Multimodal output opens up new possibilities Having true multimodal output opens up interesting new possibilities in chatbots. For example, Gemini 2.0 Flash can play interactive graphical games or generate stories with consistent illustrations, maintaining character and setting continuity throughout multiple images. It’s far from perfect, but character consistency is a new capability in AI assistants.… Read More »
Even when these AI search tools cited sources, they often directed users to syndicated versions of content on platforms like Yahoo News rather than original publisher sites. This occurred even in cases where publishers had formal licensing agreements with AI companies. URL fabrication emerged as another significant problem. More than half of citations from Google’s… Read More »
Researchers have discovered multiple Android apps, some that were available in Google Play after passing the company’s security vetting, that surreptitiously uploaded sensitive user information to spies working for the North Korean government. Samples of the malware—named KoSpy by Lookout, the security firm that discovered it—masquerade as utility apps for managing files, app or OS… Read More »
On Wednesday, Google DeepMind announced two new AI models designed to control robots: Gemini Robotics and Gemini Robotics-ER. The company claims these models will help robots of many shapes and sizes understand and interact with the physical world more effectively and delicately than previous systems, paving the way for applications such as humanoid robot assistants.… Read More »
On the Frontier Math benchmark by EpochAI, o3 solved 25.2 percent of problems, while no other model has exceeded 2 percent—suggesting a leap in mathematical reasoning capabilities over the previous model. Benchmarks vs. real-world value Ideally, potential applications for a true PhD-level AI model would include analyzing medical research data, supporting climate modeling, and handling… Read More »
Signal, as an encrypted messaging app and protocol, remains relatively secure. But Signal’s growing popularity as a tool to circumvent surveillance has led agents affiliated with Russia to try to manipulate the app’s users into surreptitiously linking their devices, according to Google’s Threat Intelligence Group. While Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine is likely driving the… Read More »
[embedded content] Google Gemini: Hacking Memories with Prompt Injection and Delayed Tool Invocation. Based on lessons learned previously, developers had already trained Gemini to resist indirect prompts instructing it to make changes to an account’s long-term memories without explicit directions from the user. By introducing a condition to the instruction that it be performed only… Read More »
The people overseeing the security of Google’s Chrome browser explicitly forbid third-party extension developers from trying to manipulate how the browser extensions they submit are presented in the Chrome Web Store. The policy specifically calls out search-manipulating techniques such as listing multiple extensions that provide the same experience or plastering extension descriptions with loosely related… Read More »
Microsoft Windows AI is watching A screenshot of Microsoft’s new “Recall” feature in action. Credit: Microsoft In an era where many people already feel like they have no privacy due to tech encroachments, Microsoft dialed it up to an extreme degree in May. That’s when Microsoft unveiled a controversial Windows 11 feature called “Recall” that… Read More »
Over the past month, we’ve seen a rapid cadence of notable AI-related announcements and releases from both Google and OpenAI, and it’s been making the AI community’s head spin. It has also poured fuel on the fire of the OpenAI-Google rivalry, an accelerating game of one-upmanship taking place unusually close to the Christmas holiday. “How… Read More »