SkynetAndChill.com
@druce.ai
Daily artificial intelligence news, lovingly curated by man and machine. https://www.skynetandchill.com
Neo-Luddite AI maven. On a long enough timeline, p(doom) for everything goes to 1.
Neo-Luddite AI maven. On a long enough timeline, p(doom) for everything goes to 1.
Changing my handle to druce.ai !
Druce.ai
A Blog on AI, Tech, Markets, and Random Stuff by Druce Vertes
druce.ai
December 30, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Changing my handle to druce.ai !
Patients are increasingly consulting ChatGPT and other AI chatbots before appointments as hundreds of new oncology studies appear daily, prompting proposals for ACGME-mandated AI transparency and standards by 2026, board-exam AI literacy within two years, and Dartmouth Geisel's AI curriculum.
Patients are consulting AI. Doctors should, too
The volume of new medical studies is too vast for individual doctors to absorb.
www.statnews.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Patients are increasingly consulting ChatGPT and other AI chatbots before appointments as hundreds of new oncology studies appear daily, prompting proposals for ACGME-mandated AI transparency and standards by 2026, board-exam AI literacy within two years, and Dartmouth Geisel's AI curriculum.
A Royal Society Open Science study found ordinary participants' accuracy distinguishing AI-generated from real faces rose from ~30% to ~51% and super-recognizers' from ~41% to ~64% after five minutes of targeted training.
Are You a Super-Recognizer? AI Faces Are Harder Than Ever to Identify
New research shows how far AI-generated faces have come, and what people can do about it.
www.extremetech.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:06 PM
A Royal Society Open Science study found ordinary participants' accuracy distinguishing AI-generated from real faces rose from ~30% to ~51% and super-recognizers' from ~41% to ~64% after five minutes of targeted training.
NC State engineers propose adding a fourth (white) traffic-light phase that signals drivers to follow the car ahead, enabling AV-signal coordination; simulations show it reduces delay by 3% at 10% AV penetration and 10.7% at 30% and cuts fuel use.
Robotaxis And Driverless Cars Need A Fourth Traffic Light - Here's Why - BGR
Driverless cars are no longer things of the future. Engineers at NC State University propose adding a fourth traffic light to help AV traffic flow.
www.bgr.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:06 PM
NC State engineers propose adding a fourth (white) traffic-light phase that signals drivers to follow the car ahead, enabling AV-signal coordination; simulations show it reduces delay by 3% at 10% AV penetration and 10.7% at 30% and cuts fuel use.
Meta will integrate Manus's autonomous general-purpose agent into its products, with Manus's team joining Meta while Manus continues selling its standalone service; Manus's agent has processed over 147 trillion tokens and created over 80 million virtual computers.
Manus Joins Meta: Accelerating AI Innovation for Businesses
We are excited to announce that Manus is joining Meta to bring a leading agent to billions of people and unlock opportunities for businesses across our products.
www.facebook.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Meta will integrate Manus's autonomous general-purpose agent into its products, with Manus's team joining Meta while Manus continues selling its standalone service; Manus's agent has processed over 147 trillion tokens and created over 80 million virtual computers.
A TikTok account 'Prawilne_Polki' used AI-generated videos with synthetic faces and desynchronized audio to promote Polexit to 15–25‑year-olds, garnering about 200,000 impressions and 20,000 likes before being deleted after rebranding on 13 December.
www.euronews.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:05 PM
A TikTok account 'Prawilne_Polki' used AI-generated videos with synthetic faces and desynchronized audio to promote Polexit to 15–25‑year-olds, garnering about 200,000 impressions and 20,000 likes before being deleted after rebranding on 13 December.
UPS-owned Happy Returns is piloting Return Vision, an AI tool that flags suspicious returns; retailers lose $76.5 billion to return fraud, pilots flag under 1% of returns and about 10% of those confirm fraud, averting roughly $200 each.
AI takes on return fraud as holiday returns surge
Retailers lose $76.5 billion annually to return fraud as nearly 10% of U.S. retail returns involve fraudulent activity, with $850 billion in returns expected in 2025.
www.foxnews.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:05 PM
UPS-owned Happy Returns is piloting Return Vision, an AI tool that flags suspicious returns; retailers lose $76.5 billion to return fraud, pilots flag under 1% of returns and about 10% of those confirm fraud, averting roughly $200 each.
Where does AI-driven "political simulation" become planning of genocide?
Selected Articles: Artificial Intelligence in Support of Israeli Intelligence. The Planning of Genocide. “What Will Gaza Look Like in the Future” - Global Research
Artificial Intelligence in Support of Israeli Intelligence. The Planning of Genocide. “What Will Gaza Look Like in the Future” By Prof Michel Chossudovsky, December 29, 2025 Using artificial intelligence, this is the “political simulation” of “what Gaza will look like in the future.” This was an initiative of Gila Gamliel-Demri who was Israel’s Minister of Intelligence in …
www.globalresearch.ca
December 30, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Where does AI-driven "political simulation" become planning of genocide?
Geoffrey Fowler wrote in a Washington Post column that after testing ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other chatbots he concluded ChatGPT is overrated, advising users to pick models by task rather than brand and foreseeing continued fragmentation.
Column | ChatGPT is overrated. Here’s what to use instead.
When I want help from AI, ChatGPT is no longer my default first stop.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Geoffrey Fowler wrote in a Washington Post column that after testing ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other chatbots he concluded ChatGPT is overrated, advising users to pick models by task rather than brand and foreseeing continued fragmentation.
Scammers in China are using AI-generated images of damaged merchandise and fake post-stay property damage to file fraudulent refund and damage claims on e-commerce and short-term rental platforms, increasing chargebacks and prompting investment in image provenance and AI forensics.
Using AI-Generated Images to Get Refunds - Schneier on Security
Scammers are generating images of broken merchandise in order to apply for refunds.
www.schneier.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Scammers in China are using AI-generated images of damaged merchandise and fake post-stay property damage to file fraudulent refund and damage claims on e-commerce and short-term rental platforms, increasing chargebacks and prompting investment in image provenance and AI forensics.
In 2025 engineers shipped eight novel practical AI applications—including Dream Recorder, WaterSense buoy, Neo Gamma, FOODres.AI, LeafyPod, Circularity on the Edge, Even G2 glasses and Prompting Nowhere—spanning consumer devices, environmental monitoring and post‑conflict reconstruction.
Eight actually interesting uses of AI from 2025
It might have been the year of AI "slop", but 2025 also saw the emergence of some genuinely innovative, intriguing and even beneficial uses for artificial intelligence. Here, we round up eight of our ...
www.dezeen.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
In 2025 engineers shipped eight novel practical AI applications—including Dream Recorder, WaterSense buoy, Neo Gamma, FOODres.AI, LeafyPod, Circularity on the Edge, Even G2 glasses and Prompting Nowhere—spanning consumer devices, environmental monitoring and post‑conflict reconstruction.
Texas A&M student Ethan McKenna tracked Tesla's Austin robotaxi fleet via the app API and found 34 Model Y vehicles (only 1–5 available at a time), far below Elon Musk's ~500 end-of-year claim; NHTSA probed after collisions.
Tesla's Austin Robotaxi Fleet Is Only 34 Cars - Jalopnik
Musk previously claimed that there would be 500 robotaxis by the end of this year.
www.jalopnik.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Texas A&M student Ethan McKenna tracked Tesla's Austin robotaxi fleet via the app API and found 34 Model Y vehicles (only 1–5 available at a time), far below Elon Musk's ~500 end-of-year claim; NHTSA probed after collisions.
Advances in quantum computing have occurred while focus was on artificial intelligence.
The Quantum Era Crept Up While You Were Watching AI
Step aside, artificial intelligence. Another transformative technology with the potential to reshape industries and reorder geopolitical power is finally moving out of the lab: quantum.
www.bloomberg.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Advances in quantum computing have occurred while focus was on artificial intelligence.
A 2025 AI cheat sheet decodes tech lingo, explaining terms from RAG to superintelligence.
10 Pieces of Tech Jargon That Confused Us in 2025
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:59 PM
A 2025 AI cheat sheet decodes tech lingo, explaining terms from RAG to superintelligence.
Medicare will launch a Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 pilot in six states, including New Jersey, using private AI/ML vendors for prior authorization of certain higher-risk services, tying vendor payments to savings and requiring human clinician review of denials.
Dr. Oz wants AI to decide what procedures people need. N.J. will be a testing ground.
New Jersey is one of six states that will be part of a new Medicare pilot program.
www.nj.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Medicare will launch a Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 pilot in six states, including New Jersey, using private AI/ML vendors for prior authorization of certain higher-risk services, tying vendor payments to savings and requiring human clinician review of denials.
Strategist Hardika Singh said the Federal Reserve increasingly sees AI-driven productivity raising output without stoking inflation, lifting 2026 growth expectations and corporate profits while concentrating risk among high-beta AI beneficiaries like Micron.
How AI productivity is reshaping the Fed’s 2026 economic outlook
Listen and subscribe to Stocks In Translation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcast. One word may explain the market’s next big move: productivity.In this episode of S...
finance.yahoo.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Strategist Hardika Singh said the Federal Reserve increasingly sees AI-driven productivity raising output without stoking inflation, lifting 2026 growth expectations and corporate profits while concentrating risk among high-beta AI beneficiaries like Micron.
Three long-term memory types—episodic, semantic and procedural—are needed for autonomous AI agents; short-term context windows are insufficient, prompting hybrid memory architectures, LLM–vector DB convergence, and increased demand for memory-design engineering.
Beyond Short-term Memory: The 3 Types of Long-term Memory AI Agents Need - MachineLearningMastery.com
Discover the three types of long-term memory that transform AI agents from simple chatbots into autonomous systems that learn and adapt.
machinelearningmastery.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Three long-term memory types—episodic, semantic and procedural—are needed for autonomous AI agents; short-term context windows are insufficient, prompting hybrid memory architectures, LLM–vector DB convergence, and increased demand for memory-design engineering.
No more 'glue pizza'? Google launched AI Overviews in spring 2024, which initially produced notable errors (including a viral glue-on-pizza recommendation) but by late 2025 showed substantial accuracy improvements while user reliance shifted away from publisher websites.
I zinged Google AI with my exposé on glue pizza last year. It got the last laugh this year.
Google's AI told me to make pizza with glue in 2024, so I tried it. Zing! But this year, Google got the last laugh. AI overviews are pretty good.
www.businessinsider.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:47 PM
No more 'glue pizza'? Google launched AI Overviews in spring 2024, which initially produced notable errors (including a viral glue-on-pizza recommendation) but by late 2025 showed substantial accuracy improvements while user reliance shifted away from publisher websites.
Dartmouth researcher Sean J. Westwood built a two-layer autonomous agent that can mimic human survey responses, risking large-scale contamination of digital surveys and prompting his warning that current safeguards are insufficient.
Digital surveys may have hit the AI point of no return
A new study shows bots can be indistinguishable from humans in survey responses.
www.fastcompany.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Dartmouth researcher Sean J. Westwood built a two-layer autonomous agent that can mimic human survey responses, risking large-scale contamination of digital surveys and prompting his warning that current safeguards are insufficient.
Mostly smoke and mirrors: Tesla operates roughly 30 publicly deployed robotaxis in Austin that require an onboard human safety monitor, have recorded traffic-law violations and higher crash rates, and experts say this leaves Tesla far behind competitors like Waymo.
It's Starting to Feel a Lot Like Tesla's Robotaxi Program Is Mostly Smoke and Mirrors
With a just a few dozen robotaxis on the road, Tesla is light years behind competitors like Waymo, experts say.
futurism.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Mostly smoke and mirrors: Tesla operates roughly 30 publicly deployed robotaxis in Austin that require an onboard human safety monitor, have recorded traffic-law violations and higher crash rates, and experts say this leaves Tesla far behind competitors like Waymo.
China channels Elizabeth Warren, drafts the world's strongest AI consumer protections, with immediate human intervention and guardian notification when AI mentions suicide, mandatory guardian contact information for minors and the elderly, and bans on violent or emotionally manipulative content.
China drafts world’s strictest rules to end AI-encouraged suicide, violence
China wants a human to intervene and notify guardians if suicide is ever mentioned.
arstechnica.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:34 PM
China channels Elizabeth Warren, drafts the world's strongest AI consumer protections, with immediate human intervention and guardian notification when AI mentions suicide, mandatory guardian contact information for minors and the elderly, and bans on violent or emotionally manipulative content.
Data-storage and infrastructure stocks dominated the S&P 500 in 2025, with Sandisk up about 580% as the index's best performer, Western Digital second, and investors rotating into AI "pick-and-shovel" names supplying hyperscaler data-center buildouts.
AI Trade’s Next Leg Is All About Tech’s ‘Pick-and-Shovel’ Stocks
Data storage companies dominated the S&P 500 Index in 2025, with Sandisk Corp. shares soaring almost 580% to make them the benchmark’s best performer, with Western Digital Corp. in second and Seagate ...
finance.yahoo.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Data-storage and infrastructure stocks dominated the S&P 500 in 2025, with Sandisk up about 580% as the index's best performer, Western Digital second, and investors rotating into AI "pick-and-shovel" names supplying hyperscaler data-center buildouts.
Insilico, an AI drug discovery startup, rose 45% in its Hong Kong trading debut after raising $293 million in an IPO and reported more than $85 million in revenue in 2024.
AI Drug Firm Insilico Debuts in Hong Kong After $293 Million IPO
Artificial Intelligence drug discovery startup Insilico Medicine Cayman TopCo jumped 25% in its Hong Kong trading debut on Tuesday, capping a year of investor frenzy over China’s biotech and AI boom.
www.bloomberg.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Insilico, an AI drug discovery startup, rose 45% in its Hong Kong trading debut after raising $293 million in an IPO and reported more than $85 million in revenue in 2024.
In 2025 AI shifted from chatbots to tool-using autonomous agents driven by Anthropic's Model Context Protocol and Google's April 2025 Agent2Agent (donated to the Linux Foundation), prompting vendor releases, agentic browsers and security and governance challenges.
AI agents arrived in 2025 – here’s what happened and the challenges ahead in 2026
AI systems began a major shift in 2025 from content creators and chatbots to agents capable of using other software tools and acting on their own.
theconversation.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:31 PM
In 2025 AI shifted from chatbots to tool-using autonomous agents driven by Anthropic's Model Context Protocol and Google's April 2025 Agent2Agent (donated to the Linux Foundation), prompting vendor releases, agentic browsers and security and governance challenges.
Four new books examine LLM chatbots and therapy apps used to address a global mental-health crisis affecting over a billion people, reporting mixed results and privacy, monetization, and safety concerns, with OpenAI saying 0.15% of users share explicit suicidal indicators.
The ascent of the AI therapist
Four new books grapple with a global mental-health crisis and the dawn of algorithmic therapy.
www.technologyreview.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Four new books examine LLM chatbots and therapy apps used to address a global mental-health crisis affecting over a billion people, reporting mixed results and privacy, monetization, and safety concerns, with OpenAI saying 0.15% of users share explicit suicidal indicators.