Oceania
Data Valuation for LLM Fine-Tuning: Efficient Shapley Value Approximation via Language Model Arithmetic
Tamine, Mélissa, Sakhi, Otmane, Heymann, Benjamin
Data is a critical asset for training large language models (LLMs), alongside compute resources and skilled workers. While some training data is publicly available, substantial investment is required to generate proprietary datasets, such as human preference annotations or to curate new ones from existing sources. As larger datasets generally yield better model performance, two natural questions arise. First, how can data owners make informed decisions about curation strategies and data sources investment? Second, how can multiple data owners collaboratively pool their resources to train superior models while fairly distributing the benefits? This problem, data valuation, which is not specific to large language models, has been addressed by the machine learning community through the lens of cooperative game theory, with the Shapley value being the prevalent solution concept. However, computing Shapley values is notoriously expensive for data valuation, typically requiring numerous model retrainings, which can become prohibitive for large machine learning models. In this work, we demonstrate that this computational challenge is dramatically simplified for LLMs trained with Direct Preference Optimization (DPO). We show how the specific mathematical structure of DPO enables scalable Shapley value computation. We believe this observation unlocks many applications at the intersection of data valuation and large language models.
Sutton's predictions v Zambian rapper Sampa the Great
Aston Villa have won nine games in a row in all competitions, but can they reach double figures by beating Manchester United on Sunday? Villa have gone behind in three of those games and haven't kept a clean sheet in their past four matches, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton. But they have been so attacking and Morgan Rogers is absolutely flying. They just never seem to lie down. Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests. For week 17, he takes on Zambian musician and rapper Sampa the Great. Sampa the Great's new single, Can't Hold Us, is out now and is included in the EAFC 26 video game. Do you agree with their scores?
UK to ban deepfake AI 'nudification' apps
The UK government says it will ban so-called nudification apps as part of efforts to tackle misogyny online. New laws - announced on Thursday as part of a wider strategy to halve violence against women and girls - will make it illegal to create and supply AI tools letting users edit images to seemingly remove someone's clothing. The new offences would build on existing rules around sexually explicit deepfakes and intimate image abuse, the government said. Women and girls deserve to be safe online as well as offline, said Technology Secretary Liz Kendall. We will not stand by while technology is weaponised to abuse, humiliate and exploit them through the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes.
Tokyo couple die in sauna fire after being trapped inside
A husband and wife have died after being trapped in a private sauna room that caught fire in Japan on Monday. Tokyo police are investigating whether a faulty doorknob trapped the couple inside the room at Sauna Tiger, in the city's Akasaka district, local media has reported. Investigators also found that the facility's emergency alarm system was switched off, and allegedly had been for two years. We offer our deepest condolences... and our heartfelt sympathies for the deep grief and pain that cannot be expressed in words, Sauna Tiger said in a statement on its website. The victims have been named by local media as Yoko Matsuda, a 37-year-old nail artist, and her husband Masanari, 36, who ran a beauty salon.
UK actors vote to refuse to be digitally scanned in pushback against AI
Thu 18 Dec 2025 09.44 ESTFirst published on Thu 18 Dec 2025 09.15 EST Actors have voted to refuse digital scanning to prevent their likeness being used by artificial intelligence in a pushback against AI in the arts. Members of the performing arts union Equity were asked if they would refuse to be scanned while on set, a common practice in which actorsâ likeness is captured for future use â with 99% voting in favour of the move. The general secretary, Paul Fleming, said: â Artificial intelligence is a generation-defining challenge. And for the first time in a generation, Equityâ s film and TV members have shown that they are willing to take industrial action. Over three-quarters of artists working on them are union members.
During WWII, a dress-wearing squirrel sold war bonds alongside FDR
US bomber crews even carried photos of Tommy Tucker on missions. Tommy Tucker did radio spots, had a fan club, and even posed for LIFE magazine. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. A few months after the attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II, a little girl was walking to school in northwest Washington, D.C. when she found a baby squirrel that had apparently fallen out of a hickory tree. She took the tiny rodent home, fed him warm milk, and made him a cozy bed in a red woolen hat.
2025 AAAI / ACM SIGAI Doctoral Consortium interviews compilation
Authors pictured in order of their interview publication date (left to right, top to bottom). Each year, a small group of PhD students are chosen to participate in the AAAI/SIGAI Doctoral Consortium . This initiative provides an opportunity for the students to discuss and explore their research interests and career objectives in an interdisciplinary workshop together with a panel of established researchers. During 2025, we met with some of the students to find out more about their research and the doctoral consortium experience. Kunpeng Xu completed his PhD at the Université de Sherbrooke and is now a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University.
George Osborne has a new job in tech, and it doesn't bode well for Britain Chris Stokel-Walker
George Osborne has a new job in tech, and it doesn't bode well for Britain OpenAI is the latest to make a political hire as big tech spreads its tentacles around the world. Since leaving frontline politics, the former chancellor has served as the chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, edited (not entirely successfully) the Evening Standard, advised asset manager BlackRock, joined boutique advisory firm Robey Warshaw, been appointed as the chair of the British Museum and taken on roles including advising crypto firm Coinbase . But Osborne's latest job is the most eye-opening - and is an alarming augur of what is to come. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has become the latest organisation to employ Osborne . He will run OpenAI for Countries, a unit tasked with working directly with governments while expanding the company's Stargate datacentre programme beyond the US.
The major UK city that will get driverless trains in 2026
Inside the former US embassy that's now one of the world's top luxury hotels - with 8 bars and restaurants and suites to book for £26,100 The world's most expensive cities for days out revealed, with London in the top 15 Going beyond the guidebook: Here are 10 must-try cultural and wildlife experiences in Australia's'Garden State' Fairy-tale villages, castle tours and dinner at Austria's oldest winery: These enchanting river cruises will take you to the heart of each picturesque port of call you visit Revealed: The world's best new luxury hotel is in the UK - and it has a huge pool and rooftop bar Travel expert reveals the'science-backed tool' to help overcome fear of flying Eurostar's'snow train' set to return this week for winter Could YOU pass France's new'civic examination' needed to live in the country? Try these sample questions and find out... Airline finds'lost' Boeing 737 a decade after it vanished'If you don't enjoy Benidorm, you've only got yourself to blame': Meet the British couple who have been to the Spanish hotspot more than 100 TIMES The'dangerous' destinations that are actually not scary - and why you should holiday there next Brit who moved to the world's most desirable place to live reveals the soaring unexpected costs of relocating A major UK city is set to get driverless trains next year as part of its rail modernisation project. In 2023, new trains were launched in Glasgow as part of the full-scale upgrade to improve the city's subway after more than 30 years. The renovations have continued and now, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has announced Unattended Train Operation will be introduced to Glasgow. The modernisation project is in its'final stages,' Time Out reports, and the driverless subway trains are expected to be brought in next year.
AI boom has caused same CO2 emissions in 2025 as New York City, report claims
The AI boom has caused as much carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere in 2025 as emitted by the whole of New York City, it has been claimed. The global environmental impact of the rapidly spreading technology has been estimated in research published on Wednesday, which also found that AI-related water use now exceeds the entirety of global bottled-water demand. The figures have been compiled by the Dutch academic Alex de Vries-Gao, the founder of Digiconomist, a company that researches the unintended consequences of digital trends. He claimed they were the first attempt to measure the specific effect of artificial intelligence rather than datacentres in general as the use of chatbots such as OpenAIâ s ChatGPT and Googleâ s Gemini soared in 2025. The figures show the estimated greenhouse gas emissions from AI use are also now equivalent to more than 8% of global aviation emissions.