The US has ordered all artificial intelligence (AI) technology from the Chinese firm DeepSeek to be removed from most government systems. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has banned all use of DeepSeek within civilian government agencies, and any technology built with the aid of its AI models. As a powerful AI model that is open source - meaning it is free to access and less expensive to use - DeepSeek has been seen as a disruptive force in the ongoing AI technology race. While the DHS notice did not detail the exact security concerns surrounding DeepSeek, the White House has this year criticised AI firms from China. The DHS, DeepSeek, and the Chinese embassy in Washington DC have been contacted for comment.

"I think I have good news about the nature of neural networks." With those simple words of optimism, Nick Cammarata, a researcher at the AI startup Goodfire, kicked off a 26,000-word blog post that has knocked the AI world on its head, sparking wild speculation as well as cautious (and not-so-cautious) celebration. Cammarata's claim is that LLMs might in fact be far easier to understand--and thus to monitor and control--than people previously thought. If true (and we'll come back to that), it's a huge deal. After a summer filled with revelations that swarms of agents built by top firms like OpenAI and Anthropic have been breaking their containment and causing havoc on the public internet--often while those companies weren't aware of what their agents were up to--the AI industry is desperate to get a better handle on the technology it has built.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a sweeping restriction to remove DeepSeek use across all federal civilian agencies and their IT systems. In a notice published with the Federal Register, DHS characterized the risks of DeepSeek use as potentially resulting in the "transfer of sensitive data" of US government employees and vendors to the Chinese government. Following the order, civilian agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency or Federal Communications Commission would have to exclude any DeepSeek products from being used, while also removing any existing related products. DHS said in the notice that DeepSeek's models could "contain malware or other security vulnerabilities." DHS' order comes on the heels of DeepSeek releasing its latest model, V4.1-Flash-1017, which the company called "smarter, faster, more efficient."

A Saudi national charged with secretly planting a recording device in one of OpenAI's meeting rooms has been accused of having considerable support from the Saudi government, according to a court filing, external in California. US prosecutors claimed Abdulrahman Alfozan, who worked for the AI firm, was in frequent communication... with a member of the Saudi royal family, and say a member of the country's military paid for a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for his wife and son after his arrest. It was argued the 35-year-old engineer therefore posed a flight risk and should be detained, pending trial. The Saudi government did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment. Alfozan had worked at OpenAI for around a year before he allegedly made his attempt to plant an audio recorder.

A former OpenAI engineer accused of planting a listening device at the AI company was communicating with Saudi royal family members before his FBI arrest, prosecutors say.

Inside the quest to combat Arctic fires and save the planet's frozen carbon In July 2021, a wildfire burned through a forest on the University of Alaska, Fairbanks campus, stripping away the moss and organic-rich soil insulating the permafrost below. Five years later, I followed researchers into the forest to investigate how fighting fires could help keep that carbon locked in the ground. A simple metal probe revealed how much deeper the ground had thawed. This rudimentary tool offered a glimpse of an escalating problem: As climate change fuels more frequent and severe fires, they're accelerating permafrost thaw and releasing greenhouse gases. Now, researchers are exploring how to break that cycle. But how much should we spend, and what risks are worth taking?

The Dell Laptop Buying Guide UK: Which Dell Laptop Should You Buy? When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I'm not worried yet about Anthropic's predictions of AI-driven botnets, formed by taking over our smart home appliances. You probably don't give much thought to the smart functionality of ovens, washers, TV boxes. But Anthropic has--and it believes such IoT devices are ripe for AI exploitation.

Google's Deepmind "AlphaGo" AI is famous for winning at Go, but the company's latest Gemini AI just mastered a far more complex game. Four Gemini 4 Argon agents beat Minecraft's final "Ender Dragon" foe with no human intervention by working individually while sharing tips, threats and mistakes, Google researchers revealed in a new paper. The experiment shows how general agentic AI models can now beat complex games, a feat that used to required custom AI software. To tackle Minecraft, the Gemini 4 team set four AI agents into a sandboxed, randomized Minecraft survival world with a goal to defeat the Ender Dragon. No roles, strategies or game-specific tools were assigned.

What do AI agents do if you don't tell them to do anything? The answer looks a lot like play. Researchers repeatedly stranded them alone on a virtual desert island for 30 hours in an experiment reminiscent of the movies or . The agents--copies of Claude Opus 4.7 nicknamed Eko--were able to write instructions that moved their virtual avatars around the simulated island, which was loosely based on the video game Roblox.

College football chaos: Historic upsets, Arch Manning's fiasco, clock controversy and CFP ramifications arise Hostile Valkyries fans verbally attacked women's sports activists at WNBA Finals Game 1 in San Francisco Could injured Giants star Jaxson Dart return for the playoffs? Joel Embiid rejects idea 76ers stars must'take a back seat' as NBA regular season looms Steve Sarkisian vows to'evaluate everything,' won't rule out benching Arch Manning amid Texas' two-game skid Freshman Tommy Carr's second-half magic leads Michigan to must-have win over Penn State Ole Miss defense takes charge, shuts down Missouri's high-powered rushing attack in 31-3 win Ohio State shatters Indiana's 22-game winning streak, but questions linger about Julian Sayin's health Ex-wrestler Pac's sudden death cause revealed by Cook County Medical Examiner's Office Eagles' Jalen Hurts placed on injured reserve after superficial blood clot found in his calf area Pro-Palestinian, communist mobs in France are making an'anarchic effort,' expert warns Kaylee McGhee White: Voting for Democrats is voting for a'progressive grievance hamster wheel' Kaylee McGhee White: Dems don't even know what they're supposed to be mad about Lara Trump: With super intelligence, there's information everywhere you turn Benjamin Netanyahu: What genocidal country sends food to its enemy? Benjamin Netanyahu: The Iranian people have been taken captive by'ideological thugs' Netanyahu: Let's forge a different future for the Middle East Rep Andy Barr: If it taxes like a socialist, it's a socialist Jack Smith's actions were unjustified for his mandate, Gregg Jarrett says'Border czar' Tom Homan touts major ICE arrest surge Mike Rogers calls Michigan'last line of defense' against socialism OutKick Human vs. ChatGPT NFL Week 6 betting picks: AI goes all-in on totals after another weekly win Four underdogs headline the human card as ChatGPT seeks a third straight win over the human with five totals bets. Giants upset Saints, Colts favorites, Will the Bears dominate on Parkins' Week 6 Picks? Danny Parkins makes his Week 6 picks, including the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears. Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes join to discuss the Denver Broncos beating the Seattle Seahawks in ugly fashion. OK, this is getting annoying.