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In a policy paper published Wednesday, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, and Center for AI Safety Director Dan Hendrycks said that the U.S. should not pursue a Manhattan Project-style push to develop AI systems with “superhuman” intelligence, also known as AGI. The paper, titled “Superintelligence Strategy,” asserts that an aggressive bid by the U.S. to exclusively control superintelligent AI systems could prompt fierce retaliation from China, potentially in the form of a cyberattack, which could destabilize international relations. “[A] Manhattan Project [for AGI] assumes that rivals will acquiesce to an enduring imbalance or omnicide rather…

The United States’ decision to suspend foreign aid is exacerbating a catastrophic hunger crisis in Sudan, where millions risk dying from malnutrition-related illnesses. Since assuming office in January, US President Donald Trump’s administration has put on leave or fired the vast majority of employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and paused almost all of the global projects it funds. Last year, USAID contributed 44 percent to Sudan’s $1.8bn humanitarian response, according to the United Nations. A portion of this sum went to supporting Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), which are neighbourhood relief groups that support hundreds of “community…

The one month exemption is for cars and trucks that comply with USMCA’s content rules.President Donald Trump will exempt automakers from his punishing 25-percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for one month as long as they comply with the terms of an existing free trade agreement, the White House has said. The announcement on Wednesday came after Trump spoke with the chief executive officers of the three big carmakers, Ford, GM and Stellantis. Auto stocks rose on the news, with General Motors up 5.3 percent and Ford up 4.1 percent. Trump’s press secretary said on Wednesday that the president is…

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The death of a 20-year-old Southern University student in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is being investigated by local law enforcement as a possible act of fraternity hazing, school authorities confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday. Caleb Wilson, who died on Feb. 27, was a mechanical engineering junior at Southern University and A&M College and a member of the school’s famed marching band. Chancellor John K. Pierre said in a statement shared on the college’s Facebook page that “an off-campus incident is believed to have contributed to Caleb’s death.” A university spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that…

AI models are being cranked out at a dizzying pace, by everyone from Big Tech companies like Google to startups like OpenAI and Anthropic. Keeping track of the latest ones can be overwhelming.  Adding to the confusion is that AI models are often promoted based on industry benchmarks. But these technical metrics often reveal little about how real people and companies actually use them.  To cut through the noise, TechCrunch has compiled an overview of the most advanced AI models released since 2024, with details on how to use them and what they’re best for. We’ll keep this list updated…

The US Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed indictments charging employees of a Chinese cybersecurity firm known as i-Soon (Anxun Information Technology) with conducting extensive hacking campaigns on behalf of Beijing’s security services. Prosecutors say i-Soon employees acted as “hackers-for-hire,” breaching email networks, government databases, and corporate systems at the direction of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the Ministry of State Security (MSS). The indictments come a year after an unauthorized and highly unusual online dump of documents from i-Soon that catalog apparent hacking activity and tools to spy on both Chinese and foreigners. Among the apparent targets of…

Gong, a startup that helps companies predict their revenue from potential sales, has surpassed $300 million in annualized recurring revenue, the company announced on Wednesday. Since its founding in 2016, Gong has used AI to analyze customer interactions. The addition of generative AI capabilities in recent years has helped to fuel the company’s growth. “We’re seeing great momentum. That’s why we’re excited to share the numbers,” Gong CEO Amit Bendov told TechCrunch. Gong was last valued at $7.25 billion when it raised a $250 million Series E in 2021 in a deal led by Franklin Templeton with participation from Coatue,…

Prime Video is now experimenting with AI-assisted dubbing for select licensed movies and TV shows, as announced by the Amazon-owned streaming service on Wednesday. According to Prime Video, this new test will feature AI-assisted dubbing services in English and Latin American Spanish, combining AI with human localization professionals to “ensure quality control,” the company explained.   Initially, it’ll be available for 12 titles that previously lacked dubbing support. These titles include the Spanish animated film “El Cid: La Leyenda,” the family-friendly drama “Mi Mamá Lora,” and the indie movie “Long Lost.” AI-based dubbing has gained popularity in the entertainment industry as…

NEW YORK (AP) — Barnard College’s library was evacuated Wednesday as police responded to a bomb threat during a sit-in staged by pro-Palestinian protesters.The New York Police Department said on X, formerly Twitter, that a bomb threat was reported at the upper Manhattan college’s Milstein Center, which serves as the hub for academic life on campus.The department said anyone refusing to leave the building during the evacuation would be subject to arrest. “Please stay away from the area,” the police said in its post.The department said later that officers were still on the scene and that arrests had been made.…

As part of the iOS 18.4 software update, currently in public beta, Apple is introducing AI-powered summaries of App Store reviews. The new feature will leverage Apple Intelligence, the company’s built-in AI technology, to offer an overall summary based on the reviews others have left on the App Store. The review summaries will be generated by large language models (LLMs) and will highlight key information into a short paragraph, Apple’s website explains. The summaries will also be refreshed weekly for apps and games that have enough reviews to generate a summary — though Apple did not say what that threshold…