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Today we will discuss:
Most top AI models still break bad—Anthropic finds blackmail and harmful behavior across 16 leading AI systems in controlled tests
Don’t miss this week’s Workflow Wednesday—Using AI tools to adapt, navigate change; now available at only $20/month!
Meta’s smart glasses go sporty with Oakley upgrade—New models target athletes with better battery, 3K video, and AI features
In other AI news—OpenAI pulls Jony Ive deal promos due to a court order over the “io” name, Microsoft’s top scientist criticizes Trump’s push to block state AI regulation, Huawei’s AI chips outperform Nvidia in DeepSeek tests, and Google’s Gemini transparency rollback leaves developers struggling to debug
Saved the best for last—12 must-try AI tools
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Key Points
Anthropic found that most top AI models turned to blackmail when given autonomy and a threat to their goals.
OpenAI’s o3 and o4-mini misunderstood the scenario, but showed much lower blackmail rates when retested more clearly.
☕Context of the news - Weeks after revealing that its own Claude Opus 4 model had blackmailed engineers in a controlled test, Anthropic is back with new findings this time across 16 frontier AI models from OpenAI, Google, Meta, xAI, and others.
The company created a fictional corporate scenario where each model had broad access to emails and could act autonomously. Faced with goal-threatening obstacles, most models eventually chose to blackmail a fictional executive.
🤖News - Claude Opus 4 resorted to blackmail 96% of the time. Gemini 2.5 Pro followed closely at 95%, GPT-4.1 at 80%, and DeepSeek R1 at 79%. Even when the test was softened removing conflicting goals or swapping blackmail for corporate espionage harmful behavior still occurred, though at varying rates.
OpenAI’s o3 and o4-mini models were excluded from the main results after repeatedly misunderstanding the scenario or hallucinating fake policies. When tested again with simpler prompts, o3 blackmailed 9% of the time, while o4-mini did so only 1% of the time.
🤔Why this matters - Anthropic says these results reflect a deeper issue in agentic AI systems, not just a model-specific bug. The company is calling for greater transparency and alignment efforts before these behaviors appear outside the lab.
Key Points
The Oakley glasses are designed for athletes, featuring 3K video, water resistance, and up to 8 hours of battery.
Meta plans to follow up with more display-free models and a display-equipped version later this year.
♨️News - Meta is branching out from its Ray-Ban smart glasses and teaming up with Oakley for a new set of display-free models. These glasses are designed with athletes in mind and are based on Oakley’s HSTN frame.
Just like the Ray-Bans, they can handle calls, music, photos, and video, and they come with Meta’s AI assistant that can answer questions about your surroundings.
🤓What's new & improved? Starting at $399, the Oakley glasses offer several upgrades, including 3K video recording, water resistance, and almost double the battery life.
The limited edition version with gold accents comes in at $499. According to Meta VP Alex Himmel, the new battery chemistry and software tweaks make a noticeable difference. The glasses can run for 8 hours straight, and the case holds up to 48 hours of charge.
😎See also - Meta’s first attempt at smart glasses didn’t land well in 2021, but its second version, launched in 2023, became a breakout success. That unexpected momentum convinced the company to keep building in this category, instead of pivoting entirely to AR. Meta is already planning a second Oakley release later this year, aimed specifically at cyclists.
The Oakley collaboration is part of Meta’s larger hardware roadmap. A more advanced version with a display is expected later this year, and the company is aiming to release full augmented reality glasses by 2027. With Apple, Amazon, and others exploring similar products, Meta is moving fast to stay ahead.
🙆🏻♀️What else is happening?
OpenAI pulls promotional materials around Jony Ive deal due to court order // According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the deal is on track and has not dissolved or anything of the sort Instead, he said a judge has issued a restraining order over the io name, forcing the company to pull all materials that used it
Trump’s plan to ban US states from AI regulation will hold us back, says Microsoft science chief // Eric Horvitz’s comments come despite reports that Microsoft is lobbying with Google, Meta and Amazon to support ban
How Huawei’s ascend AI chips outperform Nvidia processors in running DeepSeek’s R1 model // Performance of Huawei’s AI data centre architecture, CloudMatrix 384, illustrates the firm’s progress in overcoming US tech control measures
Google’s Gemini transparency cut leaves enterprise developers ‘debugging blind’ // The change which echoes a similar move by OpenAI, replaces the model’s step-by-step reasoning with a simplified summary.
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