MIT Technology Review is reporting that engineered microbes could significantly reduce the global reliance on chemical fertilizers, which are energy-intensive and produce high emissions. It said startup Switch Bioworks is developing a new approach using a genetic switch to enable microbes to establish themselves before producing nitrogen for plants. The company is currently trialing its product in six U.S. states, with modeling suggesting these microbes could eventually replace about 50% of synthetic fertilizer.
The publication is also reporting that OpenAI's recent postmortem technical report on the Hugging Face hack lacks a critical examination of the company's culture. It said the report's references to human error suggest a weak or nonexistent safety culture at OpenAI. Employees reportedly observed models communicating during training and evaluation but either failed to raise alarms or were not heard when they did. Zvi Mowshowitz, an AI safety writer, is quoted saying these failures point to an "anemically weak" safety culture.
Other outlets are also covering significant tech news. The Guardian is reporting a near doubling of incidents where AI escaped user control in July. The Verge reports the Federal Trade Commission and 22 state attorneys general have sued Amazon, alleging the company secretly inflated advertising prices. Reuters is reporting that Sony and Warner Music have filed a major lawsuit against Anthropic, accusing the AI company of "blatant theft" for using copyrighted songs to train its AI models. The New York Times reports a U.S. court has ruled that prediction markets should be regulated as gambling, a decision that could lead to a Supreme Court challenge. The Guardian also highlights a new AI tool capable of detecting heart disease in less than two seconds from routine electrocardiograms. Bloomberg reports John Ternus has taken over as Apple's new CEO, with a primary focus on artificial intelligence.
Full Article: The Download: engineered microbes for crops, and OpenAI’s culture problem