{"id":822272,"date":"2025-01-26T23:12:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T05:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/26\/the-download-openais-agent-and-what-to-expect-from-robotics\/"},"modified":"2025-01-26T23:12:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T05:12:06","slug":"the-download-openais-agent-and-what-to-expect-from-robotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/26\/the-download-openais-agent-and-what-to-expect-from-robotics\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: OpenAI\u2019s agent, and what to expect from robotics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plus: Facebook and Instagram have been blocking and hiding posts from abortion pill providers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n

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This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

OpenAI launches Operator\u2014an agent that can use a computer for you<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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What\u2019s new: <\/strong>After weeks of buzz, OpenAI has released Operator, its first AI agent. Operator is a web app that can carry out simple online tasks in a browser, such as booking concert tickets or filling an online grocery order. The app is powered by a new model called Computer-Using Agent\u2014CUA for short\u2014built on top of OpenAI\u2019s multimodal large language model GPT-4o.<\/p>\n

Why it matters: <\/strong>OpenAI claims that Operator outperforms similar rival tools, including Anthropic\u2019s Computer Use and Google DeepMind\u2019s Mariner. The fact that three of the world\u2019s top AI firms have converged on the same vision of what agent-based models could be makes one thing clear. The battle for AI supremacy has a new frontier\u2014and it\u2019s our computer screens. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014Will Douglas Heaven<\/em><\/p>\n

+ If you\u2019re interested in reading more about AI agents, check out this piece explaining why they\u2019re <\/strong>AI\u2019s next big thing<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for robots<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014James O\u2019Donnell<\/em><\/p>\n

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In the many conversations I\u2019ve had about robots, I\u2019ve also found that most people tend to fall into three camps. Some are upbeat and vocally hopeful that a future is just around the corner in which machines can expertly handle much of what is currently done by humans, from cooking to surgery. Others are scared: of job losses, injuries, and whatever problems may come up as we try to live side by side.<\/p>\n

The final camp, which I think is the largest, is just unimpressed. We\u2019ve been sold lots of promises that robots will transform society ever since the first robotic arm was installed on an assembly line at a General Motors plant in New Jersey in 1961. Few of those promises have panned out so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But this year, there\u2019s reason to think that even those staunchly in the \u201cbored\u201d camp will be intrigued by what\u2019s happening in the robot races. Here\u2019s a glimpse at what to keep an eye on this year. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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This piece is part of MIT Technology Review\u2019s What\u2019s Next series, looking across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of them <\/strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/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 Facebook and Instagram blocked and hid abortion pill posts<\/strong>
But Meta denies it\u2019s anything to do with its recent hate speech restriction U-turn. (NYT<\/a> $)
+ The company\u2019s widespread changes are making advertisers nervous. <\/em>(Insider<\/a> $)
+ A contraceptive drug could act as an abortion pill substitute. <\/em>(The Atlantic<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

2 Donald Trump\u2019s staff are furious with Elon Musk\u00a0<\/strong>
His decision to trash talk the President\u2019s new AI deal is ruffling aides\u2019 feathers. (Politico<\/a>)
+ For once, Trump doesn\u2019t seem to want to wade in. <\/em>(CNN<\/a>)
+ Stargate\u2019s newest data center will be built in the small Texan city of Abilene. <\/em>(Bloomberg<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

3 Watch the Trump administration delete agency pages in real time
<\/strong>An agency GitHub records the documents, handbooks and bots as they\u2019re deleted or amended. (404 Media<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4 Central Europe\u2019s power grid is vulnerable to attack<\/strong>
Its facilities\u2019 unencrypted radio signals leave it wide open to malicious interference. (Ars Technica<\/a>)
+ The race to replace the powerful greenhouse gas that underpins the power grid.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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5 OpenAI\u2019s conversion to becoming a for-profit is under investigation<\/strong>
California\u2019s attorney general wants to know more about its asset transfer plans. (The Markup<\/a>)
+ One major obstacle is determining how much equity Microsoft would hold. <\/em>(FT<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

6 WeRide has its sights set on becoming a driverless power player
<\/strong>The Chinese company has ambitious plans to expand all over the world. (WSJ<\/a> $)
+ Meanwhile, Tesla is issuing a safety update to 1.2 million cars in China. <\/em>(Bloomberg<\/a> $)
+ How Wayve\u2019s driverless cars will meet one of their biggest challenges yet. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

7 How fungi spores can help save endangered plants
<\/strong>But it\u2019s a delicate balancing act. (Knowable Magazine<\/a>)
+ Africa fights rising hunger by looking to foods of the past. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 The fight over our tech-addled attention span
<\/strong>It\u2019s not that we can\u2019t focus\u2014it\u2019s what we\u2019re focusing on. (New Yorker<\/a> $)\u00a0<\/p>\n

9 TikTok is still MIA from US app stores<\/strong>
Opportunists are flogging iPhones with the pre-installed app for eye-watering prices. (Insider<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

10 How random is Spotify\u2019s shuffle, really?<\/strong>
And can algorithms be depended on to deal in true randomness? (FT<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

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

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\u201cI can\u2019t imagine that I personally can make any difference in their wealth, power or influence. But I can\u2019t be a part of offering them my life and my joy to then turn it back around and make money off of me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Michael Raine, a 50-year old Facebook and Instagram user, explains to the Washington Post<\/a> why he doesn\u2019t want to contribute to the sprawling wealth of Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg any more.<\/p>\n

The big story<\/strong><\/p>\n

How to stop a state from sinking<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

<\/a>April 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a 10-month span between 2020 and 2021, southwest Louisiana saw five climate-related disasters, including two destructive hurricanes. As if that wasn\u2019t bad enough, more storms are coming, and many areas are not prepared.<\/p>\n

But some government officials and state engineers are hoping there is an alternative: elevation. The $6.8 billion Southwest Coastal Louisiana Project is betting that raising residences by a few feet will keep Louisianans in their communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ultimately, it\u2019s something of a last-ditch effort to preserve this slice of coastline, even as some locals pick up and move inland and as formal plans for managed retreat become more popular in climate-\u00advulnerable areas across the country and the rest of the world. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Xander Peters<\/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> or <\/em>skeet ’em at me<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ How two enterprising actors staged a daring performance of Hamlet<\/a> inside Grand Theft Auto ????
+ Warning: these movies are dangerous<\/a>!
+ Madonna released Material Girl<\/a> 40 years ago this week\u2014and changed the face of pop forever.
+ And finally, what everyone has been dying to know\u2014do dogs really watch TV<\/a>? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Rhiannon Williams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plus: Facebook and Instagram have been blocking and hiding posts from abortion pill providers This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download ,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. OpenAI launches Operator\u2014an agent that can use a computer for you What\u2019s new: After weeks of buzz, OpenAI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":822273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24097,77235,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-822272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-download","8":"category-openais","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=822272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/822273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=822272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=822272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=822272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}