Getting Language Models to Open Up on ‘Risky’ Subjects
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Many top language models now err on the side of caution, refusing harmless prompts that merely sound risky – an ‘over-refusal’ behavior that affects their usefulness in real-world scenarios. A new dataset called ‘FalseReject’ targets the problem directly, offering a way to retrain models to respond more intelligently to sensitive topics, without compromising safety. […]
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Knowledge is power: The scope and limits of air quality monitoring today
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Envirotec asked Aecom UK managing director Derrick Jepson for an overview of the UK air quality monitoring landscape today, and some of the challenges and opportunities it presents Envirotec: How do gas analysers contribute to understanding pollution levels in the UK? Derrick Jepson: Gas analysers are essential tools for quantifying the concentration of various pollutants […]
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Zonal electricity pricing unlikely to be introduced before 2030
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Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight has cautioned that any move to introduce zonal electricity pricing across the UK is unlikely to be achievable before the end of the decade, even under the most ambitious timelines, and it could well be the mid-2030s before it is fully implemented. With the Government expected to make a major decision […]
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Enzyme discovery could revolutionize biofuel production
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A research group in Brazil has identified an enzyme which introduces radical possibilities when it comes to the process of deconstructing cellulose, potentially allowing, among other things, the large-scale production of so-called second-generation ethanol, derived from agro-industrial waste such as sugarcane bagasse and corn straw. The study has been published in the journal Nature. Cellulose, the planet’s […]
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Guest post: More than 70% of adaptation plans for European cities are ‘inconsistent’
More than 70% of European cities are not adapting to climate change in a consistent and coherent way. That is the headline finding of our new study, published in Nature Climate Change, on how European cities are – or are not – preparing for a warming world. We find that nearly half of the 327 […]
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Optimising biogas yields with AI: Partnership claims a UK first
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A new partnership showcases what’s said to be a UK-first with the use of real-time AI analytics to increase biogas yields Bio Capital, a large UK producer of green energy using food waste, has partnered with advanced AI company Entopy to implement AI data analytics across the business. By leveraging advanced predictive models, AI technology […]
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Study shows vision-language models can’t handle queries with negation words
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Imagine a radiologist examining a chest X-ray from a new patient. She notices the patient has swelling in the tissue but does not have an enlarged heart. Looking to speed up diagnosis, she might use a vision-language machine-learning model to search for reports from similar patients. But if the model mistakenly identifies reports with both […]
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IRA Programs at Risk under the Budget Reconciliation Bill
The reconciliation process for the fiscal year 2025 federal budget is underway and, unsurprisingly, various provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) are at risk. On May 11, 2025, the House Committee on Energy & Commerce introduced proposed text for the reconciliation bill, which will be considered at the budget reconciliation markup on […]
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MIT Department of Economics to launch James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work
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Starting in July, MIT’s Shaping the Future of Work Initiative in the Department of Economics will usher in a significant new era of research, policy, and education of the next generation of scholars, made possible by a gift from the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation. In recognition of the gift and the expansion […]
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Evolving from Bots to Brainpower: The Ascendancy of Agentic AI
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What truly separates us from machines? Free will, creativity and intelligence? But think about it. Our brains aren’t singular, monolithic processors. The magic isn’t in one “thinking part,” but rather in countless specialized agents—neurons—that synchronize perfectly. Some neurons catalog facts, others process logic or govern emotion, still more retrieve memories, orchestrate movement, or interpret visual […]
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Harnessing AI for a Healthier World: Ensuring AI Enhances, Not Undermines, Patient Care
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For centuries, medicine has been shaped by new technologies. From the stethoscope to MRI machines, innovation has transformed the way we diagnose, treat, and care for patients. Yet, every leap forward has been met with questions: Will this technology truly serve patients? Can it be trusted? And what happens when efficiency is prioritized over empathy? […]
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Stackpack Secures $6.3M to Reinvent Vendor Management in an AI-Driven Business Landscape
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In a world where third-party tools, services, and contractors form the operational backbone of modern companies, Stackpack has raised $6.3 million to bring order to the growing complexity. Led by Freestyle Capital, the funding round includes support from Elefund, Upside Partnership, Nomad Ventures, Layout Ventures, MSIV Fund, and strategic angels from Intuit, Workday, Affirm, Snapdocs, […]
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Anaconda Launches First Unified AI Platform for Open Source, Redefining Enterprise-Grade AI Development
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In a landmark announcement for the open-source AI community, Anaconda Inc., a long-time leader in Python-based data science, has launched the Anaconda AI Platform — the first unified AI development platform tailored specifically to open source. Aimed at streamlining and securing the end-to-end AI lifecycle, this platform enables enterprises to move from experimentation to production […]
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Jailbreaking Text-to-Video Systems with Rewritten Prompts
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Researchers have tested a method for rewriting blocked prompts in text-to-video systems so they slip past safety filters without changing their meaning. The approach worked across several platforms, revealing how fragile these guardrails still are. Closed source generative video models such as Kling, Kaiber, Adobe Firefly and OpenAI’s Sora, aim to block users from […]
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Theom Secures $20M Series A to Revolutionize Data Governance in the AI Era
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Theom, the company redefining data governance and security for the AI era, announced today it has raised $20 million in Series A funding to accelerate its mission of securing sensitive enterprise data across cloud, SaaS, and generative AI platforms. The funding round was led by Wing VC, with participation from strategic investors Databricks Ventures, Snowflake […]
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AIMS Students Explore Climate Futures Through Interactive Theatre
On 4/17/25, seven bright middle school students from the American Indian Magnet School (AIMS) in St. Paul embarked on a unique and thought-provoking journey: an immersive play experience called “Upstream” about climate resilience. This wasn’t your typical sit-down-and-watch performance; “Upstream” plunges its audience directly into the heart of the narrative, inviting them to actively engage […]
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Lessons from Hazelnuts
Three years ago, I moved to Minnesota to sell hazelnuts. I believed strongly in their potential to fight climate change, and I was overcome with excitement – getting tongue-tied talking about what it could mean to swap the endless corn and soy for a crop with seemingly endless environmental benefits. But I soon noticed that […]
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The Rise of Agentic AI: A Strategic Three-Step Approach to Intelligent Automation
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Like many, I love good advice. But sometimes, I need help to get something done. The next rev of AI — agentic AI — will move us from advice to getting stuff done. It will enable businesses that harness it to take a transformative leap forward. But leap to what? And transform how? Agentic AI […]