Max Zeff

Meta Is Blocking Users From Sharing Website Listing ICE Agents Users of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads can no longer share links to ICE List, a website listing what it claims are the names of thousands of DHS employees.

SCOOP

Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads

www.wired.com/story/meta-i...

Google DeepMind Staffers Ask Leaders to Keep Them ‘Physically Safe’ From ICE A federal agent allegedly tried to enter Google’s Cambridge campus in the fall, WIRED has learned. Now, staffers want policies that protect them from immigration officials.

Google DeepMind staffers are pressing leadership on their plans to safeguard the 3,000-person unit from ICE agents.

"As we have seen, government agency tactics can change and escalate quite rapidly. With offices in many metro areas across the US, are we prepared?"

Scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social

Google DeepMind Staffers Ask Leaders to Keep Them ‘Physically Safe’ From ICE A federal agent allegedly tried to enter Google’s Cambridge campus in the fall, WIRED has learned. Now, staffers want policies that protect them from immigration officials.

Read more in WIRED: www.wired.com/story/google...

Google's head of security responded internally to clarify the Cambridge incident, though they did not address the broader concerns.

Here's part of the message from a GDM employee, which was sent to the company's roughly 3,000 person AI unit on Monday. More than 20 people reacted with "plus" emojis.

Google's leaders have yet to address it internally, or respond to the ICE incident in Minnesota generally.

New: Google DeepMind staffers are asking company leaders for "plans and policies" to stop ICE from entering Google's campuses, according to internal messages viewed by WIRED

One GDM staffer alleges that a federal agent tried to enter Google's Cambridge campus in the fall.

Pro-AI Super PACs Are Already All In on the Midterms Silicon Valley’s battle against AI regulation is already shaping the next US election cycle.

Silicon Valley is already pouring millions into the US midterm elections, via super PACs looking to elect leaders sympathetic to the AI industry.

From @mzeff.bsky.social

Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT. Here’s How They’ll Work OpenAI says ads will not influence ChatGPT’s responses, and that it won’t sell user data to advertisers.

More here: www.wired.com/story/openai...

New: OpenAI says it will start testing ads in the United States "in the coming weeks."

The company says ads will NOT influence ChatGPT’s responses, and that it won’t sell user data to advertisers.

Inside OpenAI’s Raid on Thinking Machines Lab OpenAI is planning to bring over more researchers from Thinking Machines Lab after nabbing two cofounders, a source familiar with the situation says. Plus, the latest efforts to automate jobs with AI.

more here in @wired.com w/ @zoeschiffer.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/inside...

NEW: More details on the drama at Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab.

TML leaders believe its cofounder Barret Zoph engaged in an incident of serious misconduct last year, leading to trust issues between him and Murati.

But now, more researchers are following him and joining OpenAI.

Two Thinking Machines Lab Cofounders Are Leaving to Rejoin OpenAI The news is a blow for Thinking Machines Lab. Two narratives are already emerging about what happened.

In a memo to staff announcing the news, OpenAI's CEO of Applications Fidji Simo said she doesn't share any of Murati's concerns over Zoph's ethics. Zoph will report to Simo.

Initial scoop about Zoph's firing from @kylierobison.com.

Read more in WIRED: www.wired.com/story/thinki...

NEW: Thinking Machines cofounders Barret Zoph and Luke Metz are back at OpenAI after leaving the ChatGPT-maker less than two years ago.

Zoph told Mira Murati he was considering leaving her startup on Monday. She fired him today, alleging he shared confidential info with competitors, a source said.

big week for new yorkers yelling at people

OpenAI Is Asking Contractors to Upload Work From Past Jobs to Evaluate the Performance of AI Agents To prepare AI agents for office work, the company is asking contractors to upload projects from past jobs, leaving it to them to strip out confidential and personally identifiable information.

Read more in WIRED: www.wired.com/story/openai...

These documents reveal some of the latest and craftiest ways major AI labs are sucking up data to improve their AI models.

Legal experts say AI labs and contractors seem to be putting themselves at great risk, but the companies may have just decided it's worth it.

This all seems to be part of OpenAI's work to evaluate its AI agents' performance on economically valuable tasks, a key indicator as the company races towards AGI.

In September, the company released GDPval, its first public evaluation towards this goal.

ChatGPT - Superstar Scrubbing Ask clarifying questions about how to scrub superstar tasks

In files we obtained, OpenAI and its data partner, Handshake, tell contractors to remove confidential and personally information in these docs.

OpenAI even directs people towards a public GPT someone made called "Superstar Scrubber" to help erase data. chatgpt.com/g/g-68e84188...

NEW: OpenAI is asking third-party contractors to upload *real work* they've done at current or past jobs to evaluate their AI models.

OpenAI leaves it up to contractors to remove any confidential info.

scoop w/ @willknight.bsky.social and @zoeschiffer.bsky.social

OpenAI VP of research Jerry Tworek is leaving, sources say after OpenAI sided with Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki in a dispute over its research direction (Maxwell Zeff/Wired)

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OpenAI Rolls Back ChatGPT’s Model Router System for Most Users As OpenAI scrambles to improve ChatGPT, it's ditching a feature in its free tier that contributed to last summer's user revolt.

More here in the latest edition of Model Behavior: www.wired.com/story/openai...

New: OpenAI quietly rolled back ChatGPT's model router for free users last week.

The router—which was costly for the company to serve, but aimed to improve answer quality—was thought to be hurting engagement, one person familiar with the matter told WIRED.

OpenAI’s Chief Communications Officer Is Leaving the Company Hannah Wong told staff she is moving on to her “next chapter.” The company will be running an executive search to find a replacement, according to a memo.

OpenAI is losing its chief comms officer; Hannah Wong had been there since 2021. scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social

How Taiwan Made Cashless Payments Cute Taiwan’s digital payment infrastructure is tactile, decentralized, and completely distinct from China’s QR code-dominated model.

Loved this piece about Taiwan’s public transit keychains from @lmatsakis.bsky.social, and especially this one collector:

“Later, I had a lunchbox-shaped one, but looking at it too long would make me hungry, so I never really used it. I just kept it as a toy.”

www.wired.com/story/icash-...

OpenAI Staffer Quits, Alleging Company’s Economic Research Is Drifting Into AI Advocacy Four sources close to the situation claim OpenAI has become hesitant to publish research on the negative impact of AI. The company says it has only expanded the economic research team’s scope.

NEW: Four sources tell @mzeff.bsky.social that OpenAI has become reluctant to publish research on the negative economic impacts of AI, including job displacement.

At least two members of OpenAI's economic research team have recently quit over that perceived pullback.

OpenAI Staffer Quits, Alleging Company’s Economic Research Is Drifting Into AI Advocacy Four sources close to the situation claim OpenAI has become hesitant to publish research on the negative impact of AI. The company says it has only expanded the economic research team’s scope.

An OpenAI staffer has quit, claiming that the company has backed off from publishing negative economic research about AI. scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/openai...

A Research Leader Behind ChatGPT’s Mental Health Work Is Leaving OpenAI The model policy team leads core parts of AI safety research, including how ChatGPT responds to users in crisis.

An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the news, saying the company is searching for a replacement, and Vallone's team will report to Johannes Heidecke, the head of safety systems, in the interim.

More here: www.wired.com/story/openai...

SCOOP: As OpenAI faces increased scrutiny over how ChatGPT responds to distressed users, a research leader spearheading that work announced her departure, WIRED has learned.

Andrea Vallone, the head of model policy, will leave the company by the end of 2025.

OpenAI Locks Down San Francisco Offices Following Alleged Threat From Activist A message on OpenAI’s internal Slack claimed the activist in question had expressed interest in “causing physical harm to OpenAI employees.”

Scoop w/ @peard33.bsky.social and @mzeff.bsky.social: OpenAI locked down its San Francisco offices today after receiving a threat from an activist previously associated with Stop AI: www.wired.com/story/openai...

A $100 Million AI Super PAC Targeted New York Democrat Alex Bores. He Thinks It Backfired Leading the Future said it will spend millions to keep Alex Bores out of Congress. It might be helping him instead.

A $100 million pro-AI super PAC has picked its first target. @mzeff.bsky.social talked to New York congressional candidate Alex Bores about what it's like to be in Andreessen Horowitz's crosshairs: www.wired.com/story/alex-b...