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The Download: Claude's inner workings and OpenAI's "super app"

MIT Technology Review

Plus: OpenAI has unveiled its long-awaited super app. The AI firm Anthropic has got the clearest glimpse yet at what's really going on inside large language models as they answer questions or carry out tasks. What they found ranges from the mundane to the unnerving. Researchers at the company built a tool called the Jacobian lens (or J-lens) and used it to uncover a hidden area, which they named the J-space, inside its flagship LLM, Claude. The J-space contains words related to the response a model is working on but may not ultimately produce. If Claude were a person (which it is not), you might say these hidden words reveal what's on its mind before it actually speaks.


The Download: a nuclear landmark, and China eyes Nvidia chips

MIT Technology Review

Plus: NATO is building a network to stop Russian attackers in their tracks. I was really looking forward to July 4, and not just because I love a poolside barbecue. This year the American holiday also marked a big symbolic deadline for US nuclear power. Last year the Trump administration set a goal to see three new microreactors achieve criticality, a technical milestone establishing that a reactor can sustain a chain reaction, by the nation's 250th birthday. And just in time, not just three, but four reactors did so. But achieving criticality doesn't mean a reactor is ready to provide electricity for the grid (or at all, for that matter).


The Download: your stake in OpenAI, and the Treasury's AI warning

MIT Technology Review

Plus: Samsung profits have jumped 1,800% on booming AI chip sales. Sam Altman's proposal that Americans should share in the wealth created by AI is back in the spotlight, with reports that he is discussing giving the US government a 5% stake in OpenAI. At the company's current valuation, that stake would be worth roughly $320 per American household. The idea is meant to address concerns that AI companies are benefiting from human-generated work without compensating creators, while also easing fears that AI will cause a collapse of the labor market by providing a safety net. The details, however, remain unclear. Indeed, the offer may be more powerful as a political narrative than as a policy plan.


The Download: a smoking "endgame" and a new Elizabeth Bear story

MIT Technology Review

Plus: An EU lawmaker investigating spyware was hacked by that same spyware. The UK's generational tobacco ban might not work. As the parent of two little girls, I often think about how their childhood is different from mine. The seven-year-old is learning about AI at school. The five-year-old is given internet-based homework every week. And they are both absolutely repulsed by the idea of smoking.


The Download: a startup has a solution for AI's groupthink problem

MIT Technology Review

The Download: a startup has a solution for AI's groupthink problem Plus: Scientists say they have built a cell from scratch for the first time. LLMs are stuck in a groupthink groove. This startup is trying to get them out. Open up your chatbot of choice--Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini--and type "Give me a random number between 1 and 10." You're going to get 7. Almost always. That won't work every time--but if it did for you, you may wonder if I have superpowers. The truth is that most large language models are stuck in a rut.


The Download: Anthropic launches Claude Science, and California's carbon manure math

MIT Technology Review

The Download: Anthropic launches Claude Science, and California's carbon manure math Plus: The US has lifted restrictions on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models. Claude Science is Anthropic's newest flagship product At an event for pharmaceutical executives, biotech founders, and researchers yesterday, Anthropic announced Claude Science, a major new product intended to support scientific research like Claude Code supports software engineering. Like Claude Code, Claude Science can autonomously carry out meaningful work from concise, high-level instructions, with tools for computational biology and drug development. The launch signals that Anthropic is doubling down on AI for science, and the company will also use the product in its own research into drugs for rare, neglected diseases. Discover why Anthropic is betting big on AI for scientific research . Why California's carbon manure math doesn't add up Years ago, the state set up a system that pays cattle farmers to turn the methane emitted from cattle manure into natural gas.


The Download: AI "coworkers" and stratospheric internet

MIT Technology Review

Plus: The US House has passed new youth online safety legislation. AI agents are not your "coworkers" Imagine coming in to work to learn that a new underling will report to you. The worker is not a person but an AI tool--one that your company nonetheless calls Alex, an "employee" with a title and defined responsibilities. How well do you think you would work with Alex? If you're anything like the managers studied by Boston University professor Emma Wiles, treating that AI as a coworker would lead you to do a worse job. They caught 18% fewer errors when the work was attributed to an agentic AI employee rather than a chatbot. This is an alarming glimpse of the future Silicon Valley is hurling us toward.


Can YOU spot the fake faces? Take the test to see if you can distinguish between real and AI-generated people

Daily Mail - Science & tech

The Ring star Daveigh Chase's autopsy reveals actress died from AIDS after painful health battle Clint Eastwood's son reveals shocking on-set spat with entitled Hollywood star: 'They think the world owes them' I thought my drinking was harmless until I realized I couldn't go a day without it. Then I discovered a $3 miracle pill that killed all my alcohol cravings... I'm completely cured I thought I knew the secret to great sex... then one man proved me so wrong: JANA HOCKING is mind-blown by trick that women over 40 are loving Hollywood nepo baby, 17, shows she has her father's unique style with edgy turn on red carpet... who is she? How well do you REALLY know America? Take our ultimate history quiz to find out... Stay-alert warnings issued as sharks return to one of America's busiest beaches Harry DOES want to bring Archie and Lili to the UK - but not without'proportionate protective security', team Sussex say: Duke and Duchess lay out demands after'state-funded guards turned down at 11th hour' Boy, 12, reveals how brother's quick thinking saved him from shark bite while on gorgeous Bahamas vacation Former FBI agent believes there's sinister motive behind new Nancy Guthrie ransom note... as desperation seeps in At 45 I was plagued by muscle pain, brain fog and memory loss... but it wasn't the menopause. I caught a disease while sitting on my sofa.


Stay-alert warnings issued as sharks return to one of America's busiest beaches

Daily Mail - Science & tech

NFL great Chris Johnson reveals common first symptom of paralyzing ALS that's left him unable to speak or move: 'He thought it was a pinched nerve' Why Thylane Blondeau renounced her'most beautiful girl in the world' title after struggling with childhood honour - as she prepares to take on new name after marrying French DJ Ben Attal Stay-alert warnings issued as sharks return to one of America's busiest beaches I thought my drinking was harmless until I realized I couldn't go a day without it. Then I discovered a $3 miracle pill that killed all my alcohol cravings... I'm completely cured I thought I knew the secret to great sex... then one man proved me so wrong: JANA HOCKING is mind-blown by trick that women over 40 are loving How well do you REALLY know America? Take our ultimate history quiz to find out... Prince Harry vows to'explore every option to bring Archie and Lilibet to the UK' after hitting out at'bizarre decision' to deny armed security At 45 I was plagued by muscle pain, brain fog and memory loss... but it wasn't the menopause. I caught a disease while sitting on my sofa. I escaped Europe's dying democracies and discovered the real secret to America's enduring success: AYAAN HIRSI ALI Physical therapist who killed newborn and threw her in dumpster was finally snared 17 years later thanks to COSTCO receipt... as she's given incredibly light sentence for manslaughter I feel terrible saying my husband's penis isn't big enough for me.


Ford rehires 'veteran' engineers after AI failed to match their skills and experience

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Prince Harry vows to'explore every option to bring Archie and Lilibet to the UK' after hitting out at'bizarre decision' to deny armed security Sordid marriage secrets of country star Sam Hunt: Insiders reveal wife's brutal ultimatum... as singer's strange disappearance fuels Nashville whispers At 45 I was plagued by muscle pain, brain fog and memory loss... but it wasn't the menopause. I caught a disease while sitting on my sofa. Trump's crusade to kill mail-in ballots crushed by Supreme Court in a blow to his election obsession'Most beautiful girl in the world' Thylane Blondeau is married: Model stuns as she ties the knot with French DJ Ben Attal in Paris three months after getting engaged Suffocating'mega heat dome' to engulf 35 states as forecasters issue urgent health alert Physical therapist who killed newborn and threw her in dumpster was finally snared 17 years later thanks to COSTCO receipt... as she's given incredibly light sentence for manslaughter I feel terrible saying my husband's penis isn't big enough for me. I have an idea of how to fix it - but I'm worried it will crush him: ASK JANA The signs I missed that I was sleeping next to a killer: My husband dismembered his secret girlfriend with a machete. Family of teenager last seen partying at'Sex Rock' breaks silence on'disrespectful' posts after her body was found in Kentucky lake Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen pose with ALL of their siblings in rare family photo for brother Trent's wedding World's first'pregnant man' Thomas Beatie reveals astonishing full story for the first time as his daughter turns 18... and confronts a hard truth about trans teens Burger King president reveals the unexpected menu item he won't eat: 'we can do better' Are you tired all the time, with weak erections and stubborn belly fat that won't shift?