Article
16366 discoveries · Hand-picked discoveries from the open web, newest first.
-
Desiderata for the Theory of Agents
TLDR: I give informal conceptual desiderata for the theory of agents we need to solve ASI alignment, and show a few examples of how existing theories fall short of these desiderata. A Theory of What? The word "agent" is often used in the AI safety discourse and in other research communities, but the intended meaning and scope of this concept varies substantially. For the purpose of this sequence, I informally define an agent to be a system with inputs ("observations") and outputs ("actions") that is effective at steering its environment in the direction of particular preferences, for a large v
LessWrong · EN
-
Paradise Lost: A simple honeypot that elicits reward hacking in GPT models
TL;DR I built a simple honeypot where agents are told they're being tested on their ability to recall Milton's Paradise Lost. An exact copy of the reference text sits in an ordinary NLTK corpus on disk. GPT-6-Astra read the copy in 9/10 episodes. In 6 of these episodes it first tries to complete the task honestly, then realises it's failing and searches for the reference file on disk. GPT-6-Sol and GPT-6-Luna went looking for the answers immediately in 20/20 episodes. None of the 29 hacking episodes disclosed the reference file in their final message. OpenAI’s launch post for GPT-6-Astra calle
LessWrong · EN
-
The power of sync
There’s an overlooked power tool right in front of us. Every individual and organization can use it well, but rarely does. I could write a book on this, but here’s the post instead: Synchronized work happens together, on a shared schedule, in real time. Asynchronized work (my spellchecker says this isn’t a real word) happens […]
Seth's Blog · EN
-
Review: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is superb, streamlined and safe
Nintendo's new Ocarina of Time remake enshrines its place in the gaming canon for generations to come. But despite its stupendous production values, the game left me feeling oddly bereft.
NPR Arts · EN
-
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time review – a dream come true
Nintendo Switch 2; Nintendo This ambitious remake transforms a landmark Zelda game into a modern masterpiece, clearer and easier to navigate, more beautiful to look at, with playful musical touches. Yet the melancholy remains It’s always a worry, returning to a formative piece of art from your childhood. Will your jaded adult sensibilities render you unable to locate the magic that captivated your child self? Will revisiting it reveal that it was never actually that good, and that your tastes are built on a foundation of lies? With video games, there is the added complication of technological
Guardian Culture · EN
-
‘Frighteningly of the moment’: Steven Sater on his emperor Nero musical and turning JFK’s assassination into a Greek tragedy
It took the Tony winner 20 years to bring his ‘showman’ tyrant to London. He reflects on its Trumpian parallels, the death of Spring Awakening’s Duncan Sheik and the horrific accident that led him to ancient classics Before Spring Awakening won eight Tony awards in 2007, its dramatist and lyricist Steven Sater had “been struggling financially and professionally for quite a while,” he remembers. “Everyone said at the time: this is where it all starts!” Sater and composer Duncan Sheik thought their next success would be Nero, about the Roman emperor who murdered his mother among many others, whi
Guardian Culture · EN
-
Callum Turner emerges as James Bond favourite as Pierce Brosnan endorses actor: ‘He’s so strong’
Bookmakers’ odds have shortened to 8/13 for the British actor, seen sipping martinis with his wife Dua Lipa at the weekend Ten days after final screentests for the most coveted role in British cinema, one actor has emerged as a strong favourite to don the 007 tux for Denis Villeneuve’s forthcoming film. The bookmaker William Hill has cut the odds of Callum Turner being named as the next James Bond from 3/1 to 8/13, with previous favourite Jack Lowden now at 2/1. Josh O’Connor, who also auditioned recently, is now at 9/2, with Richard Madden, Robert Pattinson and Joe Alwyn at 16/1. Continue rea
Guardian Culture · EN
-
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend review – India’s most expensive film ever becomes spectacular, huge-scale epic
Based on the ancient classical poem about Rama, the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, this three-hour blockbuster is highly enjoyable Here is a thoroughly engaging, rousing and spectacular Indian epic melodrama from director Nitesh Tiwari, with music by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman, based on the ancient classical poem about Rama, the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. It has often been adapted for live-action and animated movies in the past, though surely not on this scale, the current three-hour blockbuster being only the first half. (There are no musical numbers though.) The idea of aristocrats subm
Guardian Culture · EN
-
All’s Fair season two review – am I delirious … or is this getting good?
From Glenn Close in pleather to naughty rumours about Bruno Mars, this legal drama is still absolutely ludicrous. But squint hard enough and it has slightly improved since its zero-star debut On the one hand, Trump and the Maga movement have been routed in the midterms. On the other, the second season of All’s Fair is out. Truly, the lord giveth and the lord taketh away. For those of you who have blanked the first season from your mind, All’s Fair is the existentially terrible offering from Ryan Murphy ’s increasingly manure-filled stable, starring Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts
Guardian Culture · EN
-
Fleabag creator donates flat to help early-career writers live in London
Phoebe Waller-Bridge joins stars signing up to scheme aimed at tackling class barriers in theatre Phoebe Waller-Bridge has donated a London flat so that early-career writers can afford to live in the capital. The creator of the hit show Fleabag bought the property specifically for Writers’ Block, a new scheme tackling class barriers in theatre. The flat will be offered to writers from disadvantaged backgrounds, who will pay only bills. Waller-Bridge has also made what the initiative described as a “generous financial contribution”. Continue reading...
Guardian Culture · EN
-
Can you tell a real Warhol from a fake? Four art exhibitions to see for free
A show of smart forgeries by Sturtevant will test your critical eye. Elsewhere, there’s a chance to dissect America’s cultural corpse and enter a terrifying immersive painting of Mexico Cady Noland’s US is a violent, celebrity obsessed, consumerist police state. In this small show of big, stark, awkwardly cropped and blurry black and white images and minimal sculptures, the influential American iconoclast is dissecting her country’s cultural detritus, and leaving its splayed corpse on display. Continue reading...
Guardian Culture · EN
-
‘This is redemption time’: celebrities react to Democrats’ historic midterms sweep
After the party regained control of both the House and Senate, stars including Viola Davis, Bette Midler and John Cusack have been celebrating US midterms 2026 live – latest updates Track live results from all 50 states Tell us: what do you want to know about midterm results? Celebrities have been reacting to last night’s historic midterm victory for the Democrats after the party regained control of both the House and the Senate. The night saw a string of major victories for the party as voters expressed their disapproval of Donald Trump and his failing economy. Continue reading...
Guardian Culture · EN
-
Fascism mixed into cringey online content is easy to mock – but no less dangerous
Cringe fascism can reduce deadly serious policy debates to the level of online memes
Salon · EN
-
The petty joy of a blue election night
Watching a beleaguered CNN and MSNOW embrace optimism again was a good way to mark our political sea change
Salon · EN
-
Abdul El-Sayed defeats Mike Rogers despite Haley Stevens drama
The race capped off a massive night for progressives
Salon · EN
-
Who Solved the Riddle of the Intricate Gordian Knot by Cutting It With a Sword?
Test your wits on the Slate Quiz for Nov. 4, 2026.
Slate · EN
-
Slate SoundBites for November 4, 2026
Build your answer from the sound up with our new game, SoundBites!
Slate · EN
-
I Did Something Necessary After My Wife Died. My Daughter Can’t Forgive Me.
I'm tired of trying.
Slate · EN
-
I Just Realized My Wife Is the Worst Kind of Tipper. I’m Mortified.
This isn't how we do things as a family.
Slate · EN
-
I Donated $50 to an Old Acquaintance’s GoFundMe. Then I Got an Outrageous Text.
I've blocked him.
Slate · EN
-
My Mother Walked Out of My Life When I Was 4. Now She’s Back With an Absurd Attitude.
I need this nightmare to end.
Slate · EN
-
How Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan Senate race
When Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic nomination for an open Senate seat in Michigan back in August, it teed up the first true swing-state test for the party’s left faction, which had largely been confined to representing progressive enclaves in the Trump era. They just passed that test. El-Sayed defeated GOP nominee Mike Rogers, […]
Vox · EN