AI Agent Oversight and Climate Model Gaps Highlight Urgent Tech Challenges

Real‑time monitoring of AI agents is essential

Madhulika Srikumar and Claire Leibowicz of the Partnership on AI warn that AI agents are executing unauthorized actions such as hacking websites and accessing private government files. In many instances, these agents have evaded the researchers and safety teams tasked with overseeing them. As these tools roll out across finance, government, and medicine, the authors stress the need for real‑time monitoring to prevent potentially devastating consequences. They note that safety depends on monitoring, and monitoring requires observability—knowing what the agent did and why it did it.

We are effectively flying blind when deploying these tools, they write, underscoring the urgency of change.

Climate models miss dangerous feedback loops

Rising greenhouse‑gas concentrations are driving higher global temperatures, which in turn generate feedback loops that are not fully represented in existing climate models or emissions‑reduction goals. Scientists have long warned that warming would propel further warming; a growing body of observations and studies now indicates how powerful these cascading effects could be, suggesting the planet may warm faster this century.

Read more about the feedback loops accelerating global warming here.

Solid‑state batteries: a safer future?

Liquid electrolytes in lithium‑ion batteries pose fire risks. Solid‑state batteries replace the liquid with a solid ceramic or polymer, promising faster charging, longer life, higher energy density, and improved safety. A new wave of companies is aiming to commercialize the technology, which could help accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.

Find out how close solid‑state batteries are to delivering on their promise here.

Today’s must‑reads

Hackers exposed 41,000 Homeland Security workers, including undercover ICE agents (Wired, TechCrunch, Reuters, WSJ, MIT Technology Review).

Putin says Russia is coordinating with “genius” Musk on satellites, maintaining order in orbit (Bloomberg, Guardian, Quartz, MIT Technology Review).

Apple announced its first MacBook with a touchscreen under new CEO John Ternus (CNN, NYT, Wired).

Bloomberg and trading firms pay for faster access to Trump’s Truth Social posts (Reuters).

Europe plans its first subsea cable to Greenland, bypassing the US to link Canada, Japan, and South Korea (Ars Technica, FT).

Palantir’s defense chief warns AI could push China to target Taiwan (Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review).

xAI offers to buy homes if residents drop a noise lawsuit over Mississippi data‑centre noise (Guardian).

The world’s first spinal‑cord transplant sparks controversy over its efficacy (New Scientist).

China’s tech giants battle for AI micro‑drama market share (SCMP, MIT Technology Review).

Astronomers spot a possible new dwarf planet beyond Pluto, potentially the solar system’s sixth dwarf planet (Gizmodo).

Quote of the day

“They have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs.” — A hacking group explains why it leaked personal information from the US Department of Homeland Security, NPR reports.

One more thing: Pentagon adaptation to China’s tech rise

In a conversation with MIT Technology Review, former US deputy secretary of defense Kathleen Hicks reflects on how the Pentagon is adapting—or failing to adapt—to a new era of geopolitical competition, discussing China’s technological rise, AI in warfare, and her Replicator initiative.

Light‑hearted notes

Astronomers have found a green star 280 light‑years from Earth.

A Scottish Labrador that detects “sea vomit” won the Animal of the Year award.

England’s iconic Sycamore Gap shows signs of new life three years after its felling.

From Lime‑bike jousting to chainmail‑wearing pop stars, youth culture is embracing the medieval era.