A group of investors led by Elon Musk has given OpenAI an unsolicited offer of $97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit part of OpenAI. An attorney for the group submitted the bid to OpenAI Monday, the Wall Street Journal reports.Per the Journal, the other investors in the group include Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, Vy Capital, and 8VC, a venture firm led by Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale. Ari Emanuel, CEO of sports and entertainment company Endeavor, is also backing the offer through his investment fund.OpenAI uses a hybrid business structure that consists of a nonprofit parent entity (OpenAI, Inc.) and a for-profit subsidiary (OpenAI LP, referred to as a capped-profit company). In part because of the extraordinary high costs of inventing and training AI models, OpenAI created a for-profit subsidiary in 2019 that has let it raise billions from Microsoft and others. Altman is now in the process of turning the subsidiary into a traditional company and spinning out the nonprofit. The nonprofit would, however, own equity in the new for-profit.The situation may seem familiar to OpenAI board member Bret Taylor, who was chairman of Twitters board of directors when Musk bid for, then bought, the company in October 2022. Taylor left Twitter soon after, along with most of the board.The unsolicited bid ratchets up Musks ongoing battle with OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman. Musk, who was one of the OpenAI cofounders with Altman and others in 2015 (and now leads the Department of Government Efficiency), has already filed two lawsuits against OpenAI complaining that the company has deviated from its original nonprofit mission and is now prioritizing profit-over-public benefit. In the second lawsuit, filed in November 2024, OpenAIs backer Microsoft was named as a defendant.In fact, the attorney representing the Musk group makes the new buyout offer sound like just another expression of the complaints in the lawsuits.If Sam Altman and the present OpenAI, Inc. Board of Directors are intent on becoming a fully for-profit corporation, it is vital that the charity be fairly compensated for what its leadership is taking away from it: control over the most transformative technology of our time, said Marc Toberoff, the attorney representing the investors, in a statement Monday.As the cofounder of OpenAI and the most innovative and successful tech industry leader in history, Musk is the person best positioned to protect and grow OpenAIs technology, Toberoff continued.Sam Altman responded to the offer on Musks X platform, saying hes not interested but would be open to paying $9.74 billion to acquire X. (OpenAI didnt respond to Fast Companys request for comment.)Musk and the other investors could conceivably end up owning a large share of the for-profit AI. Musks AI company, xAI, has said that its building large language models (LLMs) that are less constrained by political correctness and more focused on objective truth. OpenAI, meanwhile, has been focused on developing frontier models that achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI), or AI systems that can do most economically valuable tasks better than humans.OpenAIs for-profit arm is growing quickly. Altman is currently in discussions with the Japanese investment bank, SoftBank Group, which may invest up to $40 billion in the AI company, upping its value to about $300 billion.Update: This article has been updated to include Marc Toberoffs statement.

From Mushroom Kingdom to Dinosaur Land, this video makes sense of a sprawling game design.

The internet erupted in controversy over Felisa Wolfe-Simon and colleagues claim of a microbe thriving on arsenic. Nearly 15 years later, shes pursuing new research on the boundaries of life.

MacworldDid you know you dont need to keep paying a pesky recurring fee for Adobe just to edit your PDFs? Yup, Adobe Acrobats been keeping a major secrettheres a way to edit, merge, convert, sign, and do so much more with your PDFs without paying a monthly fee.All you need isPDF Reader Pro, the Mac-compatible app that works just like Adobe Acrobat. A one-time payment of $39.99 (reg. $59.99) is all thats needed to get lifetime access to these all-in-one PDF management tools.PDF Reader Pro really is yours for life once youve paid, and youll be able to manage PDFs effortlessly with just one app. Check out what you can do:Edit the original text and images on your PDFs.Organize, rearrange, crop, merge, and delete PDF pages as needed.Compare PDFs side by side and leave comments or annotations.Convert PDFs to and from files like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Text, HTML, etc.Customize your PDFs with watermarks, headers, and footers (batch adding is also available).This PDF tool also hasOCR capabilities that recognize text, making your PDFs searchable, and you can even password-protect sensitive files and add digital and legally binding signatures for contracts, leases, and tax forms.Why cut a check to Adobe Acrobat every month?Own this PDF Reader Pro subscription forever for only$39.99 while supplies last.PDF Reader Pro Premium License For Mac: Lifetime SubscriptionOnly $39.99 at MacworldStackSocial prices subject to change.

Dead Astronauts raises 4m in seed funding roundSwedish developer will use investment to support development of title codenamed VeilImage credit: Dead Astronauts News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Feb. 11, 2025 Swedish developer Dead Astronauts has raised 4 million in an "oversubscribed" seed funding round led by Behold Ventures.The studio will use the investment to expand its core team and support development on its open-world action-adventure game codenamed Veil, which is being built in Unreal Engine 5.The funding round included participation from Lifelike Capital, 1Up Ventures, and Acequia Capital.Angel investors Matt Bilbey, Are Mack Growen, Klaas Kersting, Asbjoern Malte Soendergaard, and Kristian Segerstrle also contributed."We are thrilled to have successfully completed our seed round and bring our vision for Dead Astronauts to life as a next-generation game studio," said co-founders Erik Morin and Tobias Nyman."While today's market presents unique challenges, we see immense opportunities to reinvent open worlds and push game-changing technology. We are incredibly grateful to have investors who believe in our vision and are excited to support bold new player experiences."Beyond Ventures managing partner Karl Magnus Troedsson added: "We are delighted to back such an ambitious team and look forward to seeing them bring their groundbreaking vision to life."Dead Astronauts was founded in 2024 by industry veterans Tobias Nyman, Erik Morin, Robert Moschos, and Thomas Tedemalm.

Mathematical reasoning remains a difficult area for artificial intelligence (AI) due to the complexity of problem-solving and the need for structured, logical thinking. While large language models (LLMs) have made significant progress, they often struggle with tasks that require multi-step reasoning. Reinforcement learning (RL) has shown promise in improving these capabilities, yet traditional methods face challenges when rewards are sparse and binary, providing little feedback beyond a correct or incorrect answer.Shanghai AI Laboratory has developed Outcome REwArd-based reinforcement Learning (OREAL), a series of mathematical reasoning models available as OREAL-7B and OREAL-32B. This framework is designed for situations where only binary rewardscorrect or incorrectare available. Unlike conventional RL approaches that rely on dense feedback, OREAL uses Best-of-N (BoN) sampling for behavior cloning and reshapes negative rewards to maintain gradient consistency.OREAL-7B and OREAL-32B demonstrate that smaller models can perform competitively with significantly larger models. OREAL-7B achieves a 94.0% pass@1 score on the MATH-500 benchmark, a result comparable to previous 32B models, while OREAL-32B reaches 95.0% pass@1, surpassing previous models trained through distillation.Technical Insights and AdvantagesThe OREAL framework introduces several key techniques to improve mathematical reasoning:Best-of-N Sampling for Behavior Cloning: BoN sampling helps select optimal positive reasoning trajectories, allowing the model to learn from well-formed solutions.Reward Reshaping for Negative Samples: By adjusting negative rewards, the framework ensures gradient consistency between correct and incorrect samples, refining model optimization.Token-Level Reward Model for Chain-of-Thought Reasoning: Mathematical reasoning often involves long sequences of logical steps. OREAL assigns importance weights to key reasoning tokens, addressing the challenge of sparse binary feedback.On-Policy Reinforcement Learning: The model dynamically refines itself based on sampled queries, improving training efficiency and adaptability.These techniques enable more stable training and better performance in long-sequence reasoning tasks, making reinforcement learning a viable alternative to traditional distillation approaches.Performance and EvaluationOREAL models have been tested across several benchmarks:MATH-500 Benchmark:OREAL-7B achieves 94.0% pass@1, a performance level previously seen only in 32B models.OREAL-32B achieves 95.0% pass@1, setting a new standard in mathematical reasoning.AIME2024 and OlympiadBench:OREAL models outperform multiple baselines, showing strong generalization across problem types.Comparison with OpenAI o-series and DeepSeek Models:OREAL-32B surpasses DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-32B and OpenAI-o1-preview, demonstrating effective training strategies.OREAL-7B achieves results on par with QwQ-32B-Preview and OpenAI-o1-mini, highlighting the impact of its reinforcement learning approach.ConclusionShanghai AI Labs OREAL-7B and OREAL-32B models offer a refined approach to reinforcement learning in mathematical reasoning. By addressing the challenge of sparse binary rewards through Best-of-N sampling, reward shaping, and token-level importance weighting, these models achieve competitive performance even at smaller scales. The OREAL framework provides valuable insights into how reinforcement learning can be optimized for complex reasoning tasks, suggesting new directions for improving AIs problem-solving capabilities in structured domains.Check outthePaper, OREAL-7B and OREAL-32B.All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitterand join ourTelegram ChannelandLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our75k+ ML SubReddit. Asif RazzaqWebsite| + postsBioAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences.Asif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Zyphra Introduces the Beta Release of Zonos: A Highly Expressive TTS Model with High Fidelity Voice CloningAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Tutorial to Fine-Tuning Mistral 7B with QLoRA Using Axolotl for Efficient LLM TrainingAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Meta AI Introduces Brain2Qwerty: A New Deep Learning Model for Decoding Sentences from Brain Activity with EEG or MEG while Participants Typed Briefly Memorized Sentences on a QWERTY KeyboardAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Kyutai Releases Hibiki: A 2.7B Real-Time Speech-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text Translation with Near-Human Quality and Voice Transfer [Recommended] Join Our Telegram Channel

Feb 11, 2025Ravie LakshmananCybercrime / RansomwareSource: The NationA coordinated law enforcement operation has taken down the dark web data leak and negotiation sites associated with the 8Base ransomware gang.Visitors to the data leak site are now greeted with a seizure banner that says: "This hidden site and the criminal content have been seized by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office on behalf of the Office of the Public Prosecutor General in Bamberg."The takedown involved the U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA), the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Europol, as well as agencies from Bavaria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Japan, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand.Thai media reports have revealed that four European nationals two men and two women were arrested across four different locations on Monday as part of an effort codenamed Operation Phobos Aetor. The identities of the suspects were not disclosed.Authorities are said to have seized more than 40 pieces of evidence, including mobile phones, laptops, and digital wallets.They are alleged to be linked to the deployment of Phobos ransomware against 17 companies located in Switzerland between April 2023 and October 2024. Furthermore, the group has been accused of earning $16 million through attacks that claimed over 1,000 victims across the world.8Base, which emerged as a major double extortion player in 2023, has been previously found incorporating Phobos ransomware artifacts into their financially motivated cyber attacks, with research from VMware uncovering a Phobos sample using a ".8base" file extension on encrypted files.Overlaps have also been identified between 8Base and RansomHouse, particularly when it comes to their ransom notes and dark web infrastructure.The latest development comes in the aftermath of a series of high-profile disruptions associated with Hive, LockBit, and BlackCat in recent years. Late last year, Evgenii Ptitsyn, a 42-year-old Russian national believed to be the administrator of the Phobos ransomware, was extradited to the U.S.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Companies across the built environment have shared their best workplace cultures and practices in a new employer guide to be officially launched at the Good Employer Guide Live event next month.Building Designs sister title Building is publishing in March its Good Employer Guide for 2025 to showcase how leading companies are attracting and retaining talent the construction, housing and architecture sectors.The full directory will be published at the Good Employer Guide Live event at the Royal Institution in central London. The event, organised by Building, alongside its sister titles Building Design and Housing Today, will take place on 6 March.The guide will include exclusive data from 45 businesses across the built environment landscape, including architects, consultants and contractors.The companies provided answers to a whole host of questions, including hybrid working arrangements, company benefits, wellbeing initiatives, training as well as the gender and ethnic diversity representation among staff.Speakers at Good Employer Guide LiveThe panel discussions will feature a distinguished lineup of industry leaders who have been at the forefront of workforce development and diversity initiatives.Among them are:The Good Employer Guide Live event will be CPD-accredited and will feature key discussions on skills development and equality, diversity and inclusion issues, all of which are crucial for ensuring the industrys future resilience.Also at the event Buildings sister title Housing Today will unveil research carried out as part of its Housing Good Employment Debate, featuring contributions from representatives major housebuilders and housing associations, including: Gleeson, Jigsaw, Great Places, Paradigm Housing, Berkeley, Barratt Redrow, WHG, Taylor Wimpey, Places for People, Sovereign and Home Group.As the government looks to the construction industry to deliver as part of its economic growth push, attracting and retaining talent industry has never been more importantChloe McCulloch, BuildingA highlight of the event will be a keynote speech by Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park.Olney, who has served as an MP since December 2019, co-chairs the all-party parliamentary group for ethnic minority business owners, an initiative that seeks to dismantle barriers for black, Asian, and minority ethnic entrepreneurs while unlocking their full economic potential.Other speakers include Elly Hoult, deputy chief executive at Peabody and president of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Louise Ellis, chief people officer at Gleeds, Natalie Penrose, stakeholder, skills, and inclusion director (supply chain) at HS2 and Karen Brookes, chief people officer at Sir Robert McAlpine.Chloe McCulloch, editor of Building, said: As the government looks to the construction industry to deliver as part of its economic growth push, attracting and retaining talent industry has never been more important.Buildings Good Employer Guide and our event in London next month will showcase employment, training and equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and generate valuable debate as we enter this pivotal period for the industry.Building Good Employer Guide live is at the Royal Institution, London, 6 MarchTickets on sale nowWhy companies are getting involved in Good Employer Guide LiveThe Building Good Employer Guide serves as a benchmark for best practices, encouraging organisations to continually improve their employment standards. By showcasing exemplary employers, the guide will help raise the bar across the industry, ensuring that more companies prioritise the well-being and development of their employees and ultimately help construction attract and retain the best talent.At Turner & Townsend we believe in the power of a positive workplace culture and our inclusion in the guide reflects our dedication to creating an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow. We understand that our success is driven by our people, and we are committed to investing in their development and well-being. Being recognised in this guide is a testament to our efforts and motivates us to continue striving for excellence.At Turner & Townsend we believe in the power of a positive workplace culture and our inclusion in the guide reflects our dedication to creating an environment where employees feel valuedAs we look to the future, its crucial that were able to appeal to the next generation and those early on in their careers. These individuals bring fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and a passion for making a difference. By fostering a supportive and dynamic workplace, we can build the diverse range of skillsets we need to modernise our sectors workforce, develop our capabilities and increase capacity for the long term.Attending the Building Good Employer Guide Live event is an opportunity to celebrate our achievements and connect with other industry leaders who share our commitment to excellence in employment practices. It is also a chance to learn from others and gain insights into innovative approaches to employee engagement and development. By participating in this event, we aim to reinforce our dedication to being an employer of choice and to inspire the next generation of talent to join our industry.David Cresswell, managing partner,Ingleton WoodBuildings Good Employer Guide is essential as it showcases industry-leading practices in creating workplaces that prioritise employee well-being, growth, and inclusivity.Being recognised in the Good Employer Guide reflects an organisations dedication to fostering a positive and supportive work environment, attracting top talent, and ensuring sustainable success for the business and our industry as a whole.Featuring in the Guide also reinforces a companys position as a forward-thinking, responsible employer, setting it apart in a competitive and ever-evolving sector.Ingleton Wood wanted to get involved in the Good Employer Guide to demonstrate our commitment to building an inclusive workplace culture that supports, celebrates, and develops talent within our organisation and the wider industry.We are looking forward to the Good Employer Guide Live event to engage with like-minded professionalsOur focus on people, and our strong support of them, means we continually develop together, both through training individual skills and emphasising high-performing, collaborative teams. By gaining the Guides recognition, we aim to attract, retain, and encourage talent, highlighting our dedication to creating an environment where our team can thrive.The breadth of our expertise, a culture of continual learning, and an eye always on the road ahead allows us to keep moving forward, seeing changes in regulations and compliance as challenges to be met on the way to a brighter future.Ingleton Wood looks forward to attending the Good Employer Guide Live event to engage with like-minded professionals as to how we can collectively overcome the challenges often associated with our industry.This event provides an invaluable opportunity to strengthen our commitment to creating a positive, inclusive workplace culture while gaining insights to help us navigate industry challenges and continue attracting and developing top talent.Karen Mosley, director, social impact & inclusion at HLMThe Good Employer Guide will bring together and highlight best practice across our industry, share insights and celebrate those organisations who are focusing on their people and pushing for higher standards.We want to contribute to the conversation around what makes a good employer and inclusive workplace, and to learn from others.We want to contribute to the conversation around what makes a good employer and inclusive workplace, and to learn from otherOur culture is built on the passion of our employees and participating is a way to celebrate what weve created together.This event is a chance to connect with industry peers, gain insights into best practice, new approaches and innovative ways to support our employees, and show our commitment to driving better ways of working.

There's been a barrage of sweeping executive orders from President Donald Trump's administration since he took office on Jan. 21. Experts say a Biden-era student loan program --Saving on a Valuable Education student loan repayment plan-- could be next on the chopping block.SAVE is an income-driven student loan repayment plan that was implemented during former President Biden's administration. It lowered monthly student loan payments for millions of borrowers and offered them additional paths to forgiveness. However, SAVE has been hung up in the courts for the latter half of 2024, leaving millions of borrowers unsure about the fate of their student loans.Before the previous administration left office, an email was sent to borrowers, detailing the current status of SAVE, the implications for forgiveness and what you can do now."The Biden-Harris Administration has been vigorously defending the SAVE Plan in court to give borrowers more breathing room on their student loans," the Office of Federal Student Aid wrote in the Jan. 15 email.However, experts don't expect the Trump administration to defend this income-driven repayment plan. Instead, they say borrowers should brace for the end of SAVE.Hold onto your seats, as there will be a roller coaster of a ride over the next four years. Mark Kantrowitz, financial aid and student loan expert If you're enrolled in SAVE, here's what you need to know.Why is SAVE on hold?In 2024, a federal court issued an injunction that prevents ED from using the SAVE plan and from canceling loans that have earned forgiveness under the SAVE, PAYE and ICR plans. During the injunction, loans on the SAVE plan, which first went live in 2023, are in interest-free forbearance.Here's what ED said forbearance means for you:You don't have to make monthly payments.Interest is not accruing.Months in forbearance do not count toward forgiveness under Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or income-driven repayment plans.How long will SAVE remain on hold?Experts expected the forbearance for SAVE borrowers to last for at least six months into 2025. In one of the last emails from the Biden administration, SAVE borrowers were told payments could remain on hold until December 2025.However, the Trump administration could change all of this, said Mark Kantrowitz, a student loan and financial aid expert. Kantrowitz doesn't expect the Trump administration to defend the SAVE plan in court, and if it repeals the SAVE plan, the forbearance period could end sooner.Will the Trump administration repeal SAVE?Experts agree that the new administration is likely to look for ways to repeal former President Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education plan.How? Kantrowitz expects Republicans to put the student loan income-driven repayment and forgiveness plan on the chopping block as part of a legislative process called budget reconciliation. This process, which can be utilized once a year, only requires a 51-vote to pass in the Senate, as opposed to the usual 60-vote filibuster rule.Elaine Rubin, a student loan policy expert for Edvisors and CNET Money expert review board member, agrees that SAVE's days are numbered."There is very little chance that the SAVE plan will survive," Rubin said.If SAVE is repealed, borrowers will be able to move to a different income-driven repayment plan. Rubin suspects borrowers will have 90 days to move to another plan, though the window could be shorter. If you haven't already reviewed other IDR options, you can compare your expected monthly payment on other IDRs using the calculator at StudentAid.gov.What can student loan borrowers do?Though SAVE is likely to be eliminated, it's not a certainty. We'll need to wait to see what happens in the coming months. In the meantime, here are three steps experts recommend taking. Look into the PSLF "buy back" program, if you qualifyIf you're in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and enrolled in SAVE, you might be able to get credit for months of forbearance by making extra payments through thePSLF Buyback program.The Buyback program is currently only available to borrowers who have reached the 10-year mark on repayment, but may not be eligible for forgiveness during the SAVE pause. Review additional income-driven repayment plansWith SAVE unlikely to survive another year, it's a smart idea to explore what your payments will look like under other income-driven repayment plans. Since SAVE was the most affordable IDR plan for most borrowers, your monthly payment will likely increase on another plan. Compare your monthly payment under different plans so you'll have an idea of what your new student loan payment could look like.You can explore other IDRs using the StudentAid.gov repayment simulator. Watch for updates from the Department of EducationKeep an eye out for emails from the student aid office and your servicer, and check StudentAid.gov/saveaction for updates on court actions."While there are several unknowns, it's best for borrowers to stay on top of all correspondence they receive," Rubin said.There's still much that we don't know about the fate of student loan programs, but Kantrowitz advises borrowers to brace for changes."Hold onto your seats, as there will be a roller coaster of a ride over the next four years," he added. Related links

I'd be a lot more excited about Nintendo's non-game announcements if they could actually announce some games too.I know the growing assumption is that we're going to get a load of great game announcements in April, but seriously, Nintendo need to spend some of their mountains of Switch cash on some developers...Eleven years since a new Donkey Kong game is too long. Star Fox is MIA. Mario Odyssey feels like a lifetime ago. Mario Kart does have something lined up, but it's still coming way, way too far down the road after the Wii U release of 8.Consider this. If Nintendo release a new Donkey Kong game every 11 years... how many more Donkey Kong games will you get to play in your lifetime?Meanwhile Call of Duty serves up new dross every frigging year. Doesn't seem fair to me!