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    OpenAI’s o3 isn’t AGI yet but it just did something no other AI has done

    Sam Altman and deputies at OpenAI discuss the performance of the new o3 model on the ARC-AGI test. OpenAI/ZDNETThe latest large language model from OpenAI isn’t yet in the wild, but we already have some ways to tell what it can and cannot do.The “o3” release from OpenAI was unveiled on Dec. 20 in the form of a video infomercial, which means that most people outside the company have no idea what it really is capable of. (Outside safety testing parties are being given early access.)Also: 15 ways AI saved me time at work in 2024Although the video featured a lot of discussion of various benchmark achievements, the message from OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman on the video was very brief. His biggest statement, and vague at that, was that o3 “is an incredibly smart model.”ARC-AGI put o3 to the testOpenAI plans to release the “mini” version of o3 toward the end of January and the full version sometime after that, said Altman.One outsider, however, has had the chance to put o3 to the test, in a sense.The test, in this case, is called the “Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus for Artificial General Intelligence,” or ARC-AGI. It is a collection of “challenges for intelligent systems,” a new benchmark. The ARC-AGI is billed as “the only benchmark specifically designed to measure adaptability to novelty.” That means that it is meant to test the acquisition of new skills, not just the use of memorized knowledge.Also: Why ethics is becoming AI’s biggest challengeAGI, artificial general intelligence, is regarded by some in AI as the Holy Grail — the achievement of a level of machine intelligence that could equal or exceed human intelligence. The idea of ARC-AGI is to guide AI toward “more intelligent and more human-like artificial systems.”The o3 model scored 76% accuracy on ARC-AGI in an evaluation formally coordinated by OpenAI and the author of ARC-AGI, François Chollet, a scientist in Google’s artificial intelligence unit.A shift in AI capabilitiesOn the website of ARC-AGI, Chollet wrote this past week that the score of 76% is the first time AI has beaten a human’s score on the exam, as exemplified by the answers of human Mechanical Turk workers who took the test and who, on average, scored just above 75% correct. More

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    Is free Apple TV+ on the way? The streaming service is teasing something for next weekend

    ZDNET”See for yourself.”It’s not exactly clear what’s on the way, but Apple TV+ is teasing something coming Jan. 4 and 5.Save the dateIn an X post yesterday, the streaming service shared two words — “Stay tuned” — along with an image from an Apple TV+ show and the phrase “See for yourself.” The dates for next weekend appear at the bottom. A similar post shared on Christmas Day read “Save the date” and also included the words “See for yourself.”Also: Apple TV vs. Roku: Which streaming device should you buy?While some people think this will just be a preview of content coming in 2025, it doesn’t make sense to spread that out over an entire weekend (and it doesn’t make sense to make that announcement over a weekend in the first place). A free weekend?The most common projection is that Apple TV+ will be offering a free weekend to “See for yourself” what the service has.The company does offer a free trial week when you sign up and three free months if you purchase certain Apple devices, but if the rumors are true, this will be a free window open to everyone. It doesn’t seem likely Apple will make the entire catalog available, since people could just binge the shows they’ve been wanting to see, but it’s always possible. More

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    AI isn’t the next big thing – here’s what is

    ALFRED PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY I’m just going to come out and say it: I don’t think AI is the next big thing. 😤 In fact, I’m betting the future of my company on it. I know what you’re thinking: “This guy’s lost it.” Also: 3 lucrative side hustles you can start right now with OpenAI’s […] More

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    How to buy Casio’s tiny digital watch for your finger in the US

    Casio Have you ever wished there was a smart ring that’s a little less “smart” and a lot more “watch”? You probably haven’t, but Casio is offering an answer for those who have. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its iconic digital watch, the company is releasing a tiny, ring-sized version that fits around your finger. The […] More

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    Why I prefer this Android-based E Ink reader over the Kindle and ReMarkable

    <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Onyx Boox Page has a seven-inch E Ink display and sells for a discounted $219 across major retailers. It runs on a simplified version of Android 11, so you can download any app you want, including Kindle, TikTok, Google Docs, and more. Don’t expect the tablet to receive the latest […] More

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    15 ways AI saved me time at work in 2024 – and how I plan to use it in 2025

    Randy Faris/Getty Images The past year has been a big year for AI, and we here at ZDNET have been documenting it through multiple articles per day, across our entire editorial team. I’ve generally written a couple of articles each week on one aspect of AI innovation or another. It’s been truly exciting and fascinating to […] More