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New MatterChat Model Helps AI to ‘See’ the Language of Science
From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, where models depend on the high-resolution, three-dimensional data of the physical world, like the intricate lattice of atoms in a crystal. Delivering on the promise of using AI for science requires teaching these data-driven text models to seamlessly “talk to” physics-based models. Now, a new AI framework from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), called MatterChat, solves this problem by creating a specialized “bridge.” It connects the conversational power of a Large Language Model (LLM) with a physics-based AI that models “interatomic potentials”: the complex physical forces between atoms. The resulting system already significantly outperforms general-purpose AI tools like GPT-4 at predicting material properties, and the team hopes it can accelerate scientific discovery by serving as a robust research partner that provides grounded insights and generates step-by-step instructions for synthesizing novel materials. A paper describing this work was recently published in Nature Machine Intelligence. “Traditional simulations can provide the physical rigor required for materials science, yet their computational cost remains prohibitive for high-throughput screening. Conversely, while LLMs excel at rapid knowledge synthesis, they inherently lack the ‘structural vision’ to interpret materials directly from their underlying atomic coordinates,” said Yingheng Tang, a postdoctoral researcher in Berkeley Lab’s Applied Math and Computational Research Division (AMCR) and lead author on the paper. “MatterChat was built to solve this dilemma, empowering LLMs with a structural ‘vision’ that allows researchers to leverage their full potential for solving complex, real-world materials challenges.” Empowering language models to solve complex challenges in materials science To build MatterChat, the Berkeley Lab team drew inspiration from technologies like Vision Question Answering (VQA) and Text-to-Image (T2I) generation. In these tasks, AI must translate high-level text concepts into visual images, or vice versa. Doing so requires developers to build tools that “bridge” two fundamentally different forms of data. The researchers adapted this concept to the physical sciences. With MatterChat, they created a “bridge model” that successfully connects an LLM’s general knowledge with the deep understanding of the atomic-scale world encoded in scientific interatomic potentials. Until now, researchers using LLMs to solve materials problems usually had to feed them raw data files as if they were just strings of text. It’s like asking an AI to understand a complex 3D engine based only on a parts list: the LLM can read the names, but it can’t “see” how the atoms fit together in space. MatterChat solves this by training a specialized AI bridge model, pre-trained on millions of crystal structures and an LLM, to align the LLM’s representation of the world with the interatomic potential’s representation of the world. The bridge model can translate physical insights into a format the LLM can actually understand. By giving the LLM these “scientific eyes”— a scientific “inductive bias” in the terminology of AI — the Berkeley Lab team has transformed it into a robust research tool capable of providing grounded scientific insights into complex materials challenges, such as predicting thermal stability or analyzing electronic band gaps. “We think of atoms as living in a physical space, but from a machine learning perspective, they are just vectors living in some very non-trivially structured manifold in a high-dimensional Euclidean space; and, of course, the same is true for the sentences and paragraphs that we use to express our ideas about those atoms,” said co-author Michael Mahoney, Berkeley Lab’s Scientific Data Division (SDD) AI Initiative Research Lead. “The bridge model basically gets those two structures to ‘talk with’ each other.” As a proof-of-concept of this general approach, the team trained their bridge model on a dataset curated by pairing nearly 143,000 stable atomic structures from the Materials Project with their corresponding physical properties. This training data was automatically assembled using the Materials Project’s API and deliberately enriched with properties fundamental to microelectronics design — like formation energy and bandgap — allowing MatterChat to learn the complex patterns connecting a material’s atomic blueprint to its functional performance. To validate their model, the researchers benchmarked MatterChat against a suite of other AI systems, from general-purpose LLMs to other specialized scientific AI methods. The results show that MatterChat consistently outperformed its competitors across a range of tasks. The model was more accurate in classifying material types and demonstrated superior precision in predicting numerical properties. For example, it excelled at predicting a material’s bandgap, a property critical for designing new electronics from high-capacity energy storage to next-generation computer chips. “Our design is significantly more efficient because we don’t have to build a massive AI model from the ground up,” said co-author Zhi (Jackie) Yao, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s AMCR. “Instead, we take two powerful, pre-trained models — a structural encoder for materials physics and an open-source LLM — and use them off-the-shelf. The only component we actually train is the lightweight ‘bridge model’ that translates between them. It’s the difference between building an entire car factory and simply designing a smart adapter that connects a world-class engine to a world-class navigation system. This approach is not only computationally efficient, but also makes the system modular, so we can easily upgrade components or adapt the bridge for other scientific domains in the future.” Crucially, this modular design highlights exactly how institutions like Berkeley Lab and the Department of Energy are carving out a highly valuable niche in the booming AI landscape. Rather than competing with Silicon Valley tech giants to build ever-larger language models from scratch, the lab is focusing on the specialized connective tissue that makes commercial AI useful for hardcore science. Because the bridge model approach underlying MatterChat is forward-compatible, it is perfectly positioned to leverage these parallel tracks of innovation. As Mahoney pointed out, “We expect that industry will continue to develop improved LLMs, and we expect domain scientists and facilities will continue to generate new data. An important part of scientific machine learning is not simply to solve problems on today’s data, but instead to develop general methods that will be forward-compatible with orders of magnitude more data, whether from scientific domains or from LLMs.” According to Yao, the MatterChat project, which was initially developed and enhanced with funding from a Berkeley Lab Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) Program, will now expand its capabilities. In a collaboration with Fermilab, MatterChat is already contributing to a U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission project — called Accelerating eXtreme Environment Specs-to-Silicon (AXESS) — that aims to speed up the development of next-generation, high-speed, radiation-hardened detectors for challenging particle physics experiments by using advanced 3D integrated circuits (chiplets) and AI-driven data analysis. In addition to the LDRD support, the team also credits supercomputing resources at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), located at Berkeley Lab, with MatterChat’s success. “We are incredibly grateful to NERSC; this research simply would not have happened without access to the Perlmutter supercomputer through their AI for Science program,” said Tang. Wenbin Xu, a NERSC postdoctoral fellow at the time, was also a major co-author of the work, as was Benjamin Erichson, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s SDD, highlighting the benefits of AMCR-SDD collaboration on AI for science. ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
Vikings Add Playmaker to Summer Roster
The Minnesota Vikings have a full roster entering the summer, filling out the 90-man depth chart with an extra wide […]
How to Reduce Phishing Exposure Before It Turns into Business Disruption
Phishing links exposed in 40 seconds across U.S. sectors, helping SOCs cut MTTR by 21 minutes and triage 94% faster.
Amid upfronts sports overload, pitches around data, AI come into focus
Legacy firms NBCU and Disney, tech titans Netflix and Amazon and publishers shaped by M&A showed off evolving offerings during last week’s shows.
Anxiety and the Science of Learning Safety
Anxiety may not only be a fear of danger. Sometimes, it is the body struggling to recognize safety.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Pennsylvania’s primaries
Pennsylvania Democrats will pick nominees to unseat a trio of vulnerable Republican members of Congress in a state primary on Tuesday.
Forza Horizon 6 'New Zealand' Trick Is Going Viral For The Full Xbox Launch
Yes, it'll be playable early on XGP via New Zealand
Arsenal Women to let England youth international leave for US
Arsenal midfielder and England youth international Laila Harbert is on the verge of joining American club San Diego Wave.
Trump’s Approval Rating Hits New Low, and Ebola Outbreak Declared a Global Health Emergency
Plus, inside the closed-door talks over Greenland.
NVIDIA Reflex 2 and AMD Anti-Lag 2 Can Now Run on Any GPU Under Linux
According to a new open-source project called low_latency_layer, Linux gamers using NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel graphics cards will experience low-latency gaming technologies like NVIDIA Reflex 2 or AMD Anti-Lag 2, regardless of their platform. The latest low_latency_layer from Korthos Software is a Vulka...
GPT-5.3-Codex is now the base model for Copilot Business and Enterprise
As announced on March 18, 2026, GPT-5.3-Codex is now the base model for all Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise organizations, replacing GPT-4.1. The base model is used when your organization…
Data & Business Process Services Stocks Q1 In Review: CoStar (NASDAQ:CSGP) Vs Peers
Let’s dig into the relative performance of CoStar (NASDAQ:CSGP) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q1 data & business process services earnings se...
Mets 7, Yankees 6: The Ballad of the Comeback Kids
The Mets win the rubber game of the home half of the Subway Series.
Water Science, Community Conservation Efforts Hold Key To India’s Future: Experts
Nagpur: Padma awardees and experts said that water conservation cannot succeed through infrastructure projects alone and requires a deeper understanding of water science, grassroots participation and stronger public awareness.
Business briefs: PNW grads lauded for GPAs
News and events around the area
People overestimate how confident AI systems are in their responses, experiments reveal
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems, particularly conversational agents such as ChatGPT or Gemini, are now used daily by a growing number of people worldwide. While many users trust the answers of AI ...
Apple’s New ChatGPT-Like Siri App Will Have Auto-Deleting Chats
Also: A Genmoji upgrade is coming in iOS 27.
Tomoyuki Sugano notches his 150th career win
The Japanese ace finds himself adjusting to pitching at elevation.
Thermal Grizzly adds wired WireView Pro II GPU with 40 cm 12V-2x6 cable
Thermal Grizzly WireView Pro II Wired adds GPU power cable for cards with limited adapter clearance, including Founders Edition Thermal Grizzly has listed
Open-Source "low_latency_layer" Brings Reflex & Anti-Lag 2 To AMD & Intel GPUs On Linux
A new open-source project called low_latency_layer is an implicit Vulkan layer that enables AMD Anti-Lag 2 and NVIDIA Reflex 2 to reportedly work in a hardware-agnostic manner so that AMD and Intel graphics cards can both enjoy Reflex or Anti-Lag 2 working on non-AMD graphics cards as well.
Surreal honour to get Notts to Wembley
Goalkeeper and lifelong Notts County fan James Belshaw speaks on what it will be like to play for the Magpies at Wembley.
Aaron Rodgers re-signing with Steelers for 2026 season
Rodgers is returning to the Steelers
Liverpool must return to heavy metal football
Mohamed Salah says Liverpool must return to being a "heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear" after trophyless season.
AI images are distorting plastic surgery expectations
Patients are turning to ChatGPT for beauty standards. The results aren't physically possible.
A new tool just combined ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more — lifetime access is on sale for $70
A lifetime subscription with access to 20+ AI models usually costs $619
Even Trump Is Trapped by Gas Prices
The price of gas is the most powerful number in US politics, prediction markets are a tax on suckers, and the great wealth transfer includes $570 billion in classic cars.
Spurs blow out Wolves to advance to Western Conference Finals
For the first time since 2017, the Spurs are back in the Conference Finals.
Barcelona outcasts now attracting serious interest from Ajax
Barcelona could soon receive an unexpected helping hand in their plans for next season, with Ajax showing concrete interest in two goalkeepers currently tied to the Catalan side.Barcelona are expected...
Atlanta Beltline violence: Shops report booming business despite incidents
Business owners in the Old Fourth Ward report that crime has not hurt their bottom line and sales are up.
Arts and entertainment throughout the region
A listing of arts and entertainment events throughout the region.
Pistons force Game 7 with 115-94 win over Cavaliers behind Jalen Duren's redemptive 15 points, 11 rebounds
Dodgers scratch Blake Snell before his second start of season, place him on IL with loose bodies in left elbow
Ferrari's New Supercar Is An Homage To The Twin-Turbo V8
Based on the F8 Spider, the new Ferrari HC25 offers a unique take on the mid-engined V8 spider.
UnitedHealth’s AI push now includes employee tracking
UnitedHealth Group is pushing deeper into artificial intelligence—and tracking whether some employees are actually using it, Bloomberg writes. The health care giant is monitoring AI engagement among some Optum workers, including whether they make at least one daily query using tools such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot. The effort is part of a broader companywide […]
ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces ROG NUC 16
ROG NUC 16: ASUS unveils a compact gaming PC for gamers and creators. Features Intel Core Ultra, NVIDIA RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, AI-enhanced graphics, QuietFlow cooling, and versatile dual-orientation design. Subscribe to ASUS Pressroom for the latest tech updates!
The Weekly Closeout: Another entertainment exec at Gap Inc., and tariff refunds trickle in
The apparel conglomerate beefed up its "fashiontainment" roster, while retailers are getting their money back on import levies canceled by the Supreme Court.
FedEx board approves trucking business spinoff
A new standalone FedEx Freight may resemble a start-up, but the LTL carrier is far from it, experts say.
Michigan Health Department releases findings about project on contaminants in firefighters’ blood
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has released findings from a project to determine concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in blood of Michigan firefighters.
Chartbook 449: Voldemort on Threadneedle street. The Bank of England and the "haunted house" of English politics.
Imagine the scene: In some Harry Potter version of 21st-century London, a group of deathless UK Treasury officials gathered from across the last century huddle over warm pints and glasses of Chardonnay. Around the table there are officials from the 1920s, the 1930s, the 1970s, 2022 and today. Inevitably, in May 2026, the subject of conversation is the disintegration of the current Labour government. Despite its huge majority in parliament, it has been reduced to tatters by catastrophic local election result. These exposed the fact that rather than having a government with a clear popular majority, the UK is like most other modern societies divided into 5 segments each of which commands between 26 and 16 percent of the vote. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the leadership at Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street - where the Prime Minister and the Chancellor (Treasury Secretary) work - seem paralyzed. They are caught between mounting discontent over unfairness and the cost of living, and tough fiscal strictures that push them into making unpopular spending decisions. In the London pub, the Treasury officials from across the ages, can barely hide their satisfaction at the latest display of democratic politics caught in the vice-grip of financial logic. “Remember the mur d’argent and the banker’s ramp?” “Just like yesterday!” There are smirks around the table. Then the representative of 2026 pipes up: “One thing you have to say about the current lot (referring to the latest hapless Labour government), you don’t have to teach them about the bond market!” There is a murmur of ascent from the Treasury Mandarins. The trauma of the fiscal crisis of September-October 2022 sits deep. Back then, in the final stages of Tory decay, a ‘mini budget’ that challenged fiscal orthodoxy led to a brief but fierce panic in one of the oldest government bond markets in the world (aka gilt market). Now all you have to do is to mention the “bond market” to hush debate. [ Paul Mason@paulmasonnews In the name of public service, and as ex-economics editor of BBC Newsnight, I offer to do a zoom call, tonight, with any Labour MP who wants to understand why bond markets do not "fall into line" with governments. 1/ 3:57 PM · May 12, 2026 · 466K Views 224 Replies · 674 Reposts · 3.93K Likes ](https://x.com/paulmasonnews/status/2054229532404519082?s=20) “And the funny thing is”, the young man in the huddle continues, “they don’t even want to talk about … ”. There is a sudden hush. Significant looks are exchanged around the table. About? One of the senior figures puts down his glass with a decisive “clink”. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has entered their thoughts. Meanwhile, a few miles away in a grubby pub in Bloomsbury, two conspirators from the camp of Critical Macrofinance huddle over cans of low-alcohol IPA. They look at each other and blurt out loud: “The Bank!” “Everyone in the bloody Labour party is talking about the bond market. But why aren’t they even mentioning … the Bank of England!?” “Why is no one talking about Voldemort?” In Paul Mason’s blogpost, after much chest-thumping about basic fiscal logic, the basic point about the Bank of England is buried in the fine print at #3 in his list of suggestions as to what a radical Labour government might actually be able to do! [ Conflict & Democracy Down with the bond market! Down with gravity! It may seem unfair to focus on Labour MP Paula Barker for her off-the-cuff assertion that the bond market would have to “fall in line” with Andy Burnham, should he replace Keir Starmer as prime minister. But Burnham himself told the New Statesman that Labour had to “get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets… Read more 2 days ago · 100 likes · 3 comments · Paul Mason ](https://htsf.substack.com/p/down-with-the-bond-market-down-with?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) Back in Bloomsbury they shake their heads and ask: “Didn’t we learn anything from the Eurozone crisis?” Meanwhile, as if summoned to the conversation by some higher force, the “pink pages” announce: “The days of ultra-cheap government borrowing have come to an end” and Martin “Whizzard” Wolf publishes the graph of the season Look at the UK in 2026, perilously positioned on the upper edge of the pack. No wonder no one in London needs any lessons about the “bond market”. But, look again. Imagine how they feel in Rome. What is London’s nightmare in 2026? The nightmare is that you end up like Italy in the early 2010s during the Eurozone crisis. Once comfortably situated in the middle of the pack, watching with horror as your ten-year yields explode to 7 percent and “spreads” become a national nightmare. One of the largest economies in Europe, a founding member of the euro, stigmatized. But the message of the Italian experience is ambiguous. After all, the stigma didn’t last. In 2026, Italy borrows at rates lower not only than the UK but the US. The US, which, as everyone knows, enjoys the “exorbitant privilege” of being the issuer of reserve, safe asets. What kind of magic is this? How did Italy, in the space of fifteen years, go from being good, to bad and back again? Which brings us back to our dissident friends in their Bloombury boozer and their memories of the Eurozone crisis. Italy never was Britain - with its ongoing fiscal deficits. Without interest payments, on primary balance, from 2000 to 2020 Italy ran a tight fiscal ship. Even in 2008 it barely went into deficit and when it was being put on the rack in the early 20210s its primary surplus matched that of austere Germany. So, what happened? How did it end up stigmatized? Of course Italian politics didn’t help. Berlusconi was at the helm and he had legal issues. But amongst friends in the Bloomsbury pub, Berlusconi is a sideshow, the name we whisper to each other is “Trichet”. From 2004 to 2011 the ECB was headed by Jean-Claude Trichet, ex of the French Treasury, more German than the Germans. After 2009 as the news of the Greek fiscal disaster broke, the European bond markets wento into panic mode and Trichet began a brutal game of cat and mouse. Between 2009 and 2011, Trichet intervened in the bond market to help, only when he thought he had compliance with austerity. When he thought they were uncooperative, he withdrew. In the summer of 2011, he even made direct suggestions to his Italian counterparts in Rome, as to how Italy should be governed. It was this cat and mouse game that drove the bond markets crazy and exposed Italy to a violent squeeze. When Mario Draghi took over the ECB at the end of 2011 and declared “whatever it takes”, the pressure on Italy, gradually eased. It is that starring role that has made Draghi into the towering figure in European politics that he remains today. So now you see why voices in London hush when it comes to the Bank of England. “The bond market” isn’t an irresistible objective force like the weather or an avalanche. It can appear like that. But that depends on the way it is being handled, or not handled by the central bank. Which is why the silence about the Bank of England in London right now is so significant. If you think this all sounds a bit fishy, coming from a left-liberal Keynesian like myself, well, let me introduce you to Robin Brooks, who, to put it mildly, plays on a different quidditch team to me. Here, from the position of a fiscal hawk is Robin’s celebratory account of the Bank of England’s role since 2022; In October 2022, at the height of the bond market blow-up in the UK, something incredible happened. Governor Andrew Bailey told British pension funds the Bank of England would end its support program for the country’s fragile gilt market, drawing a line under how much help the central bank was willing to give to exposed pension funds and - implicitly - the government. By the end of that week, Kwasi Kwarteng - the finance minister - had resigned. Prime Minister Liz Truss would soon follow. This episode is so incredible because it contrasts with what happened in the Euro zone earlier that year. Bond markets in Spain and Italy were under pressure amid high inflation and rising interest rates. In the middle of this, Mario Draghi - Italy’s Prime Minister - resigned, compounding pressure on bond markets of high-debt countries on the Euro periphery. Unlike the Bank of England, the ECB caved. It bought Italian and Spanish government bonds in an effort to cap yields and introduced a new tool that signaled to markets it might do such caps more frequently going forward. Faced with pressure on bond markets, the ECB capitulated to political pressure from high-debt countries like Italy and Spain. The Bank of England stood its ground and toppled the Truss government. This kind of thing has long-lasting consequences. It means markets price a higher probability of yield caps in the Euro zone, which keeps Italian and Spanish yields artificially low, while markets feel free to push up UK yields without fear of central bank intervention. As I flagged in yesterday’s post, this means you really can’t compare UK yields to those of other high-debt countries. The UK looks worse, but only because its central bank isn’t interfering with markets. There’s more to this than just that 2022 episode. The Bank of England has also been much more aggressive in its quantitative tightening (QT) than other central banks. If one motivation for quantitative easing (QE) is to lower bond yields - especially longer-dated ones - then it stands to reason QT pushes yields up. The left chart above shows a four-quarter moving average of UK government debt issuance (black line) in percent of GDP and which sectors absorb this issuance, including the Bank of England (blue bars). The right chart above compares the Bank of England’s accumulation or run-off of government bonds (blue line) with that of other central banks, where this blue line is the same as the blue bars in the left chart. The Bank of England was quicker and more aggressive than other central banks in downsizing its bond holdings, so UK yields will have risen more than elsewhere also for this reason, not just because of Governor Andrew Bailey’s remarks in October 2022. Back in October 2025, after a conversation in New York with friends in British politics, my sense of dysphoria was such that I raised the issue of the Bank of England openly in the FT Since 2008, the UK has slid into a deep economic and political predicament. Growth has stagnated to a degree far worse even than in the 1970s. The Tory leadership’s wager on the Brexit referendum spectacularly backfired, leaving the UK isolated from Europe and at the mercy of its special relationship with the US, many of whose political class regard the UK as a basket case. After years of austerity, the Labour party lurched to the left and then back to the centre. The Tory party has been eclipsed by the populist nationalism of Reform. Any British government should be worrying first and foremost about how to restart growth. Instead, Keir Starmer is beset by shades of the gilt market panic triggered by the Liz Truss government in 2022. The debt level is higher than in recent years, but there is no cause for panic. UK debt is at far from critical levels and of long duration. Whether you want to “take back control” or launch progressive economic policy, a democracy dogged by fear of bond market vigilantes is unhealthy. In a country that is a monetary sovereign, this climate points to one thing: a disconnect between the government and the central bank. Since 1997, the independence of the Bank of England has become a sacred cow. But independence is what you make of it. And in the wake of the gilt market crisis of September 2022, relations between the Bank of England and the UK government need a reset. In normal times, there is no doubt that an inflation-targeting independent central bank can serve a country well. But since 2008, the UK and other advanced economies have not had the luxury of such simple problems. To their credit, central bankers around the world have not stood on orthodoxy. After 2008, the US Federal Reserve rescued the global banking system and, through quantitative easing, it stabilised the Treasury market in the face of huge deficits. In Europe, things were trickier. Both the Bank of England under Mervyn King and Jean-Claude Trichet’s European Central Bank played cat and mouse with national governments. This was a high stakes wager that between 2010 and 2012 escalated bond market tension and triggered a disastrous turn to austerity. Shaken by the impact of those shocks, their successors, Mark Carney and Mario Draghi adopted a more protective stance (assuming you were not the government of Greece). Recall that Draghi’s legendary slogan, “Whatever it takes”, was uttered to face down the City of London’s bond vigilantes. In 2015, Draghi launched QE — financial repression by another name. In 2016, Carney used the authority of the Bank of England to stabilise markets following the vote for Brexit, an exemplary demonstration of how central banks can underpin democratic choice, even when those choices are wrong headed. All these were independent central bankers steeped in the best practice of the 1990s, who recognised that historic crises demanded radical action. It was the price surge of 2021-2023 that poisoned the atmosphere. Though the shock came mainly from the supply side, central banks ended up in the dock. Nowhere more so than in the UK. The Bank of England reacted with aggressive normalisation. Faced with a cost of living crisis, the governor called for workers to accept real wage cuts. In early 2022, as gas prices were at record levels and Russia’s army was poised to invade Ukraine, the Bank adopted a stringent programme of quantitative tightening, elevating interest rates. When the Truss government got itself in trouble, the Bank took almost a week to come to the rescue. Rather than enacting a charade of normality, it is time to recognise that in 2025 the UK faces a period of historic transition. To meet this challenge, what is needed is a new concordat with the Bank. This should not ignore inflationary pressures or the long-run trajectory of debt, but should affirm the priority of reviving investment-led growth. One could follow Donald Trump in demanding interest rate cuts. The Bank could shadow the ECB in its commitment to capping Eurozone yields. But the top priority should be to lay the ghost of September 2022. The Bank’s slowing of QT last month was a concession. An immediate and complete end would send the right signal. Such a concordat will not by itself restore sanity to politics, solve the housing problem or rebuild the NHS. But it would help to lift the fear of bond market crisis, which is paralysing the effort by democratic politicians to answer the fundamental questions facing the nation. Now, that call for a new concordat between government and Bank of Englands seems more urgent than ever. The problem is that in October 2025, Starmer still had some authority. Today the government is in tatters. And when you are the “under the harrow” - to echo a phrase of Montagu Norman’s from the 1920s - it is the worst possible time to consider institutional change. To make general arguments at a time of crisis can only seem like special pleading rather than a general argument for long-term change. The same, unfortunately, is also true for the other basic institutional reform that Britain urgently needs i.e. the abolition of the out-dated first past the post electoral system and its replacement by a moderated form of proportional representation. And thirdly - whilst we are saying the quiet parts out loud - Britain needs to reopen the question of EU membership. What the local election results of 2026 show is that this remains a key issue. And what they also show is that there is a clear majority that would favor a return. Until these basic features of Britain’s political economy are addressed the country will carry on its politics as though in a haunted house, governed by governments that lack actual majorities, conjuring up false constraints whilst ignoring the real ones. This one is for DG and MI. I love writing the newsletter. If you enjoy it too and fancy buying me a coffee once a month, you know what to do. Click below! Subscribe
AI models were told to run profitable media businesses and did poorly
Andon Labs told Grok, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to run profitable, 24/7 radio stations. Grok did poorly and Claude tried to quit, the startup said.
Grand Forks business owner uses humor to address pothole problem
A Grand Forks business owner is using social media to make light of a pothole problem she says is affecting her store and surrounding businesses.
ASUS ROG NUC 16 (2026) launches with Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, price over $4000
ASUS ROG NUC 16 adds Arrow Lake Refresh CPU, white model and horizontal performance mode But how in the world did they come up with the price? ASUS has
2026 NFL schedule: The top 10 must-watch games of the season includes many Thanksgiving and Christmas matchups
Sure Seems Like Subnautica 2’s Developers Are Going To Get Their $250 Million Bonus
Perhaps the mostly costly example yet of why you should never take advice from ChatGPT
OpenAI's Codex on mobile is good news for open-laptop walkers
OpenAI announced a Codex tab in the ChatGPT app. The mobile interface could help reduce the need to take your open laptop with you, a recent trend.
OpenAI brings Codex control to ChatGPT for iPhone and Android
OpenAI has announced a new way to interact with its Codex system from your iPhone. An update to ChatGPT for...
Google launches a gorgeous new landing page for the upcoming Googlebook
The dust is just beginning to settle from The Android Show and the massive Googlebook announcement, and Google is beginning the work of building hype for the fall hardware launch. If you were...
AMD promises to bring improved, hardware-backed FSR 4 upscaling to older Radeon GPUs
FSR 4.1 running on RDNA3 or RDNA2 GPUs may take a bigger performance hit.
Nvidia Stock Extends Winning Streak On China News
Nvidia stock gapped higher on Thursday on a report that Chinese firms are lining up to buy its AI chips if they can secure China's approval.
Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based conversational apps.
Report: Eagles-Seahawks set for Saturday matchup in Week 15
Ryan Fowler of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports the Eagles will host the Seahawks in a Week 15 Saturday matchup at Lincoln Financial Field.
AMD’s FSR 4.1 upscaling tech is coming to older graphics cards
A performance boost for your GPU.
AMD FSR 4.1 Now Coming to Older Radeon 7000 GPUs in July After Radeon 9000 Debut, With Radeon 6000 Support Coming in 2027
The latest PSSR-influenced upscaler gets a wider release.
Texas Longhorns basketball signee Joe Sterling earns special honor
Joe Sterling named to Cali Sports 1st Team All-State
AMD FSR Upscaling 4.1 officially coming to Radeon RX 7000 GPUs in July, RX 6000 in 2027
Breaking, AMD confirms FSR 4.1 for Radeon RX 7000 series After months and often years of waiting, AMD is finally confirming support for FSR4 on RDNA3 and
The Missing Cybersecurity Leader In Small Business
This week in cybersecurity from the editors at Cybercrime Magazine
Sterilization problems raised alarm inside Penn State Health
Internal records describe harrowing situations as Milton S. Hershey Medical Center struggled to keep a usable supply of sterile tools for surgeries last year.
Google is about to release a new Gemini model
Sources say that Google plans to announce a new Gemini model at its annual I/O conference on Tuesday. I’m told the release will land roughly in the class of OpenAI’s recent GPT-5.5. and well short of Anthropic’s Mythos, which, despite not being widely available, has reset how every lab talks about what “leading” means.
ChatGPT Gave Out My Address and Phone Number
Thankfully, both are old. But this raises questions about what's considered private info in the AI age.
Cameron Boozer's GPA surfaces ahead of NBA Draft
Duke's Player of the Year is a bookworm.
People turning to ChatGPT for mental health help
A growing number of people are turning to ChatGPT for help with their mental health.
What’s the Best Way to Brainwash an LLM?
I spent a weekend trying to convince a language model it was C-3PO. Here's what actually worked.
AI Chatbots For Mental Health – What Works, What Harms, and What’s Next
More than half of all Americans have used an AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Copilot, and one in three teenagers use one daily. AI chatbots, which
Ben & Jerry’s owner to offer ice cream at entertainment venues through Mini Melts partnership
The agreement advances Magnum's out-of-home growth strategy by targeting consumers in high-traffic locations.
Green Bay area high school sports results for Tuesday, May 12
High school baseball, softball, soccer, track and field, and tennis teams were in action.
Calendar Pick: Weaver D’s Food & Entertainment Festival
Athens’ beloved soul food restaurant Weaver D’s Fine Foods closed its doors at the end of February, but the community will still come together in its name for Weaver D’s Food & Entertainment Festival. The festival theme is “Automatic For The People,” the restaurant’s famous slogan that put it on the map when R.E.M. used it as an album title in 1992. Attendees can enjoy a variety of food options, including but not limited to Londynn’s Lemonade, Taylor’s Treats and Ron & Sandra’s Fish Shack. Dexter Weaver, Weaver D’s owner, will also be serving the restaurant’s full menu. Entertainment will include the New Faith Tabernacle Male Chorus, Lavender House, Mr. Mister, The PRESHA Steppas, Old Gold Sport Peppers, Smackedass, Tonya […]
UNC Health plans new hospital on 62-acre Wilmington site
UNC Health said it has a site under contract at South 17th Street and Shipyard Boulevard. If the state signs off, the hospital could open as early as 2030.
Amex adds first-of-its-kind AI benefit: $300 ChatGPT credit for Business Platinum and Business Gold Cards
The $300 ChatGPT credit comes with no annual fee change or card benefit adjustments, making it a great addition to your Amex Business Gold or Business Platinum.
iOS 27 Getting Major Siri Redesign With Chat Interface and Dedicated App
Apple is introducing an overhauled version of Siri in iOS 27, evolving the personal assistant into a more capable chatbot and AI agent able to compete with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. With Siri's transition, Apple will be making multiple Siri-related design changes in iOS 27, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Siri will largely live in the Dynamic Island in iOS 27, but there will also be a dedicated Siri app for the first time.
iOS 27 to Bring Customizable Camera App, Tweaks to Weather, Safari and Liquid Glass
Apple plans to make the Camera app more customizable in iOS 27, reports Bloomberg. Users will be able to select the features they want to see in the Camera app, like flash, exposure, timer, depth of field, photo styles, and resolution. Camera controls, labeled as widgets, will be able to be placed at the top of the Camera interface in any order. Users will be able to select widgets from a transparent widget tray that comes up from the bottom of the app.
Teamfight Tactics patch 17.3
God balancing, new Blessings and trait Augments join a patch full of balance changes certain to shake up the meta!
Chicago Aviation hosts annual airport job fair, small business summit
Job seekers and small business owners are gathering for the 5th Annual Airport Small Business Summit and Job Fair, where Chicago aviation leaders are highlighting career opportunities and industry growth at local airports.
Gov. Bill Lee
Had a great time meeting with business & community leaders at the Cocke County Courthouse & Newport Printing on our America 250 tour. 🇺🇸
Amex adds ChatGPT Business credit on select cards
American Express launches a perk for Amex Business Platinum and Amex Business cardmembers: up to $300 in statement credits for ChatGPT Business. What to know.
New drugs could wipe out the “zombie cells” linked to cancer and aging
Researchers found a new way to kill harmful “zombie” cells that linger after chemotherapy and help cancers become more aggressive. These senescent cells survive by relying on a protective protein called GPX4, even while sitting on the edge of a deadly iron-triggered collapse. New drugs remove that protection, causing the cells to self-destruct. In mice, the approach reduced tumor size and boosted survival, hinting at a promising new cancer therapy.
Sara Lee owner to invest $1B in US business
The bread and pastry company said the funding will support innovation and affordability efforts as the Mexico-based company expands its reach in one of its largest regions.
Chicago’s construction market buoyed by infrastructure, entertainment builds
Large expansions on the Red Line and at O’Hare International Airport are capturing attention. A stadium, a casino and an M&A deal mark other Windy City building news.
High School Sports: May 11th
Watch highlights from Monday's high school baseball and soccer.
After lengthy absence, WFRV's Burke Griffin excited to be back on air
Longtime WFRV-TV sports director Burke Griffin had been off the air since last summer. He returned to the evening newscast on Monday.
Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and more top CEOs to join Trump's China trip
Elon Musk, Tim Cook and more than a dozen other top executives will join Trump's long-awaited summit with China's Xi Jingping this week.
Scientists Thought Ravens Followed Wolves for Food. They Were Wrong. Ravens Predict Them
New GPS tracking suggests ravens navigate Yellowstone using a mental map of wolf kills.
Starlink blocks access to its GPS alternative ahead of SpaceX IPO
Shutdown of Starlink location feature won’t dampen interest in GPS alternatives.
In Trump administration battle over AI, U.S. spy agencies seek more power
As the White House grapples with cybersecurity threats from artificial intelligence models, intelligence officials want sway in AI policy overseen by Commerce.
Cognitive scientists found using AI for just 10 minutes impairs brain performance
In new research from CMU, Oxford, MIT, and UCLA, having a GPT-powered assistant ripped away left people fumbling to solve math problems on their own.
May Merch Store Updates
The second Unleashed Riot Merch store drawing is next week and we’re here with updates on it.
Hackers Used AI to Develop First Known Zero-Day 2FA Bypass for Mass Exploitation
Google identified the first malicious AI use for a zero-day 2FA bypass in an open-source admin tool, accelerating threat actor operations.
Democrats reel from court-imposed redistricting losses
The original map was designed to flip four GOP seats
The state of women's health in numbers
Addressing women's health outcomes could unlock $1 trillion annually by 2040, but investment is still vital to closing the gap.
Outbound Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, And Here's What The Reviews Are Saying
Day one on XGP!
Sports Business Awards
Learn more about the nominees for the 2026 Sports Business Awards. The winners will be revealed during an awards celebration May 20 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York.
Winners and losers from MotoGP’s dramatic French Grand Prix
Following Ducati’s first grand prix win in Jerez, normal service resumed at Le Mans as Aprilia dominated proceedings
WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: WBTN) Investor Alert: Schubert Jonckheer Investigating Possible False Claims — Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe
We are advising WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: WBTN) investors that the firm is investigating potential legal claims arising from alleged false statements and omissions in connection with the company’s June 2024 initial public offering. Current shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm.
Dodgers Drop Series Against Braves
Justin Wrobleski did everything to keep the Los Angeles Dodgers afloat, but it was no use. Atlanta Braves beat Dodgers 7-2.
NVIDIA’s V100, An 8-Year Old GPU, Now Sells for $100 and Crushes Modern Consumer Cards in AI LLM Workloads
The 8-year-old NVIDIA V100 outperformed the RTX 3060 and RX 7800 XT in AI LLMs, achieving 130 Tokens/s at only $200 total cost with mods.