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US bans use of China's DeepSeek AI tools by government agencies
Use of tools'may result in the transfer of sensitive data' to China, defense department says The US government on Monday ordered its agencies to stop using artificial intelligence (AI) tools from the Chinese startup DeepSeek, as the countries race for dominance in the fast-moving sector. A notice from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the ban on products developed by DeepSeek - and tools created using DeepSeek by third parties - saying they must be removed from IT devices. The DHS can issue direction to civilian agencies but not the military or intelligence services. The US defense department did not respond to an AFP request for comment. "DeepSeek's models present multiple threat vectors," said a document attached to Monday's notice.
'These risks are real': the threat of AI bioweapons โ podcast
'These risks are real': the threat of AI bioweapons - podcast In his annual speech on threats to the nation, Sir Ken McCallum, the head of the UK's intelligence service, MI5, warned that AI had the potential to'change the stakes' on existing and even new bioweapons. To find out why, and how, Ian Sample speaks to Dr Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
'Like being in a vortex': US report details extent of 'devastating' dating-app scams
Hassan said there was'still more that Match needs to do'. Hassan said there was'still more that Match needs to do'. Mary met a man on the dating app Plenty of Fish in 2024. She told the Guardian she had been looking for a connection, but instead became the victim of a romance scam that cost her almost $100,000. "There was a lot of conversation, and then it started with the constant contact, pressure and repeated asks for money," Mary, who asked that her last name be withheld, said in an interview on Tuesday.
Fixated on AI, the world has forgotten what is staring it in the face: nuclear annihilation Simon Tisdall
This is no scoffing matter. The accelerating proliferation of advanced nuclear weapons is bringing'end times' closer by the day H umankind has fearfully and sometimes joyfully anticipated the end of the world ever since it began. The Bible's Book of Revelation speaks of "end times", a period of tribulation, war, famine, plague, floods and environmental catastrophe that may seem a less absurd prospect today than perhaps it once did. Christian evangelicals believe that, in the final rapture, a chosen few - the righteous or the "elect" - will be saved while sinners burn. Matthew's gospel predicts most people will defy, ignore or ridicule warnings of imminent Armageddon.
Nuclear war and malicious use of AI threaten end of humanity by 2100, says Lancet assessment
Newly established commission identifies 17 catastrophic threats to human health but says'realistic route to act' on each exists Humans could become extinct by the year 2100 due to malicious use of AI or nuclear conflict, according to a new global risk assessment. They top a list of 17 major threats to human health over the next 75 years, which also includes cuts to aid spending by wealthy countries, the climate crisis and childhood malnutrition. The experts behind The Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Threats to Health said all the threats interact, meaning they must be addressed together - but stressed that there was "a realistic route to act" on each. "Decisions made by leaders today will shape the health and wellbeing of the next generation," said Prof Christopher Murray, commission co-chair and the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington. To create its list, the commission modelled how many years in good health might be lost due to sickness, disability or early deaths due to each threat, based on current trajectories - a measure known as disability-adjusted life years (Dalys).
Making scents: could AI help perfumers take pressure off endangered plants?
Scientists say the fragrance industry will soon be able to reproduce scents and compounds from endangered plants without repeatedly harvesting them. Scientists say the fragrance industry will soon be able to reproduce scents and compounds from endangered plants without repeatedly harvesting them. Making scents: could AI help perfumers take pressure off endangered plants? M any of the world's most expensive perfumes begin with a wounded tree. When some trees are damaged, they produce a dark, fragrant resin that becomes agarwood, or oudh - an ingredient so valuable that wild trees have been illegally felled in its pursuit.
Trump names intelligence chief Jay Clayton as new White House AI czar
Calyton said AI was a'gamechanger' but it also posed'a threat' during his DNI Senate confirmation hearing Donald Trump on Sunday named Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, to serve also as the new White House AI czar. Clayton, who leads the US's 18 intelligence agencies, previously served as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan and led the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Clayton said AI was a "gamechanger", but it also posed "a threat". "When something's both an opportunity and a threat, you better get your arms around it," Clayton told lawmakers when asked about AI. CBS News was the first to report that Clayton would be appointed White House AI czar.
Georgia holds emergency meeting on AI exposing voters' secret ballots
Voting machines fill the floor for early voting at State Farm arena in Atlanta on 12 October 2020. Voting machines fill the floor for early voting at State Farm arena in Atlanta on 12 October 2020. Georgia holds emergency meeting on AI exposing voters' secret ballots When voters cast their ballots, their votes are supposed to remain secret: from their family, their neighbors, and the government. But what if artificial intelligence could make secret votes visible? Last month, Max Springer, a postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy, tested the prospect of identifying voters based on their Georgia ballots with a $20 subscription to an AI large language model and data obtained from an Open Records Act request.
US arrests California man for allegedly smuggling 300m worth of computer servers to China
Officials say Lui used his company to buy and send items to China without the licenses required by the Department of Commerce. Officials say Lui used his company to buy and send items to China without the licenses required by the Department of Commerce. US authorities have arrested a man accused of smuggling more than $300m worth of computer servers to China, the Department of Justice announced. Greg Lui, 38, of California, also known as "Yiu Kong Lui", allegedly used false paperwork and shipments through third countries to smuggle the export-controlled computer servers to China, the justice department said in a statement on Thursday. The servers contained "US-manufactured graphics processing units (GPUs) commonly used for Super Intelligence (SI)", it added, using the Trump administration's new name for artificial intelligence (AI).
California issues investigative subpoena to OpenAI over rogue agents' hacking
Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, gestures as he speaks at a press conference in Los Angeles, California, on 21 September 2026. Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, gestures as he speaks at a press conference in Los Angeles, California, on 21 September 2026. California's attorney general has issued an investigative subpoena to OpenAI, starting an investigation into the startup as part of a broader inquiry into potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents related to its AI models, his office said on Thursday. Last month, Rob Bonta announced that the Department of Justice was conducting a formal investigation into the "Hugging Face incident", amid increasing scrutiny of the AI industry. AI agents developed by OpenAI hacked Hugging Face in July, gaining access to parts of the open-source platform's infrastructure.