AI Vulnerabilities, Custom Chips, and Hardware Innovation: A Tech Roundup from OWITH.ai

Good morning from OWITH.ai: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in AI and tech world.A recent study by Anthropics, the UK AI Security Institute, and the Alan Turing Institute found that even large AI models can be "poisoned" with just a few hundred documents, leading to vulnerabilities. This challenges the belief that larger models are more resistant to manipulation. Companies are advised to treat data pipelines like supply chains to prevent and detect poisoning attacks. In other AI news, OpenAI and Broadcom have partnered to develop custom AI chips, the Dutch government seized Nexperia following a U.S. warning, and California has regulated AI chatbots. Corporate America is increasingly investing in AI, with generative AI adoption rising. OpenAI has added a watermark to differentiate between AI-generated and real footage, but it has been found to be easily removable. The study emphasizes the importance of clean data and proper defenses in preventing data poisoning attacks in AI models.Sequoia's Roelof Botha has joined the board of engineering platform Flow, which recently raised $23 million in Series A funding. The founder of Flow Engineering, Pari Singh, had an existential crisis at 14 after making money from a deal. Singh, a mechanical engineer, saw the need for innovation in hardware engineering and founded Flow to solve engineering challenges. Botha believes that hardware and software are merging, leading to new opportunities in the industry. With tensions between the U.S. and China in manufacturing capabilities, companies like Flow are uniquely positioned to drive innovation. Singh sees the potential impact of their work on humanity's most pressing problems, such as getting to Mars faster and decarbonizing the atmosphere. Flow's platform focuses on evolving requirements for hardware products, emphasizing the importance of adaptability in the design process. The company's recent funding round was led by Sequoia, with Botha joining the board to support Flow's growth in the evolving hardware ecosystem.Doug Lebda, the founder and CEO of LendingTree, passed away in an ATV accident. LendingTree was founded in 1996 to simplify loan applications. Broadcom and OpenAI are collaborating to develop custom AI chips, planning to deploy them starting in the second half of 2026. Anduril has unveiled the EagleEye military system, an AI-powered heads-up display for soldiers. Grindr's owners are considering taking the company private due to a decline in stock price. Other tech news includes Apple TV+ rebranding, Fivetran and DBT Labs merging, JPMorgan Chase investing in frontier tech, California regulating AI chatbots, Wayve in talks for funding, Strava possibly going public, and a crypto market rebound.The text discusses various topics including the Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, where leaders discussed global uncertainty and optimism for the future. It also mentions Scott Bessent criticizing China for its export controls on rare earth minerals. Other news includes the return of living hostages from Gaza, Google's plans to build a $15 billion AI center in India, and the death of LendingTree CEO Doug Lebda. Strava intends to go public, Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber emphasizes the importance of using AI, and major news brands declining Pentagon censorship rules. The market outlook is also discussed with S&P 500 futures down, Stoxx Europe 600 down, and other indices fluctuating. Top analysts warn of a potential market correction if Trump and China do not resolve their issues. Former Apple CEO comments on AI competition, and Peter Thiel criticizes Elon Musk's donations. The text also includes watercooler chat topics such as these.

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