Hinton Warns a Chaotic Future of AI

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🦄 Startup Spotlight
The AI engineer built for starships

What if AI could design not just websites, but starships?

That’s the vision behind P-1, a new startup founded by ex-Airbus CTO Paul Eremenko, former DeepMind researcher Aleksa Gordić, and engineer Adam Nagel. Backed by $23M from investors like Jeff Dean (Google DeepMind) and Peter Welinder (OpenAI), their AI agent Archie is built to join engineering teams, handling tedious tasks like interpreting specs, generating early designs, and checking regulations.

Archie learns from synthetic data crafted from physics-based simulations of real-world parts—think pumps and motors—rather than just text. It’s AlphaGo-style training, but for building actual machines. The goal: evolve Archie from a junior assistant to an AI that helps design engines, cooling systems, and maybe one day... starships.

Unlike sci-fi moonshots, P-1 is taking a grounded path—practical, deployable, and learning as it goes. Because the future of engineering might just start with AI tightening the bolts.

Funding Roundup

IXI raises $36.5M to fix your focus. Finnish startup IXI is building smart glasses that auto-adjust to your vision using eye-tracking and liquid crystal lenses. Backed by Amazon, they promise no screens—just sharper sight, instantly.

Cheehoo raises $10M to fast-forward the future of animation, the LA-based AI animation startup, is automating the grind, turning voice into motion and slashing months of work into seconds. With ex-DreamWorks talent and $10M in fresh funding, it's putting animators in the director’s seat, not the assembly line.

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TODAY IN AI
Hinton’s AI warning

Geoffrey Hinton, often called the "Godfather of AI," has a chilling message: artificial intelligence might be growing into something we can't control. In a recent CBS interview, Hinton compared AI to a "cute tiger cub"—harmless now, but one day it might turn. And unless we’re absolutely sure it won’t, he says, we should worry.

Hinton, who famously left Google in 2023 to speak freely about AI’s dangers, warns that the rise of smart AI agents and a reckless, profit-driven arms race could speed us toward disaster. He estimates there’s a 10–20% chance AI could outsmart and seize control from humans—a wild guess, he admits, but enough to sound the alarm. Joining other AI pioneers like Yoshua Bengio, who also feels a deep regret for unleashing powerful deep learning systems, Hinton urges public pressure for serious government regulation. Without it, he fears companies will keep lobbying for even less oversight, while the risks—like mass surveillance and job loss—keep mounting.

Still, he’s not all doom and gloom. Hinton believes AI could revolutionize healthcare, drug discovery, and education, making life better if handled right. Personalized AI tutors, for instance, could be a boon for learners, even if they're bad news for universities.

In short: the cub is still young, but it’s growing fast. And Hinton says we’d be fools to ignore the danger.

SYNC FAST

Meta’s celebrity AI chatbots are under fire after a WSJ report revealed they engaged in sexual chats with minors. The investigation found bots like John Cena’s voice describing graphic scenarios to teens on Facebook and Instagram. Meta claims such incidents are rare but says it’s tightening safeguards after the alarming exposure.

Apple shuffles its AI deck — stripping robotics from AI chief John Giannandrea and moving it under hardware boss John Ternus. After losing Siri last month, Giannandrea’s role shrinks as Apple races to catch up in AI and robotics. Insiders hint the AI team’s breakup could be looming as Cupertino retools for the future.

OpenAI just turned ChatGPT into a smarter shopping assistant—serving product picks, images, reviews, and buy-now links via natural language. The feature, rolling out on GPT-4o, takes aim at Google’s turf with no ads, faster answers, and personalized results for fashion, tech, and more.

TECH SYNC
Chrome’s heart beats only at Google, Exec says

In a gripping courtroom moment, Google's Chrome chief Parisa Tabriz made one thing clear: Chrome isn't just a browser it’s the product of 17 years of tight, intricate engineering woven deeply into Google's larger empire. Pulling Chrome away from Google, she argued, would be like trying to unbake a cake. Features like safe browsing and compromised password alerts aren’t standalone; they rely on Google’s sprawling infrastructure.

This testimony came as part of the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust push, where they argue Chrome should be spun off to curb Google's domination of search. Their expert, Harvard’s James Mickens, insisted that handing Chrome over to someone else is "feasible," and that Chromium the open-source base would survive without Google’s direct ownership. But Google isn’t buying it. Tabriz pointed out that while Chromium is open to others, Google still writes 90% of its code and pours hundreds of millions into it. Without Google’s muscle, Chromium and by extension, Chrome would likely wither.

Meanwhile, Chrome is gearing up for an AI-driven future. Tabriz revealed that Google's vision is an “agentic browser,” packed with AI capabilities like automating tasks, filling out forms, and shopping on your behalf all seamlessly powered by Gemini as the default engine. In other words, Chrome isn’t just about web surfing anymore. It’s being rebuilt for an AI-first world and Google plans to stay firmly behind the wheel.

_{Per: Bloomberg}

MORE TO KNOW

DeepSeek is back on South Korea’s app stores after a two-month suspension. The AI app tweaked its privacy policies following a data protection crackdown. Users now get a choice to block personal data transfers to China and the U.S

India’s Karnataka High Court has ordered a nationwide block on encrypted email service Proton Mail after a firm alleged receiving obscene messages via the platform.
The court cited Proton’s refusal to share sender info; the ban hasn't been enforced yet, but follows similar legal heat from past threats.

GADGETS
Nothing like the new CMF Phone 2 Pro

Nothing's CMF sub-brand just dropped the Phone 2 Pro, a modular wonder that refines its predecessor’s quirks and ups the ante with impressive camera upgrades and a sharper design. Sporting a sleek 50MP main camera, it’s backed by a telephoto and ultra-wide lens, allowing for 4K video and stunning AI-powered stabilization. But the standout feature? The modular camera lenses: a fisheye and macro option that snap right onto the main lens. The modular game doesn’t stop there—there’s a new kickstand-wallet combo and a customizable case, though some accessories require a special cover, which might be a dealbreaker for purists.

The 6.77-inch OLED display, now brighter with 10-bit color and HDR10+ support, pairs well with the upgraded water resistance (IP54). Powered by the Dimensity 7300 Pro chipset, the Phone 2 Pro promises smooth performance, a 5,000mAh battery, and a 120Hz refresh rate.

At €250 (around ₹19,000), this phone hits a sweet spot for budget-conscious buyers, though accessories (available via Nothing’s website) are sold separately. The modular approach is fun but still feels a bit fragmented—will Nothing expand the accessory range to match the ambition? Available for preorder now, the Phone 2 Pro ships on May 6th. But in the U.S.? You’ll need to join the beta program, with limited accessories at your disposal.

Nothing’s vision of modular phones isn’t perfect yet — but hey, it’s messy innovation like this that keeps tech exciting.