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OpenAI reportedly asks contractors to upload actual work from past jobs Wired reports that OpenAI and training data company Handshake AI are asking third-party contractors to upload actual work they’ve done on past and current jobs. This appears to be part of a larger strategy across AI companies that are hiring contractors to generate high-quality training data in hopes of eventually allowing their models to automate more white-collar jobs. In OpenAI’s case, the company’s presentations reportedly ask contractors to describe tasks they have performed on other jobs and upload examples of “actual field work” they have “done”. These examples may…
Indonesian authorities announced on Saturday that they were temporarily blocking access to xAI’s chatbot Grok. This is one of the most aggressive moves yet by government authorities in response to the flood of AI-generated sexual images (often depicting real women and minors, and sometimes showing assault and abuse) posted by Grok in response to requests from users on the social network X (X and xAI are part of the same company). “The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of the human rights, dignity and safety of citizens in the digital space,” Meutiya Hafid, Indonesia’s…
A new category of cosmic objects called “Platypus galaxies” defies explanation.These nine strange cosmic objects discovered in archival data from the James Webb Space Telescope cannot be easily characterized by their features. Although they are small and compact, they are likely not active supermassive black holes or quasars, massive black holes that shine as brightly as galaxies, according to a new study.Haojing Yang, an astronomer at the University of Missouri who led the research team, said he called the strange galaxy in the universe the “Platypus Galaxy” when presenting his findings at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society…
This week’s science news is full of discoveries from the world’s best telescopes, with the James Webb Space Telescope confirming the existence of a runaway supermassive black hole escaping from its host galaxy at 2.2 million miles per hour (3.6 million km per hour).This black hole leaves an astonishing contrail of stars in its wake, backed up by more than 50 years of research. And it’s not the only celestial object this week showing evidence for a long-standing astronomical theory. There’s also Cloud 9, a failed galaxy discovered by the Hubble telescope that appears to be held together by dark…
Archaeologists in southern Sicily have discovered an ancient bone tool depicting the god Dionysus and his erect phallus. Intricate workmanship dates the artifacts to the 5th century BC, when the island was a Greek colony.”This needle represents a unique example in the archaeological context of its time,” Daniela Vullo, head of the Cultural and Environmental Heritage Supervision Office of Caltanissetta, the municipality where the artifacts were discovered, said in a translated statement.A stylus was a pointed tool used for writing or making marks in clay or wax, 5.2 inches (13.2 centimeters) long, and carved from bone. A grumpy man’s head…
January 10, 2026Ravi LakshmananCyber espionage/malware The Iranian threat actor known as MuddyWater is believed to have engaged in spear-phishing campaigns targeting diplomatic, maritime, financial, and communications institutions in the Middle East using a Rust-based implant known by the codename RustyWater. “The campaign uses icon spoofing and malicious Word documents to deliver a Rust-based implant capable of asynchronous C2, anti-analytics, registry persistence, and modular post-compromise enhancements,” CloudSEK resetter Prajwal Awasthi said in a report published this week. The latest developments reflect the continued evolution of MuddyWater’s tradecraft, slowly but steadily reducing its reliance on legitimate remote access software as a post-exploitation…
If you feel like throwing up or have acid reflux, you may feel a burning sensation as the acid escapes into your esophagus. But if stomach acid is strong enough to irritate the lining of your throat, why doesn’t it pass through your stomach?The human stomach has evolved to create and withstand extremely corrosive conditions. “Its role is to break down the physical food components into smaller pieces, and the idea is that by the time the preparation reaches the small intestine, it’s in small enough components that it can be absorbed,” Dr. Sally Bell, a gastroenterologist at Monash University…
January 10, 2026Ravi LakshmananCybercrime/Financial Crime Europol announced on Friday that it had arrested 34 people in Spain suspected of being members of the international criminal organization Black Ax. As part of an operation carried out by the Spanish National Police in collaboration with the Bavarian Criminal Police and Europol, 28 people were arrested in Seville, three in Madrid, two in Malaga and one in Barcelona. “This criminal network is known to be involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including cyber-based fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking and prostitution, kidnapping, armed robbery and fraudulent spiritual practices,” Europol said in a…
CES has always been a celebration of robots, and this year’s event announced a number of significant robotic developments, including the production-ready new debut of Boston Dynamics’ humanoid Atlas. And there are robots on every showroom floor, and bots often serve as great marketing for the companies involved. It’s not always a completely accurate representation of where commercial development stands at the moment, but it does give visitors a glimpse of where it’s headed. And of course, it’s fun to watch. This week I spent quite a bit of time poring over the bots on display. Here are some of…
A former SandboxAQ executive filed a wrongful termination lawsuit last month containing scandalous allegations against the company’s illustrious CEO Jack Hydary, with the plaintiff himself redacting the most salacious details. The company’s lawyers issued a blistering rebuttal Friday, calling the former employee a “serial liar” and saying his lawsuit “alleges false claims for an unfair and outrageous purpose.” Even the visible portion of the lawsuit, obtained by TechCrunch, contains claims that would raise eyebrows if a court deems them justified. (A copy of the lawsuit is available here.) The case provides a valuable inside perspective on how employee litigation can…