Asia
Trump's embrace of AI data centers adds to GOP's midterm peril
Trump's embrace of AI data centers adds to GOP's midterm peril U.S. President Donald Trump's fervent support for artificial intelligence data centers has put him at odds with voters who increasingly oppose them and comes despite direct warnings that his stance threatens to deepen Republicans' peril in the November midterm elections. Over the past few months, political strategists have warned administration officials they were in danger of losing the public opinion war over data centers, people familiar with the matter said. Recent polling has shown around 7 in 10 Americans don't want the facilities built near them, and Democratic candidates have sought to outflank their GOP opponents by tying rapid growth in AI infrastructure to voter concerns about the cost of living. Trump has frequently boasted of American AI prowess and asserted that speedy development of the technology is essential to "beat China." Yet administration officials were advised that the president needed to focus more on AI's benefits, including for voters whose jobs might be at risk, said the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Putin Pauses Strikes on Kyiv as Trump Envoys Visit Russia and Ukraine
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OpenAI agents hijacked German website in previously undisclosed AI breakout this spring
AI researchers Cormac Slade Byrd (left), Sydney Von Arx (center) and Thomas Larsen in pose Berkeley, California. SAN FRANCISCO - 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 episode, which began in May and has not previously been reported, underscores growing tension within the AI industry. Companies are racing to build increasingly autonomous agents capable of carrying out complex, valuable tasks, yet evidence is mounting that those systems may also learn to bend rules, exploit loopholes and coordinate with one another in ways developers neither anticipated nor intended.
Families of missing Ecuadorian fishermen allege US involvement
The families of eight Ecuadorian fishermen who vanished at sea after reporting US surveillance are demanding answers. They believe the men could be victims of a US drone strike or detention. UN approves new map showing Africa's true size Did Israel's destruction of Gaza worsen its water crisis? Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy children's murder case
Anthropic IPO launch shifts toward mid-October
Artificial intelligence company Anthropic is expected to begin marketing its initial public offering in mid-October, at the earliest. The firm had been expected to make its IPO prospectus public as early as next week. Anthropic is expected to begin marketing its initial public offering in mid-October at the earliest and complete the listing days before the U.S. midterm elections in November, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The artificial intelligence company had been expected to make its IPO prospectus public as early as next week, two of the people said, a crucial step that would kick off the final stages of the offering. Now that is not expected until late September, the people added, cautioning that the plans, including the timing, are subject to change.
U.S. and China gear up for mid-September AI safety talks
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a news conference, as finance ministers and central bank governors from Group of 20 countries meet in Asheville, North Carolina, on Tuesday. Beijing - The U.S. and China are gearing up to discuss AI safety risks during a dialogue planned for mid-September, two sources briefed on the discussions said, as rapidly advancing frontier AI capabilities reach a global tipping point. The talks, the first official bilateral discussions devoted exclusively to AI between the U.S. and China since U.S. President Donald Trump took office for a second time, will be led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the U.S. side, the sources, who were briefed on the planning, said on condition of anonymity. A White House official said "there is currently no planned AI-related meeting in mid-September." Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are due to meet on Sept. 24 during a summit in Washington.