Picture an elegant evening out during the Studio 54 era. The wine on the table: very likely a Gavi. Why doesnt this dry, dazzlingly acidic, very food-friendly white get more love today?

Agents among us OpenAI launches Operator, an AI agent that can operate your computer New research "Computer-Use Agent" AI model can jump in and help users with on-screen tasks. Benj Edwards Jan 23, 2025 5:24 pm | 0 Credit: josefkubes via Getty Images Credit: josefkubes via Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreOn Thursday, OpenAI released a research preview of "Operator," a web automation tool that uses a new AI model called Computer-Using Agent (CUA) to control computers through a visual interface. The system performs tasks by viewing and interacting with on-screen elements like buttons and text fields similar to how a human would.Operator is available today for subscribers of the $200 per month ChatGPT Pro plan at operator.chatgpt.com. The company plans to expand to Plus, Team, and Enterprise users later. OpenAI intends to integrate these capabilities directly into ChatGPT and later release CUA through its API for developers.Operator watches on-screen content while you use your computer and executes tasks through simulated keyboard and mouse inputs. The Computer-Using Agent processes screenshots to understand the computer's state and then makes decisions about clicking, typing, and scrolling based on its observations.OpenAI's release follows other tech companies as they push into what are often called "agentic" AI systems, which can take actions on a user's behalf. Google announced Project Mariner in December 2024, which performs automated tasks through the Chrome browser, and two months earlier, in October 2024, Anthropic launched a web automation tool called "Computer Use" focused on developers that can control a user's mouse cursor and take actions on a computer."The Operator interface looks very similar to Anthropic's Claude Computer Use demo from October," wrote AI researcher Simon Willison on his blog, "even down to the interface with a chat panel on the left and a visible interface being interacted with on the right." An Operator demo video created by OpenAI. Watch and take actionTo use your PC like you would, the Computer-Using Agent works in multiple steps. First, it captures screenshots to monitor your screen, then analyzes those images (using GPT-4o's vision capabilities with additional reinforcement learning) to process raw pixel data. Next, it determines what actions to take and then performs virtual inputs to control the computer. This iterative loop design reportedly lets the system recover from errors and handle complex tasks across different applications.While it's working, Operator shows a miniature browser window of its actions.However, the technology behind Operator is still relatively new and far from perfect. The model reportedly performs best at repetitive web tasks like creating shopping lists or playlists. It struggles more with unfamiliar interfaces like tables and calendars, and does poorly with complex text editing (with a 40 percent success rate), according to OpenAI's internal testing data.OpenAI reported the system achieved an 87 percent success rate on the WebVoyager benchmark, which tests live sites like Amazon and Google Maps. On WebArena, which uses offline test sites for training autonomous agents, Operator's success rate dropped to 58.1 percent. For computer operating system tasks, CUA set an apparent record of 38.1 percent success on the OSWorld benchmark, surpassing previous models but still falling short of human performance at 72.4 percent.With this imperfect research preview, OpenAI hopes to gather user feedback and refine the system's capabilities. The company acknowledges CUA won't perform reliably in all scenarios but plans to improve its reliability across a wider range of tasks through user testing.Safety and privacy concernsFor any AI model that can see how you operate your computer and even control some aspects of it, privacy and safety are very important. OpenAI says it built multiple safety controls into Operator, requiring user confirmation before completing sensitive actions like sending emails or making purchases. Operator also has limits on what it can browse, set by OpenAI. It cannot access certain website categories, including gambling and adult content.Traditionally, AI models based on large language model-style Transformer technology like Operator have been relatively easy to fool with jailbreaks and prompt injections.To catch attempts at subverting Operator, which might hypothetically be embedded in websites that the AI model browses, OpenAI says it has implemented real-time moderation and detection systems. OpenAI reports the system recognized all but one case of prompt injection attempts during an early internal red-teaming session.However, Willison, who frequently covers AI security issues, isn't convinced Operator can stay secure, especially as new threats emerge. "Color me skeptical," he wrote in his blog post. "I imagine we'll see all kinds of novel successful prompt injection style attacks against this model once the rest of the world starts to explore it."As Willison points out, OpenAI acknowledges these risks in its System Card documentation: "Despite proactive testing and mitigation efforts, certain challenges and risks remain due to the difficulty of modeling the complexity of real-world scenarios and the dynamic nature of adversarial threats."And what about privacy? Since all the information Operator sees about what is on your screen gets sent over the Internet to OpenAI's cloud servers through periodic screenshots, you're putting a lot of trust in OpenAI.OpenAI says it has implemented several privacy controls: Users can opt out of having their data used for model training through ChatGPT settings, delete all browsing data with one click in Operator settings, and log out of all sites simultaneously. When users need to input sensitive information like passwords or payment details, a "takeover mode" activates where Operator stops collecting screenshots.Even with these precautions, Willison provided his own Operator privacy advice on his blog: "Start a fresh session for each task you outsource to Operator to ensure it doesn't have access to your credentials for any sites that you have used via the tool in the past. If you're having it spend money on your behalf, let it get to the checkout, then provide it with your payment details and wipe the session straight afterwards."Benj EdwardsSenior AI ReporterBenj EdwardsSenior AI Reporter Benj Edwards is Ars Technica's Senior AI Reporter and founder of the site's dedicated AI beat in 2022. He's also a tech historian with almost two decades of experience. In his free time, he writes and records music, collects vintage computers, and enjoys nature. He lives in Raleigh, NC. 0 Comments

"National embarrassment" All federal agencies ordered to terminate remote workideally within 30 days US agencies wasting billions on empty offices an embarrassment, RTO memo says. Ashley Belanger Jan 23, 2025 4:28 pm | 91 US President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order on remote work for government employees during the 60th presidential inauguration parade at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg US President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order on remote work for government employees during the 60th presidential inauguration parade at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAll federal agencies received a memo Wednesday requiring the termination of remote work options, with return-to-office plans due by end of day Friday.In the memo, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, Charles Ezell, told the heads and acting heads of all departments and agencies that the change is due to Donald Trump's Return to In-Person Work presidential memorandum, which carved out space for some exemptions and ordered:Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.Empty offices a national embarrassmentAccording to the memo, "most federal offices presently are virtually abandoned," with "the vast majority of federal office workers" having "not returned to in-person work" after transitioning to remote work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only has this "devastated" the local economy in Washington, D.C., the memo said, but having so many federal offices sitting empty also serves as a "national embarrassment.""Virtually unrestricted telework has led to poorer government services and made it more difficult to supervise and train government workers," Ezell said, citing a report from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.That report was published last week, calling out the lack of data supporting remote work policies. It found that "American taxpayers are wasting billions to pay for owned and leased federal office space that remain largely vacant" and accused the Biden administration of making "no real attempt to determine the effects of widespread telework.""While the Biden-Harris Administration has touted the benefits of telework, it generally has had no means of measuring the effects of telework on agency mission outcomes or on addressing any existing recruitment or retention challenges," the report noted among key findings.Exceptions may be grantedEzell's memo expanded criticism of the Biden administration's approach to remote work, suggesting that it enabled federal unions' alleged attempts "to abuse the collective-bargaining process to guarantee full-time telework into the indefinite future and forestall any requirement to return to the office."Suspecting that the "rampant use of telework is likely underreported," the committee's report concluded that "even the reported levels are excessive, there is little evidence that it is enhancing productivity or addressing recruitment and retention gaps, and there is evidence it is harming agency missions and citizen-facing services."To overcome these supposed deficiencies, the committee recommended that remote work policies be linked to performance metrics, rather than "employee preferences or union demands." Any remote work that is granted should be tracked through automated systems, the report further prescribed, and any attempts for federal agencies to compete for talent using remote work perks should not be tolerated.This will allow the government to alleviate the "national embarrassment" of empty offices and "dispose of unneeded property and terminate unnecessary leases," the report said.While some employees may be eligible for RTO exemptionseither to accommodate a disability or qualifying medical condition, or for some "other compelling reason certified by the agency head and the employees supervisor"Ezell's memo insisted that a general return-to-office push was necessary. He said that Trump's presidential memo reflected "a simple reality" that "the only way to get employees back to the office is to adopt a centralized policy requiring return-to-work for all agencies across the federal government.""Seeking to cajole individual agencies to try to get employees to return to the worksite has not succeeded," Ezell said.Although Trump's memo set no deadline for RTO efforts to begin, Ezell gave federal agency heads rather short notice to fall in line. All agencies must submit their RTO plans by 5 pm ET on Friday, January 24, Ezell's memo said.Those plans should specify "the date that the agency will be in full compliance with the new telework policy," with a recommended deadline of 30 days to comply, Ezell said.Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 91 Comments

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks at the White House in Washington DC on 21 January 2025AARON SCHWARTZ/POOL/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockThis week, OpenAI and other tech companies joined US president Donald Trump at the White House to pledge a private investment of half a trillion dollars in US data centres over the next four years. The Stargate Project could power an ambitious expansion of AI technology with repercussions for the US electricity grid and the countrys energy future.The Stargate announcement comes as North America has been experiencing surging electricity demand in recent years. The grid is already straining to keep

The orchid Stigmatodactylus sikokianus thrives in cool, dark forestsIKEDA TetsuroA species of fungus-eating orchid has an ingenious self-pollinating method. The secret lies in the orchids mysterious finger-like appendage.I knew there had to be more to it than just an odd-looking quirk, says Kenji Suetsugu at Kobe University in Japan. AdvertisementSuetsugu had long been fascinated by the Stigmatodactylus sikokianus orchid because it lives in shady Japanese forests and feeds on soil fungi throughout its life, rather than relying on photosynthesis. The orchid also has a little finger-like appendage under its stigma, the sticky part that receives pollen during mating.To investigate the appendages purpose, Suetsugu observed the flower out in the wild, set up pollination experiments in the laboratory and tracked changes in the orchids flower structure with fluorescence microscopy.He noticed that if no insects visited the orchid to pollinate it, the flower started wilting. As it drooped, the finger-like appendage gradually moved towards the stigma, bringing pollen into contact with the sticky receptor.The appendage thus acts like a bridge, says Suetsugu, transferring the orchids pollen in a self-pollination trick, but only as a last resort. The wilting mechanism allows a plant to hold out for a pollinator but acts as a fail-safe, ensuring it can still reproduce even if an insect never arrives. The discovery underscores how nature can come up with really creative solutions to common problems, says Suetsugu.IKEDA TetsuroThe next step would be removing the appendage completely to see how much of a difference it makes in pollination timing and efficiency, says Katharina Nargar at the Australian Tropical Herbarium.While this appears to be the first time such a self-pollinating trick has been formally documented, Nargar notes that observations from the early 1990s suggest two other closely related orchid species also use their unusual appendages to self-pollinate.Journal referencePlants People Planet DOI: 10.1002/PPP3.10624Article amended on 23 January 2025We clarified who worked on the new researchTopics:

Donald Trump isn't angry about Elon Musk criticizing his Stargate venture for AI infrastructure.Trump said Thursday that he had spoken with Musk after Musk claimed that Stargate lacked funding.Musk is in a legal fight with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who is involved in the Stargate venture.President Donald Trump said he doesn't mind Elon Musk, one of his key advisors, casting doubt on the recently announced Stargate deal for AI infrastructure.Musk had called into question how much money OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank had raised for Stargate. The joint venture is supposed to invest $500 billion, but Musk tweeted that SoftBank had "well under $10B secured." At a press conference on Thursday, a reporter asked Trump whether Musk's criticism bothered him."No, it doesn't," Trump replied to the reporter."He hates one of the people in the deal," he added, presumably referring to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, with whom Musk has been sparring online. Musk was one of the people who founded OpenAI in 2015 with Altman. Since then, he has left the company, started a legal battle with OpenAI, and founded xAI, a competing AI startup.In response to a follow-up question on Thursday, Trump said that the parties involved in Stargate are "very, very smart people.""But Elon, one of the people he happens to hate, but I have certain hatreds of people, too," the president said. Trump confirmed that he had spoken to Musk since he posted his tweets.Stargate, which Trump and representatives from the three companies announced on Tuesday at the White House, is supposed to make AGI possible in the US and create new jobs, Trump said.The privately funded joint venture is one of Trump's first major technology initiatives since taking office on Monday. The president appears to have warmer relationships with many Big Tech leaders now than during his first term.

Costco shareholders rejected a proposal to report on the risks of the company's DEI efforts.While several companies have walked back diversity programs, Costco's board unanimously supported theirs.The result comes just days after President Trump issued sweeping rules to end DEI initiatives at federal agencies.Costco shareholders on Thursday rejected a proposal from a conservative think tank to report on the risks of the company's DEI efforts.An "overwhelming margin" of 98% of shares voted against the measure in the preliminary results, Costco said.While several companies, including retailers like Walmart and Tractor Supply Co., have walked back diversity programs, Costco's board unanimously supported theirs and called for it to be voted down.In pre-recorded messages to the meeting, a representative for the National Center for Public Policy Research called DEI programs "illegal, immoral and detrimental to shareholder value," saying that the term is "concealing a radical Marxist agenda."In response, Costco's board chairman, Tony James, said its programs are "consistent with the company's values and code of ethics.""We have always been purposefully non-political and a welcoming workforce has been integral to the company's culture and values since its founding," he added.The result comes just days after President Donald Trump issued sweeping rules to end DEI initiatives for federal agencies, which could cause new challenges for private-sector vendors and contractors that do business with the government.This story is developing

Developer Direct round-up: the big questions about Xboxs 2025 line-upGameCentralPublished January 23, 2025 9:10pmUpdated January 23, 2025 9:11pm Ninja Gaiden 4 Microsoft has had a very good start to the year (Xbox Game Studios)GameCentral gives an overview of the latest Xbox Developer Direct and is impressed by the quality of the games and the density of Microsofts release schedule.They may be a tad overproduced, with that tinge of insincerity that seems to permeate most Microsoft events, but the Xbox Developer Directs are now firmly established as something to genuinely look forward to.Nintendo Directs are still the gold standard for such showcases, with their usually endless stream of reveals and a minimum of blather, but Microsofts equivalents are far more consistent than Sonys consistently disappointing State of Play events.The first Developer Direct of the year has become particularly reliable entertainment, with this years showcasing Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden 4, South Of Midnight, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.None of the games had release dates prior to Thursday but what stood out is that apart from Ninja Gaiden 4 which hadnt been announced till now and only has a vague autumn 2025 date everything else is out in either April or May.Thats a surprise, as together with Avowed in February (and Indiana Jones And The Great Circle on PlayStation 5 this spring) that is a very stacked first half of the year. So stacked in fact that it seems to almost guarantee that there will be other big Microsoft published games released in the second half of the year, beyond just Activision Blizzard titles such as this years Call Of Duty.Fable and The Outer Worlds 2 are nominally due this year, but they have no date and Microsoft has never talked about them in detail, leading to many assuming theyd be delayed. Their release this autumn now seems far more certain, perhaps accompanied by other surprises.Theres also the prospect of Perfect Dark and/or Gears Of War: E-Day but it seems more likely that Microsoft will leave them to next year. After all, it promised it would get into a regular cadence of new releases but Microsoft has promised a lot over the years and rarely delivered.But now it seems clear that their plan to never go more than a few months without a first party release at least in terms of something theyve published, not necessarily something made by an internal studio is coming true.And yet almost all these games are multiformat releases, also coming to PlayStation 5 and, probably in most cases, Nintendo Switch 2.If Microsoft had been putting out this many high quality games even just a few years ago then their hardware sales might never have collapsed and they wouldnt necessarily have needed to buy Activision Blizzard, and go third party, at all.Its a chicken and egg situation though. If they hadnt bought Activision Blizzard they wouldnt have been under so much pressure to go multiformat or to get their publishing business in order.Although there is the question of how well any of these games will sell. Doom and Ninja Gaiden have never been massive sellers, and few would bet on Avowed breaking any records. South Of Midnight and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did look very good but theyre clearly not blockbusters either.More TrendingBut if Microsoft is happy to continue publishing such games, then thats the best news any gamer could ask for: a massively rich company indulging and publishing avant-garde games that it already knows arent going to make a dent in their profit margins.The situation is peculiar, and youve got to ask how long it will last, but while Microsoft made no attempt to explain their multiformat policy (no execs were featured in the Direct, which is another reason why theyre so good) the only one that was still an Xbox console exclusive is South Of Midnight.Thats probably because its by a smaller studio and they didnt have the capacity to make a PlayStation 5 version yet. Although, as ever, theres still a degree of uncertainty about whether Microsoft has entirely given up on the concept of exclusives. But if Fable is on PlayStation 5 from the start, or within three months like Indiana Jones, that surely is the end of any further prevarication.Theres an intense irony in the fact that the moment Microsoft has chosen to go multiformat is also when their publishing schedules finally gain a sense of consistent quality and variety. Perhaps these games will actually prove to be disappointments after all, we havent played any of them yet but theyre definitely all interesting and exciting, and at this stage thats all that matters. The biggest hitter from the Direct (Bethesda)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Ninja Gaiden 4 by makers of Bayonetta out in 2025 Ninja Gaiden 2 Black out nowGameCentralPublished January 23, 2025 7:48pmUpdated January 23, 2025 9:11pm Why have one new Ninja Gaiden game when you can have three? (Xbox Game Studios)The mystery game in the Xbox Developer Direct was not quite such a mystery after all, as its revealed to be Ninja Gaiden 4 for Xbox and PS5.Despite Microsoft making a promise of a surprise new game reveal, during its Developer Direct on Thursday evening, the rumours quickly narrowed down what it was to either an Ecco The Dolphin reboot or a new Ninja Gaiden.Perhaps unsurprisingly, its the latter which turned out to be right, although the annoucement that Ninja Gaiden 4 will be a collaboration between series creator Team Ninja and Bayonetta and NieR:Automata developer PlatinumGames was a bit of a shock.The game will be published by Xbox Game Studios, not Team Ninja and franchise owner Koei Tecmo, but it will be released on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC (and, were willing to bet, Nintendo Switch 2) this autumn.Although the third person action is very much within Platinums area of expertise they had previously vowed to stop working on games where they dont own the IP. Considering the trouble the developer seems to be in at the moment, with no new games in some time and a number of high profile staff exits, its not hard to imagine why they backtracked on that.The brain drain has left Platinum a little short on big name directors though and Ninja Gaiden 4 producer and director Yuji Nakao has never directed a game of this size before, with his most significant credit so far being one of four producers on Bayonetta 3.Nevertheless, Ninja Gaiden 4 does look like vintage Platinum, with the developers emphasising the speed of the action and what looks like a complex combat and parry system.Theres also lots of platform-like traversal going on, with wall-running, swinging on a grappling hook, and grinding along rails.Although series regular Ryu Hayabusa is in the game, and is implied to be playable at some point, the protagonist is new character Yakumo from the rival Raven clan, who can use one of two different styles of combat.Ever since the reboot in 2004, Ninja Gaiden became one of the few Japanese-made franchises to be closely associated with Xbox, so its not hard to see why Microsoft signed up to publish this new entry. Although Tomonobu Itagaki, who was responsible for the reboot, is not involved, as he left Team Ninja some time ago to set up his own studio.More TrendingItagaki was producer and director on the 2008 reboot sequel though and a remaster of that, made in Unreal Engine 5 and called Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, was also announced during the Developer Direct. Surprisingly, its out now for 39.99 on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.The problem with that is that the remaster looks arguably better than Ninja Gaiden 4, whose visuals seem more abstract, with a more distant camera. The latter probably means it plays better but its a bit awkward seeing the two next to each other.This year is the 30th anniversary of Team Ninja and theyre really going all out to engineer a comeback for Ninja Gaiden, which hasnt had a new game in over a decade now.In fact, theres also a third game thats already been announced: a 2D title called Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, which is by the developers of indie title Blasphemous. Its good to have Ninja Gaiden back (Xbox Game Studios)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

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