The Download: AI puzzles and a path to our nearest star system
Summary
This newsletter covers several AI developments: AI models are rapidly improving at solving puzzles (some can now solve New York Times Connections puzzles nearly perfectly, up from 18% success in late 2024), and an AI system developed by a physics research lab discovered a novel trajectory for a spacecraft mission to Alpha Centauri. The article also reports that OpenAI is restricting its next model called Astra after rating it a 'critical' cyber risk, as testing showed it could automate cyberattacks (a type of attack that uses automated tools to find and exploit security weaknesses).
Solution / Mitigation
OpenAI plans to give Astra extra security measures.
Classification
Affected Vendors
Related Issues
Original source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/02/1143283/the-download-ai-puzzles-alpha-centauri-mission/
First tracked: September 2, 2026 at 02:00 PM
Classified by LLM (prompt v3) · confidence: 85%