Issue 85

Highlights

Google defends scrapping AI pledges and DEI goals in all-staff meeting

Google executives gave employees details on dropping the company’s promise against weaponized AI and nixing diversity goals Google’s executives gave details last week on how the tech giant will sunset its diversity initiatives and defended dropping its pledge against building artificial intelligence for weaponry and surveillance in an all-staff meeting.

Anthropic’s next major AI model could arrive within weeks

AI startup Anthropic is gearing up to release its next major AI model, according to a report last week from The Information. The report describes Anthropic’s upcoming model as a “hybrid” that can switch between “deep reasoning” and fast responses. The company will reportedly introduce a “sliding scale” alongside the model to allow developers to control costs, as the deep reasoning capabilities consume more computing. Anthropic’s model, which could arrive within weeks, outperforms OpenAI’s o3-mini-high “reasoning” model on some programming tasks, according to the report. The model is also said to excel at analyzing large codebases and other business-related benchmarks.

Research

Validation technique could help scientists make more accurate forecasts

MIT researchers developed a new approach for assessing predictions with a spatial dimension, like forecasting weather or mapping air pollution. Spatial prediction problems, like weather forecasting or air pollution estimation, involve predicting the value of a variable in a new location based on known values at other locations. Scientists typically use tried-and-true validation methods to determine how much to trust these predictions.

High-Precision Benchmarks for the Stochastic Rod

High-Precision Benchmarks for the Stochastic Rod NVidia demonstrates a method to calculate high-precision benchmarks for the reflectance and transmittance of a finite rod with a stochastic cross section, assuming that the attenuation law has a known closed form and both the single-scattering albedo and scattering kernel are deterministic. They introduce new 10-digit values for an existing binary-Markov benchmark (including mean and variance), along with several new benchmarks defined for non-Markov binary mixtures and a continuous-fluctuation model featuring gamma stationary statistics.

Video

Getting started with AI Agents in Azure

Tune in on 18th February at 9 AM PST (6 PM CET) to join the upcoming Reactor live stream on getting started with AI Agents in Azure.

Artificial intelligence agents are everywhere—from chatbots and virtual assistants to autonomous systems making decisions on behalf of users. But what exactly is an "AI agent," and how does it differ from other AI models and systems? In this talk, we’ll demystify the concept of AI agents, exploring the core components that define them, their unique capabilities, and how they interact with users and environments in real-time.

Silicon Minds, Humans Hearts - Gabriela de Queiroz

In this episode of 'Silicon minds, human hearts', Gabriela shares her insights on how AI is reshaping the startup landscape and even lets us in on how it's changing her personal life. 🤖💡

From the impact of AI on our daily routines to its revolutionary role in startups, this conversation covers it all. Gabriela also discusses how AI is being used beyond a white-collar context, touching on its applications in agriculture and its potential effects on blue-collar jobs.

Articles

Microsoft Research and Physics Wallah team up to enhance AI-based tutoring

Limited resources, geography, and economic factors present barriers to quality higher education for many students in India. Learn how Microsoft Research is collaborating with Physics Wallah to make AI-based tutoring more accurate, reliable, and affordable.

OpenAI: Sharing the latest Model Spec

OpenAI is sharing a major update to the Model Spec, a document which defines how they want their AI models to behave. This update reinforces their commitments to customizability, transparency, and intellectual freedom to explore, debate, and create with AI without arbitrary restrictions—while ensuring that guardrails remain in place to reduce the risk of real harm.

How I went from a data scientist to a machine learning engineer

Machine learning and AI are among the most popular topics nowadays, especially within the tech space. Egor Howell works and develops with these technologies every day as a machine learning engineer. In this article, he will walk you through his journey to becoming a machine learning engineer, shedding some light and advice on how you can become one yourself!

Upcoming events

Global AI Bootcamp 2025

The Global AI Bootcamp is an annual event that occurs worldwide, where developers and AI enthusiasts can learn about AI through workshops, sessions, and discussions. Local chapters of the Global AI community organize this event worldwide in March and April.

Code

Create rich visualizations with AI with microsoft/data-formulator: 🪄

Data Formulator is an application from Microsoft Research that uses large language models to transform data, expediting the practice of data visualization. Unlike most chat-based AI tools where users need to describe everything in natural language, Data Formulator combines user interface interactions (UI) and natural language (NL) inputs for easier interaction. This blended approach makes it easier for users to describe their chart designs while delegating data transformation to AI.

GitHub - microsoft/Generative-AI-for-beginners-dotnet: Five lessons, learn how to really apply AI to your .NET Applications

'Generative AI for Beginners .NET' is a hands-on course for .NET developers diving into the world of Generative AI! This isn’t your typical “here’s some theory, good luck” course. This repository is all about real-world applications and live coding to empower .NET developers to take full advantage of Generative AI.

This is hands-on, practical, and designed to be fun!

Podcast

No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

At this moment of inflection in technology, co-hosts Elad Gil and Sarah Guo talk to the world's leading AI engineers, researchers, and founders about the biggest questions: How far away is AGI? What markets are at risk for disruption? How will commerce, culture, and society change? What’s happening in state-of-the-art in research? “No Priors” is your guide to the AI revolution.