Current AI advances largely rely on scaling neural models and expanding training datasets to achieve generalization and robustness.

We study the problem of computing the exact median by leveraging side information to minimize costly, exact comparisons. We analyze this problem in two key settings: (1) using predictions from unreliable "weak" oracles, and (2) exploiting known structural information in the form of a partial order. In the classical setting, we introduce a modified LazySelect algorithm that combines weak comparisons with occasional strong comparisons through majority voting. We show that this hybrid strategy has near-linear running time and can achieve high-probability correctness using only sublinear strong comparisons, even when the weak oracle is only slightly better than random guessing. Our theoretical results hold under the persistent comparison model, where resampling will not amplify the probability of correctness. In the partially ordered setting, we generalize the notion of median to directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and show that the complexity of median selection depends heavily on the DAG's width. We complement our analysis with extensive experiments on synthetic data.

The Download: the first brain implant power user and South Korea's AI obsession Plus: The US says it restricted Anthropic AI over foreign intelligence risks. This man with ALS is the first "power user" of a brain implant that lets him speak Casey Harrell has had a set of electrodes embedded in his brain for almost three years. Harrell, who has ALS and is paralyzed, first used his brain-computer interface (BCI) to "speak" in 2023. Since then, he's clocked thousands of hours of use. Harrell can now use the device largely independently. His team has added new features to it, and he also uses it to surf the web and perform his job.

Why do South Koreans love AI so much? From eldercare robots to humanoid monks, South Koreans just can't get enough of AI. When I landed in Seoul after a grueling 12-hour flight from San Francisco, I walked through an unmanned immigration checkpoint, where a machine scanned my face and passport. On the subway home, people were glued to their phones (powered by flawless 5G even underground), as we raced past platforms lined with LED screens of ads celebrating K-pop idols ' birthdays. When I got off the station in Gangnam, a cartoon-eyed robot on wheels was waiting patiently at a crosswalk to deliver someone's dinner. Internet cafés dotted the sidewalks, crammed with teenagers playing computer games, maybe hoping to become the next legendary pro gamer .

Bang Chun-ja, a 78-year-old South Korean woman living alone, holding Hyodol, an artificial intelligence-powered healthcare doll designed for the elderly, during an interview at her home in Yongin in April. Yongin, South Korea - In her tiny apartment in South Korea where she lives alone, 78-year-old Bang Chun-ja spends her days with a childlike artificial intelligence-powered doll she says she prefers to people. The doll greets Bang when she returns home, sings to her when she feels bored, reminds her not to skip meals or medication -- helping her maintain a routine -- and tells her it loves her. Bang has limited contact with her grown-up daughter, and fell into severe depression after major back surgery, spending hours alone staring at the ceiling in pain. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

North Korea will'never' get nuclear recognition, EU and South Korea say European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung next to European Council President Antonio Costa on the day of an EU-South Korea summit in Brussels on Wednesday. South Korea and the European Union have said that North Korea will "never" be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state, reaffirming their commitment to denuclearization days after China and North Korea pledged closer ties at a summit that made no public mention of the issue. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on Wednesday in Brussels, where they agreed to step up defense ties, including efforts to facilitate the exchange of classified information. "The DPRK will never be accepted as a nuclear-weapon state," the EU and South Korea said in a joint statement, referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is placing his hopes on former Naver Chief Executive Han Seong Sook to help better use the nation's tech expertise for future growth and ensure its benefits spread more widely through the economy. Han will become the country's second female premier, assuming her appointment is approved by the national assembly, elevating a former technology executive to one of the nation's highest political posts. The tapping of Han underscores Lee's commitment to shoring up future growth of the domestic economy and the need to leverage a wider range of industries. During her five years at the helm of Naver, a company sometimes called the Google of Korea, Han helped broaden its revenue streams beyond its search engine model to also draw on e-commerce, fintech and content generation. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

After decades risking arrest, South Korea's tattoo artists step into the limelight When Kim Tae-nam took the stage last Saturday in Seoul, it was a moment he had long been waiting for - the career he had chosen was no longer illegal. He couldn't stop smiling, the relief spilling into his voice: This was only possible because of our effort, all your sweat and tears. Let's hear it from everyone: Tattoos are art! They had gathered on a rooftop in Seongsu, a hip Seoul neighbourhood, for Ink Bomb: more than 90 local tattooists and artists openly celebrating body art, which had thrived in the shadows for decades. Just days before, South Korea's top court had overturned its 1992 ruling that defined tattooing as a medical act - bringing to an end Korean tattooists' decades-long fight for legitimacy.

The next Call of Duty game has been revealed, with much of the reaction focused on its campaign set around a fictional renewed conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Modern Warfare 4, due out 23 October, partly follows South Korean soldiers battling a full-scale North Korean invasion. Dr Sarah Son, Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sheffield, said the move could be controversial as it turns still-unresolved war into entertainment. Some Koreans reacted more positively, with one calling Korea's inclusion in one of gaming's biggest franchises a symbolic moment . Developer Infinity Ward said the game will be grounded in the military authenticity Modern Warfare is known for.

Rescuers in Laos have found five villagers alive inside a flooded cave after they were trapped for a week following heavy rain and landslides. Two people are still missing, rescue teams said. Footage shared by the rescuers showed cave divers crawling through narrow, muddy passageways. The seven people were part of a group of villagers who had gone into the cave in search of gold deposits and wildlife, but could not get out as the cave's entrance was blocked. Could a football match soften North Korea-South Korea relations?