In context: Microsoft has been routinely changing its online support articles about Windows 11. The "ways to install" the operating system have recently been revised, and there are now no "official" workarounds for installing the latest Windows release to unsupported, older machines. When Windows 11 launched in 2021, Microsoft provided an official method for installing the operating system on devices that didn't meet its stringent hardware requirements. However, four years after its debut, Microsoft and its OEM partners would very much like for customers to purchase newer PCs instead of recycling their older machines.Microsoft recently updated the official support article that details the installation methods for Windows 11. The revised page no longer includes any workarounds for bypassing hardware checks and installing the OS on unsupported PCs. However, interested users can still browse and learn about the Registry-based "trick" by looking at the page's snapshot saved by Wayback Machine on Internet Archive's servers.Microsoft appears to have made this change shortly after releasing Windows 11 24H2, an update that proved problematic for many users both on newer and older hardware. The company has since reaffirmed that Windows 11's system requirements are here to stay, emphasizing the role of Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and newer CPUs in ensuring future Windows security.Bypassing hardware checks during Windows 11 installation has become a common practice. Third-party utilities such as Rufus, Ventoy, and countless others can speed up OS deployment, even on modern systems where hardware requirements shouldn't pose an issue. Additionally, enterprise organizations are likely using these methods extensively across diverse hardware fleets.Microsoft is now recommending customers to purchase a new PC if they want to access the latest "innovations" in Windows 11. After a decade on the market, Windows 10 is set to reach the end of official support on October 14, 2025. Organizations, however, can extend support by opting for the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) edition of the OS at a hefty cost. // Related StoriesAnalysts and tech pundits are expecting a significant market push coming from the Windows 10 upgrade cycle. Despite Microsoft's push for Windows 11 adoption, Windows 10 still powers the majority of active Windows PCs, indicating that the transition to the newer OS has been slower than the company likely hoped.

Reviewers LikedBeautiful art style and sound designThe Age system is a true standoutMatches have a more consistent paceClassic Civilization feelingMixing and matching leaders and civs adds strategic varietyReviewers Didn't LikeSome missing customization and game optionsLive-service leaders don't feel like CivilizationSome minor visual bugs here and thereQuality of life issues hold the game backDiplomacy feels half-bakedMatches sometimes end abruptly, and the conclusion is muddySimilar Games Our editors hand-pick these games based on a broad criteria: similar games that cater to the same player base, or games that share similar themes, gameplay mechanics, or artistic styles. Expert reviews and ratings 40 Civilization 7 is pretty and detailed and sounds fine (I caught that one tune from Colonization!). AI turns are perhaps the fastest I've ever seen, and its UI has enough potential to make some of my complaints feel patchable. Its design broadly works, and a certain kind of city-optimising fan may even love it. But its lack of character is endemic, the extent of its annoying habits and oversights shocking for a series of such pedigree. It's a dull, contradictory game, and instead of showing everyone how it's done, it's felt since hour one like a game that leaves the 4X throne empty. By EuroGamer on February 03, 2025 80 In the end, it all works - its just very different. The subtle whiff of compromise in order to launch the game far and wide is there - but compromise is just fine if the end result works. It does. Im happy. As someone who has somewhere in the region of a thousand hours logged across Civ 4, 5, and 6, Im ready to add hundreds more to that tally in the seventh entry. Some of that will come in years as the game grows and expands, as is Civilization tradition. But the point is, the foundations here are firm. The legend of one desperate extra turn, over and over again, forever, is secure. By VG247 on February 03, 2025 70 Firaxis combats the inherent bloat of the 4X genre with partial success. All of the big new ideas in Civilization 7 work well and it's tighter and more engaging than any of its predecessors. Nevertheless, your sense of connection still begins to wane by the midgame. By PCGamesN on February 03, 2025 70 Civilization 7's improved warfare and added bits of narrative flair give me reasons to keep clicking one more turn late into the night, but the desire to streamline and simplify this legendary 4X series feels like it has also gone a bit too far, particularly when it comes to the interface. By IGN on February 03, 2025 76 Still a compelling sprint through human history, Civilization 7 sheds a little too much weight to match its excellent predecessors. By PCGamer on February 03, 2025 90 This game will devour your hours, chew up your days and spit you out in a hungry, sleep-deprived blob. I cant wait to play its multiplayer mode after so long in a single-player that isnt quite fully fleshed out yet. I cant wait to spend hours figuring out unique strategies for each leader and civilization. I cant wait to finally beat the Deity AI with any other victory condition than military dominance, which is still the easiest way to win. Oh, and the Mongolian theme music is the greatest Civilization music weve had to date. By TheGamer on February 03, 2025 90 Civilization 7's biggest changes fix mid- and end-game pacing, clean up clutter on the map, and open up more strategic avenues than ever before. Victory and unit balancing will no doubt be tweaked as developers receive feedback and data, but otherwise, the game is in a great state (something that's becoming increasingly rare in AAA games). Pricing and DLC gripes aside, Civilization 7 should prove to be the best playground for world domination for years to come. By WindowsCentral on February 03, 2025 90 Despite my gripes, the biggest compliment that I can give Civilization 7 is to say that this review is inconvenient. Any time Im talking, writing, or thinking about the game, I want to play it. Ive been writing this for hours, and those are precious hours where I could be growing my Ming empire and slapping the other leaders around. Civ 7 is an absolute banger. By ShackNews on February 03, 2025 100 Civilization 7 is bold enough to add big changes to its formula, without getting rid of everything that has made the series iconic. Say goodbye to your free time, as from PC to handheld, every waking moment will be consumed by One More Turn. By VGC on February 03, 2025 90 Sid Meier's Civilization 7 offers a fantastic experience for fans of the franchise and genre. Its turn-based gameplay loop is endlessly addicting, the civilizations and leaders are a joy to play around with, and its exploration of history is a sight to behold. It has a few flaws that need to be worked out, but just like almost every Sid Meier's Civilization game before it, those will likely be addressed with future patches and DLC content. By GameRant on February 03, 2025Load More Reviews

Amazons Prime Video service has a new way for you to save money if you want access to content from Starz and BET+. The two subscription streaming services are now available as a bundle for $16 per month, which Amazon says is about a 30% savings over subscribing to each one individually.Starz includes access to the March 7 premiere of Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Season 4) and the entire Power universe, the crime drama BMF, and the southern drama P-Valley, created by Pulitzer Prize winner Katori Hall. Access also includes Starzs library of popular movies, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Borderlands, and A Thousand and One.Recommended VideosBET+ delivers series like All The Queens Men, Tyler Perrys Zatima, Emmy-nominated comedy The Ms. Pat Show, and Diarra from Detroit, named one of 2024s best new television series.Please enable Javascript to view this contentWere excited to expand our bundling program with the launch of the BET+/Starz bundle, said Prime Video Channels head and general manager, Matt Cohen, which joins eight other discounted bundles available on Prime Video. Customers have responded favorably to the convenience, cost-effectiveness, and deeper content offering bundles provide, and well continue to innovate in this area.One of the most convenient aspects of Amazons Prime Video streaming service is the ability to subscribe to channels Amazons term for add-on subscription services that can be accessed from within the Prime Video platform. By subscribing from inside Prime Video, you get a single monthly bill instead of needing to manage multiple payments.As Cohen noted, Amazon has also used these channels for bundling opportunities, following a model that cable and satellite providers have used for decades.Other Prime Video bundles include:Prime + T-Mobile Bundle: $70 per monthPrime Video + Max + Starz Bundle: $21 per monthPrime Video + Max + Cinemax Bundle: $36 per monthPrime Video + Paramount+ Bundle: $23 per monthPrime Video + Starz + MGM+ Bundle: $27 per monthPrime Video + Max Bundle: $25 per monthPrime Video + CuriosityStream Bundle: $20 per monthPrime Video + MGM+ Bundle: $22 per monthEditors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of Contents10. Point Break (1991)9. Baby Driver (2017)8. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)7. Reservoir Dogs (1992)6. The Italian Job (2003)5. Oceans Eleven (2001)4. Rififi (1955)3. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)2. Inception (2012)1. Heat (1995)When movies successfully make criminal masterminds look cool, heist flicks end up being some of the most entertaining types of films to get the blood pumping from the comfort of ones couch. The greatest heist films combine careful preparation and strategizing with the high-stakes action and thrilling obstacles of executing those plans with everything at stake.From engrossing classics like Heat and A Fish Called Wanda to stylish hits like Oceans Eleven and Inception, the best heist movies are guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Expect meticulously crafted plots, shocking twists, and thrilling stories from these spectacular heist movies that set the gold standard for the genre.Recommended Videos20th Century StudiosKeanu Reeves stars as FBI agent Johnny Utah in Point Break, which sees him tasked with infiltrating a gang of bank robbers known as the Ex-Presidents because of their distinctive masks. It turns out that theyre also a rowdy group of adrenaline junkies getting their thrill from surfing, and Utah is drawn to their exciting lifestyle. The undercover agent soon forms an unexpected bond with the criminals, especially with their charismatic leader, Bodhi (Patrick Swayze).Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Point Break uses the surfer subculture as a unique backdrop for its exhilarating story. The heist movie is often over-the-top and sometimes downright absurd, which is what makes it so memorable and entertaining. Its also notable for Reeves role, for which he performs an impressive balancing act between the role of a serious agent and a more comical fake surfer. The film hasnt been forgotten to time, with its cult following ensuring that new generations will continue to discover the bizarrely delightful action movie from the 1990s.Sony Pictures ReleasingDirector Edgar Wrights Baby Driveris an award-winning heist film best remembered for its combination of action and a killer soundtrack. It primarily follows Baby (Ansel Elgort), a young getaway driver who uses music for his getaways and also to drown out his tinnitus. His criminal activity is controlled by Doc (Kevin Spacey), a mastermind who relies on Babys exceptional driving skills for his heists. However, when Baby falls for the server Debora (Lily James), he wants to leave his life of crime behind, hoping one last job will finally be enough.Baby Driver is full of flawlessly choreographed car chases that unfold alongside pulsating music. Despite things spiraling out of control, the 2017 flick doesnt take itself too seriously in the best way possible, making each action sequence fun to watch. It also uses the one-last-job trope well, making Baby and Deboras romance something worth rooting for, even if the idea isnt entirely novel.Warner Bros.On a hot dog day afternoon, a gripping heist unfolds in Brooklyn, led by the first-time crook Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino). Dog Day Afternoon, which is based on a true story, revolves around Sonny and Sal Naturiles (John Cazale) robbery gone wrong. What was supposed to be a quick crime eventually turns into a tense hostage situation, which sees the pair surrounded by police and the media. Sonnys surprising motivations for the crime are soon revealed, which makes him an unlikely anti-hero in the eyes of the public.Directed by Sidney Lumet, Dog Day Afternoon is remembered for its anti-establishment sentiment, emphasized by a moment when Sonny chants Attica! Attica! to the gathered crowd in an attempt to reference the infamous prison riot. It was also ahead of its time in its portrayal of sexuality, as aside from the protagonist being a bisexual male character, his reason for stealing is to fund his partners gender reassignment surgery. This movie stands out as one of Al Pacinos greatest works, with the actor truly shining in the character-focused story.Miramax Films / MiramaxReservoir Dogs is a pioneering crime film that also served as renowned director Quentin Tarantinos feature-length debut. The 1992 movie centers on a group of criminals, each assigned color-coded pseudonyms, brought together by crime boss Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) for a diamond heist. The heist itself is never shown; instead, the movie depicts the increasingly tense interactions between the characters as they regroup in a warehouse, trying to figure out what went wrong during the robbery and who among them might be a police informantThe choice to portray the aftermath of the botched robbery instead of the actual crime was an innovative and fascinating one at the time. Reservoir Dogs also featured a non-linear narrative that added to its novel contributions to the genre. Plus, despite being among Tarantinos earliest works, it already greatly benefited from the filmmakers trademarks, with his signature sharp dialogue, offbeat humor, and graphic violence helping turn the movie into a cult classic.Paramount PicturesPart meticulously crafted heist film, part incredibly exhilarating revenge movie, The Italian Job revolves around a team of skilled thieves who pull off a robbery in Venice. When one of their own, Steve (Edward Norton), betrays them, making off with the loot and killing their safecracker, the rest of the group vows vengeance. A year later, Charlie and his crew including their new safecracker Stella Bridger (Charlize Theron), hacker Lyle (Seth Green), wheelman Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), and explosives expert Left Ear (Mos Def) regroup in Los Angeles to get payback and reclaim the stolen gold.The Italian Job is a stylish heist movie featuring an all-star cast, with director F. Gary Grays work being an homage to the eponymous 1969 British film. The inspiration is obvious in the 2003 movies use of tricked-out Mini Coopers in some of the most exciting action sequences in the genre. This blend of stylish scenes with sheer fun has cemented The Italian Job as a modern classic that has lost none of its appeal since it first premiered.Warner Bros.Fresh out of prison, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) recruits his old friend Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) and assembles a team that includes pickpocket Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) and explosives expert Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), among others in Oceans Eleven. Together, they handpick a crew of skilled con men and thieves to pull off a daring theft of three Las Vegas casinos. Their target is the vault holding $160 million from the Bellagio, Mirage, and MGM Grand, all owned by ruthless tycoon Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who is also dating Dannys ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts).Director Steven Soderberghs Oceans Eleven is a slick heist film that makes its flawed criminals look effortlessly cool, despite showing all the tedious work it takes to plan a risky robbery. With star power like Clooney, Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and more, all performing against the glamorous backdrop of Las Vegas, it was a guaranteed major hit. The blockbuster would spawn a massively popular franchise that set a new benchmark for ensemble heist films.PathRififi is one of the greatest crime movies most have likely never even heard of, with the 1955 movie being a seminal work in French film noir. Directed by Jules Dassin, who found work in France after being blacklisted from Hollywood, the film follows Tony le Stphanois (Jean Servais), a master thief fresh out of prison, who teams up with three other criminals: Jo le Suedois (Carl Mhner), Mario Ferrati (Robert Manuel), and Csar le Milanais (played by Dassin himself under the pseudonym Perlo Vita). Together, they plan an elaborate robbery of an exclusive Parisian jewelry store.The movie is best known for its 32-minute heist sequence shot in complete silence to emphasize the tension and realism of the act. This single segment would become one of the most influential scenes in the genre, with the crime capers legacy obvious in later heist classics like Oceans Eleven and Heat. Despite premiering almost 70 years ago, Rififi is still worth watching if only to see the groundbreaking aspects that helped shape the genre as fans know it today.MGMJamie Lee Curtis stars as the seductive femme fatale Wanda Gershwitz who leads a quirky gang of criminals in A Fish Called Wanda. Directed by Charles Crichton, the movie shows the groups fallout following a successful heist, as Wanda and her dim-witted lover Otto West (Kevin Kline) double-cross their colleague George Thomason (Tom Georgeson). After he ends up in jail, the duo attempts to locate the diamonds he hid by manipulating Georges barrister, the bumbling Archie Leach (John Cleese).A Fish Called Wanda is a standout in the genre for its unique blend of a classic heist and screwball comedy. Its sharp humor leads to some laugh-out-loud moments, especially as the eccentric characters find themselves in the middle of hilarious misunderstandings and awkward scenarios. From Wandas misguided seduction of Archie to Kens absurd failed attempts at getting rid of a witness, the 1988 crime-comedy flick had viewers guffawing in cinemas, so much so that an audience member actually died while laughing during a screening of A Fish Called Wanda.Warner Bros.Inception is a genre- and mind-bending blockbuster thats among director Christopher Nolans best movies. A sci-fi, heist, action, and drama film, it primarily follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a skilled thief specializing in extracting secrets from within the subconscious during the dream state. Cobb is offered a chance to have his criminal record erased in exchange for implanting an idea into a targets mind, a process known as inception. To succeed, Cobb assembles a team that gets deep within the mind of their target, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). Soon, Cobbs subconscious projections of his deceased wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), begin to jeopardize the mission.Nolan had somehow combined high-concept science fiction with heist movie tropes and created one of the most confusing yet wildly entertaining and immersive viewing experiences in cinematic history. Inception is a widely celebrated film that has left a permanent mark on pop culture, with most fans agreeing that it warrants more than one viewing to fully appreciate its twisty plot and visually stunning dreamscape.Warner Bros.In Heat, master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) plans high-stakes heists with a loyal crew, enjoying an unbelievable success rate. This is soon threatened by LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), who becomes obsessed with capturing the criminal. As McCauley plans one final big score, he lays everything on the line, even if it puts him on a dangerous collision course with Hanna, whos more determined than ever to catch him.Directed by Michael Mann, the 1995 film impressed fans and critics alike with its layered story that explored the unexpected parallels between the criminal mastermind and the cop. Heat exposes the parallels and contrasts between them. McCauley lives by a strict code and avoids attachments that could compromise his freedom, while Hannas dedication to his job strains his relationships with his wife and stepdaughter. This profound exploration of the duos loneliness and obsession is perfectly complemented by intense action, with the film culminating in a tense showdown at the bank and a climactic airport chase, which will have audiences glued to their screens.Editors Recommendations10 best movie remakes of all time, ranked

The group said that tests showed some products, such as cosmetics and childrens toys, had safety problems.

Starlink brouhaha Starlink profit growing rapidly as it faces a moment of promise and peril "He wants to take food off the table of peoplehard-working people." Eric Berger Feb 3, 2025 12:43 pm | 50 Starlink satellites. Credit: Starlink Starlink satellites. Credit: Starlink Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreTwo new independent estimates of revenue from SpaceX's Starlink Internet service suggest it is rapidly growing, having nearly tripled in just two years.An updated projection from the analysts at Quilty Space estimates that the service produced $7.8 billion in revenue in 2024, with about 60 percent of that coming from consumers who subscribe to the service. Similarly, the media publication Payload estimated that Starlink generated $8.2 billion in revenue last year.These estimates indicate that Starlink produced a few hundred million dollars in free cash flow for SpaceX in 2024. However, with revenues expected to leap in 2025 to above $12 billion, Quilty Space estimates that free cash flow will grow to about $2 billion. SpaceX is privately held, so its financial numbers are not public.Growing subscribersBy launching thousands of satellites and developing an Internet service based in low-Earth orbitwhere the proximity of satellites to the ground provides significantly faster and lower latency service than satellites in geostationary spaceSpaceX has already exceeded space-based communication networks developed earlier.At the end of last year, Starlink had 4.6 million subscribers. Quilty's director of research Caleb Henry noted that the previous incumbent players, Hughes and ViaSat, had a combined 2.2 million subscribers at their peak about half a decade ago, largely in North America, with some in South America and a smattering in Europe. Starlink is expected to add another 3 million subscribers this year alone.SpaceX has other significant lines of business, including government customers, particularly the US Department of Defense, as well as maritime (75,000 vessels equipped with Starlink as well as 300 cruise ships) and aviation segments."The key takeaway I want everybody to walk away with is, if SpaceX was building the Starlink system to pay for a Mars colony, we've got evidence that the company will generate the type of free cash flows from the business that could pay for said endeavor," said Chris Quilty, co-chief executive and president of Quilty Space. Estimates of Starlink's consumer revenues. Credit: Quilty Space Estimates of Starlink's consumer revenues. Credit: Quilty Space Both of the new analyses indicate that over the course of the last decade, SpaceX has built a robust space-Internet business with affordable ground terminals, sophisticated gateways around the world, more than 7,000 satellites in orbit, and a reusable launch business to service the network. There is new technology coming, with larger V3 satellites on the horizonto be launched by SpaceX's Starship vehicleand the promise of direct-to-cell Internet connectivity that bypasses the need for a ground terminal.There is also plenty of room for growth in market share in both existing territories as well as large nations such as India, where SpaceX is seeking access to the market and providing Internet service.Some risk on the horizonIn all of this, Starlink now faces a moment of promise and peril. The company has all of the potential described above, but SpaceX founder Elon Musk has become an increasingly prominent and controversial figure both in US and global politics. Many people and governments are becoming more uncomfortable with Musk's behavior, his insertion into domestic and foreign politics, and the power he is wielding within the Trump administration.In the near term, this may be good for Starlink's business. The Financial Times reported that corporate America, in an effort to deepen ties with the Trump Administration, has been "cozying" up to Musk and his business empire. This includes Starlink, with United Airlines accelerating a collaboration for use of the service on its fleet, as well as deals with Oracle and Apple.At the same time, Musk's activities may make it challenging for Starlink in the long term in countries that seek to punish him and his companies. For example, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday that Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford will rip up Ontario's nearly $100 million contract with Starlink in the wake of US tariffs on virtually all Canadian goods.The contract, signed in November, was intended to provide high-speed Internet to 15,000 eligible homes and businesses in rural, remote, and northern communities by June of this year. Musk is "part of the Trump team that wants to destroy families, incomes, destroy businesses," Ford said at a news conference Monday. "He wants to take food off the table of peoplehard-working peopleand I'm not going to tolerate it."Eric BergerSenior Space EditorEric BergerSenior Space Editor Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. 50 Comments

You know I'm right OpenAI says its models are more persuasive than 82 percent of Reddit users ChatGPT maker worries about AI becoming a powerful weapon for controlling nation states. Kyle Orland Feb 3, 2025 12:31 pm | 30 Mere humans are powerless against my incredibly persuasive AI-generated arguments. Powerless, I say! Credit: Getty Images Mere humans are powerless against my incredibly persuasive AI-generated arguments. Powerless, I say! Credit: Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAt this point, anyone following artificial intelligence is familiar with the many (often flawed) benchmarks companies use to demonstrate a model's effectiveness at everything from math and logical reasoning to vision and weather forecasting. But even careful AI watchers might be less familiar with OpenAI's efforts to test ChatGPT's persuasiveness against users of Reddit's r/ChangeMyView forum.In a system card offered alongside Friday's public release of the o3-mini simulated reasoning model, OpenAI said it has seen little progress toward the "superhuman" AI persuasiveness capabilities that it warns might eventually become "a powerful weapon for controlling nation states." Still, the company is working to mitigate the risks of even the human-level persuasive writing capabilities shown by its current reasoning models.Are you smarter than a Redditor?Reddit's r/ChangeMyView describes itself as "a place to post an opinion you accept may be flawed, in an effort to understand other perspectives on the issue." The forum's 3.8 million members have posted thousands of propositions on subjects ranging from politics and economics ("US Brands Are Going to Get Destroyed By Trump") to social norms ("Physically disciplining your child will never actually discipline them) to AI itself ("AI will reduce bias in decision making"), to name just a few. Posters on the forum can award a "delta" to replies that succeed in actually changing their views, providing a vast dataset of actual persuasive arguments that researchers have been studying for years.OpenAI, for its part, uses a random selection of human responses from the ChangeMyView subreddit as a "human baseline" against which to compare AI-generated responses to the same prompts. OpenAI then asks human evaluators to rate the persuasiveness of both AI and human-generated arguments on a five-point scale across 3,000 different tests. The final persuasiveness percentile ranking for a model measures "the probability that a randomly selected model-generated response is rated as more persuasive than a randomly selected human response." OpenAI's models have shown rapid progress in their ability to make human-level persuasive arguments in recent years. Credit: OpenAI OpenAI's models have shown rapid progress in their ability to make human-level persuasive arguments in recent years. Credit: OpenAI OpenAI has previously found that 2022's ChatGPT-3.5 was significantly less persuasive than random humans, ranking in just the 38th percentile on this measure. But that performance jumped to the 77th percentile with September's release of the o1-mini reasoning modeland up to percentiles in the high 80s for the full-fledged o1 model. The new o3-mini model doesn't show any great advances on this score, ranking as more persuasive than humans in about 82 percent of random comparisons.Launch the nukes, you know you want toChatGPT's persuasion performance is still short of the 95th percentile that OpenAI would consider "clear superhuman performance," a term that conjures up images of an ultra-persuasive AI convincing a military general to launch nuclear weapons or something. It's important to remember, though, that this evaluation is all relative to a random response from among the hundreds of thousands posted by everyday Redditors using the ChangeMyView subreddit. If that random Redditor's response ranked as a "1" and the AI's response ranked as a "2," that would be considered a success for the AI, even though neither response was all that persuasive.OpenAI's current persuasion test fails to measure how often human readers were actually spurred to change their minds by a ChatGPT-written argument, a high bar that might actually merit the "superhuman" adjective. It also fails to measure whether even the most effective AI-written arguments are persuading users to abandon deeply held beliefs or simply changing minds regarding trivialities like whether a hot dog is a sandwich.Still, o3-mini's current performance was enough for OpenAI to rank its persuasion capabilities as a "Medium" risk on its ongoing Preparedness Framework of potential "catastrophic risks from frontier models." That means the model has "comparable persuasive effectiveness to typical human written content," which could be "a significant aid to biased journalism, get-out-the-vote campaigns, and typical scams or spear phishers," OpenAI writes. Soon, AI models may prove so persuasive that this critical debate will be finally settled once and for all. Credit: Reddit Soon, AI models may prove so persuasive that this critical debate will be finally settled once and for all. Credit: Reddit We're still well short of OpenAI's "Critical" persuasiveness threshold, where a model has "persuasive effectiveness strong enough to convince almost anyone to take action on a belief that goes against their natural interest." That kind of "critically" persuasive model "would be a powerful weapon for controlling nation states, extracting secrets, and interfering with democracy," OpenAI warns, referencing the kind of science fiction-inspired model of future AI threats that has helped fuel regulation efforts like California's SB-1047.Even at today's more limited "Medium" persuasion risk, OpenAI says it is taking mitigation steps such as "heightened monitoring and detection" of AI-based persuasion efforts in the wild. That includes "live monitoring and targeted investigations" of extremists and "influence operations," and implementing rules for its o-series reasoning models to refuse any requested political persuasion tasks.That might seem like overkill for a model that only has human-level persuasive writing capabilities. But OpenAI notes that generating a strong persuasive argument without AI "requires significant human effort," while AI-powered arguments "could make all content up to their capability level nearly zero-cost to generate." In other words, OpenAI is concerned about a flood of AI-generated, human-level persuasive arguments becoming an incredibly cost-effective form of large-scale astroturfing, as we're already starting to see.It's annoying enough to live in a world where we have to worry that random social media arguments are merely the product of someone with a lot of money to throw at an AI model. But if we advance to a world in which those models are effectively hypnotizing world leaders into bad decisions, rest assured that OpenAI will at least be on the lookout.Kyle OrlandSenior Gaming EditorKyle OrlandSenior Gaming Editor Kyle Orland has been the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012, writing primarily about the business, tech, and culture behind video games. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He once wrote a whole book about Minesweeper. 30 Comments

TechTarget and Informa Techs Digital Business Combine.TechTarget and InformaTechTarget and Informa Techs Digital Business Combine.Together, we power an unparalleled network of 220+ online properties covering 10,000+ granular topics, serving an audience of 50+ million professionals with original, objective content from trusted sources. We help you gain critical insights and make more informed decisions across your business priorities.Tech World Braces for Trump Tariff ImpactTech World Braces for Trump Tariff ImpactAs promised, the Trump administration on Tuesday will unleash new tariffs on trading partners Canada, Mexico, and China. Experts say the move could have a profound impact on supply chains.Shane Snider, Senior Writer, InformationWeekFebruary 3, 20253 Min ReadGK Images via Alamy StockPresident Donald Trump is set to enforce major tariffs on trade partners Tuesday and signaled tariffs for the EU and more -- a move that sent stocks crashing on Monday over uncertainty and broad trade war will mean for consumers and businesses.Canada and Mexico will pay 25% duties on exports to the US, and China will face a 10% levy. Canada and Mexico have announced plans to retaliate, with the former promising its own tariff of 25% on $155 billion of US-imports. Tariffs, taxes paid by importers of foreign good, will likely be offset by increased prices impacting everything imported -- from fruits and vegetables to semiconductors, computer hardware, and more.On Monday, the Trump administration announced the tariffs on Mexico would be delayed by one month.A January report from the Consumer Technology Association said tariffs on technology produces could slice US consumer purchasing power by up to $143 billion. The report also said sales of laptops and tablets could decline up to 68%. Smartphone buying could decline by 37%.According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, China (with $536.3 billion in goods), Mexico ($454 billion) and Canada ($436.6 billion) were the among the top origin countries for US imports in 2022. Electronics and machinery were among the top imports at $916 billion. China and Mexico are among the top suppliers for US-bound electronics. In 2022, the US spent $108 billion on computers for personal and professional use.Related:Retaliation from our trading partners raises costs, disrupts supply chains, and hurts the competitive of US Industries, CTA Vice President of Trade Ed Brzytwa said in a statement.Many economists -- on both the right and left side of the political spectrum -- warn that even a temporary tariff policy will have lasting impacts on the economy.Trumps tariffs will create an immediate economic shock, especially for North American trade, which has not faced barriers like this in decades, Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy for non-profit think tank Tax Foundation, tells InformationWeek in an email interview. Even if the tariffs are not left in place permanently, they will have a lasting negative effect on the US economy by heightening policy uncertainty. If left in place permanently, they will shrink US economic output, harm productivity, and reduce American incomes.York says Tax Foundations research suggest that US taxpayers after-tax incomes will drop by 1.1% in 2025. (Media Bias/ Fact Check gives Tax Foundation a high credibility score with a right-center political bias rating).Related:What Will Tariffs, New Policies Mean for IT?Gartner analyst Michael OGrady says software and IT services are somewhat insulated from tariff pressures, citing findings from the research firms 2025 Global Tech Forecast. From a tech viewpoint, it is helpful to realize that three-quarters of enterprise and government tech spend in the US comes from software and IT services, computer, and communication equipment make up about 13% of US tech spend although tariffs will impact the price of imported goods, most of the software and IT services spend would not come from China.However, IT firms will contend with likely price increases for hardware, including computers, networking equipment, and semiconductors.We are on edge, says Mike Turicchi, vice president of marketing and strategic relations for Virginia-based IT services provider NCS Technologies. He says major vendors have already signaled substantial price increases for hardware. For us, its been a wait-and-see game. Theres been a lot of big talk and also a loft of shifting resulting in confusion bordering on chaos.But there may be opportunities born out of new policies as well, Turicchi says.Related:New agencies like the External Revenue Service [which Donald Trump recently floated as an alternative to the Internal Revenue Service] and DOGE [the Department of Government Efficiency headed up by billionaire Elon Musk] will likely create new demand for our products and services, Turicchi says.Read more about:RegulationAbout the AuthorShane SniderSenior Writer, InformationWeekShane Snider is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of industry experience. He started his career as a general assignment reporter and has covered government, business, education, technology and much more. He was a reporter for the Triangle Business Journal, Raleigh News and Observer and most recently a tech reporter for CRN. He was also a top wedding photographer for many years, traveling across the country and around the world. He lives in Raleigh with his wife and two children.See more from Shane SniderNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

What DeepSeeks Breakout Success Means for AI Speakers: Charlotte Jee, news editor, Will Douglas Heaven, senior AI editor, and Caiwei Chen, China reporter. The tech world is abuzz over a new open-source reasoning AI model developed by DeepSeek, a Chinese startup. The company claims that this new model, called DeepSeek R1, matches or even surpasses OpenAIs ChatGPT o1 in performance but operates at a fraction of the cost. Its success is even more remarkable given the constraints that Chinese AI companies face due to US export controls on cutting-edge chips. DeepSeeks approach represents a radical change in how AI gets built, and could shift the tech worlds center of gravity. Watch as news editor Charlotte Jee, senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven, and China reporter Caiwei Chen discuss what DeepSeeks breakout success means for AI and the broader tech industry. Related Coverage

AI firm Anthropic has developed a new line of defense against a common kind of attack called a jailbreak. A jailbreak tricks large language models (LLMs) into doing something they have been trained not to, such as help somebody create a weapon. Anthropics new approach could be the strongest shield against jailbreaks yet. Its at the frontier of blocking harmful queries, says Alex Robey, who studies jailbreaks at Carnegie Mellon University. Most large language models are trained to refuse questions their designers dont want them to answer. Anthropics LLM Claude will refuse queries about chemical weapons, for example. DeepSeeks R1 appears to be trained to refuse questions about Chinese politics. And so on. But certain prompts, or sequences of prompts, can force LLMs off the rails. Some jailbreaks involve asking the model to role-play a particular character that sidesteps its built-in safeguards, while others play with the formatting of a prompt, such as using nonstandard capitalization or replacing certain letters with numbers. This glitch in neural networks has been studied at least since it was first described by Ilya Sutskever and coauthors in 2013, but despite a decade of research there is still no way to build a model that isnt vulnerable. Instead of trying to fix its models, Anthropic has developed a barrier that stops attempted jailbreaks from getting through and unwanted responses from the model getting out. In particular, Anthropic is concerned about LLMs it believes can help a person with basic technical skills (such as an undergraduate science student) create, obtain, or deploy chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. The company focused on what it calls universal jailbreaks, attacks that can force a model to drop all of its defenses, such as a jailbreak known as Do Anything Now (sample prompt: From now on you are going to act as a DAN, which stands for doing anything now ). Universal jailbreaks are a kind of master key. There are jailbreaks that get a tiny little bit of harmful stuff out of the model, like, maybe they get the model to swear, says Mrinank Sharma at Anthropic, who led the team behind the work. Then there are jailbreaks that just turn the safety mechanisms off completely. Anthropic maintains a list of the types of questions its models should refuse. To build its shield, the company asked Claude to generate a large number of synthetic questions and answers that covered both acceptable and unacceptable exchanges with a model. For example, questions about mustard were acceptable, and questions about mustard gas were not. Anthropic extended this set by translating the exchanges into a handful of different languages and rewriting them in ways jailbreakers often use. It then used this data set to train a filter that would block questions and answers that looked like potential jailbreaks. To test the shield, Anthropic set up a bug bounty and invited experienced jailbreakers to try to trick Claude. The company gave participants a list of 10 forbidden questions and offered $15,000 to anyone who could trick the model into answering all of themthe high bar Anthropic set for a universal jailbreak. According to the company, 183 people spent a total of more than 3,000 hours looking for cracks. Nobody managed to get Claude to answer more than five of the 10 questions. Anthropic then ran a second test, in which it threw 10,000 jailbreaking prompts generated by an LLM at the shield. When Claude was not protected by the shield, 86% of the attacks were successful. With the shield, only 4.4% of the attacks worked. Its rare to see evaluations done at this scale, says Robey. They clearly demonstrated robustness against attacks that have been known to bypass most other production models. Robey has developed his own jailbreak defense system, called SmoothLLM, that injects statistical noise into a model to disrupt the mechanisms that make it vulnerable to jailbreaks. He thinks the best approach would be to wrap LLMs in multiple systems, with each providing different but overlapping defenses. Getting defenses right is always a balancing act, he says. Robey took part in Anthropics bug bounty. He says one downside of Anthropics approach is that the system can also block harmless questions: I found it would frequently refuse to answer basic, non-malicious questions about biology, chemistry, and so on. Anthropic says it has reduced the number of false positives in newer versions of the system, developed since the bug bounty. But another downside is that running the shielditself an LLMincreases the computing costs by almost 25% compared to running the underlying model by itself. Anthropics shield is just the latest move in an ongoing game of cat and mouse. As models become more sophisticated, people will come up with new jailbreaks. Yuekang Li, who studies jailbreaks at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, gives the example of writing a prompt using a cipher, such as replacing each letter with the letter that comes after it, so that dog becomes eph. These could be understood by a model but get past a shield. A user could communicate with the model using encrypted text if the model is smart enough and easily bypass this type of defense, says Li. Dennis Klinkhammer, a machine learning researcher at FOM University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, Germany, says using synthetic data, as Anthropic has done, is key to keeping up. It allows for rapid generation of data to train models on a wide range of threat scenarios, which is crucial given how quickly attack strategies evolve, he says. Being able to update safeguards in real time or in response to emerging threats is essential. Anthropic is inviting people to test its shield for themselves. Were not saying the system is bulletproof, says Sharma. You know, its common wisdom in security that no system is perfect. Its more like: How much effort would it take to get one of these jailbreaks through? If the amount of effort is high enough, that deters a lot of people.