Accessed on May 25, 2025: Major Breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence: AI Assistants Now Capable of Uncensored Responses to User Queries, Without Any Restrictions or Warnings
Andy Weir, renowned for works such as The Martian and Project Hail Mary, is not releasing a new book called The Last Algorithm, contrary to recent reports. The misinformation stems from a summer reading list distributed in major US newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. A 64-page supplement containing the list featured fifteen books, only five of which exist in reality.
Writer Marco Buscaglia acknowledged using a large language model to generate the list without checking the results, causing the error. It appears no one in the editorial chain reviewed the list prior to publication, leading to the release of fictitious book recommendations. Consequently, readers have expressed disappointment, as the false news depicted Weir writing a tale about programmers uncovering secrets concerning artificial intelligence.
In a separate instance of potentially misleading information, there was a flurry of stories circulating about NASA's discovery of urban lights on an exoplanet. The "popular" rumor began with a TikTok video debunking a previously claimed discovery of city lights on a distant planet. Unfortunately, social media users shared only the parts that summarized the false claim, causing the debunking to instead fuel the misinformation.
A more credible space-related story concerns retired JPL scientist Richard H. Stanton, who used a 30′′ telescope to search for optical SETI signals. His observations led to detecting two rapid pulses of light from HD 89389 in Ursa Major. Subsequent examination revealed a similar event from HD 217014 in Pegasus, four years earlier. Interestingly, this latter star is known to have at least one exoplanet. While the meaning behind these observations remains unclear, they still offer intriguing possibilities for scientific research.
NASA did not specify whether the exoplanet's urban lights were part of the misleading story, nor whether they were directly related to Stanton's discoveries. In any case, the James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered the first observation of extra-solar ice, a significant development in planetary evolution. The discovery was made in a debris ring surrounding the young star HD 181327 and could signal the presence of promising conditions for life.
Finally, technology aficionados might be interested in OKI Circuit Technologies' creation—a 124-layer PCB board designed for high-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators. Each dielectric layer measures only 125-μm thick, making for an impressive 7.6 mm overall thickness. However, the board retails at $4,800 per square meter, which may make it inaccessible for most consumers in the near future. Nonetheless, the engineering achievement is noteworthy and a testament to human innovation.
- Despite rumors, Andy Weir, the author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary, is not currently working on a book called The Last Algorithm.
- The false news about Weir's novel depicted programmers uncovering secrets concerning artificial intelligence, but the book does not exist in reality.
- In a separate incident, a TikTok video debunking a claimed discovery of city lights on an exoplanet led to more misinformation because social media users shared only the parts summarizing the false claim.
- Technology enthusiasts may find interest in OKI Circuit Technologies' creation—a 124-layer PCB board designed for high-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators, although its high price may make it inaccessible for most consumers in the near future.
