The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Hackers claim they’ve stolen data on almost all FBI employees
The ShinyHunters group says it seized more than 2 TB of data. (Axios)
+ Including agents’ names, addresses, and phone numbers. (404 Media)
+ ShinyHunters says the attack was retaliation for an FBI alert. (Reuters $)
+ Now is a good time for doing crime. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Anthropic and OpenAI have both released lower-cost models
They face growing competition from cheaper Chinese models. (CNBC)
+ Startups have been reducing their reliance on the two labs. (Bloomberg $)
+ The new models are the first since their calls for an AI slowdown. (FT $)
+ Their CEOs are set to brief the UN Security Council today. (Quartz)
+ Could AI really kill us all? (MIT Technology Review)
3 Trump’s Treasury chief could soon become his new AI czar
Scott Bessent has played a central role in US-China AI talks. (Semafor)
+ Other contenders include Michael Kratsios and Scott Kupor. (Gizmodo)
+ Will Trump’s AI rebrand to “superintelligence” catch on? (BBC)
4 Scientists are turning renewable electricity directly into food
The goal is to make more food with less land. (New Scientist $)
+ Companies are creating food out of thin air. (MIT Technology Review)
5 A “fire amoeba” has broken the heat survival record for complex life
The newly discovered organism can grow and reproduce at 63°C. (NPR)
+ It could inform the search for life elsewhere. (New Scientist $)
6 Meta quietly tested a “human concierge” for its Muse AI agent
Contractors secretly handled some calls placed by Muse. (Reuters $)
+ Staff raised concerns about privacy and misleading users. (404 Media)