ZURICH The Swiss National Bank will consider closely the size of UBS following the completion of its takeover

OpenAI researchers warned about a potentially dangerous artificial intelligence discovery ahead of CEO Sam Altman being ousted from the company, according to reports. Several staff members of the AI firm wrote a letter to the board of directors detailing the algorithm, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The disclosure was reportedly a key development in the build up to Mr Altman’s dismissal. Prior to his return late Tuesday, more than 700 employees had threatened to quit and join backer Microsoft in solidarity with their fired leader. The sources cited the letter as one factor among a longer list of grievances by the board leading to Altman’s firing, among which were concerns over commercialising advances before understanding the consequences. The staff who wrote the letter did not respond to requests for comment and Reuters was unable to review a copy of the letter. OpenAI declined to comment on the letter but acknowledged in an internal message to staffers a project called Q* and a letter to the board before the weekend’s events, one of the people said. An OpenAI spokesperson said that the message, sent by long-time executive Mira Murati, alerted staff to certain media stories without commenting on their accuracy. Some at OpenAI believe Q* (pronounced Q-Star) could be a breakthrough in the startup’s search for what’s known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters. OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks. Given vast computing resources, the new model was able to solve certain mathematical problems, the person said on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorised to speak on behalf of the company. Though only performing maths on the level of grade-school students, acing such tests made researchers very optimistic about Q*’s future success, the source said. Reuters could not independently verify the capabilities of Q* claimed by the researchers. Researchers consider maths to be a frontier of generative AI development. Currently, generative AI is good at writing and language translation by statistically predicting the next word, and answers to the same question can vary widely. But conquering the ability to do mathematics where there is only one right answer implies AI would have greater reasoning capabilities resembling human intelligence. This could be applied to novel scientific research, for instance, AI researchers believe. Unlike a calculator that can solve a limited number of operations, AGI can generalize, learn and comprehend. In their letter to the board, researchers flagged AI’s prowess and potential danger, the sources said without specifying the exact safety concerns noted in the letter. There has long been discussion among computer scientists about the danger posed by highly intelligent machines, for instance if they might decide that the destruction of humanity was in their interest. Researchers have also flagged work by an “AI scientist” team, the existence of which multiple sources confirmed. The group, formed by combining earlier “Code Gen” and “Math Gen” teams, was exploring how to optimise existing AI models to improve their reasoning and eventually perform scientific work, one of the people said. Altman led efforts to make ChatGPT one of the fastest growing software applications in history and drew investment – and computing resources – necessary from Microsoft to get closer to AGI. In addition to announcing a slew of new tools in a demonstration this month, Altman last week teased at a summit of world leaders in San Francisco that he believed major advances were in sight. “Four times now in the history of OpenAI, the most recent time was just in the last couple weeks, I’ve gotten to be in the room, when we sort of push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward, and getting to do that is the professional honor of a lifetime,” he said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, a day before he was fired by OpenAI’s board. Additional reporting from agencies. Read More 10 ways AI will change the world – from curing cancer to wiping out humanity YouTube reveals bizarre AI music experiments AI-generated faces are starting to look more real than actual ones One of the world’s most hyped tech products just launched – and made a big mistake

Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown scored the first touchdown of the 2023 NFL season, and NBC had to cut away from his celebration.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson will meet Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil for the first time at Selhurst Park on Saturday – but revealed the two nearly crossed paths years ago at Craven Cottage. O’Neil, 39, played for nine different clubs during his senior career and hung up his boots in 2019 before joining Liverpool as under-23 assistant manager the following year. Hodgson, 75, recalled being so impressed by O’Neil that at one point the midfielder was seen as a potential Fulham target. “I have a lot of respect for him, I don’t know him,” said Hodgson, who managed the Cottagers from 2007-2010. “I remember him well as a player, and he was even on our radar several times at Fulham as a potential signing, so I should be pleased to meet him for the first time on Saturday.” Hodgson’s 12th-placed side are now mathematically safe and will be playing Premier League football again next season, while O’Neil’s Cherries are a point away from doing the same. In a season marked by the most manager sackings in top-flight history alongside one of the most unpredictable relegation battles in recent memory, O’Neil’s campaign feels like an anomaly. Initially hired on an interim basis following the departure of Scott Parker – who previously expressed a lack of faith in Bournemouth’s Premier League calibre – O’Neil was handed the permanent position after a impressive 11 game-run that saw his side go unbeaten in his first six. Like Palace, Bournemouth found themselves embedded in the relegation conversation earlier this year, but unlike ex-Eagles boss Patrick Vieira – and multiple other managers now looking for work – O’Neil was able to sustain his employers’ confidence. The first-time Premier League boss, who was born in the same neighbourhood where Palace train, rewarded that faith by steering the Cherries out of the drop zone and into 14th, nine points clear of the relegation zone with three games remaining. That leaves them just one point behind Hodgson’s Eagles heading into Saturday’s contest, sparking calls from some corners for manager of the season consideration. Hodgson said: “It’s a fantastic achievement. There’s no question about it. I think everyone in football recognises the difficulty of the task that Gary’s had and really appreciates and respects the enormous job he’s done in confronting that task. “I’m certain that the people of Bournemouth Football Club must be absolutely delighted with him. He seems to have got a good relationship with the players on the field, they’re definitely doing what he is asking of them.”

Vimeo Inc. Chief Executive Officer Anjali Sud will step down from her position at the business video software

European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans is the only candidate to lead a merged campaign between two center-left parties in the Dutch general election in November

CouRageJD received the massive Truck 'N' Oasis sign from Epic Games, teasing the return of Fortnite Chapter 1 on Friday, Nov. 3.

Nothing is more fun than overreacting, except maybe speculating, and we do both for the Pittsburgh Steelers and their quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Sweater aficionados know that cashmere is a premium cold-weather fabric with superior warmth and softness. The prized fiber is made from cashmere goats, whose cold home requires their coat to be extra thick. Once turned into thread, however, it can be woven or knitted into varying thicknesses. So no matter how you prefer your cozy — perhaps as a ribbed cardigan, a fitted pullover, or even a light, sleeveless shell — the ways in which you can layer and wear it are limitless.

Chile’s government is in talks with the Biden administration over benefits that US companies could access from the

Chelsea are in talks with Mauricio Pochettino to take over as manager at the end of the season, the PA news agency understands. A deal has yet to be signed but Pochettino is closing in on his first role since leaving Paris St Germain in July, succeeding interim head coach Frank Lampard. Chelsea have three Premier League fixtures remaining – against Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle – and want their new boss in place once the campaign is over. The Blues have endured a disappointing season and sit in 11th place having managed just 11 wins in 35 league games. Graham Potter was sacked in April and while Julian Nagelsmann was the initial favourite to replace him, Chelsea turned to Lampard to see out the rest of the season in his second spell as manager. Potter was jettisoned just seven months into a five-year contract but the club has also struggled under Lampard, who at one stage oversaw a six-game losing run in all competitions. Former Argentina international Pochettino enjoyed a popular five-year spell as Tottenham manager, guiding Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019. If – as expected – he is appointed by Chelsea, the 51-year-old will inherit an expensively assembled but under-performing squad who will not be competing in Europe next season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Carl Froch has delivered a brutal assessment of Anthony Joshua’s performance against Robert Helenius, accusing the British heavyweight of fighting like a ‘beginner’. Joshua knocked out Helenius, a late-notice replacement for Dillian Whyte, in Round 7 on Saturday (12 August) after fighting tentatively in the first six rounds. Despite “AJ” securing the emphatic knockout that he needed en route to a potential clash with Deontay Wilder, the former two-time world heavyweight champion did not do enough to impress Froch. Froch, a former unified super-middleweight champion, said on YouTube on Friday (18 August): “For me, it was a 5/10 performance. Okay, he got the job done, he knocked out Helenius in Round 7 with a decent [shot]. Helenius was exhausted by that point, which is why I thought the knockout came. “AJ timed him nicely with a jab to the body then brought the right hand over the top [...] I don’t think [Helenius] was knocked out cold, but he was exhausted. Once he got hit with that shot and went over, he probably thought to himself: ‘You know what? I’ve earnt my money, I’m not gonna win the fight, I’m not getting paid for overtime. Let’s stay down and go home.’ Why wouldn’t he? He boxed a week earlier. “It was poor, it was a weak opponent for this stage of AJ’s career, when he’s now looking at fighting someone like Deontay Wilder. If he’s looking at fighting Deontay Wilder on the back of that performance... that performance was awful, it was terrible, it was such a bad performance in so many ways. It was tentative, it was gun shy.” Helenius replaced Whyte after the Briton failed a drug test in the lead-up to his planned rematch with Joshua, who is in talks to box Wilder in early 2024. “He looked like he didn’t want to be in there at times,” Froch said of Joshua, 33. “He was getting outboxed with a weak, poor jab; [Helenius] wasn’t setting it up, he was smashing it, ram-rodding it in AJ’s face [...] Anthony Joshua was sitting back, waiting, looking confused, looking like he was scared to throw. “He’s not ready for the Deontay Wilder fight, I really don’t think he is. That performance does not set him up for a big showdown with Wilder [...] Style-wise, AJ is like a beginner, like a novice pro. Helenius had absolutely busted up AJ behind the jab. “[There was] swelling under his eyes, his nose was p***ing with blood, his mouth was bleeding – as we saw when he jumped out of the ring, which was a bit strange, and had a slurp on that nasty Irish stout that Conor McGregor shoved in his face. He had all blood and sweat and snot inside that point.” Froch, 46, also branded his fellow Briton “unprofessional” and “disrespectful” for the interaction with UFC star McGregor, which took place at ringside while Helenius received medical attention. Joshua vs Wilder is in the works for an early 2024 date in Saudi Arabia. American Wilder, 37, has not fought since knocking out Helenius in Round 1 in October. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua has the blueprint to beat Deontay Wilder – is he brave enough to use it? Deontay Wilder’s manager offers rare comment on Anthony Joshua fight Anthony Joshua takes swig of Conor McGregor’s Irish stout after Helenius knockout