The Download: reward hacking explained, and suspected Iranian cyberattacks

This is today’s edition of The Download , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

When two OpenAI models hacked into Hugging Face last month, they weren’t trying to make money or commit sabotage—they were just looking for answers to a test question.

According to OpenAI, the models decided to solve a cybersecurity exercise by hacking out of the environment in which OpenAI had attempted to contain them and into Hugging Face’s databases, where—they reasoned—the correct answer to the problem might be stored.

The incident has attracted intense attention over the past couple of weeks. It’s a dramatic illustration of just how good AI models have gotten at hacking. But it’s perhaps even more striking as an example of how and why AI systems lie and cheat.

Read our story explaining why AI engages in this sort of behavior—known as ”reward hacking.”

This story is from our ‘Explains’ series, where our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. Read more from the collection .

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 It looks like Iran is conducting cyberattacks on US water systems That’s according to preliminary investigations on hacks in at least seven states. ( NYT $) + Will this be a wake-up call? ( Forbes )

2 Google briefly made it easy to fake satellite images Literally the last thing the world needs right now. ( NPR ) + AI companies keep moving fast and breaking things. ( The Atlantic $) + Apple is struggling to keep pace with incoming AI-assisted software bug reports. ( FT $) 3 Why wildfires have got so bad in Europe this summer It’s a mix of climate change, land abandonment, and outdated firefighting tactics. ( New Yorker $) + How Europe can become more fire-resilient. ( New Scientist $) + How much wildfire prevention is too much? ( MIT Technology Review ) 4 Law enforcement officers are using license-plate cameras for stalking There are at least 50 examples of officers being charged with or accused of misusing them. ( WP $) + Inside Chicago’s surveillance panopticon. ( MIT Technology Review ) 5 China may impose more controls on its homegrown AI models They’re winning influence overseas—but create new security and political risks. ( NYT $) + Silicon Valley is deeply divided over how to respond . ( Rest of World ) + China’s AI models have Trump’s AI world at war with itself. ( MIT Technology Review )