This is a story about a classroom. The kids in the classroom are all waiting in line to get a snack from their teacher. What are the kids having for snack?

Current large language models (LLMs) and spoken language models (SLMs) begin thinking and taking actions only after the user has finished their turn. This prevents the model from interacting during the user's turn and can lead to high response latency while it waits to think. Consequently, thinking after receiving the full input is not suitable for speech-to-speech interaction, where real-time, low-latency exchange is important. We address this by noting that humans naturally "think while listening." In this paper, we propose SHANKS, a general inference framework that enables SLMs to generate unspoken chain-of-thought reasoning while listening to the user input. SHANKS streams the input speech in fixed-duration chunks and, as soon as a chunk is received, generates unspoken reasoning based on all previous speech and reasoning, while the user continues speaking. SHANKS uses this unspoken reasoning to decide whether to interrupt the user and to make tool calls to complete the task. We demonstrate that SHANKS enhances real-time user-SLM interaction in two scenarios: (1) when the user is presenting a step-by-step solution to a math problem, SHANKS can listen, reason, and interrupt when the user makes a mistake, achieving 37.1% higher interruption accuracy than a baseline that interrupts without thinking; and (2) in a tool-augmented dialogue, SHANKS can complete 56.9% of the tool calls before the user finishes their turn. Overall, SHANKS moves toward models that keep thinking throughout the conversation, not only after a turn ends. Animated illustrations of Shanks can be found at https://d223302.github.io/SHANKS/

From a daily skincare routine to Botox and face lifts, some people will do almost anything to turn back the hands of time. Now, some actors are going one step further and using a controversial technology to digitally'de-age' their appearance. In his latest film, Tom Hanks, 68, and his Forrest Gump co-star Robin Wright, 58, use AI to play the same couple at different stages in their lives. Hanks says: 'It's a great tool, because the super computing means you do not have to wait for post-production to do the purely technical visual view of it.' There has been growing concern over the use of AI in cinema, with many actors worrying that the technology will force humans out of the film industry.

The Agency

In 2012, the biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier developed a method for using RNA-guided proteins to edit specific sections of DNA. Their innovation--for which the two won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, in 2020--is known as the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system. CRISPR has since been used to alter plants (to, for instance, produce greater yields), insects (preventing them from carrying certain diseases), and people (to treat sickle-cell disease). The technology's promise can sound as if derived from science fiction: it might help us adapt to a radically different climate, or grow organs for those in need, or reprogram a cancer patient's own cells to target tumors. But there are also worries about its possible side effects, both biological and social.

CyberGuy explains how to use Name Drop to share your contact information with other iPhone users. Imagine scrolling through social media only to stumble upon a version of yourself promoting some random brand, or maybe starring in a commercial you've never seen, or perhaps even endorsing a political stance you've never taken. This eerie scenario isn't far off for Tom Hanks, who recently found his AI-generated twin making a pitch for a dental plan. With an uncanny resemblance to Hanks, this digital doppelganger was seen zealously promoting a dental plan that promises a smile as captivating as the actor's. The AI-generated Hanks seemed to have taken on the role of a dental specialist, making promises of pristine pearly whites.

Fake AI pictures and videos will be nearly impossible to discern from real images as the technology behind deepfakes advances, University of California, Berkeley professor says. American television personality Gayle King has warned her followers about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) after she became the victim of a manipulated video. A video of King has circulated on Instagram in which she appeared to promote various weight loss products from a company known as Artipet. The sponsored post appeared on the feed of many of the "CBS Mornings'" host's one million followers. "Ladies, honestly, I did not expect my weight loss to spark so many questions. My direct messages on Instagram are overflowing," King can be heard saying in the video.

An advertiser reportedly used a deepfake of Tom Hanks to promote dental plans without the actor's permission. Hanks shared a warning on Instagram on Sunday alerting his followers about the AI-generated video, which he wrote he had "nothing to do with." Hanks has been outspoken about the challenges AI poses for the industry, and the use of actors' digital likenesses is one of the major points of concern voiced by striking SAG-AFTRA workers. Just last spring, Hanks said in an appearance on The Adam Buxton Podcast that AI and deepfakes present both artistic and legal challenges. "I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that's it," Hanks said, "but my performances can go on and on and on and on and on, and outside of the understanding that it's been done with AI or deepfake, there'll be nothing to tell you that it's not me."

Not every performer began their career as a child star -- but thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) we can now all catch a glimpse of what their childhood fame might have looked like. It comes after an image of an infant Elon Musk -- showing the billionaire as a toddler wearing brown overalls -- gave the internet baby fever. The adorable (or possibly disturbing?) photo is not from the billionaire's own family archives, however. Like these celebrities, it too was made with the help of artificial intelligence. The AI-made toddler version of Ed Sheeran has his soulful blue eye and his vibrant red hair.