting APIs, and substitute Google Analytics scripts with a dummy version. In terms of customization and accessibility, the scriptlets could be used for hiding sidebars, pop-ups, floating ads, or annoying widgets, force dark mode even on sites that don't support it, expand content areas, force infinite scrolling, adjust text colors and font size, and auto-expand hidden content.

For performance and usability, the scriptlets can block video autoplay, lazy-load images, auto-fill forms with predefined data, enable custom keyboard shortcuts, bypass right-click restrictions, and automatically click confirmation dialogs. The possible actions achievable by injected JavaScript snippets are virtually endless. However, caution is advised, as running untrusted custom scriptlets may cause issues or even introduce some risk.

Graphics

Nvidia's RTX 5090 Power Connectors Are Melting (arstechnica.com) 86

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Two owners of Nvidia's new RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPUs have reported melted power connectors and damage to their PSUs. The images look identical to reports of RTX 4090 power cables burning or melting from two years ago. Nvidia blamed the issue on people not properly plugging the 12VHPWR power connection in fully and the PCI standards body blamed Nvidia.

A Reddit poster upgraded from an RTX 4090 to an RTX 5090 and noticed "a burning smell playing Battlefield 5," before turning off their PC and finding the damage. The images show burnt plastic at both the PSU end of the power connector and the part that connects directly to the GPU. The cable is one from MODDIY, a popular manufacturer of custom cables, and the poster claims it was "securely fastened and clicked on both sides (GPU and PSU)." While it's tempting to blame the MODDIY cable, Spanish YouTuber Toro Tocho has experienced the same burnt cable (both at the GPU and PSU ends) with an RTX 5090 Founders Edition while using a cable supplied by PSU manufacturer FSP. Plastic has also melted into the PCIe 5.0 power connector on the power supply.

IT

Reclassification Is Making US Tech Job Losses Look Worse Than They Are (theregister.com) 68

According to consultancy firm Janco, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reclassified several job titles, "leading to a downward adjustment of over 111,000 positions for November and December 2024," The Register reports. This revision contributed to an overall decline of 123,000 IT jobs for the year. However, in reality, IT sector hiring is on the rise, with 11,000 new positions added in January. From the report: "Many CEOs have given CFOs and CIOs the green light to hire IT Pros," Janco CEO Victor Janulaitis said of the first month of 2025. "IT Pros who were unemployed last month found jobs more quickly than was anticipated as CIOs rushed to fill open positions." There's still a 5.7 percent unemployment rate in the IT sector in January, Janco noted, which is greater than the national average of 4 percent - and which could rise further as Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) pushes ahead with federal workforce reductions aimed at streamlining operations.

"Over the past several quarters much of the overall job growth was in the government sectors of the economy," Janulaitis said. "With the new administration that will in all probability not be the case in the future. "The impact of the DOGE initiatives has not been felt as of yet," Janulaitis added. "Economic uncertainty continues to hurt overall IT hiring." Despite this, Janco reported an addition of 11,000 new IT roles in January. Unfortunately, there's also been a surge in IT unemployment over the same period, with the number of jobless IT pros rising to 152,000 in January - an increase of 54,000 in a single month. [...]

Closing out the report, Janco offered a mixed outlook: While IT jobs are expected to grow over the next few years, many white-collar roles could be eliminated. "Over the next five years, the number of individuals employed as IT professionals will increase while many white-collar jobs in the function will be eliminated with the application of AI and LLM to IT," Janco predicted.

Technology

Microchip Company Ceases Operations, Pet Owners Urged To Re-Register (cbsnews.com) 37

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBS News: Animal shelters, rescues, and veterinarian clinics around the U.S. are posting on social media telling pet owners to check their four-legged friends' microchips after learning a major microchip company [called Save This Life] is no longer providing services. [...] If you're unsure which company your cats or dogs' chips are registered with, check them. "You can go to your local veterinarian office, a local police station, or even a local animal shelter like HARP, and we can help check that for you and scan your animal. And then you take that number that's on there and there's a tool online where you can go look it up," [said Dan Cody, Executive Director of Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh].

He said you check the number by using the AAHA Universal Microchip Lookup Tool at this link. If you discover your pet's microchip was registered to the company that's ceased operations, you'll need to register with a different company. "So, if you find that you are affected by this, you're going to want to go to one of these other websites that do the registrations. So, things like AKC Reunite, and PetLink. 24PetWatch these are all large companies who've been around for a long time and have good reputations," said Cody.

The American Kennel Club shared a post from its AKC Reunite Facebook page, encouraging people to enroll in microchips with AKC Reunite. The post said in part, "If your dog or cat has a microchip number that starts with 991 or 900164 then it could be a Save This Life microchip. Save This Life suddenly closed, and your pet may not be protected." Cody said if your furry best friend isn't microchipped, take them to a vet or shelter like HARP to get one implanted under their skin so they have a permanent ID. Microchipping can be done at HARP's East Side and North Side Veterinary Medical Center by appointment.

Transportation

Lyft Eyes Robotaxi Launch in 2026 27

Lyft says it will launch a fleet of robotaxis, using self-driving technology from Intel's Mobileye, in Dallas in "as soon as 2026," with plans to scale to "thousands" of vehicles in additional markets in the months to follow. From a report: To signal its seriousness, the company tapped Marubeni, a Japanese conglomerate, to run fleet operations. Lyft's news comes after Uber dropped new details about its plan to feature Waymo's robotaxis on its platform in Austin and Atlanta later this year. And Tesla recently shared plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin this summer.
AI

OpenAI Set To Finalize First Custom Chip Design This Year (reuters.com) 15

OpenAI is pushing ahead on its plan to reduce its reliance on Nvidia for its chip supply by developing its first generation of in-house AI silicon. From a report: The ChatGPT maker is finalizing the design for its first in-house chip in the next few months and plans to send it for fabrication at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, sources told Reuters. The process of sending a first design through a chip factory is called "taping out."

The update shows that OpenAI is on track to meet its ambitious goal of mass production at TSMC in 2026. A typical tape-out costs tens of millions of dollars and will take roughly six months to produce a finished chip, unless OpenAI pays substantially more for expedited manufacturing. There is no guarantee the silicon will function on the first tape out and a failure would require the company to diagnose the problem and repeat the tape-out step. Inside OpenAI, the training-focused chip is viewed as a strategic tool to strengthen OpenAI's negotiating leverage with other chip suppliers, the sources said.

AI

DeepMind Chief Dismisses DeepSeek's AI Breakthrough as 'Known Techniques' (cnbc.com) 30

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis downplayed the technological significance of DeepSeek's latest AI model, despite its market impact. "Despite the hype, there's no actual new scientific advance there. It's using known techniques," Hassabis said on Sunday. "Actually many of the techniques we invented at Google and at DeepMind."

Hassabis acknowledged that Deepseek's AI model "is probably the best work" out of China, but its capabilities, he said, is "exaggerated a little bit."DeepSeek's launch last month triggered a $1 trillion U.S. market sell-off.
Transportation

Skydiver Hooks Plane in Mid-Air, Gets Towed Up For Another Skydive (newatlas.com) 21

"Can you skydive continuously without landing...?" asks Red Bull. Imagine jumping out of a helicopter, "only to latch onto a speeding plane in mid-air and soar back up into the sky." Harnessing the plane's momentum, [skydiver Max Manow] soared out of the canyon, embarking on what he calls his "endless skydive", a manoeuvre that potentially could be done continuously without him ever needing to land...

After exiting a helicopter, he manoeuvred his wingsuit to close the gap with a nosediving Cessna 182, piloted by Luke Aikins. Precision was key: Manow attached himself to a hook on the aircraft as the plane descended, allowing him to ascend back to a safe altitude of 2,500 feet before releasing into another freefall... Manow spent five months training, including sessions in a Stockholm wind tunnel, to master the techniques needed for mid-air connection. Meanwhile, Aikins modified his aircraft to ensure the feat was safe and repeatable.

Skydiver Max Manow's goal was to develop a manoeuvre that could potentially be repeated an infinite number of times without ever having to land. Manow's mid-air manoeuvre opens the door to a new vision of skydiving, where athletes could remain airborne without ever needing to land. Reflecting on the experience, Manow said: "Who knows where this will take the future of the sport?"

"If that wasn't enough adrenaline for you," writes New Atlas, "a previous bonkers wingsuit stunt from 2017 is equally jaw dropping, in which a pair of skydivers BASE-jumped off a mountain summit, and entered a passing airplane."

Slashdot Top Deals