Food for Thought

What AI's biggest weakness reveals about our own minds.

What AI's biggest weakness reveals about our own minds.
The Signal (Alex Banks) 8 min

This showed us that the activation of these patterns could actually drive Claude's behavior. And what our experiments...

This showed us that the activation of these patterns could actually drive Claude's behavior. And what our experiments suggest is that this Claude character has what we're calling "functional emotions," regardless of whether they're anything like human feelings. We look inside the model's "brain", the giant neural network that powers it, and by seeing which neurons "light up" in different situations, and how they're connected, we can start to understand how models think.
Anthropic 5 min

How did you evolve, how did you survive this technological adolescence without destroying yourself?” When I think about...

How did you evolve, how did you survive this technological adolescence without destroying yourself?” When I think about where humanity is now with AI,about what we’re on the cusp of,my mind keeps going back to that scene, because the question is so apt for our current situation, and I wish we had the aliens’ answer to guide us. There is a scene in the movie version of Carl Sagan’s book Contact where the main character, an astronomer who has detected the first radio signal from an alien civilization, is being considered for the role of humanity’s representative to meet the aliens. In my essa...
Dario Amodei 95 min

The tech entrepreneur on Claude Mythos, repercussions from the Pentagon dispute, and his message for the super-rich

The tech entrepreneur on Claude Mythos, repercussions from the Pentagon dispute, and his message for the super-rich
Financial Times 18 min

Many of the implications of powerful AI are adversarial or dangerous, but at the end of it all, there has to be...

Many of the implications of powerful AI are adversarial or dangerous, but at the end of it all, there has to be something we’re fighting for, some positive-sum outcome where everyone is better off, something to rally people to rise above their squabbles and confront the challenges ahead. In particular, I’ve made this choice out of a desire to: Yet despite all of the concerns above, I really do think it’s important to discuss what a good world with powerful AI could look like, while doing our best to avoid the above pitfalls. Because of this, people sometimes draw the conclusion that I’m a p...
Dario Amodei 65 min

We study empirical scaling laws for language model performance on the cross-entropy loss. The loss scales as a...

We study empirical scaling laws for language model performance on the cross-entropy loss. The loss scales as a power-law with model size, dataset size, and the amount of compute used for training, with some trends spanning more than seven orders of magnitude. Other architectural details such as network width or depth have minimal effects within a wide range. Simple equations govern the dependence of overfitting on model/dataset size and the dependence of training speed on model size. These relationships allow us to determine the optimal allocation of a fixed compute budget. Larger models are significantly more sample-efficient, such that optimally compute-efficient training involves training very large models on a relatively modest amount of data and stopping significantly before convergence.
Kaplan et al. (arXiv) 45 min
Rich Sutton 5 min

People often optimize for long-term goals in collaboration: A mentor or companion doesn't just answer questions, but...

People often optimize for long-term goals in collaboration: A mentor or companion doesn't just answer questions, but also scaffolds learning, tracks progress, and prioritizes the other person's growth over immediate results. In contrast, current AI systems are fundamentally short-sighted collaborators, optimized for providing instant and complete responses, without ever saying no (unless for safety reasons). What are the consequences of this dynamic? Here, through a series of randomized controlled trials on human-AI interactions (N = 1,222), we provide causal evidence for two key consequences of AI assistance: reduced persistence and impairment of unassisted performance. Across a variety of tasks, including mathematical reasoning and reading comprehension, we find that although AI assistance improves performance in the short-term, people perform significantly worse without AI and are more likely to give up. Notably, these effects emerge after only brief interactions with AI (approximately 10 minutes). These findings are particularly concerning because persistence is foundational to skill acquisition and is one of the strongest predictors of long-term learning. We posit that persistence is reduced because AI conditions people to expect immediate answers, thereby denying them the experience of working through challenges on their own. These results suggest the need for AI model development to prioritize scaffolding long-term competence alongside immediate task completion.
arXiv 35 min

The Cognitive Price of AI at Work, and the Learning Science Case for Optimism

The Cognitive Price of AI at Work, and the Learning Science Case for Optimism
The Learning Dispatch 18 min

As AI begins to transform education, work, and social life, we need to focus on developing and expanding capacities...

As AI begins to transform education, work, and social life, we need to focus on developing and expanding capacities essential for human flourishing.
Stanford Social Innovation Review 28 min

What will be the role of governments as we navigate the upcoming AI economic transformation?

What will be the role of governments as we navigate the upcoming AI economic transformation?
Windfall Trust 12 min

ChangeNOW 2026 could have been subtitled the “green backlash” edition. Fortunately, the drop in sponsors did not affect...

ChangeNOW 2026 could have been subtitled the “green backlash” edition. Fortunately, the drop in sponsors did not affect the prevailing optimism as to solutions for reducing AI’s i…
BetterTech 9 min

Against the backdrop of a major standoff between the US government and Anthropic (more on that below), this was the...

Against the backdrop of a major standoff between the US government and Anthropic (more on that below), this was the question speakers and delegates at last week’s International Association fo…
BetterTech 11 min

Issue 153 l Eka’s Weekly Roundup (7 April 2026)

Issue 153 l Eka’s Weekly Roundup (7 April 2026)
EKA 9 min

OpenAI’s sweeping vision for the AI economy spans everything from public wealth funds to shorter workweeks,but critics...

OpenAI’s sweeping vision for the AI economy spans everything from public wealth funds to shorter workweeks,but critics say it raises familiar ideas without offering a clear path to action.
Fortune 9 min

OpenAI proposes taxes on AI profits, public wealth funds, and expanded safety nets to address job loss and inequality,...

OpenAI proposes taxes on AI profits, public wealth funds, and expanded safety nets to address job loss and inequality, blending redistribution with capitalism as policymakers debate AI’s economic impact.
TechCrunch 6 min

New interviews and closely guarded documents shed light on the persistent doubts about the head of OpenAI.

New interviews and closely guarded documents shed light on the persistent doubts about the head of OpenAI.
The New Yorker 25 min

Ashley van Heteren explains how AI-native biotech is reshaping drug discovery, using radiopharma and generative models...

Ashley van Heteren explains how AI-native biotech is reshaping drug discovery, using radiopharma and generative models to target cancer with greater precision and speed.
One Layer Deeper 14 min

A fast increase in go-to-market roles, and hints about upcoming products

A fast increase in go-to-market roles, and hints about upcoming products
Epoch AI 12 min

Explore our next generation AI systems Explore models Gemini Gemini Learn, build, and plan anything Nano Banana Create...

Explore our next generation AI systems Explore models Gemini Gemini Learn, build, and plan anything Nano Banana Create and edit detailed images Gemini Audio Talk, create and control audio Specialized models Veo Generate cinematic video with audio Imagen Generate high-quality images from text Lyria Generate high fidelity music and audio World models & embodied AI Genie 3 Generate and explore interactive worlds Gemini Robotics Perceive, reason, use tools and interact Open models Gemma Build responsible AI applications at scale Our latest AI breakthroughs and updates from the lab Explore resea...
Google DeepMind 12 min

After decades of promise, autonomous systems and robotics are moving from labs to factory floors and households,...

After decades of promise, autonomous systems and robotics are moving from labs to factory floors and households, powered by breakthroughs in AI and hardware.
Bessemer Venture Partners 15 min

How world models are replacing hand-built simulators,and why they may unlock the ChatGPT moment for robotics.

How world models are replacing hand-built simulators,and why they may unlock the ChatGPT moment for robotics.
Bessemer Venture Partners 12 min

a quiet day lets us report an important GPU trend

a quiet day lets us report an important GPU trend
Latent.Space 8 min

Why the age of AI needs systems thinkers, not tool operators

Why the age of AI needs systems thinkers, not tool operators
Anastasia Stasenko 10 min

On privilege, compute, and the return of what the French Revolution tried to destroy

On privilege, compute, and the return of what the French Revolution tried to destroy
Anastasia Stasenko 10 min

Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI...

Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
Anthropic 22 min

New evidence following the MiniMax and Z.ai IPOs

New evidence following the MiniMax and Z.ai IPOs
Epoch AI 15 min

An interactive explainer on how AI is reshaping human reasoning and the rise of cognitive surrender. 1,372...

An interactive explainer on how AI is reshaping human reasoning and the rise of cognitive surrender. 1,372 participants. 9,593 trials. 3 experiments. Based on research by Shaw & Nave at Wharton.
Data Chutney 12 min

Create Seed Grow Famiglia GC Wealth Catalyst Advisors The Famiglia Effect Worldview Transformations Percepta Health...

Create Seed Grow Famiglia GC Wealth Catalyst Advisors The Famiglia Effect Worldview Transformations Percepta Health Assurance Transformation Company General Catalyst Institute News & Content Our Team Search The Future of Services Portfolio CMD + K Copy Logo as SVG Copy Wordmark as SVG Brand Assets Solutions Create We originated new companies from scratch to address the world’s unmet needs. We’re looking for founders to dream with. Founders who want to tinker at the frontier.
General Catalyst 15 min

Lessons from a Decade on the Frontier of AI for Science

Lessons from a Decade on the Frontier of AI for Science
Latent Space 35 min
Warren Buffett 18 min

OpenAI has some big questions. It doesn’t have unique tech. It has a big user base, but with limited engagement and...

OpenAI has some big questions. It doesn’t have unique tech. It has a big user base, but with limited engagement and stickiness and no network effect. The incumbents have matched the tech and are leveraging their product and distribution. And a lot of the value and leverage will come from new experie
Benedict Evans 16 min

The next $1T company will be a software company masquerading as a services firm.

The next $1T company will be a software company masquerading as a services firm.
Sequoia Capital 6 min

Agents are fundamentally changing the shape of demand for compute, both in terms of how they work and in terms of who...

Agents are fundamentally changing the shape of demand for compute, both in terms of how they work and in terms of who will use them. They’re so compelling that I no longer believe we’re…
Stratechery 12 min

At the very top tier of the VC pyramid, firms like Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), SoftBank, NEA, and Lightspeed...

At the very top tier of the VC pyramid, firms like Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), SoftBank, NEA, and Lightspeed overshadow many other names. These
MTLC 3 min

Well-known firms topped the ranks of active investors in January, including a few that were best known as prolific...

Well-known firms topped the ranks of active investors in January, including a few that were best known as prolific dealmakers during the last market boom.
Crunchbase 3 min

Discover how biotech leaders are deploying AI in R&D today. Get insights from 100+ organizations on data...

Discover how biotech leaders are deploying AI in R&D today. Get insights from 100+ organizations on data infrastructure, hybrid teams, and AI implementation strategies. Download the 2026 Biotech AI report.
Benchling 30 min

An interview with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about his GTC 2026 keynote, navigating China and DC, and remembering Nvidia’s...

An interview with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about his GTC 2026 keynote, navigating China and DC, and remembering Nvidia’s true nature.
Stratechery 18 min

Plus, why an H100 is worth more today than 3 years ago

Plus, why an H100 is worth more today than 3 years ago
Dwarkesh Podcast 2h24

The startup ideas every top VC is funding right now, the pitch decks that worked, and how to build them 💸

The startup ideas every top VC is funding right now, the pitch decks that worked, and how to build them 💸
Linas Beliunas 11 min
Organization Science 45 min