DOGE’s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread

Navigating the workforce cuts has “been absolute chaos,” says Armando Rosario-Lebrón, a vice president of the National Association of Agriculture Employees, which represents workers in Plant Protection and Quarantine program. “These ports were already strained in how they process cargo, and now some of them have been completely decimated,” Rosario-Lebrón says. “We could be back…

Designer Ray-Ban Metas, An EV to Mock Tesla, and Portable Pizzas—Here’s Your Gear News of the Week

It’s not rocket science. A huge part of the reason why Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers are the best face computer is because a lot of people already do want to wear Ray-Ban Wayfarers. It’s a lot easier to persuade people to wear a smart accessory when that accessory looks sharp as hell. Meta has committed to…

Under Trump, AI Scientists Are Told to Remove ‘Ideological Bias’ From Powerful Models

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued new instructions to scientists that partner with the US Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (AISI) that eliminate mention of “AI safety,” “responsible AI,” and “AI fairness” in the skills it expects of members and introduces a request to prioritize “reducing ideological bias, to enable human flourishing…

Researchers Propose a Better Way to Report Dangerous AI Flaws

In late 2023, a team of third-party researchers discovered a troubling glitch in OpenAI’s widely used artificial intelligence model GPT-3.5. When asked to repeat certain words a thousand times, the model began repeating the word over and over, then suddenly switched to spitting out incoherent text and snippets of personal information drawn from its training…

Google’s Gemini Robotics AI Model Reaches Into the Physical World

In sci-fi tales, artificial intelligence often powers all sorts of clever, capable, and occasionally homicidal robots. A revealing limitation of today’s best AI is that, for now, it remains squarely trapped inside the chat window. Google DeepMind signaled a plan to change that today—presumably minus the homicidal part—by announcing a new version of its AI…

Democrats Demand Answers on DOGE’s Use of AI

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee fired off two dozen requests Wednesday morning pressing federal agency leaders for information about plans to install AI software throughout federal agencies amid the ongoing cuts to the government’s workforce. The barrage of inquiries follow recent reporting by WIRED and The Washington Post concerning efforts by Elon Musk’s so-called…

The Worst 7 Years in Boeing’s History—and the Man Who Won’t Stop Fighting for Answers

After the October hearing, the families joined Pierson and Jacobsen at a Mexican restaurant. A boom mic from a documentary crew hovered above Pierson’s head. Jacobsen pulled out a suitcase from under the table, and Pierson handed out glass awards, from their foundation, honoring the families’ leadership on aviation safety. Pierson improvised a speech for…