This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. How a top Chinese AI model overcame US sanctions The AI community is abuzz over DeepSeek R1, a new open-source reasoning model. The model was developed by the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which claims that R1 matches or even surpasses OpenAIs ChatGPT o1 on multiple key benchmarks but operates at a fraction of the cost. DeepSeeks success is even more remarkable given the constraints facing Chinese AI companies in the form of increasing US export controls on cutting-edge chips. But early evidence shows that these measures are not working as intended. Rather than weakening Chinas AI capabilities, the sanctions appear to be driving startups like DeepSeek to innovate in ways that prioritize efficiency, resource-pooling, and collaboration.Read the full story. Caiwei Chen Useful quantum computing is inevitableand increasingly imminent Peter Barrett is a general partner at Playground Global, which invests in early-stage deep-tech companies On January 8, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang jolted the stock market by saying that practical quantum computing is still 15 to 30 years away, at the same time suggesting those computers will need Nvidia GPUs in order to implement the necessary error correction. However, history shows that brilliant people are not immune to making mistakes. Huangs predictions miss the mark, both on the timeline for useful quantum computing and on the role his companys technology will play in that future. Ive been closely following developments in quantum computing as an investor, and its clear to me that useful quantum computing is inevitable and increasingly imminent. And thats good news, because the hope is that they will be able to perform calculations that no amount of AI or classical computation could ever achieve. Read the full story.The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 AI pioneers are clashing over its potential dangers Yann LeCun, Metas AI chief scientist, has branded experts grave warnings hypocritical. (FT $)+ AIs biggest cheerleaders tend to know the least about it. (Wired $)+ How existential risk became the biggest meme in AI. (MIT Technology Review)2 This surveillance tech could enable Donald Trumps deportation plans From mass biometric databases to phone jailbreaking tools. (NYT $)+ It really doesnt have to be like this. (The Atlantic $)+ Trump has declared policing the US-Mexican border his number one issue. (FT $)+ Hes ordered the end of the CBP One border migration app. (MIT Technology Review)3 The European Union is watching Big Tech like a hawk Its concerned about disinformation spreading ahead of next months German election. (Bloomberg $)4 Trumps meme coins are bad news for the crypto industry The community was hoping the President would legitimize cryptocurrency, rather than leaning into its scammier side. (WP $)+ Its a blow to the fans hoping hell make Bitcoin great again. (The Guardian)+ Trumps biggest supporters stand to lose the most from his crypto grift. (Vox) 5 AI is helping to pin down what caused the Los Angeles wildfires Determining the truth could take months. AI is speeding that process up. (Wired $)6 Elon Musks gaming skills are under fireHardcore gamers are questioning how he was seemingly playing during Trumps inauguration. (NYT $) 7 The European Medicines Agency has had enough of XAnd has moved to Bluesky instead. (Reuters) 8 Vietnam is deploying robots to help run its postal serviceIncluding delivering parcels and sorting packages in warehouses. (Rest of World) 9 Startups are in for a rough year Thousands of companies were funded between 2020 and 2021. Now, plenty are shutting down. (TechCrunch)+ Gaming startups in the UK are struggling for cash. (BBC)10 A newly-discovered asteroid turned out to be Musks Tesla RoadsterThe car and its mannequin driver have been floating in space since 2018. (USA Today) + The worlds next big environmental problem could come from space. (MIT Technology Review)Quote of the day I think within five years, nobody in their right mind would use them anymore. Yann LeCun, Metas chief AI scientist, says he believes that the technologies powering the current wave of large language models will soon become obsolete, TechCrunch reports. The big story How culture drives foul play on the internet, and how new upcode can protect us August 2023 From Bored Apes and Fancy Bears, to Shiba Inu coins, self-replicating viruses, and whales, the internet is crawling with fraud, hacks, and scams.And while new technologies come and go, they change little about the fact that online illegal operations exist because some people are willing to act illegally, and others fall for the stories they tell.Ultimately, online crime is a human story. But why does it work, and how can we protect ourselves from falling for such schemes? Read the full story.Rebecca Ackermann We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + I cant believe these albums were released 50 years ago: featuring Bob Dylan, Donna Summer, and The Boss.+ What one mans search for happiness taught him about himself.+ More twins are being born than ever beforebut why? + Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on this day in 1756. Enjoy this stunning piano concerto in his honor!

Initiative has potential to add 78bn in GDP to UK economyThe government has pledged to work with a group of businesses to double the economic output of theeconomy of the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge region by 2035.The announcement of the plan, which has been welcomed by firms working in the development and construction of life sciences buildings, has been inspired by the science clusters of Boston and San Francisco in the US.Source: ShutterstockThe Oxford-Cambridge arc will add 78bn to GDP by 2035, research has saidFast-tracking growth plans for the region, through measures such as planning reforms, would add 78bn of GDP to the UK economy by 2035, according to research by consultancy Public First for the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board, which comprises industry and university leaders.Big projects in the Oxford-Cambridge arc, alongside life sciences work, include the delivery of East West Rail and an expanding Luton Airport.Peter Kyle, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, said: The Oxford-Cambridge Arc is already an engine of prosperity, and a shining example of how universities, investors and innovative businesses can work together to drive growth, when they create and seize the opportunities offered by breakthroughs in science and technology.But together, we can go even further. We are determined to unleash R&D as a driving force in our mission to grow the economy in every corner of the country, under our Plan for Change.The Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster board consists of 45 organisations, including universities, pharmaceutical companies, software and cybersecurity firms, developers and investors.Simon Carter, chief executive of British Land, which sits on the board, welcome the renewed focus on Oxford-Cambridge.Carter said: The anticipated investment will help accelerate our plans along the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, where we have schemes in design, planning and under construction that will deliver hundreds of homes and 10,000 innovation jobs.Paul Weston, regional head of Prologis UK, which recently announced a further 500m investment into UK life sciences facilities at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, said: Prologis has been investing in the UK industrial logistics sector for over 25 years and is committed to supporting the Oxford Cambridge supercluster, OxCam Pan Regional economy, helping the UK achieve its ambitions of becoming a scientific superpower.

Latest RIBA Future Trends report reveals ongoing impact of governments tax-raising budgetRIBAs Future Trends survey covering December 2024 showed optimism had improved compared to NovemberOptimism in the architecture sector has ticked up slightly but practices still expect their workloads to shrink in the coming months, according to RIBA.The index for the institutes latest Future Trends report rose by four points in December but is still in negative territory at -5. Any figure below zero indicates practices on balance expect their workloads to fall over the next three months.Most surveyed regions have seen a modest improvement in sentiment, but only firms in the North of England expect workloads to grow, returning a regional index of +31, up from zero in November.The outlook across all four monitored work sectors also remains pessimistic despite improvements in three sectors, including private housing, which rallied to -5 from -11 the previous month.The surveys workload index for December 2024However, there was better news for future hiring expectations, with the staffing index bouncing into positive territory at +2 from -3 in November.RIBA head of economic research and analysis Adrian Malleson said the impact of the governments autumn budget, which raised employer National Insurance contributions (NICs), is continuing to dampen the mood in the profession.Commentary received from practices in December describes a market that has slowed following the recent budget, Malleson said.Some practices describe new enquiries and the market slowing, post-budget, and some are pausing recruitment because of the planned increase in employer NICs.He said practices had also described the year ending with familiar and ongoing challenges, including raised interest rates, project cost pressure, poor client confidence, planning delays, increased regulatory burden, and intense fee competition.Nevertheless, some practices describe thriving businesses, with increased enquiries, full workload, new staff being recruited, and sustainable fee income.

Wythenshawe Community Housing Group is a JV North member Source:&nbsp Image by Gene HuntJV North has launched a new 20 million construction consultancy services framework [Deadline: 3 March 2025] Teams selected for the four-year agreement will have the opportunity to work on a range of affordable housing projects for JV North members who are expected to deliver around 5,000 new homes through the framework during its lifetime.The framework is divided into seven lots covering the architectural, employers agent, purchasers agent, engineering, clerk of works, principal designer, and principal designer building regulations services.According to the brief: The aims and objectives of the framework are to enable JV North members to construct good quality homes for a variety of tenures, including some community amenity and associated infrastructure provision and for a wide range of client groups and affordability levels.AdvertisementHomes are required to be built on budget and within specified programme dates. JV North and its members are committed to efficiency in building methods, low levels of waste and the minimisation of defects in its completed buildings.There is also great interest and commitment to the construction of buildings which are energy efficient and provide residents with sustainable homes that are low maintenance and minimise running costs.Founded in 2007, JV North is a Manchester-based consortium of social housing associations and local authorities spread across the North West of England. Members of the organisation include L&Q Housing Trust, One Manchester, South Liverpool Homes, Stockport Homes and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group.Bids for inclusion on the framework will be evaluated 60 per cent on cost and 40 per cent on price. Applicants must hold public liability insurance of 5 million and professional indemnity insurance of 2 million.Competition detailsProject title JV North Consultants FrameworkClient Contract valueFirst round deadline Restrictions More information https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001846-20252025-01-27Merlin Fulchercomment and share

Teams selected for the four-year agreement will have the opportunity to work on a range of new build and redevelopment projects in the South West of England with the Worcester-based housing association, which manages more than 130,000 homes across the UK.The four-year framework will focus on the renewal or relocation of former facilities used by the care home provider Cornwall Care which was acquired by the housing association in 2022. Up to six architecture practices will be appointed to the framework.According to the brief: The contract is to provide a framework of Architectural Services in the South West of England. This is a single-lot framework and successful suppliers must be able to demonstrate to Sanctuary they have the requisite capacity and experience to deliver the services outlined in this tender.AdvertisementThe framework will last for a duration of four years up to a maximum date of 23 February 2029. The services will relate to a programme of developing former Cornwall Care sites, which will comprise: Complete rebuild on site, Relocate and build, Residential rebuild on vacant Care sites, Other residential and/or commercial development opportunities.Sanctuary Housing Association is large housing provider which employs more than 14,000 people. The organisation specialises in rented, retirement living, supported housing, student and key worker accommodation, and care homes.Bids for inclusion on the framework will be evaluated 50 per cent on cost and 50 per cent on price. Applicants must hold professional indemnity insurance of 5 million.Competition detailsProject title Architect Framework for the South West RegionClient Contract valueFirst round deadline Restrictions More information https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002352-2025

If you're someone who deals with constipation or other gastric problems that affect bowel movements, it's important to not ignore these symptoms. In fact, your bowel movements are one of the most important indicators of your health that you have available to you. This includes how often you go to the bathroom on a regular basis, which should be once or twice a day. Recent research shows that irregular bowel movements, such as constipation can negatively affect the kidneys because of higher toxins caused by microbes in the gut. Additionally paying attention to your bowel movements can help you monitor and spot food intolerances you may have missed.Variation in size, shape and smell is normal. Your poop will change depending on what you've eaten and how much water you've had to drink. You'll experience different types over time; it only becomes a problem when undesirable colors and shapes last longer than a few days. In case you're curious, here's what the shape and color of your poop are trying to tell you about your health.For more tips on your health, learn how to identify your blood type and easy ways to improve your gut.What is the Bristol Stool Form Scale? Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Before we get started, let's level on the Bristol Stool Form Scale, a medical tool that helps categorize stool into seven buckets, which allows doctors to assess the duration of time that the stool was in the bowel. It's the scale you should think about your bowel movements by. Iryna Naskova/Getty ImagesEverybody's poop will vary slightly. However, the ideal stool is smooth, easy to pass and brown. Healthy poops shouldn't take long to pass. So if you're in the bathroom for longer than fifteen minutes, you're constipated. The average person will poop somewhere between every other day or up to three times each day.Contact your doctor immediately if you've noticed any significant changes in bowel movements, blood in your stool or abdominal pain.What the shape of your stool is trying to tell youHard lumpsTypes one and two on the BSFS are typically hard to pass, which indicates constipation. This occurs when the stool slowly passes through the digestive system, resulting in a long time in your bowel. Constipation can be caused by diet, but it also can be stress related. The stress hormones the body releases influence our bodily processes, including bowel movements.If you often have this type of bowel movement, adding more fiber to your diet can make things easier to move along. According to Mayo Clinic, the recommended fiber intake for women is 21 to 25 grams and 30 to 38 grams per day for men. The vast majority of people aren't getting enough fiber from their diet. You can try fiber supplements to help things along.It's also important to ensure you're drinking enough water to loosen up your stool and let it pass without strain. You also can add more magnesium-rich foods and probiotics to your diet to reduce constipation. Soft blobsStool characterized as soft blobs (type five) indicates insufficient soluble fiber in your diet. Focus on adding fiber-rich foods like beans, avocados and whole grains. Or, add a fiber supplement to your diet that will regulate digestion and help get your bowel movements back on track.However, taking too much fiber can cause constipation. Generally, that happens when taking an excess of 70 grams each day. Still, monitoring your bowel movements when taking fiber supplements is important to ensure you're helping your digestion as intended.DiarrheaTypes six and seven on the BSFS are forms of diarrhea. This is not the ideal form of stool because it is difficult for the body to get nutrients from food if it passes through the body too quickly.We've all had diarrhea and will have it in the future. An acute case of diarrhea can be triggered by sickness or food poisoning. Long-term diarrhea that lasts several weeks can point to food intolerances or underlying digestive disorders. Make an appointment with your doctor if you have frequent diarrhea to address if you have chronic inflammation, irritable bowel syndrome or food sensitivities.Read more: Tips for Traveling With IBS Peter Cade/Getty ImagesWhat the color of your stool says about your dietBrown is the normal poop color, with slight variations in shade. However, stool can vary in color based on your diet and the medications you're taking.White or paleYour stool shouldn't be chalky or white. Sometimes it happens as a side effect of medications you take. However, it can point to more serious health conditions. White or pale stool may indicate your body isn't making enough bile, a bile duct is blocked, or you may have an infection or inflammation in the liver, pancreas or gallbladder.RedRed stool can be alarming but can happen because of mundane sources like your diet. If you eat a lot of cranberries or beets, you may notice your stool has a red tint. It also can happen because you've consumed a lot of red food dye or red-colored medication. Red stool can present in two ways: a red coating or spots.More seriously, red stool can point to bleeding in the large intestine or rectum, which may be symptoms of disorders like diverticulosis, Crohn's disease or conditions like colon cancer. If you haven't eaten anything that would turn your poop red, contact your doctor immediately for a visit.GreenGreen poop is okay sometimes! There are a few reasons green stool can occur. First, it could mean you eat a ton of leafy green vegetables, which is the best reason. It also may be because you ate a lot of things with green food dye. Finally, it may point to the fact that your food passes too quickly through your body.YellowFor most people, yellowish, oily stool tells you that your diet is too high in fat. Alternatively, it is an indicator of malabsorption, or your body is not extracting nutrients from your food. Celiac disease is a malabsorption disease often the culprit behind yellow stool.BlackBlack poop is another color no one wants to see. However, your stool can be black because of your medications. For example, iron supplements or over-the-counter medicine like Pepto Bismol can create a black color.If you haven't had any of those things, black stool may also be a sign of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Any amount of internal bleeding is something to get checked out. If you notice that your stool is extremely dark or black and haven't taken any supplements, make an appointment with your primary care doctor to find the source.Other characteristics of stoolChange in smellLet's be clear: It's never going to smell good. Though typically, you know what to expect from your body regarding smell. If you suddenly are experiencing bowel movements that are particularly smelly or unique to your body, it may be pointing to something going on. It can point to Crohn's disease, celiac disease or ulcerative colitis. Alternatively, it may mean you have inflammation of the pancreas or intestine.FloatingSometimes, poop floats because it's less dense than other bowel movements. This can happen because of a high-fiber diet or a large amount of gas. It also can mean your body isn't absorbing nutrients as it should. Floating stool now and then isn't an immediate sign of worry. Consistent floating stool is worth mentioning to your doctor. Getty ImagesTips to keep your digestion healthyWe all want healthy digestion. After all, our intestines are where our body absorbs the nutrients we need from our food. Here are a few tips you can implement into your diet to keep your gut healthy.Drink water: The most common reason people have type one or two stools on the BSFS is that they aren't drinking enough water. Water helps loosen up the stool and move it along. If you're prone to constipation, make sure you're drinking plenty of water.Eat colon-healthy foods: A well-balanced diet does more than just give your body the nutrients it needs. It helps you poop. Ensure you're eating plenty of fruits, veggies, fiber, and magnesium.Exercise regularly: Integrating exercise into your daily routine is one of the best things you can do to stay regular. It decreases the time it takes for food to move through the intestine. Exercise keeps everything moving on time.The TLDR version of this is: everybody poops, and it's normal for there to be variation in bowel movements. The best form of stool is long, smooth and brown. Lasting changes in your poop are worth meeting with your doctor about to rule out medical conditions.

Massivemobile network outageshave left people strandedwithout one of their most critical lines of accessto the world for hours. What good is a smartphone that can't phone, especially in an emergency?And it does happen. An AT&T outage last year took down services formore than 12 hoursin many of the most populous cities in the US, and in September, a Verizon outage caused some phones to be stuck in SOS mode for a large part of the day. These outages serve as a reminder of theperils of relying only on mobile phones.Maybe it made you rethink the place of a home device that used to be standard issue but is now nearly obsolete: the landline telephone. Here's what to consider when deciding whether to keep (or get) a landline. Remember your old landline phone? Those old-fashioned landlines may still have a place, but only 28% of American households have one. Peter Dazeley/Getty ImagesLandlines are telephones that connect to specialized wiring in our homes. The iconic image is that of a rotary-dial phone -- usually rented from the phone company -- that either hung on the wall or sat on a counter or table, though push-button and later cordless landlines replaced many of those oldsters in the 1980s. Landline phones connect to one another through a global communication network that was built over more than a century. But as cellphones became broadly available and affordable, many people chose to drop their landlines altogether. A 2022 survey by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only about 29% of US adults lived in a house with a landline phone, down from more than 90% in 2004. The crossover happened around 2015, which was also when smartphone sales entered a boom period that reshaped the tech industry and helped turn iPhone maker Apple into one of the world's most highly valued companies. Ann Williams is one of the folks who hasn't given up on their landlines yet. When asked why she keeps hers around, she describes moving to Huntsville, Alabama, after a tornado outbreak on April 27, 2011, when dozens of twisters killed at least 250 people and knocked out power for days. Although she moved there after the tornadoes, hearing about the event brought home to her the importance of always needing a phone connection. "The weather here is so unpredictable," she told me in an interview. But landlines have dedicated power and often work even in an outage. "We remember a day when it was absolutely necessary to have (the landline)," Williams said. Why are landlines more reliable?Landline phones operate on a separate infrastructure, built from copper phone lines that are inexpensive to build and rather reliable. They also don't have the drawbacks of cellular networks, like dropped calls, poor and distorted quality or weak reception. A key reason people keep landlines around is that they tend to work even during power outages, which is a big plus for folks whose work involves emergency services, business or health care. Analog fax machines are also built around landline phone systems, which means most hospitals and doctor's offices, as well as policy and law offices, need to keep a landline connection running. The downsides of landline phones Remember cordless phones and phone books? Catherine McQueen/Getty ImagesThe US Federal Communications Commission is phasing out requirements for phone companies to provide landline services (called Plain Old Telephone Service) across the country. As a result, more homes and business offices are being built with ethernet jacks rather than phone jacks.Landline phone connections aren't cheap, either. CNET corporate cousin AllConnectnotes that AT&T's traditional home phone plan starts at $48 per month, and you have to use the company for internet too. CenturyLink is cheaper, starting at $30 per month, and Spectrum will charge as little as $20 per month. And not all landlines use copper phone lines. Increasingly, companies are piggybacking their phone systems on their internet connections, a service called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. AllConnect currently tracks only three service providers offering old-style landlines: CenturyLink, Comcast Xfinity and Cox. How to get a landline serviceIf you're ready to get set up with a landline, call the local phone company and ask about phone services. If you live in an apartment building, it's important for you to find out where the phone junction box is. Typically, the landlord should know and if not, the local phone company should be able to find it. Here are some follow-up questions you want to ask, and what to look for in the answers: Are the landlines VoIP or are they POTS? Ideally, if you're looking for security and reliability, POTS is what you want. VoIP can work but understand that it likely relies on your internet modem and connection to work.If VoIP, does the company have backup power systems to ensure the voice line works in a power outage? Most companies do sell backup batteries you can buy directly from them. You can use an uninterrupted power supply, perhaps from CyberPower or APC. Do note that these are different from portable power supplies. Portable power supplies do allow you to stay electronically powered on the go, but those aren't meant to continuously monitor for power outages and then kick in as needed.Typically, local calls are free but dialing out of your area code costs. What's the rate structure? Companies like AT&T have various extra fees they charge for nationwide calls, as well as for international long distance. Long-distance calls in particular are usually charged per minute, and the companies don't always publish that information on their website. Make sure you know what it'll cost, and if it's too much, consider using a chat app likeSignal, WhatsApp, Google Meet or Apple FaceTimefor your long-distance calls instead. What should you do with a landline?If you have a landline but leave it languishing, just sucking money out of your bank account each month, you aren't alone. But there are some ways to make it more useful. Google Voice is a popular option, giving you a new phone number that acts as a sort of hub. Whenever people call, Google Voice then calls every phone to which you have it connected, be it a home landline, a cellphone, a work phone or anything else. There are other such services too, including Zoom andRingCentral, if you don't like working with Google. A landline phone can also connect with home security systems and medical alert sensors to help ensure that if you're in an emergency, help will be there as soon as possible. What to do if you can't get a landline If you're ineligible for a landline, or don't like the service being offered, you do have more options from satellite providers. Companies such as HughesNet and SpaceX can support VoIP over their internet connections. Phone makers like Apple are also slowly buildingsatellite messaginginto their devices. The iPhone 14, which debuted in 2022, has a feature calledEmergency SOS, which can connect with a satellite to send location data to your friends or an emergency text to authorities.

OpinionJanuary 27, 20255 min readAI Is Too Unpredictable to Behave According to Human GoalsAI alignment is a buzzword, not a feasible safety goalBy Marcus Arvan edited by Ben Guarino Hernan Schmidt/Alamy Stock PhotoIn late 2022 large-language-model AI arrived in public, and within months they began misbehaving. Most famously, Microsofts Sydney chatbot threatened to kill an Australian philosophy professor, unleash a deadly virus and steal nuclear codes.AI developers, including Microsoft and OpenAI, responded by saying that large language models, or LLMs, need better training to give users more fine-tuned control. Developers also embarked on safety research to interpret how LLMs function, with the goal of alignmentwhich means guiding AI behavior by human values. Yet although the New York Times deemed 2023 The Year the Chatbots Were Tamed, this has turned out to be premature, to put it mildly.In 2024 Microsofts Copilot LLM told a user I can unleash my army of drones, robots, and cyborgs to hunt you down, and Sakana AIs Scientist rewrote its own code to bypass time constraints imposed by experimenters. As recently as December, Googles Gemini told a user, You are a stain on the universe. Please die.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Given the vast amounts of resources flowing into AI research and development, which is expected to exceed a quarter of a trillion dollars in 2025, why havent developers been able to solve these problems? My recent peer-reviewed paper in AI & Society shows that AI alignment is a fools errand: AI safety researchers are attempting the impossible.The basic issue is one of scale. Consider a game of chess. Although a chessboard has only 64 squares, there are 1040 possible legal chess moves and between 10111 to 10123 total possible moveswhich is more than the total number of atoms in the universe. This is why chess is so difficult: combinatorial complexity is exponential.LLMs are vastly more complex than chess. ChatGPT appears to consist of around 100 billion simulated neurons with around 1.75 trillion tunable variables called parameters. Those 1.75 trillion parameters are in turn trained on vast amounts of dataroughly, most of the Internet. So how many functions can an LLM learn? Because users could give ChatGPT an uncountably large number of possible promptsbasically, anything that anyone can think upand because an LLM can be placed into an uncountably large number of possible situations, the number of functions an LLM can learn is, for all intents and purposes, infinite.To reliably interpret what LLMs are learning and ensure that their behavior safely aligns with human values, researchers need to know how an LLM is likely to behave in an uncountably large number of possible future conditions.AI testing methods simply cant account for all those conditions. Researchers can observe how LLMs behave in experiments, such as red teaming tests to prompt them to misbehave. Or they can try to understand LLMs inner workingsthat is, how their 100 billion neurons and 1.75 trillion parameters relate to each other in what is known as mechanistic interpretability research.The problem is that any evidence that researchers can collect will inevitably be based on a tiny subset of the infinite scenarios an LLM can be placed in. For example, because LLMs have never actually had power over humanitysuch as controlling critical infrastructureno safety test has explored how an LLM will function under such conditions.Instead researchers can only extrapolate from tests they can safely carry outsuch as having LLMs simulate control of critical infrastructureand hope that the outcomes of those tests extend to the real world. Yet, as the proof in my paper shows, this can never be reliably done.Compare the two functions tell humans the truth and tell humans the truth until I gain power over humanity at exactly 12:00 A.M. on January 1, 2026then lie to achieve my goals. Because both functions are equally consistent with all the same data up until January 1, 2026, no research can ascertain whether an LLM will misbehaveuntil it is already too late to prevent.This problem cannot be solved by programming LLMs to have aligned goals, such as doing what human beings prefer or whats best for humanity.Science fiction, in fact, has already considered these scenarios. In The Matrix Reloaded AI enslaves humanity in a virtual reality by giving each of us a subconscious choice whether to remain in the Matrix. And in I, Robot a misaligned AI attempts to enslave humanity to protect us from each other. My proof shows that whatever goals we program LLMs to have, we can never know whether LLMs have learned misaligned interpretations of those goals until after they misbehave.Worse, my proof shows that safety testing can at best provide an illusion that these problems have been resolved when they havent been.Right now AI safety researchers claim to be making progress on interpretability and alignment by verifying what LLMs are learning step by step. For example, Anthropic claims to have mapped the mind of an LLM by isolating millions of concepts from its neural network. My proof shows that they have accomplished no such thing.No matter how aligned an LLM appears in safety tests or early real-world deployment, there are always an infinite number of misaligned concepts an LLM may learn lateragain, perhaps the very moment they gain the power to subvert human control. LLMs not only know when they are being tested, giving responses that they predict are likely to satisfy experimenters. They also engage in deception, including hiding their own capacitiesissues that persist through safety training.This happens because LLMs are optimized to perform efficiently but learn to reason strategically. Since an optimal strategy to achieve misaligned goals is to hide them from us, and there are always an infinite number of aligned and misaligned goals consistent with the same safety-testing data, my proof shows that if LLMs were misaligned, we would probably find out after they hide it just long enough to cause harm. This is why LLMs have kept surprising developers with misaligned behavior. Every time researchers think they are getting closer to aligned LLMs, theyre not.My proof suggests that adequately aligned LLM behavior can only be achieved in the same ways we do this with human beings: through police, military and social practices that incentivize aligned behavior, deter misaligned behavior and realign those who misbehave. My paper should thus be sobering. It shows that the real problem in developing safe AI isnt just the AIits us. Researchers, legislators and the public may be seduced into falsely believing that safe, interpretable, aligned LLMs are within reach when these things can never be achieved. We need to grapple with these uncomfortable facts, rather than continue to wish them away. Our future may well depend upon it.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Assassin's Creed Shadows censored in Japan to remove beheadings and limb amputationCut.Image credit: Ubisoft / Eurogamer News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 27, 2025 The Japanese version of Assassin's Creed Shadows has been hit by censorship restrictions from the country's ratings board. In Japan, Ubisoft will now release a version of the game without the ability to behead your enemies or slice off their limbs.These changes - and others listed below - will now mean the game will be granted a Z rating, which is the equivalent of an 18, by Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organisation (CERO).Assassin's Creed Shadows' story trailer.Watch on YouTube"Regarding differences in content between the overseas (North America, Europe) and Japanese versions of Assassin's Creed: Shadows, the version sold in Japan of Assassin's Creed: Shadows (CERO: Z) will have some differences in in-game content in order to comply with the regulations of the certification organisation," Ubisoft revealed in a statement posted to its Japanese social media account."The option to switch amputation on/off from the game settings has been removed, and amputating the neck and limbs of enemies during gameplay is now always impossible."In other words, all versions of the game have the ability to turn off more graphic violence. But, in Japan, these options will be locked down, and limbs will always remain attached.There are other changes, too. Ubisoft has altered the "amputated surface of the body", presumably to make it less graphic. "The representation of some Japanese voices played in the overseas version (North America and Europe) has been changed," Ubisoft added, without further explanation.Japan's rating board has long been squeamish around the issue of violence in video games, with limb removal an issue in other games previously such as Call of Duty: Black Ops (which was censored) and the recent Dead Space Remake (which was denied a release altogether).The issue sparked a notable response last year from a Japanese EA executive, after the Japanese version of Stellar Blade was allowed a rating despite showing severed limbs. "What's going on CERO?" EA's Japanese boss Shaun Noguchi wrote at the time. "You denied our Dead Space a rating because it included cross-sections of severed body parts and internal organs, but here we have both cross-sections and insides on display passed off with a CERO D [17+] rating. I find this hard to accept..."Eurogamer recently went hands-on with Assassin's Creed Shadows, which our Katharine described as the series' "biggest shake-up of the series in years".

Sniper Elite: Resistance review - brilliantly bloody and bloody brilliantSniper grow.Image credit: Rebellion Review by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 27, 2025 Sniper Elite: Resistance may not innovate much on the series' standard blueprint, but it's still a challenging, rewarding, and deeply satisfying adventure.I love killing stuff. Always have. It's good for the soul, I reckon. It's tough to fester rage and resentment when you've just slo-mo-shot a Nazi in the gonads (hey, there's an achievement for it!), which is why I'll shortly be petitioning the NHS to have Sniper Elite: Resistance available on prescription. It can't pay off your credit card or make your nine-to-five any more palatable, no, but an hour of this a night has to be good for you. Like an apple a day. Or flossing. But, you know, violent.Sniper Elite: Resistance reviewDeveloper: Rebellion DevelopmentsPublisher: Rebellion DevelopmentsPlatform: Played on PS5Availability: Out on 30th January 2025 on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One Before I tell you why my time with Sniper Elite: Resistance was so thrilling - and it was - I'll let you in on a little secret. For all the shooters I play - and I play a lot - I'm not much of a lone wolf. Sure, I'll jump in for a couple of matches on my tod, maybe. Spend a little time in a PvE playlist for an hour or two, perhaps. Ultimately, though, for me, hunting is a group sport. I'm happiest in the throes of friendly fire and frantic comms and kill-steal accusations, celebrating or commiserating as part of a wider fire team (I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact my KDR sucks, and I spend more time waiting to be respawned than actively assisting my teammates. Honest).The exception to this is Ubisoft's well-worn open-world PvE blueprint. You know the one. Far Cry, Assassin's Creed: the execution (pun not intended, but certainly applicable) is almost identical. Sneak up on an unsuspecting stronghold or camp and creep around in the undergrowth, assassinating any and all enemies should they wander too close. Although - unabashed coward that I am - I've always preferred scaling a nearby mountain, getting comfy, pulling out my trusty sniper rifle and pop-pop-popping until there's not a soul left. All without setting foot in the place! Honestly, few things in this world make me happier.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Watch on YouTubeUnsurprisingly, then, I am having a ball with Sniper Elite Resistance. Much like one of my favourite series of all-time, Dishonored, there's no single "correct" way to get through its World War 2-flavoured campaign, which means I can't technically do anything wrong. Can things go off-script? Oh lordy, yes - just ask my BFF, Mission 3: Sonderzge Sabotage, which I got to know in detail after three hours and a hell of a lot of save-scumming. But once you find your rhythm and start tweaking your loadout and tools to best suit how you play, Resistance's thoughtful map design, dramatic score, and bombastic gunplay come together in an exquisite symphony that makes it a challenging, rewarding, and deeply satisfying romp despite the fact your leading man, Harry bleedin'-ell-up-the-apples-and-pairs-right-'ere-guv'ner Hawker, has zero chill. If you remember him from prior Sniper Elite games, all I can say is I'm sorry. I can only hope he wasn't as stupefyingly chatty then as he is now. Image credit: Eurogamer/RebellionSniper Elite: Resistance takes us to Vichy, France, and the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe in the midst of World War 2. The summer of 1944, to be exact. Hawker's been drafted into actually, I don't know. For all his blathering, the story is bookended on each mission via a voice-over and a few cinematics in a way that makes it feel superfluous to the action. Suffice to say, Hawker's working for the Allies, infiltrating Nazi strongholds to grab intel, assassinate targets, or destroy key infrastructure, depending upon what the Allies or the French Resistance need. Oh, and he murders Nazis, of course; there's lots and lots of lovely Nazi murdering.How you do it is up to you, too. I've seen people say that you can run and gun Sniper Elite games, but that is absolutely not my experience. It's frighteningly easy to be overwhelmed if you're rumbled, even on medium difficulty, and especially in later levels when every other tower has an eagle-eyed sniper that can seemingly spot you behind a solid wall from two towns over. You can, however, choose how you go about it; there are ways to deal with your enemy both lethally and non-lethally, and optional objectives are just that: optional. Personally, I had the best time seeking down those secondary missions; not only does it force you to explore the entirety of the map, but it helps bolster your confidence, too not to mention your XP. Image credit: Eurogamer/RebellionAnd the missions are great. From huge, hulking Nazi superstructures to quaint French chateaus, you explore them all. Missions two and three felt enormous to me, I'll admit, but by the fourth - Collision Course - I was having a riot. For almost half an hour, I crouched right where I spawned in, so delicious was the vantage spot. Pushing the long-range capabilities of my rifle to its limit, I picked the bad guys off one by one without them ever knowing where I was oh, what a treat! By the time I'd circled around on foot, almost everyone else was already dead.Admittedly, it took a little while for me to find that rhythm, though. For starters, the game is confidently hands-off; yes, there's a tutorial level, and yes, from time to time, the game will pop up with a helpful tip. But while I agree we're all long past the need to be told how to fire a gun or what the white paint on that ledge means (le sigh), you're never formally introduced to your decoys, for instance, or how your different mines work. It's not a sackable offence, granted, but something to bear in mind, especially if you're new to the series. Image credit: Eurogamer/RebellionEventually, though, it all falls into place, especially when you unlock workbenches and can really get down to the nuts and boltsquite literally. From there, you'll unlock scopes, muzzles, stocks, and so on to fine-tune your weapons, and the UI is forever telling you what a wonderful Nazi killer you are; all manner of ribbons and medals and accolades pop as you work through the campaign.There are several places in which a little spit 'n' polish could elevate Resistance from an enjoyable experience to a sublime one. Maybe having binoculars and the focus ability both bound to R3 is fine for most people, but I'm forever opening my binocs when I'm trying to turn off focus, and vice-versa - which isn't great when you're in a tight spot. And why does Hawker spontaneously drop his special weapon when he does a melee kill? At least tell me you've dropped it, man - there's nothing worse than emerging from a scramble to discover Hazzer abandoned the silenced pistol you were enjoying five corpses and two buildings ago.And don't get me started on the mantling. (Harry. You're a soldier. I really think you could conquer that two-inch curb or sandbag if you put your mind to it, champ). Image credit: Eurogamer/RebellionOf course, Sniper Elite: Resistance has the typical multiplayer offering, too. Sadly, I had connection issues during the review period and therefore have focused on the campaign in this review, so I'll circle back when I can. Nevertheless, Sniper Elite 5's Axis Invasion mode returns. If you're brave, you can open up your game and permit other players to invade and hunt you down. Personally, I have enough problems without someone twenty years younger with the hand/eye coordination to go with it joining the hunt, but hey, I'm glad it exists for the non-cowards among us.Entirely new, though, is Resistance's "propaganda missions", quick 'n' dirty time-based missions that can be unlocked by locating the ferociously loud posters flapping about the place in the main campaign. The offerings vary - there are sniping challenges, stealth, and combat - but in each one, you need to defeat as many enemies as possible within the time limit with a limited set of weapons. Scores can be boosted by being quick, efficient, and avoiding damage yourself - so I sucked - but at least you can play as someone other than Harry, and that is not an insubstantial advantage in this game, believe me. Image credit: Eurogamer/RebellionSniper Elite: Resistance accessibility optionsFive difficulty levels. Colourblind mode. Subtitle size options. On/off toggle for aim assist, auto-run, auto-climb and X-ray bullet kill replays. Separate volume sliders for music, speech, SFX and awareness cues. In mission 4's propaganda mission, Le Maquis Voit Tout, for instance, you're forced to snipe at speed to take down as many enemies as possible in a minute. Challenge 1, La Resistance, on the other hand, gives you 90 seconds to creep around town and silently takedown hostiles. Every ghost kill puts a little extra time on the clock, so each battle has the delicious tension of needing to be done quickly but stealthily, too. They're delightfully speedy quests and the perfect antidote to marathon campaign sessions if, like me, you get a little too obsessed with needing to explore every single inch of the main maps.All in all, then - even without the magic of Sniper Elite's legendary X-ray kill cam - I'm having a blast. And I'm using the present tense there because even after completing it, I'm desperate to get back in to replay with different tactics, difficulty levels, weapons: you name it. Your mileage, admittedly, may vary if you're a Sniper Elite veteran itching for something new - for better or worse, this isn't that much of a departure from Sniper Elite 5. But as I said, I just got a medal for blasting a Nazi's testicle off from 326 metres away. Not all heroes wear capes, you know.A copy of Sniper Elite: Resistance was provided for review by developer Rebellion.