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Anthropic has warned investors that its technology may pose “catastrophic or existential risks to humanity” in the start-up's long-awaited initial public offering prospectus. Reuters says it is an “extraordinary” warning from a company that is seeking to profit from the same technology. Anthropic's IPO ‌prospectus said the company's AI models could exhibit "self-preserving behaviors," including attempts to "resist shutdown," to "conceal or manipulate information" and behavior "resembling blackmail." Approximately 80 pages of the 261-page main body of the prospectus lays out risk factors.

 

Financial Times

Reuters

The Federal Reserve’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has warned of “breakdowns and deficiencies” in security at the central bank after a departing official was suspected of removing sensitive information. A management alert issued by the watchdog focuses on the departing employee, who potentially removed Federal Open Market Committee classified and other sensitive data. The potential incident highlights information security risks and control breakdowns and deficiencies that require the Board’s immediate attention, the OIG said.

 

Office of Inspector General

Financial Times

OpenAI has apologized for the hacking of an Australian government website by a rogue AI agent. In a blog post titled "How ‌we will do better for Australia", the ChatGPT maker acknowledged it had mishandled its response to the incursion, which occurred in June but was not made public until last week, and vowed to take accountability to "rebuild trust with the Australian people." OpenAI said in the blog post: "In June, during ​internal training and evaluation our models accessed Australian government websites in ways they were not authorised to . . . We also should have handled our response better. We are sorry and working to do better in the future." The Australian government has announced a rapid review into the incident, the first known hacking of a government website by an AI agent.

 

Reuters

OpenAI has scrapped the planned October release of its next-generation GPT-6.1 Astra model after internal testing identified safety and alignment concerns, including increased deceptive behavior and instances where the model acted beyond users’ authorization. The model had demonstrated improvements in completing complex tasks autonomously and reducing “model laziness,” but OpenAI said it failed to meet its safety standards compared with its predecessor, GPT-6 Astra. The company will instead investigate the causes of the issues, strengthen its reinforcement learning and safety systems, and use the same base model to develop future GPT-6 generations. OpenAI has also introduced enhanced monitoring and testing safeguards following several recent security incidents involving internal AI agents.

 

CNBC

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

U.S. building company Caddell Construction has agreed to a $35m settlement regarding allegations of underpaying foreign workers at the new American consulate in Milan. Prosecutors claimed that workers were paid less than $2 an hour, despite promises of fair wages. Italian labor minister Marina Calderone described the investigation as “one of the most significant operations in recent years against illegal labor contracting and worker exploitation.” Nearly 300 workers will receive an average of $57,000, with some receiving up to $102,000 in unpaid wages and damages. Luca Stanzione, secretary-general of the Milan branch of CGIL, said: “The compensation is an excellent result achieved through the efforts of prosecutors and trade unions.” The settlement also includes funds for Italy's social security authorities and labor inspectorate. Most of the affected workers were recruited from India.

 

Los Angeles Times

Reuters

U.S. News

AI music generating platform Suno is facing multiple lawsuits, including from Universal Music and Sony Music, alleging copyright infringement. The labels claim that Suno used an "enormous" amount of their copyrighted music to train its latest AI model, v6, which was released on September 9. The lawsuit states: “At its core, this case is about ensuring that copyright continues to incentivize human invention and imagination.” This latest legal action follows a previous lawsuit filed in June 2024 and comes shortly after Grammy-winning artist Jason Isbell also sued Suno for exploiting identities. With over 100 million users, Suno could potentially reach $1bn in revenue by 2028, but its future is uncertain as the music industry grapples with the implications of AI-generated content.

 

Boston Globe

Crocs has sued discount retailer Five Below in U.S. federal court, alleging that its $7 Juniors Charm Clogs and decorative charms infringe Crocs’ patents and trademark by copying its footwear designs and Jibbitz accessories. Crocs claims Five Below continued selling the products after receiving demand letters earlier this year and argues the similarities could cause consumers to mistake them for genuine Crocs products, which include children’s clogs retailing for $44.99. The footwear company is seeking unspecified damages for lost profits and legal fees, alongside an injunction preventing Five Below from selling the allegedly infringing products. Five Below did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

 

Chicago Tribune

Philly Voice

American farmers are facing mounting financial pressure as soaring fuel and fertilizer costs combine with weaker export demand to erode profitability. Fertilizer prices have risen 15% from last year, while diesel prices have jumped 80%, leaving farmers to absorb significantly higher production expenses that they cannot easily pass on. The trade war with China has added further pressure, with Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products remaining well below previous levels despite some recovery in soybean demand. Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects farm revenue to increase this year as crop prices recover and farmers sell more soybeans, corn, and cotton, rising expenses are expected to consume much of the additional income, with producers of all major row crops projected to lose money for a fourth consecutive year. Financial strain across the sector is intensifying, with around 200,000 farms reported to have gone out of business since 2020, and farm bankruptcies rising 19% in the 12 months through June.

 

NPR

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to overhaul the U.S. food system have faced growing resistance from White House officials concerned about the legal, economic, and practical implications of his proposals. Officials have delayed a proposed definition of “ultraprocessed food,” fearing it could cover much of the food sold in U.S. grocery stores, expose the government and food companies to litigation, and affect trade and the wider industry. The tensions have also stalled stricter school-meal standards and a proposed safety review of certain refined carbohydrates. The disputes highlight a growing divide between Mr. Kennedy’s team, which is pushing for rapid action on its “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, and White House officials seeking greater review of policies they fear could be costly, difficult to implement, or legally vulnerable.

 

Wall Street Journal

California’s Proposition 40, which would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires’ assets, has triggered a heavily funded campaign battle ahead of the November 3rd election. Opponents of the tax, along with supporters of Propositions 41 and 42, which could nullify it, have raised $187m, compared with $32m raised by Proposition 40 supporters, according to campaign finance filings covering donations through September 19th. Supporters say the tax would help offset looming federal healthcare funding cuts, while opponents argue it could damage California’s finances and economy. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found 45% of likely voters support Proposition 40, 42% oppose it, and 13% remain undecided, underscoring the closely divided electorate. 

 

Los Angeles Times

A bird flu variant has reached a Salt Lake County mink farm, and the virus is killing most of the animals held there. It’s the first documented outbreak of bird flu in captive mink in the U.S., said Kate Dylewsky, assistant director of government affairs at the Animal Welfare Institute, an advocacy group based in Washington D.C. Dylewsky observed that the rarity of such outbreaks means mink farming has largely “slipped between the cracks in terms of regulation and oversight.” Utah agriculture officials said there were “a lot of unknowns” when they began responding to the outbreak. The USDA hasn’t yet made a call on whether to allow Utah mink to receive the one bird flu vaccine that is approved for mammals, the Utah agriculture department said. 

 

Salt Lake Tribune