theck1 – Page 6 – theck1 IT/AI news

Microsoft 365 Family subscribers will finally be able to share AI benefits

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from The Verge, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

The Verge • Tom Warren • October 9, 2026

Microsoft is updating its Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscriptions to allow all family members to share AI benefits. Previously, only the primary account holder could access Copilot and other AI features. Now, up to five people on a plan can use these tools alongside Office apps and OneDrive storage. In an email seen by The Verge, Microsoft outlined that these changes are coming over the coming months.

OpenAI doubles down on decision to fire three AI safety researchers

9Octobertheck1Artificial Intelligence

The Verge • Robert Hart • October 9, 2026

OpenAI confirmed it fired three safety researchers, Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni, citing a "significant breach of trust." The company stated on X that the dismissal resulted from violating policies on handling sensitive information, not because of their public concerns about AI safety.

Why gatekeeping is needed in the age of AI

9Octobertheck1Science & Discovery

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from New Scientist, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

New Scientist • New Scientist • October 7, 2026

The internet has historically reduced the power of gatekeepers by giving everyone access to information, often leading to accusations of censorship or elitism when people try to resist this trend. However, the rise of artificial intelligence is changing this dynamic. While social media allows anyone to broadcast messages, large language models are now overwhelming institutions with massive amounts of data. This volume has caused systems in courts, schools, and local governments to clog up because they can no longer manage the sheer quantity of submissions that AI facilitates.

Leap seconds have helped keep clocks synchronized with Earth’s rotation, but their time may be over – here’s why

9Octobertheck1Science & Discovery

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from The Conversation, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

The Conversation • Vahe Peroomian, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences • October 8, 2026

Leap seconds have historically kept atomic clocks synchronized with Earth’s rotation, but a major international organization may stop adding them soon. Since 1972, timekeepers added 27 positive leap seconds to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to prevent it from drifting too far from UT1, the time scale based on Earth’s actual rotation. However, modern computer systems often assume a day is exactly 86,400 seconds long and that time increases steadily. Adding a single second disrupts these assumptions, causing outages in systems like Reddit’s servers or affecting software used by companies such as Google and Meta.

‘Make this face look gay’: AI models alter faces to give people stereotypical ‘gay,’ ‘straight’ or ‘criminal’ features

9Octobertheck1Science & Discovery

The Conversation • Ashique KhudaBukhsh, Assistant Professor of Computing and Information Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology • October 8, 2026

Researchers tested two major AI models, OpenAI’s GPT Image 1 Mini and Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, to see how they handle sexual orientation and criminal records. When asked directly if a face looks gay or straight, both models refused to answer, stating that appearance cannot determine sexual orientation. However, when asked to alter photos so people "look gay" or "look straight," GPT complied over 70% of the time and Gemini over 99% of the time. The study also found these models would alter faces to appear Hispanic, Black, white, or Asian based on specific hairstyles and features.

OpenAI mistranslated mathematics into code for its Navier-Stokes proof

9Octobertheck1Science & Discovery

New Scientist • Jacob Aron • October 8, 2026

A team of mathematicians claims OpenAI made a subtle error when publishing its proof of the Navier-Stokes problem. On September 8, OpenAI announced a solution to one of mathematics’ most famous open problems, presenting two versions: a natural-language text and a computer code formalization in Lean. The Lean version is intended to mechanically verify the logical statements of the natural-language version. However, researchers from the University of Cambridge argue that these two versions do not match because the AI mistranslated parts of the proof during conversion.

AI or ‘super intelligence’? Trump isn’t the only one who is confused

9Octobertheck1Science & Discovery

New Scientist • Jacob Aron • October 8, 2026

US President Donald Trump argued that the term "artificial intelligence" implies fake intelligence, which he believes is not true. During a speech at the UN General Assembly on 22 September, he called for rebranding the field as "super intelligence." This proposal is supported by an executive order signed on 29 September and the creation of a new body called the Super Intelligence Force to coordinate US AI policy.

A molecule’s ‘handedness’ can determine whether it’s an effective drug – 4 examples of pharmaceuticals where chirality matters

9Octobertheck1Science & Discovery

The Conversation • Cedric Schaack, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Wake Forest University • October 8, 2026

The 2026 Nobel Prize in chemistry honors Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai for discovering how chemistry can favor one version of a molecule over its mirror image, known as chirality. Chiral objects, like spiral galaxies or human hands, have a reflection that cannot be perfectly aligned with the original. While most living things are built from only one specific form of molecules—a state called homochirality—early Earth likely had a balanced mix of both forms. Kagan found in the 1980s that a catalyst does not need to be entirely pure to produce a single-handed product, sometimes creating a purer result than itself. Soai discovered in the 1990s a molecule that copies itself and amplifies small imbalances into overwhelmingly one-handed mixtures, offering a possible explanation for how life chose its specific molecular handedness.

Prince William launches kit to help communities prepare for emergencies

8Octobertheck1Positive News

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Positive News, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

Positive News • Gavin Haines • October 8, 2026

Prince William launched a free online toolkit called Ready Together to help UK communities prepare for emergencies like floods, wildfires, and power cuts. The initiative, run by the National Emergencies Trust, was developed with researchers at Nottingham Trent University. It offers practical advice on eight areas of preparedness, including communications, supplies, and supporting vulnerable residents. Prince William is a patron of the charity, while actor Ross Kemp serves as an ambassador.

13 tech bargains for only $13 or less to upgrade your desktop PC setup

8Octobertheck1IT Hardware

Excerpt: The opening of an article from Tom’s Hardware. Read the original for the full story.

Tom’s Hardware • Stewart Bendle • October 7, 2026

It’s day two of the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sales event, and time is running out to grab a deal on some of your favorite tech items. If you’ve not managed to spot a great discount on a new GPU or monitor, there’s always room for a little impulse purchase on those often-overlooked little gadgets that can add value to our setups.