NerdNews

The US Department of Defense has signed a deal with Scale AI to integrate AI agents into military planning and operations. The project, called Thunderforge, aims to accelerate strategic planning and decision-making using AI-powered analysis and automation. The system will be tested in the US Indo-Pacific Command and European Command before being rolled out across all 11 combatant commands.

Andrew Barto and Rich Sutton, pioneers of reinforcement learning, have been awarded the Turing Award for their work on having machines learn from experience. Their technique, which involves coaxing a computer to perform tasks through experimentation and feedback, has become critical to modern artificial intelligence and has been used in various applications, including advertising, robotics, and chip design.

OpenAI has released GPT-4.5, its largest model to date, which is available through the company's $200 monthly ChatGPT subscription. The model is designed to better understand user prompts and provide more natural interactions. It supports web search, canvas feature, and file uploads, but is not yet compatible with AI Voice Mode. OpenAI plans to invest billions in building AI infrastructure to support more massive models.

Google's Taara project, a part of Alphabet's X moonshot factory, aims to deliver high-speed internet using light instead of radio waves. The project has developed a new chip that can provide 20 gigabits per second, equivalent to a fiber-optic cable, without the need for physical cables. Taara's technology has been used in over a dozen countries and has the potential to provide internet connectivity to underserved areas, especially where fiber-optic cables are not available. The project's leader, Mahesh Krishnaswamy, believes that Taara can offer 10 to 100 times more bandwidth than traditional methods at a fraction of the cost.

Microsoft has announced a significant breakthrough in quantum computing with the creation of the first 'topological qubits' in a device that stores information in an exotic state of matter. The company's new Majorana 1 processor uses qubits that can be measured without error and are resistant to outside interference, which could mark a 'transformative leap toward practical quantum computing.' The technology has the potential to solve complex problems and crack cryptographic codes, but it still requires further development and testing.

Google has integrated its Data Science Agent into Colab, a cloud-based notebook tool, to help users clean data, visualize trends, and gain insights. The agent uses Google's Gemini 2.0 AI model and can analyze CSV, JSON, or .txt files under 1GB in size. It can also help with feature engineering, data-cleaning tasks, and writing SQL code.

Mike Maples discusses how AI startups can win with better strategy, including innovating business models, finding niches that incumbents can't or don't want to enter, and living with one foot in the future. He also talks about the potential of AI wrappers and the importance of knowledge workers growing up in the age of AI.

Vibe coding is a new approach to software development that uses AI tools to generate code based on natural language descriptions, potentially lowering the barrier to entry for programming, but raising concerns about code quality and maintainability.

Google is introducing AI Mode, a dedicated search chatbot powered by the Gemini 2.0 model. The feature is available to Google One AI Premium subscribers and provides a rich visual experience with prominent source links. AI Mode allows users to ask follow-up questions and clarifies answers, making it a proper response to ChatGPT Search.

A virtual panel of experts discusses approaches to balance fast software development with long-term sustainability, driving productivity, and removing friction in software development. Key takeaways include prioritizing strategic value, building engineering systems that support speed and sustainability, and leveraging tools to automate repetitive tasks.

The M3 Ultra features a 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and double the Neural Engine cores, delivering 1.5 times the performance of the M2 Ultra and up to 2.6 times that of the M1 Ultra. It also supports up to 512GB of unified memory and enables data transfer speeds of up to 120 gigabits per second with Thunderbolt 5.

Apple's new Mac Studio features the M3 Ultra chip with up to 32 CPU and 80 GPU cores, offering double the performance of the M4 Max. It's aimed at content creators and comes with high-speed SSD storage, Thunderbolt 5, and an updated Neural Engine. The M3 Ultra model starts at $3,999, while the M4 Max model starts at $1,999.

Apple's new Mac Studio features the M3 Ultra chip with up to 32 CPU and 80 GPU cores, 512GB of unified memory, and a 32-core Neural Engine. The base model starts at $9,499, while the fully maxed-out version costs $14,099. The M3 Ultra offers a 50% performance uplift over the M2 Ultra and an 80% increase over the original M1 Ultra powered Mac Studio.

The new Mac Studio features Apple's most powerful silicon yet, with options for either the M3 Ultra or M4 Max chip. The M3 Ultra offers 2.6 times the performance of the M1 Ultra, with a 32-core CPU and 80-core GPU. The M4 Max has a 16-core CPU and 32-core GPU. Prices start at $2,000 for the M4 Max model and $4,000 for the M3 Ultra model.

Boston Dynamics is using reinforcement learning to improve its robots' ability to perform difficult tasks without human help. The company's founder, Marc Raibert, says this technique has accelerated the robots' learning process, allowing them to learn new behaviors without being handcrafted. Boston Dynamics' robots, such as Spot and Atlas, are being upgraded with this new technology, enabling them to move more efficiently and perform tasks with greater autonomy.

Apple is introducing AI-generated review summaries to the App Store with iOS 18.4, aiming to provide users with concise highlights of app reviews. The feature uses large language models to compile key information from user reviews into short paragraphs, focusing on positive feedback first. The summaries will be refreshed weekly and available initially in the US App Store for English-language apps.

The US government has charged 12 Chinese nationals for their alleged roles in a Chinese government operation to compromise computers and steal data from high-profile targets, including the US Treasury. The suspects are accused of working for a private firm, Anxun Information Technology, and China's APT27, aka Silk Typhoon. They were paid up to $75,000 per email inbox hacked.

Apple has filed a complaint with the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) against the government's order to break the encryption of iCloud data. The order, issued under the Investigatory Powers Act, would allow law enforcement to access user data without their knowledge. Apple has already disabled its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users, but argues that creating a backdoor would compromise user privacy and security.

Apple is fighting the UK government over a demand to create a backdoor for encrypted iCloud accounts. The company has filed a complaint with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent judicial body, to reverse the order. The UK government's demand is based on the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act, which allows authorities to demand access to encrypted accounts. Apple has stated that it will never build a backdoor or master key to its products or services.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is abandoning its biggest crypto lawsuits, establishing a new crypto task force to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework for crypto assets. The move is seen as a significant shift in the SEC's approach to the crypto industry, with many companies celebrating the end of investigations and lawsuits. However, some experts warn that the lack of regulation may lead to increased fraudulent activity.