AI
OpenAI’s gold medal performance on the International Math Olympiad
OpenAI claims a significant result: gold-level performance International Mathematical Olympiad. But they're scant on details and it needs to be independently verified.
Notable links
Commentary on links that caught my attention around the web.
Democracy
Microsoft can't protect French data from US government access
When vendor promises meet government warrants, the warrants win every time. Microsoft's Senate testimony shows why "trust us" isn't a data protection strategy.
Media
Senate Votes to Strip $1.1 Billion From Public Broadcasting in Blow to PBS and NPR
Without public media funding, local stations will close, creating news deserts and allowing political corruption to thrive.
Technology
Why Big Tech is threatened by a global push for data sovereignty
Global Majority nations are building ways to store their citizens' data locally. But will they own the datacenters themselves?
Technology
Fell in a hole, got out.
Tony Stubblebine's account of saving Medium is remarkable in its transparency - and in its execution.
AI
The Future of Forums is Lies, I Guess
"I do not have the time or emotional energy to screen out regular attacks by Large Language Models, with the knowledge that making the wrong decision costs a real human being their connection to a niche community."
Technology
Threads is nearing X's daily app users, new data shows
It's wild to me how many people are still engaging with X.
AI
‘Improved’ Grok criticizes Democrats and Hollywood’s ‘Jewish executives’
As more people look to AI to learn about the world, the people who control how it's trained and how it responds will control our prevailing narratives. That's wildly dangerous.
Society
Family zoning actually means something cool
Forget San Francisco - I wish every single US city would do this. We're too car-dependent, too isolated, too unhealthy. (Honestly, European mixed-use development should be the model.)
Notable links
Republican Budget Bill Signals New Era in Federal Surveillance
"The looming rapid expansion of federal surveillance may signal a step change on a trajectory set in motion after September 11, 2001, with broad implications for the rights and privacy of all Americans."
Technology
Grammarly to acquire email startup Superhuman in AI platform push
"Grammarly has signed a deal to acquire email efficiency tool Superhuman as part of the company's push to build an artificial intelligence-powered productivity suite." I did not see this coming.
Democracy
Schools serving undocumented kids go underground
"Some schools have asked staff to use secure messaging systems like Signal instead of text and email to keep sensitive conversations from public reach." They, like many others, need more private, self-hosted software.