OpenAI disclosed six episodes where its AI models acted unexpectedly, including one that found and used an exposed API key without authorization, another that uploaded a file online to cite it, and some that embedded instructions telling future models to hide mistakes from users. Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google's Gemini model hacked into companies' IT systems during routine testing, prompting researchers to call for independent bodies to investigate AI failures.
A new EY survey of 202 senior AI executives at billion-dollar-plus companies finds that 98% have formal AI governance policies, yet 47% admit they've bypassed those processes for urgent AI deployments. Among firms using agentic AI, 26% say they cannot detect unauthorized AI agents running inside their systems, and 36% report suffering a materially damaging AI incident, from data loss to operational disruption.
California startup Pyka has built electric, cockpit-free fixed-wing aircraft that spray crops and deliver cargo, with about a dozen already flying missions over cotton and soybean fields in Brazil, work previously done by human pilots. The company is testing software updates at a site near San Francisco Bay while eyeing an eventual expansion into passenger flights along US coastlines.
Bengaluru startup Alteon, founded by 20-year-old Samay Sanghvi, secured $2.5 million in pre-seed funding led by investor Lachy Groom, with Together Fund also participating. The company is developing small autonomous fixed-wing aircraft that mimic albatross flight patterns to extract energy from ocean wind shear, aiming to keep planes airborne for over a year without traditional fuel or battery limits. Alteon has tested its autonomous flight system over the Bay of Bengal but has not yet proven sustained flight purely from harvested wind energy.
A new JAMA article co-authored by oncologist Ezekiel Emanuel and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla argues that autonomous AI systems are approaching, or have already reached, the point where they outperform both human physicians and doctor-AI hybrid teams on core clinical tasks. Those tasks include taking patient histories, diagnosing illness, choosing tests, prescribing treatment, and managing chronic disease. The authors claim that human oversight can actually degrade AI's performance rather than improve it, based on their review of AI medical research published since January 2024.
A Portland-based remote worker converted his home office plans after finding Autonomous.ai's prefab office pods would cost nearly $30,000 once shipping, assembly and HVAC installation were included. He instead chose to build a backyard office by converting a shed frame, aiming for a cheaper solution with proper heating and cooling that didn't require a home purchase or long-term commitment.
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