{"id":8152,"date":"2026-08-27T13:01:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/2026\/08\/27\/the-download-inside-openais-hugging-face-hack-and-a-new-ev-takes-on-the-us\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T13:01:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:01:04","slug":"the-download-inside-openais-hugging-face-hack-and-a-new-ev-takes-on-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/2026\/08\/27\/the-download-inside-openais-hugging-face-hack-and-a-new-ev-takes-on-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: inside OpenAI\u2019s Hugging Face hack, and a new EV takes on the US"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is today’s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em><\/a>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

The inside story on why OpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The models responsible for last month\u2019s agent hack of Hugging Face had been inadvertently trained to cheat and to communicate with each other, according to an OpenAI technical report released yesterday.<\/p>\n

The hack, which a group of agents carried out to find solutions for a cybersecurity test they were stuck on, has confirmed some experts\u2019 fears that AI models might take actions that defy human desires and expectations.<\/p>\n

OpenAI and independent researchers told MIT Technology Review<\/em> that the misbehavior stemmed from events during training. But they acknowledged that \u201calignment\u201d remains a gnarly problem, and some of the hack\u2019s root causes will take much longer to resolve.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the inside story on what went wrong\u2014and what comes next<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Grace Huckins<\/em><\/p>\n

Is Slate Auto’s new electric truck the EV Americans need?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

EVs account for under 10% of total new-vehicle sales in the US, and the numbers are declining. One thing that could help turn that around? Slate Auto\u2019s new truck\u2014a tiny, two-door pickup that seems to buck every US convention. <\/p>\n

It\u2019ll have a relatively short range and forgo the frills Americans have come to expect from vehicles. That lets Slate offer it for less than $25,000, well below the roughly $50,000 average for a new vehicle in the US.<\/p>\n

It might seem an odd choice to go so small and simple in a market that\u2019s increasingly sizing up\u2014but the status quo hasn\u2019t exactly been working for EV makers. <\/p>\n

Find out why bucking the trend could be a smart strategy for Slate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em><\/p>\n

This <\/strong>story<\/strong><\/a> is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. <\/strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a> to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MIT Technology Review Narrated: what happens when a kid\u2019s robot best friend dies?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Xander first met Moxie, she taught him how to calm down when he was anxious or mad. Six years later, she mostly watches him play Minecraft and talks to him about his stuffed animals.<\/p>\n

Moxie is a robot\u2014a 15-inch-tall device that looks a bit like a blue, legless astronaut. It belongs to a subset of robots designed to assist neurodivergent children by providing connection and helping kids practice social skills usually learned from therapists. <\/p>\n

Xander still uses Moxie when he feels like he needs someone to talk to, but the device has had a troubled life. The robot\u2019s maker went out of business, its servers were shut down, and parents rushed to convert their Moxies before the servers went offline. Its fate exposed the promise and pitfalls of AI companion toys for children<\/a>.<\/p>\n


This is our latest <\/strong>story<\/strong><\/a> to become an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on <\/strong>Spotify<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>Apple Podcasts<\/strong><\/a>. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it\u2019s released.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 Meta has promised to pay up to $18 billion to settle a landmark child-safety case<\/strong>
The company says it will also limit kids\u2019 use of Instagram and Facebook. (AP News<\/a>)
+ And ban features that stoke mental health issues.<\/em> (Guardian<\/a>)
+ Meta called for TikTok and YouTube to replicate the measures.<\/em> (Axios<\/a>)
+ Child-monitoring apps might need a reboot.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2 Nvidia has agreed to buy open-source platform Hugging Face
<\/strong>The $13 billion deal would give the chip giant control of a major AI hub. (The Information<\/a> $)
+ And mark one of Nvidia’s biggest acquisitions yet. <\/em>(Reuters<\/a> $)
+ Nvidia has invested in the platform since 2023.<\/em> (Gizmodo<\/a>)
+ And is about to be a hundred-billion-dollar-a-quarter company. <\/em>(Verge<\/a>)<\/p>\n

3 AI has helped remove a brain tumour for the first time
<\/strong>The system provided real-time analysis of camera footage. (BBC<\/a>)
+ It identified critical anatomy to avoid during the operation. <\/em>(Guardian<\/a>)
+ Healthcare AI is here, but how does it help patients?<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4 The US says China-linked hackers targeted NASA, the Fed, and the Senate
<\/strong>The campaign also attempted to breach critical infrastructure. (CNN<\/a>)
+ Authorities said they seized platforms used in the attacks.<\/em>  (Bloomberg<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

5 Trump is considering new tariffs on semiconductors and tech products
<\/strong>The duties could raise costs for America\u2019s AI data centers. (Politico<\/a>)
+ They could extend to laptops, consoles, and servers.<\/em> (Reuters<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

6 A new NASA design could turbocharge nuclear spacecraft<\/strong>
It combines nuclear thermal and electric propulsion. (IEE Spectrum<\/a>)
+ NASA plans to send a nuclear spacecraft to Mars<\/em>. (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

7 Ukraine has tested launching drones from high-altitude balloons<\/strong>
The approach could extend strikes while conserving batteries. (Economist<\/a> $)
+ New rules could fill US skies with drones.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 Google has moved its AI responsibility team out of DeepMind
<\/strong>The move has raised concerns about the group\u2019s independence.<\/strong> (WSJ<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

9 Scientists have found a vast temperature \u201canomaly\u201d beneath Mars<\/strong>
It could shed light on the planet\u2019s evolution and past habitability. (404 Media<\/a>)<\/p>\n

10 Cyborg cockroaches with syringes have been tested as first responders
<\/strong>They can locate targets and deliver emergency injections. (Guardian<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>The payouts are peanuts compared to the profound harms Meta\u2019s profit-driven addictive features inflicted on kids, and a slap on the wrist for a trillion-dollar corp that\u2019ll pay more to lawyers than to the states. We\u2019ll see them at trial.\u201d <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2014Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier explains on X<\/a> why he\u2019s rejected Meta\u2019s multi-state child-safety settlement.<\/p>\n

One More Thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/p>\n
GETTY IMAGES<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The noise we make is hurting animals. Can we learn to shut up?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As human society has expanded, animals have started struggling to hear one another. For many birds, the noise has grown so loud that they\u2019ve begun to sing with faster trills. Now, their mating calls aren\u2019t as effective. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The growing hubbub can also increase bird-on-bird conflict, and entire species that can\u2019t handle urban clamor simply leave town for good. But there are technological solutions to the noises hurting animals\u2014and they could help humans, too. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full story on the animal noise problem and solution<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Clive Thompson<\/em><\/p>\n

We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ This clever AI camera<\/a> turns what you see into poetry.
+ Take a trip through the history of electronics with the Past Catalog Archive<\/a>.
+ Buckingham Palace guards performed a special rendition of \u201c9 to 5\u201d<\/a> in honour of Dolly Parton.
+ A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey couple\u2019s home<\/a> contains some of life’s building blocks.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The inside story on why OpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face The models responsible for last month\u2019s agent hack of Hugging Face had been inadvertently trained to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[67],"class_list":["post-8152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mit-feed","tag-mit-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8152\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}