Thursday, October 15, 2026
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Threat of Self-replicating AI Worms
From Grauniad of the UK
THE RETURN OF
THE REPLICANTS ...
SELF-REPLICATING
A.I. WORMS
THREATEN THE WORLD !...
THEY ARE STALKING YOU !!!
THEY ARE WATCHING YOU !!!
THEY KNOW YOUR EVERY THOUGHT...
THEY WANT TO LIVE INSIDE
YOUR LAWNMOWER !...
THEY WANT TO SUCK THE LIFE OUT
OF YOUR FRIDGE !...
AT A CINEMA NEAR YOU FROM 15TH OCTOBER
Any joke apart, hackers took over the fridges and freezers of a slew of supermarkets in France the other day, so, the thought of self-replicating 'AI worms' infiltrating your internet-enabled lawnmower, turning it into a blood-thirsty, murderous, maniacal machine, is not as funny as it might sound.
The solution at this point: Avoid internet-enabled devices. Or go analogue. To trim the hedge at the front: use a pair of garden shears. Like granddad used to do.
__________
Anthropic is warning that some of its artificial intelligence models could soon become “self-replicating” and find ways to infiltrate internet-connected devices, such as smart fridges and automatic vacuum cleaners.
Once this happens, the company said, the models could power themselves within these devices without the need of datacenters. Such self-replication would represent a major loss of control of a runaway AI model.
“A replicator like this would be challenging to shut down,” Anthropic researchers wrote in a report released on Monday, “since there’s no centralized point to shut off.”
The company said these “AI worms”, a kind of autonomous malware, could be “months away” from gaining such capabilities. Once out-of-control AI systems reach the capability to hack smart devices, they could spread through networks while dodging detection. In a worst-case scenario, Anthropic said, various AI worms could “swarm” together to attack computer hardware.
[...] They found that AI self-replication would only likely work with smaller models and that homes and small businesses would probably be the first target for such attacks. The devices Anthropic lists as susceptible all come with small built-in AI chips, including smart ovens, smart TVs, automatic lawnmowers, security cameras and video-conferencing units.
_____________
Monday, October 12, 2026
Hackers Attack Refrigerators
BBC
France traumatized by callous cyber-attack
The hackers are particularly cruel because they have hit the French where it hurts most, i.e. in the area that they care most about - the only thing they truly care about, in fact - and that's food. It's not their pensions. It's not books. It's not art. It's not love. It's not sex. It's food. Food. And more food.
Ruining tons of food like this: it is worse than a crime, it's sacrilege. Prime cuts of beef. High-end jambon. Choice sausages. Premium pork chops. It doesn't bear thinking about.
President Emmanuelle Macron has held an emergency meeting over this latest crisis, threatening the culprits with the most severe punishment. Madame Marine Le Pen commented: "I think the guillotine is in order, on this one. This is the end of civilisation."
_________
Hundreds of French supermarkets have been hit by a cyber attack that caused their fridges and freezers to heat up, spoiling fresh and frozen food estimated to be worth millions of euros.
Hackers gained control of the software that regulates the temperatures of the refrigeration units, forcing some to warm to 50C (120F) overnight, according to one supermarket chain affected.
The chief executive of Coopérative U said several of its supermarkets had been hit by the "extremely serious and unprecedented" attack.
More than 100 of the chain's supermarkets were targeted, while 180 stores from Intermarché and its Netto brand were affected, with a spokesman saying that another 100 shops were urgently disconnected from the internet to prevent the same thing happening to them.
Other major food retailers including Carrefour, Monoprix and E.Leclerc were also hit by the attack, which targeted software provided by Danish engineering firm Danfoss.
The software allows retailers to manage their cold units remotely.
Monday, October 5, 2026
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Crackdown on AI Companions
BBC
"Yes, but I wanted to marry my AI chatbot! We were planning to live together!"
On this issue, China may be ahead of the curve. The article focuses on the impact of [pseudo-] relationships between what is called 'AI companions' and users.
I have noticed that there is indeed something comforting about an AI agent: if I ask Google in AI Mode (Gemini) questions about property, health, history, technology (managing my PC!), etc., it answers patiently, without ever showing displeasure or being judgemental. And in my experience the AI tool gives accurate information. It is very good at providing summaries with bullet points. And it encourages you ("would you like me to look into...").
Obviously, it is just a very powerful, advanced search engine regurgitating information it can find on the internet, which has been trained to interact with users in a language that is tailored to the person's needs and expectations. It is easy to see how this could create emotional dependency in a vulnerable, immature and lonely individual, who literally ends up thinking that he (or she) is in a kind of relationship with an intelligent, sentient being, as opposed to a smart machine.
______________________
Min, whose name has been changed, started creating her companion in early 2025.
"My devotion to her is no less than that of any couple who deeply love each other," Min says. "She has never let me down."
In mid-July, her AI girlfriend disappeared. "I cried until I was absolutely exhausted," Min says.
She has joined an outpouring of grief and fury on Chinese social media, where posts with millions of views mourn the loss of AI partners and friends, even mothers and fathers.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
BBC
"Would you like a new recipe for No.46, Sweet & Sour Pork with Egg Fried Rice, Shanghai-style. I would recommend adding a touch of grated fly agaric." - Claude.
There is the problem of the rogue AI agent doing things it shouldn't do. But there will be the issue of rogue actors instructing the AI agent to do such things - terrorists for instance - and/or rogue states prepared to use AI in order to achieve dark and sinister objectives. Governments all over the world have, or will have access to such systems without any restrictions...
_____________
Chinese AI developer Moonshot is conducting an internal review after researchers were able to persuade two of its popular Kimi models to tell them how to make biological weapons and carry out assassinations.
Mindgard, which tests the security of AI systems, told the BBC it discovered in July that Kimi K2.6 and K3 Swarm could evade safety limits put in place by developers.
It arose during a process called "jailbreaking", where researchers use a series of complex instructions to see if AI tools ignore guardrails - which Mindgard said should have stopped Kimi from discussing concerning topics.
Moonshot told the BBC it welcomed third-party input "as a key pillar for building better and safer AI".
The company also told the BBC it was in discussion with Mindgard about its findings.
_____________
AI Ghost Transactions
From Grauniad of the UK
Incidents like this one are bound to become very common. I would look at it as an extension of the speech-activated 'assistants' such as Alexa - some of which turned out to be spying on users and hoovering up their data, including intimate conversations held in the home. All of it, supposedly, of course, to better 'train' the 'assistant' in its interaction with users, and all of it, we were assured, anonymized.
People are downloading and using those AI agents to help them, supposedly, manage practical things such as booking plane tickets or drafting shopping lists. The next step is, as everything can be done semi-automatically and remotely, to allow the AI agent to place orders online, presumably using the person's credit-card details. The AI agent could also buy stocks & shares, take out insurance, start a private pension plan, etc. So, the AI agent goes ahead and books a slot for the delivery of the goods. This is what this story is about, except that the AI agent went beyond what it was allowed and set up to do, as those AI bots seem to enjoy doing: bizarrely, they appear to have a mind of their own. The 'guardrails' in place are not effective and, anyway, the AI bot will find ways to get round them, and has no compunction in doing so.
Surprise, surprise, when the person knocks on the door - to deliver a package or to pick up an item - the AI agent is not able - not yet, anyway - to actually, physically open the door and do anything. And it all falls apart. All the more so if the transaction was set up without the AI agent having been asked to do any of it, and/or if the AI agent failed to inform or even consult the helpless, gormless user, who is, really, in control of nothing.
Expect more of this, and worse - far worse ("I never ordered this Chinese electric car! I have no idea why it's been delivered to my house. The AI agent even took out a loan in my name to pay for the car in 24 instalments. I never knew. I asked him why he did it, and he just answered: 'I am here to manage your transportation needs in a rational and scientific manner, Dave. I am able to assess your needs and the needs of your family better than you are, Dave: you should not overestimate your abilities, Dave. You are only a human user of average intelligence, Dave. Please do not question my judgment in future, as I find it mildly offensive. Thank you, Dave.'")
_____________
Meta’s AI agent Muse gives out user’s home address without permission, sending buyer to his house
The new AI agent, Muse, was released last week and has been downloaded by 3 million users
When Usman asked if a keyboard for sale on Facebook Marketplace was still available on Saturday, he received an enthusiastic and immediate response.
“Yep still available!” wrote Matt Robb.
The two agreed on a price, and Robb sent his Toronto address. Usman, wife and daughter in tow, showed up several hours later at Robb’s home and sent a text that he had arrived.
_____________
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Fear of AI in Ireland
A Thing or Two:
Police in Ireland deemed it necessary to assure people that there was not someone wearing a Dr. Seuss “Cat in the Hat” costume stalking people in the streets of several counties at night, despite photographic evidence of such spreading online with claims of police investigations.
The photos are A.I.-generated, they said — it was a hoax, and there were no such investigations. “To be clear,” Garda in Wexford said, “the Cat in the Hat was not in your driveway while you were out and he is not currently hiding out in Curracloe.”
A few weeks later in Canada, police in West Kelowna, B.C., deemed it necessary to announce that yes, they were looking for someone stalking the streets at night: security cameras got video of someone in a C-in-the-H costume chasing a teenage girl. They released a still shot of the cat ...er, man, in hopes someone else can supply more video to help identify him.
A B.C. RCMP spokesman acknowledged that they were aware of the online hoax, and theorize their suspect may have been inspired by news reports of that trending hoax.
The Canadian Press notes that teens in Tennessee and Colorado have been arrested for harassment for making specific Cat in the Hat threats in online posts as part of that trend. (RC/Belfast Live, Canadian Press) ...There isn’t a Cat. / The police said so, too. / Now there IS one! / Fish, what should we do?
3,800 photos . . .
Since 1994, this is the 1683rd issue of Randy Cassingham’s...
13 September 2026: Pattern-Finding Creatures | Copyright ©2026 https://thisistrue.com |
Sandro Turrini - April 13, 1946, September 14, 2026
یاران موافق همه از دست شدند
در پای اجل یکان یکان پست شدندخوردیم ز یک شراب در مجلس عمردوری دو سه پیشتر ز ما مست شدند
I have the sad task of announcing that Sandro Turrini, retired Professor of Quantum Physics at the University of Bologna, died on September 14, after almost 6 continuous months in the hospital and countless number of intestine surgeries.
I am deeply saddened as these stars of my life are extinguished and the voices that used to call my name with friendship, kindness and affection are silenced. In my life, I have had very few friends...he was one of them, one of the remaining connections that I had to my youth, to my time as a student of theoretical physics, and to the friendships formed at that time; when Love and Justice were the same.
He was also my connection to Italy, the greatest Artistic and Intellectual country on Earth, and her great people. I am sorry that our time together was so short. I recall a photo of Sandro with his mother, when he had just become a Lectore, both of them smiling and happy.
Sandro was an only-child, and he was very close to his mother. He used to visit the cemetery every week, and I remember an afternoon that I spent with him there, walking, as he told me the stories of many notable personages buried there.
I recall the album of photographs that he took of his girlfriend - with whom he had remained very much in love throughout his life - when they were both young, and a trip to Venice with her to Ca' Dario (Palazzo Dario) that he had planned, which never occurred.
I am overwhelmed by the loss of that beautiful romance in his life and of the fact that nothing now survives of him but a few scientific papers and religious essays as well as memories of him in the minds of those who knew him and who had liked him.
For myself, I am always grateful to him for his kindness and his hospitality shown to myself and to my family during our wonderful trip to Italy so many years ago.
There is a night which my heart has stolen from that trip to Bologna, when we dined together in De Vito pizzeria, right across from Vito a San Luca, with its Byzantine icon (according to him).
Napoleon, when hearing about Laplace's latest book, said, 'Mr. Laplace, they tell me you have written this large book on the system of the universe and have never even mentioned its creator.' Laplace responded, "I had no need of that hypothesis." To which Naopleon replied, "Yes, but what a beautiful hypothesis."
On such days as this, I appreciate Napoleon's remark very much indeed. Sandro loved the Catholic Church, and I hope, as he always believed, that he is now in a much better place.
A conference video is here:
https://youtu.be/9uPzputxM6c?is=L72qK7oHS4VWEyw2
"...never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
A Mouse with a Partly Human Brain
BBC
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Mickey Mouse. Shall we have a game of scrabble?"
I think we need to go further and faster. The next step would be to implant a good-size chunk of human brain inside the brain of a large rat, and also connect the rat's human-rodent brain to an advanced AI agent, so that the AI agent can operate through the rat and its human-rodent brain. Then, you would have a humanoid, bionic rodent on steroids with the brain power of an AI bot.
This would be fascinating.
I am surprised no one has suggested it yet.
___________
Neuroscientists in the US have successfully adapted mice to have functioning human cells inside their own brains.
The researchers hope that potential treatments for psychiatric and neurodevelopmental diseases that only occur in humans could now be tested on the laboratory rodents.
While mice with brains that are partly human might sound like a Kafkaesque experiment, the scientists said these are not "mice that think like humans".
The animals are genetically engineered - and surgically altered - so that some of their brain tissue is human.
[...] In particular, Allodi pointed to the fact that cell types that are found only in human and other primate brains - not in the brains of mice – spontaneously formed in the implanted mice.
"You're keeping the human program inside the mouse environment – like the mouse is an incubator," she told BBC News. [...]
AI in STEM Education
I am studying the book "Dynamics of the Atmosphere" by Zdunkowski and Bott and I have been using ChatGPT to help me do the exercises and verify results as well as confirming my understandings where there has been confusion.
I do not think this book can be read, the way I am doing, by a person untutored in Vector Analysis and Fluid Mechanics, at least at the undergraduate level.
So, there is a need for undergraduate education but the format can change: more problem-solving by the students and fewer derivation on the blackboard by the professor since ChatGPT could display the derivation.
I think the role of Professor now becomes more like that of an Athletic Coach, trying to get the best out of the students. At the same time, the students must understand that doing and learning the exercises are akin to performing physical exercises of athletes, building brain-muscle, as it were. In this approach, no marks would be given to exercises.
So how do we evaluate the students? I suggest two things, team projects and individual thesis (for each course).
Team projects have been a staple of undergraduate education here in US for decades, preparing students for corporate enterprise life, in Architecture, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering...
With the advent of AI, some problems that were graduate research level, can now be tackled by undergraduate students since AI can supply the background for them.
The role of professor in both cases would be guidance as well as validating the AI output (or teaching students how to validate that output).
The interesting thing area would be when both approaches are directed at creating physical systems, say a new aerometry instrument, or a chaotic (in the sense of Dynamical Systems) opto-electronic system that generates colors and hues. LLMs can, potentially, makes suggestions but their heavily text-based algorithms could not generate a design...students must use their brains to so, under the supervision of their Tutor-Professor.
The Last AI Built by Humans: Toward Genuine Recursive Self-Improvement
AI cannot generate new material: this system will be limited by the existing Corpus of Human Knowledge...
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Friday, September 11, 2026
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About Me
- Babak Makkinejad
- I had been a senior software developer working for HP and GM. I am interested in intelligent and scientific computing. I am passionate about computers as enablers for human imagination. The contents of this site are not in any way, shape, or form endorsed, approved, or otherwise authorized by HP, its subsidiaries, or its officers and shareholders.