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OPENAI NOW REVEALS MORE OF ITS O3-MINI MODEL'S THOUGHT PROCESS

OpenAI changed the way its newest AI model communicates in response to pressure from rivals, including DeepSeek.

MISTRAL RELEASES ITS AI ASSISTANT ON IOS AND ANDROID

Mistral has launched a mobile app along with a Pro tier that comes with access to the company's highest-performing model, higher usage limits, and the ability to opt out of data sharing with the company.

YOUTUBE IS BUYING TIKTOK ADS TO LURE CREATORS BEFORE US BAN

YouTube is running ads targeting content creators on TikTok to capitalize on TikTok's uncertain future.

DISNEY+ LOSES 700,000 SUBSCRIBERS FOLLOWING PRICE INCREASE

Disney now has 124.6 million Disney+ subscribers after increasing its prices in the fall.

OPENAI'S EX-CTO, MIRA MURATI, HAS RECRUITED OPENAI CO-FOUNDER JOHN SCHULMAN

Not much is known about Mira Murati's new startup, but Murati was reportedly in talks to raise $100 million in October.

AMAZON SET TO PASS WALMART IN REVENUE FOR FIRST TIME

Amazon's expected reported revenue is $187 billion, while Walmart is projected to announce sales of $180 billion.

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GOOGLE LAUNCHES NEW AI MODELS AND BRINGS ‘THINKING' TO GEMINI

Google launched Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental and made Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking, its reasoning model, available on the Gemini app on Wednesday. Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental will be available on Google's AI development platforms, Vertex AI and Google AI Studio, and to Gemini Advanced subscribers in the Gemini app. The model excels in coding and handling complex problems and comes with a better understanding and reasoning of world knowledge than previous models. It has a context window of 2 million tokens and can use tools like Google Search and execute code on behalf of users.

AMAZON PLANS TO UNVEIL NEXT-GENERATION ALEXA AI LATER THIS MONTH

Amazon is revamping Alexa into a generative AI service that will be able to hold complex, context-aware conversations with users and handle multifaceted requests. The company will be AI models from Anthropic's Claude rather than its own in-house technology as early versions of Amazon AI had trouble responding in a timely manner. There are more than 100 million active Alexa users and over 500 million Alexa-enabled devices, so it is important for Amazon to get Alexa AI right. Amazon plans to introduce the new version of Alexa just ahead of when Apple is expected to begin testing its new version of Siri.

A FLOODED QUARRY, A MYSTERIOUS MILLIONAIRE, AND THE DREAM OF A NEW ATLANTIS

Deep is a project aimed at increasing understanding of the ocean and its critical role for humanity. It is funded by a single anonymous private investor. The project will establish a permanent human presence under the sea where people will be able to stay for up to 28 days at a time. It aims to eventually create permanent human settlements in all oceans across the world. This article looks at the engineering and science required for Deep to be successful.

BLUE ORIGIN SPINS UP LUNAR GRAVITY FOR NEW SHEPARD FLIGHT

Blue Origin launched its New Shepard rocket again yesterday to simulate lunar gravity for capsule payloads. The rocket lifted off at 1600 UTC and the capsule reached 105 kilometers above sea level before returning to Earth. The capsule spun for about two minutes during the flight to simulate lunar gravity. New Shepard's ability to provide a lunar gravity environment is unique and valuable for researchers who have their sights set on a return to the Moon. It enables researchers to test lunar technologies at a fraction of the cost, rapidly iterate, and test again in a significantly compressed time frame.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TOPICS I'VE CHANGED MY MIND ON AFTER 10 YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY

Chris Kiehl is a software developer currently working for Amazon. He wrote 'Data Oriented Programming in Java' and created Gooey, a tool that turns almost any Python command-line program into a full GUI application with one line. Four years ago, Kiehl posted a list of software development topics he had changed his mind on after working in the industry. This is an updated take on Kiehl's views - what he's changed his mind on, the opinions he has picked up on the way, and the things he has not changed his opinion on.

INGESTING MILLIONS OF PDFS AND WHY GEMINI 2.0 CHANGES EVERYTHING

Gemini Flash 2.0 achieves near-perfect OCR accuracy while being incredibly cheap. This article looks at how to use the model to parse PDFs. There are still some issues with parsing, chunking, and bounding box detection, but we are almost at the point where document parsing is efficient and practically effortless. The work discussed in the article will eventually be open sourced, but there are likely to be other similar libraries available.

PERSONAL SOFTWARE

AI has changed our relationship with software - software can now adapt to users. The technology makes it possible for anyone to create single-use or custom applications. Within the next decade, millions of people will be able to create their own software and build their own ideas. More builders will mean more innovation - individuals will have the freedom to solve their own problems.

S1: THE $6 R1 COMPETITOR?

s1 is a recently released model that is making waves in the AI community because it shows how close the industry is to making some very large breakthroughs in AI. The paper released with the model sheds light on how reasoning models work. In s1, when the model tries to stop thinking, is it forced to keep going - this makes it begin to second guess and double check its answer. s1 cost only $6 to train as its creators used a small model and hardly any data. Innovations like s1 that dramatically lower costs allow researchers to learn and understand models faster, which directly translates to a faster pace of AI development.

WHY AMAZON IS BETTING ON ‘AUTOMATED REASONING' TO REDUCE AI'S HALLUCINATIONS

Automated reasoning uses mathematical proofs to ensure that systems behave in a certain way - it can be used to check whether models are providing accurate answers.

WHY IQ IS A POOR TEST FOR AI

Many experts say that IQ is a poor measure of a model's capabilities because IQ tests are relative measures of certain kinds of intelligence in humans and they don't measure practical intelligence.

YOU NEED MORE THAN A VECTOR DATABASE

Vector search is only one piece of the puzzle - users will demand platforms that cover full-text search, vectors, message streaming, session management, and more as the generative AI market matures.

UNDERSTANDING REASONING LLMS

This article discusses the main approaches to building reasoning models and how large language models can be enhanced with reasoning capabilities.

GROWING UP AI-FIRST

The kids of today will be growing up in a very different world thanks to AI, but they'll be fine.

THE NEW DVD BARGAIN BIN

Warner Bros. has released more than 30 full movies on YouTube for free.

APPLE LAUNCHES INVITES, A NEW APP FOR CREATING CUSTOM INVITATIONS

Apple's new Invites app allows users to create, share, and RSVP to events. It also allows users to contribute to Shared Albums and create event soundtracks. The app requires an iCloud+ subscription, but anyone can RSVP to events regardless of whether they have an Apple account or device. Invites is now available for free on the App Store for all iPhones running on iOS 18 or later and can be accessed on the web.

OPENAI'S SORA FILMMAKING TOOL MEETS RESISTANCE IN HOLLYWOOD

OpenAI has been talking to the movie industry's largest studios for months, but those talks have yet to produce any deals. Studios are reluctant to get into business with an AI company as it may anger the labor unions that they work with. Screenwriters and actors have been urging studios to police tech companies and ensure that their work isn't being used illegally. OpenAI found a receptive audience among some filmmakers when it released its Sora AI video generator early last year, but conversations with studios have been more complicated. While studios recognize that AI is already changing how people work, they are reluctant to hand over their most valuable assets to large tech firms without receiving a significant payout.

WITH GENERATIVE AI, MIT CHEMISTS QUICKLY CALCULATE 3D GENOMIC STRUCTURES

MIT chemists have figured out a new method for determining 3D genome structures using generative artificial intelligence. The technique can predict thousands of structures in minutes. It can be used to easily study how the 3D organization of the genome affects individual cells' gene expression patterns and functions. It could also be used to explore how mutations in DNA sequences can cause disease. The model and all of the data are available on GitHub.

OUR BRAINS ARE SOAKING UP MICROPLASTICS MORE THAN OTHER ORGANS

Microplastics have been detected in human brains at much higher concentrations than in other organs. Much of the plastic appears to be smaller than previously thought, with some pieces only about two to three times the size of a virus. People diagnosed with dementia had up to 10 times as much plastic in their brains as others, but there is not enough evidence to definitively conclude on cause or effect. It is unknown what effect microplastics have on human health, but the tiniest pieces can cross the blood-brain barrier.

BEEJ'S GUIDE TO GIT

Git is a version control system that keeps snapshots of source code in directory trees. It allows users to make changes and then commit those changes to the source code repository once a feature is ready. Git keeps a history of all commits made, so users can look at previous commits whenever required. This page contains a guide to Git that covers the basics and how to use it. It assumes readers have basic POSIX shell usage skills and that they are working in a Unix-like environment.

HOW I USE LLMS AS A STAFF ENGINEER

This post discusses how a staff engineer from GitHub who worked directly on Copilot uses large language models. Large language models can be helpful for smart autocomplete, short tactical chains, writing use-once-and-throwaway research code, asking questions to learn about new topics, last-resort bug fixes, and proofreading. The technology still isn't great for writing PR, ADRs, or other technical communications. It also isn't great for research in large codebases.

CHAT IS A BAD UI PATTERN FOR DEVELOPMENT TOOLS

Coding forces humans to think like machines. While programming has become more friendly throughout the decades, we are still just translating human thoughts into computer instructions. AI was supposed to allow plain English to become a programming language, but it isn't suitable for building serious software. Current tools pretend that writing software is like having a conversation, but real software can't be built without being precise about requirements. Companies need to build tools for real software instead of toys.

OPENAI HAS UNDERGONE ITS FIRST EVER REBRAND, GIVING FRESH LIFE TO CHATGPT INTERACTIONS

OpenAI has unveiled a crisp new look for its brand and products. The company has, until now, presented itself with a jumble of fonts, marks, and colors that lack cohesion. The new identity is more organic and human while still presenting a sense of authority, technological sophistication, and research-focused underpinnings. It is present through the interface and presentation of all of the company's products. This article takes a detailed look at the design.

CRUISE TO SLASH WORKFORCE BY NEARLY 50% AFTER GM CUTS FUNDING TO ROBOTAXI OPERATIONS

The job cuts extend to the CEO and several other top executives.

HOW TO SCALE YOUR MODEL

Model scaling increases the number of chips used for training or inference, which usually decreases computation time, but at the cost of added communication between chips.

8 MILLION REQUESTS LATER, WE MADE THE SOLARWINDS SUPPLY CHAIN ATTACK LOOK AMATEUR

This article looks at the potential impacts that abandoned infrastructure can have.

FIGURE DROPS OPENAI IN FAVOR OF IN-HOUSE MODELS

Figure AI's CEO has promised to deliver something no one has ever seen in a humanoid robot in the next 30 days following a major breakthrough in the company's in-house AI.

WHAT'S THE BEST EMBEDDING MODEL FOR SEMANTIC CACHING?

Semantic caching enables faster, cost-effective responses for similar queries, changing how we optimize systems that rely on large language models.

SPREADSHEETS FOR EXPLORING SCENARIOS

Ambsheets introduces a feature where a single cell holds multiple values at once, allowing for the creation of spreadsheets that consider lots of possible scenarios.

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APPLE CALENDAR'S ‘CONFETTI' COULD OFFER THREE ADVANTAGES OVER COMPETITORS

Apple plans to launch a new iCloud-based service called Confetti that will be tied to the iOS 18.3 Calendar app. Confetti offers a new way to invite people to parties, functions, and meetings. It will be free and ad-free and work with calendars from multiple services. There may be Photos integration so that attendees can seamlessly share their photos right from the Calendar event.

META'S CTO SAID THE METAVERSE COULD BE A 'LEGENDARY MISADVENTURE' IF THE COMPANY DOESN'T BOOST SALES, LEAKED MEMO SHOWS

Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, told staff that this year was the most critical for proving whether the metaverse was a visionary feat or a legendary misadventure. The company recently announced a series of changes in its Reality Labs division, which plans to launch half a dozen AI-powered wearable devices this year. Meta's trajectory this year will give it a good indication of whether smart glasses will be a really prominent computing platform. A full copy of the memo Bosworth sent to employees is available in the article.

ASTROFORGE SELECTS TARGET FOR “HIGH RISK, SEAT OF THE PANTS” ASTEROID MISSION

Asteroid mining company AstroForge has plans to intercept a small M-type asteroid named 2022 OB5 on a mission launching no earlier than February 26. The asteroid is likely richer in metals than most asteroids. It will come within 404,000 miles of Earth in January 2026. AstroForge built its spacecraft in 10 months. The mission's primary goal is to make sure the spacecraft communicates back to Earth - the company expects that failure is more likely than success.

THE DEVASTATING LEGACY OF LIES IN ALZHEIMER'S SCIENCE

Alzheimer's disease is one of the leading causes of death among older adults in the US. No treatment has been created despite decades of research. Fraud and misconduct by scientists have played a huge role in the lack of progress over the last 25 years. This article looks at several examples of the deceptive practices employed over the years by scientists trying to ascend in a brutally competitive field. The hubris and lassitude around misconduct needs to change, otherwise skeptics of science will almost certainly act.

ASK HN: WHAT IS INTERVIEWING LIKE NOW WITH EVERYONE USING AI? (HACKER NEWS THREAD)

Some companies have had to change their interviewing methods due to candidates using AI to answer questions. However, many have found that candidates who use AI are less knowledgeable or competent. Most candidates aren't able to demonstrate critical thought when using AI, preferring instead to read back answers verbatim. One way for recruiters to test candidates is by asking them about past and current challenges, as this helps recruiters understand who the candidate is and how they would fit into the team.

DEVELOPER PHILOSOPHY

Developers should avoid scenarios where a ground-up rewrite starts to look attractive. They should aim to have 90% of the work done in 50% of the available time to leave time for process improvements. Developers should automate good practices and think about edge cases where things can fail. There's usually a way to write code more simply. Code should be written to be testable.

WE TRIED OPENAI'S NEW DEEP RESEARCH—HERE'S WHAT WE FOUND

OpenAI's 'deep research' is a new agentic research assistant that can compile full-blown research reports. Unlike previous versions of ChatGPT, it runs fully autonomously and works through many steps before returning an answer. The assistant can take anywhere from one to 30 minutes to research an answer depending on the complexity of the question - users can follow its work in real time. This article looks at how 'deep research' works, how well it works, and the impact the technology will have on research.

THE REALITY OF DATING APPS

This article presents a deep dive into the world of dating apps for those who think that they can be 'fixed'. It looks at some of the stats in the industry and the complaints that users have about the apps they use. People don't present themselves well on digital platforms, which results in either over-hyper-optimization before meeting or disappointment when meeting. The core problem is that users don't want to go on dates to find out more about potential partners and would rather try to find a partner from their bed using unrealistic criteria.

WHY IS THIS C.E.O. BRAGGING ABOUT REPLACING HUMANS WITH A.I.?

Klarna has saved the equivalent of $10 million annually by using artificial intelligence to automate work typically done by humans.

WHAT SOFTWARE DO YOU DREAM ABOUT, BUT DO NOT HAVE TIME TO CODE YOURSELF? (LOBSTERS THREAD)

The projects developers wish they could code if they had the time include next-gen scripting languages, novel messaging clients, karaoke apps, and more.