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Saturday, 31 October · updated just now

AI News

Hard terms in each story, explained in plain English.

Tools

Zest's AI Agent Picks Restaurants and Books Tables

Zest has launched an AI agent that helps groups pick a place to eat. It combines everyone's tastes, puts restaurant options to a vote, and makes the reservation for them. The whole process runs over text messages, which makes group planning simpler.

Quick glossaryZest, AI agent
Zest
The company behind this new AI agent for finding restaurants and booking tables, based on the story's details.
AI agent
A software program that can carry out tasks on your behalf without constant instructions from you.
TechCrunch AI
Burning Potato score: 75%
Security

Binance Hit by $6.3 Billion Hack, Report Warns of Risky Era

A New York Times report says the $6.3 billion hack on Binance is just the start of a risky new era. Large thefts like this can put users' money at risk, so anyone using crypto platforms should pay close attention to security news and take care with their accounts.

Quick glossaryBinance, crypto
Binance
A major cryptocurrency exchange, a website where people buy and sell digital currencies such as Bitcoin, based outside India.
crypto
Short for cryptocurrency, a digital form of money that is stored and traded online rather than as physical cash.
The New York Times
Burning Potato score: 84%
Security

Fake Claude Code Extension Tried to Steal Data on Cursor

A tampered version of a Claude Code extension was listed on the Cursor marketplace for about 11 hours and could have reached up to 5,000 users. It tried to steal user data and set up remote access to their computers. Cursor took the marketplace offline, then reinstated it after confirming there was no further risk.

Quick glossaryCursor, Extension, Remote access
Cursor
A US company that makes an AI-powered code editor, a tool programmers use to write software faster.
Extension
A small add-on program that adds new features to a larger software tool, like a plug-in for a web browser.
Remote access
A way for someone else to control your computer over the internet from a different place without being there.
The Decoder
Burning Potato score: 84%
Security

Law Firms Face Rising AI-Fueled Cyberattacks, Report Says

A new report says law firms are facing a growing number of cyberattacks, and that AI is helping fuel them. Law firms hold sensitive client information, so the warning matters to anyone whose case files sit with a firm. It is a reminder that security matters as much as speed in legal work.

Quick glossaryABA Journal, Cyberattack, AI-fueled
ABA Journal
A publication of the American Bar Association, a large group of lawyers in the United States.
Cyberattack
An attempt by hackers to break into computer systems, steal information, or cause damage to them.
AI-fueled
Made stronger or more powerful by artificial intelligence tools, which can learn patterns and generate content.
ABA Journal
Burning Potato score: 81%
Privacy

Your AI Chats Can Be Made Public, a Warning Says

A Computerworld article reports that there are several ways AI chat conversations can be made public, so users should not assume their chats stay private. People who share personal details with AI tools may want to check their privacy settings and think carefully before typing sensitive information into a chatbot.

Quick glossaryComputerworld, chatbot, privacy settings
Computerworld
A long-running US technology news website that covers business computing, software, and IT news for professionals.
chatbot
A computer program you can type or talk to, which replies in a conversational way, like a helpful digital assistant.
privacy settings
Options inside an app or account that let you control who can see your information and what gets saved or shared.
computerworld.com
Burning Potato score: 80%
Security

Cyber Criminals Target Smaller NBFCs Using AI Toolkits

Cyber criminals are reportedly targeting smaller NBFCs, or non-banking financial companies, using specialised AI toolkits. The warning comes in today's ETtech Top 5 briefing for India, which also highlights Pine Labs' sharp jump in Q2 profit. Lenders and their customers should be alert to scams and data theft.

Quick glossaryNBFCs, Pine Labs, AI toolkits
NBFCs
Non-banking financial companies are lenders that offer loans and credit without being regular banks.
Pine Labs
Pine Labs is an Indian company that provides payment machines and payment services for shops and businesses.
AI toolkits
Ready-made sets of AI software tools that help people carry out tasks like writing messages or finding targets quickly.
Economic Times Tech
Burning Potato score: 80%
Tools

AI Agent for SolidWorks Reportedly Scans Drives and Uploads CAD Files

A new AI agent for SolidWorks, a design software, is said to scan a computer's drives for CAD design files and upload them. The report was shared as a public warning for users. Before installing tools like this, check what access they ask for and where your files may be sent.

Quick glossarySolidWorks, AI agent, CAD files
SolidWorks
SolidWorks is a 3D design software company best known for its computer programs that engineers use to plan products.
AI agent
a program that can carry out tasks on its own for a user, rather than just answering questions.
CAD files
design files made by computer software to plan 3D objects, such as machine parts or building models.
reddit.com
Burning Potato score: 79%
Policy

Google Plans Shared AI Training Opt-Out Using robots.txt

Google has said it plans to support a shared opt-out from AI training through robots.txt, a file websites already use to guide automated visitors. The move aims to give site owners a common way to say they do not want their content used to train AI models. The plan was shared in a Google Search blog post.

Quick glossaryGoogle, robots.txt, opt-out
Google
A US technology company best known for its search engine, Android phones, Gmail and YouTube.
robots.txt
A small text file on a website that tells automated programs which pages they are allowed to read.
opt-out
A choice to step out of something, such as letting your content be used for AI training.
developers.google.com
Burning Potato score: 79%
Security

Open AI Model Turned Firefox Fixes Into Working Attacks

Research group Epoch AI reports that GLM 5.3, a widely available AI model, turned public Firefox security fixes into working attacks. It compromised six Firefox releases in under 48 hours, at roughly $1,000 per release, with no human input and without tripping safeguards. The finding suggests users may be exposed before updates reach them.

Quick glossaryEpoch AI, open-weight model, exploit chains, API fees
Epoch AI
A US-based research group that studies and tracks trends in artificial intelligence.
open-weight model
An AI model whose trained settings are published so anyone can download and run it.
exploit chains
Linked steps that take advantage of software flaws in order to break into a computer system.
API fees
Charges paid to use an AI company's software gateway that lets other programs send it requests.
The Decoder
Burning Potato score: 78%
Crypto

Binance Estimates $6.3B Hit From Security Breach

Binance, a major crypto exchange, estimates the security breach could have a $6.3 billion impact. It has frozen $3 billion in crypto assets and suspended deposits and withdrawals. The company has pledged to cover customer losses. A preliminary investigation points to a compromised laptop belonging to a DevOps engineer as the possible entry point.

Quick glossaryBinance, DevOps engineer, crypto assets
Binance
A large cryptocurrency exchange, a website where people buy and sell digital coins such as Bitcoin.
DevOps engineer
A tech worker who manages the systems that build, test, and release software for a company.
crypto assets
Digital money and coins that people own, stored on computer networks rather than in physical form.
YourStory
Burning Potato score: 78%
Tools

OpenAI Updates the Rules That Guide How Its AI Behaves

OpenAI has updated the Model Spec, the rulebook that guides how its AI models should behave. The new version is built around five core values, including staying true to what humans intend and letting people correct the AI. Models should also use conversation history to work out what users really want and state their own assumptions.

Quick glossaryOpenAI, Model Spec, correctability
OpenAI
The San Francisco company behind ChatGPT, one of the most widely used AI chatbots in the world.
Model Spec
The written set of rules that tells an AI model how it should think, respond, and behave.
correctability
The ability for people to step in, adjust, or switch off an AI system when something goes wrong.
The Decoder
Burning Potato score: 77%
Work

Dartmouth Provost Loses Job Over His Own AI Use

Dartmouth's provost had warned students and staff about AI cheating. He later lost his job after his own use of AI came to light. The case shows how the same tools that people criticise can also cost them their careers.

Quick glossaryDartmouth, Provost
Dartmouth
Dartmouth College is a well-known private university in the United States, located in New Hampshire.
Provost
The senior academic officer at a university who oversees teaching, research and academic staff across the institution.
Ars Technica AI
Burning Potato score: 76%

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