I’ve been locked in to my various screens since results from midterm elections started to roll in last night. And it didn’t take long to see the beginning of the blue wave: Democrats took control of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate, a dramatic swing from Donald Trump’s victory two years ago. While the results are striking, we probably won’t be seeing some of the big climate and energy policy shifts that have come in recent years as Congress and the presidency have changed hands. Instead, we’re entering a period of divided government, with a Congress that will likely do battle with Trump’s White House over the next two years. But even if the federal government isn’t likely to pass laws that overhaul energy and climate policy, the midterm results could be a big deal for energy, especially at the state and local level. Let’s step back for just a moment to put these results in context. Readers might remember huge laws affecting climate and e...
This is today’s edition of The Download , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How “reverse game theory” could keep AI agents in check A new approach known as “reverse game theory” aims to control powerful AI models by designing systems that incentivize them to stick to the rules. While game theory predicts how rational actors behave under particular rules, reverse game theory designs rules to elicit the behavior we want. Think of splitting a cake: if one person cuts it and the other gets first choice, the cutter has an incentive to make the portions equal. Researchers believe the approach could align AI more closely with our rules and instructions. But big questions remain about whether these mechanisms will work in practice. Here’s how reverse game theory could help make AI agents behave . —Amit Katwala Here’s who is falling in line for Trump’s “Super Intelligence” loyalty test At...