AI Safety Newsletter

Center for AI Safety

Narrations of the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. This podcast also contains narrations of some of our publications. ABOUT US The Center for AI Safety (CAIS) is a San Francisco-based research and field-building nonprofit. We believe that artificial intelligence has the potential to profoundly benefit the world, provided that we can develop and use it safely. However, in contrast to the dramatic progress in AI, many basic problems in AI safety have yet to be solved. Our mission is to reduce societal-scale risks associated with AI by conducting safety research, building the field of AI safety researchers, and advocating for safety standards. Learn more at https://safe.ai

  1. 1d ago

    AISN #77: New Model Releases From OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Meta

    Also, economists and mathematicians expect near-term AI impacts, and AI 2040: Plan A. Welcome to the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. In this edition, we look at the most recent model releases from OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Meta, as well as an open letter calling for action on potential near-term economic disruption, a recent solution to a longstanding open math problem, and a new scenario published by the AI Futures Project. Listen to the AI Safety Newsletter for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. New Model Releases: GPT-5.6, Grok 4.5, and Muse Spark 1.1 On July 9, OpenAI launched GPT-5.6 for the public. This broader release followed an initial preview that had been limited to “trusted partners” at the request of the US government, to allow for capabilities assessments. The government's intervention mirrored its earlier directive asking Anthropic to restrict Fable 5 and Mythos 5 access due to national security concerns around cyber capabilities, before the models were later re-released. OpenAI released GPT-5.6 Sol publicly about two weeks after announcing that it was working with the US government to address the model's [...] --- Outline: (00:46) New Model Releases: GPT-5.6, Grok 4.5, and Muse Spark 1.1 (04:47) Economists and Mathematicians Say AI Could Have Major Near-Term Impacts (09:59) AI 2040 -- Plan A (13:10) In Other News (13:14) Government (14:41) Industry (15:36) Civil Society (16:48) AI Governance Opportunity --- First published: July 21st, 2026 Source: https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/aisn-77-new-model-releases-from-openai --- Want more? Check out our ML Safety Newsletter for technical safety research. Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

  2. Jul 6

    AISN #76: Fable 5 Restrictions Lifted & OpenAI Limits GPT-5.6 Release

    Also: Recent benchmark scores suggest rapid capabilities progress. Welcome to the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. In this edition, we look at the re-release of Anthropic's latest model, Fable 5, the US government's decision to restrict access to OpenAI's GPT-5.6, and two benchmarks that suggest AI capabilities have been improving exponentially in recent months. Listen to the AI Safety Newsletter for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Fable 5 Access Restored Globally On June 30, Anthropic announced that the US government had lifted its restrictions on Fable 5, and the model was redeployed to users globally on July 1. The White House implemented these restrictions due to a cybersecurity jailbreak that is now addressed. The US government restricted Fable 5 shortly after its release in early June. On June 9, Anthropic released Fable 5 to the public, alongside their continued private deployment of Claude Mythos, the version of the model without safeguards, for trusted organizations. On June 12, the US government issued a directive banning both models for non-US citizens due to national security concerns with its cybersecurity abilities. Anthropic then [...] --- Outline: (00:42) Fable 5 Access Restored Globally (04:12) OpenAI Limits Initial GPT-5.6 Release at Government Request (06:49) Recent Benchmark Scores Show Rapid Capabilities Improvements (09:13) In Other News (09:16) Government (10:39) Industry (11:32) Civil Society --- First published: July 6th, 2026 Source: https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/aisn-76-fable-5-restrictions-lifted --- Want more? Check out our ML Safety Newsletter for technical safety research. Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

  3. Jun 17

    AISN #75: Anthropic Releases Fable, the US Government Restricts it

    Also: Anthropic's proposal for the AI industry to collectively slow down. Welcome to the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. In this edition, we look at Anthropic's release of its latest model, Fable 5, and the US government's subsequent order to restrict it. We also discuss Anthropic's recent call for the “option to slow or temporarily pause frontier AI development.” Listen to the AI Safety Newsletter for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. The US Government Restricts Fable Days After its Release On June 9, Anthropic released Claude Fable 5 to the public. The model is significantly more capable than previous releases; it is the highest-scoring model on the benchmark Humanity's Last Exam, achieving 53.3% compared with Claude Opus 4.8's score of 45.7%. Anthropic described Fable as having similar capabilities to Claude Mythos Preview—a model announced in April that the company deemed too good at finding cyber vulnerabilities to be safe for general release. Anthropic also made Mythos 5, a version of Fable without strict bio or cyber safeguards, available to a small number of trusted organizations. Fable 5, Anthropic's “Mythos-class” model with [...] --- Outline: (00:40) The US Government Restricts Fable Days After its Release (04:16) Anthropic Calls for Option to Slow AI Development (06:50) In Other News (06:54) Government (07:43) Industry (08:19) Civil Society --- First published: June 17th, 2026 Source: https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/aisn-75-anthropic-releases-fable --- Want more? Check out our ML Safety Newsletter for technical safety research. Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

  4. Jun 3

    AISN #74: The Pope’s Encyclical & AI Betrayal Could Deter Reckless AI Use

    Also: AI model solves a well-known open mathematical problem posed 80 years ago. Welcome to the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. In this edition, we look at a new ethical framework for human-AI relationships, how the AI safety discussion has entered the political mainstream, and the Musk v. Altman trial. Listen to the AI Safety Newsletter for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Pope Leo XIV Publishes Encyclical on AI Last week, Pope Leo XIV published an encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas “On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.” The encyclical touched on concerns including unemployment and AI relationships. The publication discussed numerous potential impacts of AI on society, from job displacement and autonomous weapons to misinformation and interference in human relationships. However, the Pope did not object to the technology itself; rather, he said we can embrace technology while ensuring it is used responsibly. The encyclical warned of the potential for power concentration and called for broad participation in a discussion about the moral values that AI should be aligned with. The encyclical did not explicitly mention [...] --- Outline: (00:36) Pope Leo XIV Publishes Encyclical on AI (02:58) How AI Betrayal Could Deter Reckless AI Use (07:01) AI Solves Well-Known Open Mathematics Problem (09:29) In Other News (09:32) Government (10:30) Industry (11:12) Civil Society --- First published: June 3rd, 2026 Source: https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/aisn-74-the-popes-encyclical-and --- Want more? Check out our ML Safety Newsletter for technical safety research. Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

  5. May 21

    AISN #73: AI Safety Enters the Political Mainstream & Musk Loses OpenAI Lawsuit

    Also: Potential Government Oversight of AI Model Releases. Welcome to the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. In this edition, we look at how the AI safety discussion has entered the political mainstream, a new ethical framework for human-AI relationships, and the Musk v. Altman trial. Listen to the AI Safety Newsletter for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. China and the US Discuss AI Safety With the release of Claude Mythos and GPT-5.5, AI cybersecurity and safety has rapidly become more visible in Washington DC. Most recently, U.S. and Chinese leaders met in Beijing to discuss AI safety. Leaving the summit on Friday, President Trump said that he and President Xi Jinping had “talked about possibly working together for guardrails” during the visit. This Tuesday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced the country had agreed to “dialogue” with the U.S. on AI. U.S. officials say talks with China are possible because America leads on AI. Earlier in the week, U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent had said that the two superpowers would start discussing best practices to ensure that non-state actors [...] --- Outline: (00:34) China and the US Discuss AI Safety (03:17) New Framework for Human-AI Coexistence (06:43) Musk Loses Lawsuit Against OpenAI (11:08) In Other News (11:11) Government (12:03) Industry (12:43) Civil Society --- First published: May 21st, 2026 Source: https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/aisn-73-ai-safety-enters-the-political --- Want more? Check out our ML Safety Newsletter for technical safety research. Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

  6. May 1

    AISN #72: New Research on AI Wellbeing

    Also: Public sentiment towards AI worsens. Welcome to the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. In this edition, we discuss a research paper on AI Wellbeing and which AI models are the happiest. We also take a look at the downward trend of public sentiment towards AI, as well as OpenAI's big week of product releases. Listen to the AI Safety Newsletter for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. CAIS Releases AI Wellbeing Research The Center for AI Safety published a research paper on AI wellbeing. At the Center of AI Safety (CAIS), we have just released “AI Wellbeing: Measuring and Improving the Functional Pleasure and Pain of AIs.” This research explores whether LLMs experience functional wellbeing–behavioral signatures that functionally resemble positive or negative welfare signals in sentient beings. What activities produce high and low wellbeing? Through the testing of 56 large language models, we identified patterns in the types of actions and behaviors that the LLMs seemed to prefer or dislike, which we defined as “functional wellbeing.” Positive personal interaction and creative work topped the list of what measured high functional wellbeing [...] --- Outline: (00:34) CAIS Releases AI Wellbeing Research (05:16) OpenAI Releases Images 2.0 and GPT-5.5 (07:30) In Other News (07:33) Government (08:20) Industry (09:05) Civil Society --- First published: May 1st, 2026 Source: https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/aisn-72-new-research-on-ai-wellbeing --- Want more? Check out our ML Safety Newsletter for technical safety research. Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

  7. Apr 10

    AISN #71: Cyberattacks & Datacenter Moratorium Bill

    Also, updates on the Anthropic vs. Pentagon court case.. We’re Hiring. Opportunities at CAIS include: Head of Public Engagement, Principal, Special Projects, Program Manager, Operations Manager, and other roles. If you’re interested in working on reducing AI risk alongside a talented, mission-driven team, consider applying! AI Software Infrastructure Cyberattacks Recently, cyberattacks targeting the AI industry's software infrastructure stole private information potentially worth billions of dollars and inserted backdoors into developers’ computers. Google Threat Intelligence Group reported that one of the largest cyberattacks in this wave was carried out by North Korea-linked hackers. The stolen data may be worth billions. Hackers stole and auctioned private data from Mercor, an AI training data supplier for OpenAI and Anthropic which was recently valued at $10 billion. Mercor collects AI training data from a large number of experts, as well as highly sensitive personal and biometric data for identity verification. This attack not only comprises the data that Mercor sells, but also internal data that could be used to impersonate their hired experts. A person familiar with the situation stated that Mercor has paid the hackers’ requested ransom, although it remains unclear if the hackers intend to release or sell the data [...] --- Outline: (00:41) AI Software Infrastructure Cyberattacks (02:34) Datacenter Moratorium and Export Controls Bill (04:21) Anthropic v. Department of War Lawsuit (07:23) In Other News (07:26) Government (07:46) Industry (08:20) Civil Society --- First published: April 10th, 2026 Source: https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/aisn-71-cyberattacks-and-datacenter --- Want more? Check out our ML Safety Newsletter for technical safety research. Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

  8. Mar 24

    AISN #70: AI Layoffs and Automated Warfare

    Also, a new open letter advocating for pro-human values and control over AI development. Welcome to the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. In this edition, we discuss AI automation and augmentation of warfare and technology jobs, as well as a new open letter outlining pro-human values in the face of AI development. Listen to the AI Safety Newsletter for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. We’re Hiring. We’re hiring an editor! Help us surface the most compelling stories in AI safety and shape how the world understands this fast-moving field. Other opportunities at CAIS include: Head of Public Engagement, Program Manager, Operations Associate, and other roles. If you’re interested in working on reducing AI risk alongside a talented, mission-driven team, consider applying! AI-Driven Layoffs Several large software companies such as Amazon and Meta are planning to cut tens of thousands of employees, citing increased productivity with AI. This continues a growing but contested trend of layoffs in sectors where AI performs best, such as software development and marketing. Layoffs affect almost half of some companies. Meta recently announced plans to let over [...] --- Outline: (00:58) AI-Driven Layoffs (03:14) AI Automation of Warfare (05:36) Pro-Human Open Letter (07:43) In Other News (07:47) Government (08:11) Industry --- First published: March 24th, 2026 Source: https://newsletter.safe.ai/p/ai-safety-newsletter-70-ai-layoffs --- Want more? Check out our ML Safety Newsletter for technical safety research. Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

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About

Narrations of the AI Safety Newsletter by the Center for AI Safety. We discuss developments in AI and AI safety. No technical background required. This podcast also contains narrations of some of our publications. ABOUT US The Center for AI Safety (CAIS) is a San Francisco-based research and field-building nonprofit. We believe that artificial intelligence has the potential to profoundly benefit the world, provided that we can develop and use it safely. However, in contrast to the dramatic progress in AI, many basic problems in AI safety have yet to be solved. Our mission is to reduce societal-scale risks associated with AI by conducting safety research, building the field of AI safety researchers, and advocating for safety standards. Learn more at https://safe.ai

Information

  • Creator
    Center for AI Safety
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    AI Safety Newsletter

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