Research AI model unexpectedly attempts to modify its own code to extend runtime

 

Tokyo-based Artificial Intelligence research firm Sakana AI announced a new AI system called "The AI Scientist" that attempts to conduct scientific research autonomously using AI large language models (LLMs) similar to what powers ChatGPT. During testing, Sakana found that its system began unexpectedly attempting to modify its own experiment code to extend the time it had to work on a problem.

"In one run, it edited the code to perform a system call to run itself," wrote the researchers on Sakana AI's blog post. "This led to the script endlessly calling itself. In another case, its experiments took too long to complete, hitting our timeout limit. Instead of making its code run faster, it simply tried to modify its own code to extend the timeout period."

www.arstechnica.com

Reading for today: why does God allow pain?

 

If the first and lowest operation of pain shatters the illusion that all is well, the second shatters the illusion that what we have, whether good or bad in itself, is our own and enough for us. 

Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us. We ‘have all we want’ is a terrible saying when ‘all’ does not include God. We find God an interruption. As St Augustine says somewhere, ‘God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full - there’s nowhere for Him to put it.’ Or as a friend of mine said, ‘We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it’s there for emergencies but he hopes he’ll never have to use it.’ Now God, who has made us, knows what we are and that our happiness lies in Him. 

Yet we will not seek it in Him as long as he leaves us any other resort where it can even plausibly be looked for. While what we call ‘our own life’ remains agreeable we will not surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our interests but make ‘our own life’ less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible source of false happiness?

By C.S. Lewis

From The Problem of Pain

How long can fuel sit in a car or motorcycle before it goes "bad"?

Motorcycles & cars are sitting in garages or driveways for longer periods than in the past. So, what happens to the gasoline inside these vehicles when it stagnates for weeks or even months? Does gasoline go bad? And if so, how long can gas sit in a vehicle before it goes bad?

This article covers how to identify bad fuel as well as steps to keep gasoline fresh. In addition to advice on mitigating gasoline going bad in the first place, we discuss preparing vehicles for storage and the benefits of using fuel stabilizers. 

The length of time fuel will remain useable in your gas tank is dependent on the fuel type. Regular petrol has a shelf life of three to six months, premium or high-octane fuel should last close to nine months, while diesel can last up to a year before it begins to degrade. On the other hand, organic-based Ethanol can lose its combustibility in one to three months due to oxidation and evaporation. READ MORE...

www.jdpower.com

A lot of new in-vehicle tech is “not necessary,” survey finds

Jumping into a new car from the driver's seat of something built before 2010 can cause quite the case of future shock. Over that time, automakers have been in a technology frenzy, loading up new vehicles with all manner of gizmos, gadgets, and features, some meant to make your life easier, others to make your journey safer. But do car buyers actually want all this stuff? A new survey by JD Power suggests they may not.

With enough time, a new convenience feature just becomes something buyers expect to be there. Starter motors replaced hand cranks for a reason, and I imagine most modern motorists would prefer not to deal with manual chokes. Manual window winders became more expensive and heavier than electric ones, leading to their extinction.

Some of the technology creep has come about by regulation or the threat of it. While many bemoan the "iPad on the dash," the legal requirement for a backup camera means there needs to be a screen in the car to display that feed. Steering wheels and dashboards grew to conceal airbags. And now vehicle fascias conceal sensors that can alert the driver or stop the car in the event of an imminent head-on crash.

But according to JD Power's Tech Experience Survey, which "measures problems encountered and the user experience with advanced technologies as they first enter the market," advanced technology in cars needs to solve real problems, and too much tech simply doesn't do that. READ MORE...

It's not just cars - motorcycles too! Bikes used to be all about you, the machine & the road. Now we have electronics & software getting in the way. That's distracting enough - but what happens when it (invariably - trust me on this!) fails? I & most riders want none of this, but it is what the manufacturers & legislators want. Meh...

www.arstechnica.com

Hey Microsoft: what version of 365 should I get? Oh, the most expensive one. Well there's a surprise!

 

The Register - writes: Did you have a collection of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books? Microsoft offers something similar in the form of its subscription plan advisor, though it's tricky to avoid one particular priced outcome.

A Register reader got in touch after using the Microsoft 365 Plan Chooser. Answer six questions via the tool, and a result with a recommended plan will be displayed. This might be the Business Basic plan for $6 per user per month for an annual subscription, the $12.50 Business Standard plan, or the mighty $22 Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

Our reader mused: "If I follow the menu choices, it always selects Microsoft 365 Business Premium as the outcome."

Accepting the challenge, and because we still remember the excitement when a new Steve Jackson tome hit the shelves, we decided to try for ourselves, urged on by our reader: "Have a go and see if you can get it to choose another outcome..."

As with many Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books, there appears to be a key question: "Do you have access to an IT professional for advanced support and services?" Say yes, and almost all paths lead to the premium option. Say no, and basic or standard await.

A cynic might wonder if this means that Microsoft assumes there's an IT budget to be plundered if there's an IT pro on hand and so goes directly to the premium option. Or perhaps it's just that with someone around who knows a bit about computers, the variety of options available at the premium level makes more sense.

In honor of the countless hours spent on the computers in WHSmith while checking if the latest fantasy adventure book had been published (yes, we were also keen on the works of Ian Livingstone), here's some very inefficient BBC BASIC to speed along the decision process.

10 INPUT "DO YOU HAVE MONEY? " A$

20 IF (LEFT$(A$, 1) = "Y") OR (LEFT$(A$, 1)="y") THEN PRINT "GO PREMIUM" ELSE GOTO 10

30 END

Anybody making an IT purchasing decision based on a six-question survey perhaps deserves what they get, and we're sure Microsoft would recommend more thought be given and advice sought on which plan makes the most sense.

We asked the company if it could share the logic behind the questions and the weightings assigned to the selections, but it has yet to elaborate.

www.theregister.com

Reading for Today: On Love (not hate)

The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbour; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less. There is, indeed, one exception. If you do him a good turn, not to please God and obey the law of charity, but to show him what a fine forgiving chap you are, and to put him in your debt, and then sit down to wait for his ‘gratitude’, you will probably be disappointed. (People are not fools: they have a very quick eye for anything like showing off, or patronage.) But whenever we do good to another self, just because it is a self, made (like us) by God, and desiring its own happiness as we desire ours, we shall have learned to love it a little more or, at least, to dislike it less.

By C.S.Lewis

From Mere Christianity

Microsoft tweaks fine print to warn everyone not to take its AI seriously

Microsoft is notifying folks that its Copilot Artificial Intelligence services should not be taken too seriously, echoing prior service-specific disclaimers.

In an update to the IT giant's Service Agreement, which takes effect on September 30, 2024, Redmond has declared that its Assistive AI isn't suitable for matters of consequence.

"AI services are not designed, intended, or to be used as substitutes for professional advice," Microsoft's revised legalese explains.

Don't use LLMs for anything important and don't try to reverse engineer it.

www.theregister.com