Author HubMatthias Bastian

Matthias is the co-founder and publisher of THE DECODER, exploring how AI is fundamentally changing the relationship between humans and computers.
AI research

OpenAI's o3 is less AGI than originally measured

AI research

The next leap in AI depends on agents that learn by doing, not just by reading what humans wrote

AI and society
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xAI alters Grok chatbot to shield Elon Musk from misinformation claims

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AI in practice
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The Trump administration is moving to overturn the Biden administration's AI chip export restrictions, according to a spokesperson for the US Department of Commerce. Biden's rules, which were set to take effect on May 15, would have split the world into three different zones for AI chip exports, capping shipments to most countries. Trump officials say the current system is "overly complex, overly bureaucratic," and want to replace it with "a much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance." One idea on the table is a global licensing system based on intergovernmental agreements, but there is no set timeline for new regulations yet. Since taking office, the Trump administration has already rolled back several other Biden-era AI policies.

AI in practice
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Microsoft's Phi 4 model generates 56 sentences before responding to "Hi", developer Simon Willison found. This behavior, known as "overthinking", was confirmed by Microsoft's Dimitris Papailiopoulos, who says it's problematic for simple tasks but intentional for complex ones. He plans to address the issue. Microsoft released the open Phi 4 reasoning models in early May.

Phi 4's reasoning process shown in screenshot by Simon Willison.
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AI in practice
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OpenAI's recent move to tweak its planned for-profit restructuring hasn't changed Elon Musk's stance. According to Musk's attorney Marc Toberoff, the adjustment is just a "transparent dodge" and does nothing to address concerns that OpenAI's nonprofit assets are still being used to benefit private interests—including Sam Altman, investors, and Microsoft. Musk previously tried to block the restructuring in court and made a $97.4 billion bid to take over OpenAI, but those efforts failed. Parts of the lawsuit are still ongoing.

The founding mission remains betrayed.

Marc Toberoff, Musk’s lead counsel

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AI in practice
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Anthropic has introduced a new "AI for Science" initiative that offers up to $20,000 per month in API usage credits to selected researchers. According to the company, applicants are evaluated using objective criteria and must pass a biosecurity review. The program is open to individuals over 18 and research teams from academic institutions, except applicants from countries including China, Russia, and Iran. Anthropic says it may also reject applications that violate its rules. Full details and eligibility requirements are available on the Anthropic website.

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AI and society

US think tank warns of "reverse brain drain" in China's AI sector

AI and society

Researchers used AI to manipulate Reddit users, scrapped study after backlash

AI research

OpenAI's o3 is less AGI than originally measured

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