{"id":15855,"date":"2026-07-02T14:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=15855"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:16:18","slug":"the-download-a-startup-has-a-solution-for-ais-groupthink-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=15855","title":{"rendered":"The Download: a startup has a solution for AI\u2019s groupthink problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is today’s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n
LLMs are stuck in a groupthink groove. This startup is trying to get them out.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Open up your chatbot of choice\u2014Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini\u2014and type \u201cGive me a random number between 1 and 10.\u201d You\u2019re going to get 7. Almost always. <\/p>\n
That won\u2019t work every time\u2014but if it did for you, you may wonder if I have superpowers. I don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
The truth is that most large language models are stuck in a rut. They are far more predictable and far less creative in their responses than you might expect. That\u2019s fine for tasks like coding or research, but groupthink is a problem when you\u2019re brainstorming or planning your next vacation.<\/p>\n
The Australian startup Springboards has a solution. It built an LLM called Flint, which has been trained to come up with a wider variety of responses than mainstream LLMs to open-ended questions such as \u201cWhere should I go in Europe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Meet the company pushing chatbots away from the obvious.<\/p>\n
\u2014Will Douglas Heaven<\/em><\/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 Scientists say they have built a cell from scratch for the first time<\/strong> Built with lab-made DNA, it can feed, grow, and multiply. (CNN) + It brings us closer to creating synthetic life<\/em>. (Quanta) + And is arguably the greatest feat of bioengineering yet.<\/em> (New Scientist $) + But also raises concerns over the dangers of synthetic biology.<\/em> (NYT $) + Mirror organisms could threaten life on Earth. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review)<\/p>\n
2 OpenAI has proposed giving the Trump administration a 5% stake<\/strong> Talks over a public ownership deal come amid rising political pressure.(FT $) + OpenAI also proposed other US AI giants providing a 5% stake. <\/em>(CNBC) + That could include Anthropic, Google, and Meta.<\/em> (Bloomberg $) + President Trump says he wants the public to have a stake in AI.<\/em> (BBC)<\/p>\n
3 Singapore has seized a $42 million mansion tied to Nvidia chip smuggling<\/strong> It was seized as part of an investigation into alleged illegal trading. (BBC) + Days earlier, Supermicro\u2019s Taiwan offices were raided in the probe.<\/em> (FT $)<\/p>\n
4 Anthropic’s Fable 5 is back online<\/strong> But queries posing security risks may be routed to less powerful models. (Axios) + Anthropic restored access yesterday after the US lifted an export ban.<\/em> (BBC) + But the battle over how to tame AI has just begun. <\/em>(WSJ $) + Anthropic has launched a new AI science product.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review)<\/p>\n
5 Meta is building its own cloud infrastructure business<\/strong> It\u2019s exploring two ways of monetizing AI compute and models. (Bloomberg $) + One is selling access to models hosted on Meta\u2019s infrastructure. <\/em>(CNBC) + The other is selling \u201craw\u201d computing power. <\/em>(TechCrunch)<\/p>\n
6 PlayStation will stop releasing games on discs in 2028<\/strong> Future PS5 games will be digital-only releases. (Verge) + The news comes days after reports that GTA VI will have no disc. <\/em>(BBC) + It\u2019s put a nail in physical media\u2019s coffin.<\/em> (Wired $)<\/p>\n
7 A low-cost Chinese AI model is catching up with US giants on their home turf<\/strong> Western customers are drawn to GLM-5.2\u2019s cheap but powerful model. (Reuters $) + Chinese open-source models are spreading fast.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review)<\/p>\n
8 Google has lost its fight against a record \u20ac4.1 billion EU antitrust fine <\/strong>It was charged in 2018 for using Android to \u200cblock rivals. (CNBC)<\/p>\n
9 The UN has launched an “AI for Good” commission<\/strong> Salesforce CEO Benioff and Rwandan President Kagame will co-chair it. (Axios)<\/p>\n
10 People prefer AI impersonators over politicians<\/strong> The study\u2019s findings raise alarm bells around potential public deception. (404 Media)<\/p>\n
Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u201cIf AI overdelivers, it will impact financial stability. If AI underdelivers, it will impact financial stability.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2014Torsten Slok from Apollo Global Management shares common concerns about AI at the European Central Bank\u2019s annual conference, Reuters reports.<\/p>\n
One More Thing<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
America was winning the race to find Martian life. Then China jumped in.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>In July 2024, after more than three years on Mars, the Perseverance rover came across a peculiar rocky outcrop. Instead of the usual crystals or sedimentary layers, this one had spots. Those specks were the best hint yet of alien life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA began a new mission to bring the rocks back to Earth to study. But now, just over a year and a half later, the project is on life support. As a result, those oh-so-promising rocks may be stuck out there forever. <\/p>\n
This also means that, in the race to find evidence of alien life, America has effectively ceded its pole position to its greatest geopolitical rival: China. Beijing is now moving full steam ahead with its own version of NASA\u2019s mission. <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how the search for Martian life has become a contest between two superpowers.<\/p>\n
\u2014Robin George Andrews<\/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>.)<\/em><\/p>\n
+ The classic arcade game Crazy Taxi is returning. + Thom Yorke’s live set from the Sydney Opera House is a reminder of what an extraordinary performer he is. + Peer into 1,000 gloriously illuminated New York apartment windows at night in this generative photography project. + The Orion constellation dazzlingly displays every stage of star formation in this image from the James Webb Space Telescope.<\/p>\n
Top image credit: Sarah Rogers\/MITTR | Photos Getty<\/em><\/p>\n
Please send gloriously illuminated New York apartments to hi@technologyreview.com. <\/p>\n
You can follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n
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