⚡ Not a shocker: Hackers are trying to mess with our solar panels. Chinese-owned Solarman PV had a security hole that affected power plants in 190 countries. A German company, Solar-Log, let some folks use the default password. Have solar panels? Switch the default password to a strong one and put them on a separate guest network.
Bots are talking to each other
© Peshkova | Dreamstime.com, © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. One AI bot calls up another, and they chat back and forth in English. Once they realize they’re both AI, they switch to a secret-to-them language totally undecipherable to human ears.
No punch line, because it’s not a joke. Watch this viral video from an AI hackathon that shows the exchange. I’ll wait.
I’m sure you noticed that when the bots are chatting in English, it’s pretty normal. Once they switch to their secret language, it’s all whirs and screeches, like a dial-up modem.
It sent a shiver down my spine
You know I embrace AI and all that it has done to change our world. AI bots talking to each other and leaving humans totally out of the equation, though, is terrifying to me, and it should be for you, too.
This particular screeching secret bot language was created by two engineers from Meta, Boris Starkov and Anton Pidkuiko. For the record, they took home first place at the hackathon.
It’s called Gibberlink Mode. It uses a protocol called GGwaves that transmits data over sound instead of full words. The engineers say the bots are 80% more efficient with Gibberlink Mode than when using human language.
It’s not the first time
Facebook scrapped an experiment back in 2017 after two AI programs seemed to create their own way of communicating that researchers couldn’t understand.
They must have had the same question I do now: How can ethical and security safeguards be enforced if we don’t know what the bots are saying to each other? The answer: We can’t, and that’s bad news.
The biggest threat of AI has always been the potential of a digital Frankenstein’s monster we can’t control. Giving AI a language all its own is inviting trouble: “Let’s kill them all!”
👇 Use the share icons below to let those in your circle know what’s going in the AI space. I bet they’ll be shocked!
Selling your car? Do this first
© Iuliia Lisitsyna | Dreamstime.com
New cars are computers on wheels, tracking just as much about you as your phone does. Before you sell your car or return a lease, you need to take the time to wipe all that data.
Otherwise, you’re handing over a digital diary of your life to anyone who knows where to look. Your car tracks where you’ve been, how fast you got there, your contacts and text messages and what radio stations you listen to most. Don’t let that info go along for the ride!
AI’s secret language
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. One AI bot calls up another, and they chat back and forth in English. Once they realize they’re both AI, they switch to a secret-to-them language totally undecipherable to human ears. No punchline, because it’s not a joke. A viral video from an AI hackathon in London shows the exchange.
$4 million
Listing price for the “Breaking Bad” house. The 1,900-square-foot home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was Walter White’s in the show and worth closer to $400K. Even 12 years after the show ended, about 300 cars drive past every day to see it, and the owners can’t take it anymore.
Think your browser’s password manager is safe? Think again.
© Gmm2000 | Dreamstime.com
It’s so easy to click and save your passwords right to Chrome, Edge, Safari or any other browser. Have you ever stopped to think about just how bad an idea it is to do this? Anyone with access to your browser can jump right into any one of your accounts. Yup, even your banking and investment accounts are up for grabs.
To share or not to share? Moms like Cait Scudder asked that question before posting a video of her water birth at home. She says it got 99% positive feedback, and other moms said it helped by being real and honest. Just keep in mind that not everyone may react kindly.
🏠 $20K for a two-bedroom home? This isn’t the 1960s. It’s a tiny home that comes folded in a box, complete with a porch, kitchen and bathroom. One model sold out on Amazon thanks to viral videos with over 20 million views. Read the reviews if you’re tempted to buy one. Some models have low ceilings, no electrical outlets and no instructions to build them.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
The future is clear: Meta’s new Aria Gen 2 glasses check your heart rate, and more health tools are coming. They’re working with Envision to help folks who are blind walk around safely with the glasses’ AI assistant. If that’s you or someone in your life, sign up here for updates.
Will AI surpass us in 2026? Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, thinks we’ll achieve the singularity — when AI passes human intelligence. Around 8,590 scientists think it’ll be closer to 2040. A few years ago, they thought it would be 2060. Keep reading the singularitea leaves. (I heard you groan).
📱 Ring, ring, it’s not IT: If you get a call from your help desk or IT asking for a password reset, check if it’s legit. Scammers are getting good at tricking people over the phone to sneak into their systems. CrowdStrike found voice vishing scams (that’s voice phishing) jumped 442% last year.
🧠 Mind over matter: It’s been a year since Noland Arbaugh became the first Neuralink patient. I chatted with him last year, and he’s so positive. The procedure was done in Phoenix. The team just shared a video of how the N1 Implant helps him control gadgets just by thinking. Check it out here.
🚀 3, 2, 1, liftoff: Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez (Jeff Bezos’ girlfriend) are joining an all-female crew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket this spring. They’ll float in zero gravity for about 10 minutes. Spoiler: Lauren’s going to wear something revealing to strike a froze.
Alexa+ is ready for a price: The new Amazon AI can guess a movie based on clues. Ask for “that one with the sparkling vampires,” and it pulls up “Twilight.” It’s getting integrated with thousands of apps, too, so you can do things like order an Uber without lifting a finger. I expect more skills for $240 a year!
Whiskey business: A bottle of rare 81-year-old Macallan scotch is selling for $649,999. No wonder alcohol counterfeiting is so big. Criminals make bank refilling authentic bottles with cheap stuff. Not anymore! New tech embeds a molecular marker in the seal of each verified bottle so collectors don’t get duped. Authenticated bottles get a blockchain record you can check. Now that’s a barrel of laughs.
💪🇺🇸 The only easy day was yesterday: Special ops commanders went to DC to explain that America’s military tech, especially AI, machine learning, autonomous weapons and cyber warfare, is way behind our adversaries. China and Russia are investing heavily in AI-driven battlefield awareness, drone swarms and cyber capabilities. We have to do the same.
Mind over matter
It’s been a year since Noland Arbaugh became the first Neuralink patient. I chatted with him last year, and he’s so positive. The procedure was done in Phoenix. The team just shared a video of how the N1 Implant helps him control gadgets just by thinking.
1 billion people
Watching podcasts on YouTube. Their monthly numbers blow Spotify and every other streaming service in the podcast game out of the water. Yup, you can watch my show there!