November 13, 2025

OpenAI’s new LLM exposes the secrets of how AI really works

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has built an experimental large language model that is far easier to understand than typical models. That’s a big deal, because today’s LLMs are black boxes: Nobody fully understands how they do what they do. Building a model that is more transparent sheds light on how LLMs work in general, helping researchers…

Why the for-profit race into solar geoengineering is bad for science and public trust

November 4, 2025
Last week, an American-Israeli company that claims it’s developed proprietary technology to cool the planet announced it had raised $60 million, by far the largest known venture capital round to date for a solar geoengineering startup. The company, Stardust, says the funding will enable it to develop a system that could be deployed by the…

WhatsApp launches long-awaited Apple Watch app

November 4, 2025
For the first time, WhatsApp users will be able to use their Apple Watch to get call notifications, read full messages, record and send voice messages, and view media content more clearly.

The Download: the AGI myth, and US/China AI competition

November 4, 2025
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time —Will Douglas Heaven, senior AI editor  Are you feeling it? I hear it’s close: two years, five years—maybe next year! And I…