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#ICML2026 social media round-up
The forty-third International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) took place in Seoul, South Korea from 6-11 July. We take a look at what the participants got up to during the event. The PC Chairs are presenting the welcome remarks. One of the best conference dinners I've ever had. Try TimeChat-Captioner (at #ICML2026) -- a videoLLM that generates dense, time-aware captions for long videos.
Australia 'deeply frustrated' over Laos methanol poisoning charges
Australia'deeply frustrated' over Laos methanol poisoning charges The Australian government has said it is deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed that Laos is not pursuing more serious charges in relation to the deaths of six backpackers who died after drinking methanol-laced alcohol in 2024. Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were among six people who died at a hostel in Vang Vieng in November 2024. The statement comes after reports in Australian media that Laos would press charges that collectively carry penalties of up to one year in jail and a fine of A$1600 ($1100; £829) against those allegedly responsible. Australian Foreign Ministry Penny Wong said they have summoned Laos' ambassador to Canberra. Laos has yet to confirm any charges but the BBC understands authorities there will hold a press conference later on Friday.
Why Apple Sued OpenAI, New York Takes on Data Centers, and What to Know about Cyclosporiasis
On today's, we unpack OpenAI's ongoing drama, both legal and reputational, and whether these developments could further hurt the company--particularly in its fight against Anthropic. This week on, the team discusses the details behind Apple suing OpenAI over alleged stolen hardware secrets. And the company's headaches don't stop there--a group of OpenAI employees just started a super PAC to advocate for stronger AI guardrails. Plus, New York's first-in-the-nation data center moratorium draws Donald Trump's ire, DOGE stonewalls FOIA requests on its AI use at HUD, and WIRED's Emily Mullin explains the cyclosporiasis outbreak spreading across more than 30 states. DOGE Used AI for Housing Policy. The Government Won't Say How Write to us at [email protected] . You can always listen to this week's podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here's how: If you're on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link . Last Friday, Apple sued the company basically alleging that OpenAI has been stealing confidential hardware secrets. And now this week, WIRED learned that some OpenAI employees are launching a super PAC to push for AI guardrails. We'll get into all those details and whether these developments could further hurt OpenAI, particularly in its fight against Anthropic. We'll dive into what that means exactly and whether this move could pave the way for other states to follow suit. And we're going to check in on the disease sweeping the nation, cyclosporiasis, which is causing turbo diarrhea across the country . So basically what happened was last Friday, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI for allegedly stealing information like unreleased iPhone parts and prototypes, confidential designs, documents about secret projects. That accusation sucks for OpenAI. It's pretty intense, but it gets really messy because Apple is basically saying that this theft, this alleged theft, mostly happened through former employees.
Earthquake rocks Yellowstone National Park near supervolcano feared to be overdue for eruption
The detail everyone missed in this photo of Kate and William... and what it reveals about state of their relationship. The US Geological Survey detected a magnitude 3.3 quake at 9.20am ET Thursday morning right along the Yellowstone River inside the Wyoming park. The minor quake's epicenter was recorded just seven miles from the Yellowstone caldera, the bowl-shaped volcanic depression within the famous national park. Last year, scientists discovered tens of thousands of previously unrecorded earthquakes which could be hinting that Yellowstone's supervolcano is building up to an eruption. An international research team used AI to listen to 15 years of Yellowstone recordings and discovered 86,000 tiny earthquakes that human experts had missed.
Future of warfare? Creepy drone spins so fast it disappears before your eyes - and could be used to sneak up on the enemy
Hospital staff swapped two babies at birth who were then raised by unsuspecting families... until DNA test 36 years on exposed the scandal, lawsuit alleges Warning to millions as lung-penetrating toxins sweep across 14 US states... with Detroit's air ranked the worst on Earth The detail everyone missed in this photo of Kate and William... and what it reveals about state of their relationship. Scientists at Northwestern University have designed a drone that spins so fast it disappears before your eyes. Called the'Phantom Twist', the drone spins up to 25 times every second, which is too fast for the human eye to see. While it isn't completely invisible, the drone is about 10 times less visible than a conventional quadcopter. Its developers describe its appearance as a'ghostly smudge', claiming it blends'seamlessly into the background'.
Meet the REAL Pirates of the Caribbean: Incredible reconstruction reveals the infamous 'Piratetown' of Nassau in its heyday - as well as the buccaneers who lived there
Using archaeological evidence, historical records and cutting-edge 3D technology, experts have created the first scientifically accurate reconstruction of Nassau during the Golden Age of Piracy. The digital model strips away centuries of Hollywood myth to reveal what the notorious pirate stronghold actually looked like in the early 1700s. Far from a bustling colonial city lined with grand stone buildings, Nassau was little more than a ramshackle settlement of wooden huts, pirate camps and crumbling ruins. The reconstruction also revives some of history's most infamous buccaneers, including Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack Rackham and Benjamin Hornigold, using AI based on historical engravings and contemporary descriptions. The recreations will feature in the finale of Wreckwatch TV's series about the real pirates of the Caribbean, Mystery of the Pirate King's Treasure.
Saharan dust is at an all-time high over Britain - increasing the risk 'blood rain', study warns
A new study has warned that Saharan dust has driven up pollution in the UK by 50 per cent over the last decade. Scientists from the Paul Scherrer Institute used AI to analyse the desert dust in the air over Europe. The results showed that dust concentrations have increased consistently across much of the continent between 2012 and 2021. Here in the UK, concentrations increased by at least 50 per cent over this time period. This dust travels to the UK all the way from the Sahara, and can have wide-reaching consequences.
AI for science – talk recordings now available to watch
On the 31st March, our editorial team headed to the Royal Society for AI for Science . This day-long conference explored how AI is changing the nature of scientific discovery, and was hosted by the Alan Turing Institute. The recordings from the event are now available on YouTube and are well worth a watch. You can read Ella Scallan's blog post about the day here . Lucy Smith is Senior Managing Editor for AIhub.
Botticelli's Venus may have died after rape caused brain rupture, scientists discover
Anguished family of teenager murdered at New Year's Eve party in 1982 reveal killer's final act of cruelty as he takes crucial detail to the grave after being executed in Florida Trump outlines plan to destroy Iran's power plants and bridges next week as he warns bombing will continue until he says'enough' DR PHIL: I've reviewed hundreds of secret government UFO videos and files that have been actively hidden from the public... what I can now reveal about non-human life and this psyop cover-up could spark a national crisis Heiress' $2m Aspen wedding was'horrific nightmare' that sparked the mother of all lawsuits before a bombshell divorce... Now she'll try again with new hunk Truth about Alix Earle's revolving door of famous men: Friends insist it's just a'hot girl summer' of one-time flings... but now insiders blow lid on her desperate secret and jaw-dropping ulterior motive Matt Damon reveals'new phase of life' as he brings wife and rarely seen daughter, 20, to The Odyssey ...
AAAI presidential panel – factuality and trustworthiness
The Future of AI Research report, published in March 2025, aims to clearly identify the trajectory of AI research in a structured way. The report was led by outgoing AAAI President Francesca Rossi and covers 17 different AI topics . Members of the report team, and other selected AI practitioners, are taking part in a series of video panel discussions covering selected chapters from the report. In the sixth discussion in the collection, the three panellists tackle factuality and trustworthiness. Understanding factuality: why preventing false outputs from large language models remains AI's toughest problem Lucy Smith is Senior Managing Editor for AIhub.