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OpenAI has crossed a threshold it calls Critical with its new model, Astra. The system can independently identify previously unknown software vulnerabilities and develop working exploits against hardened targets, all without human direction. That's a meaningful escalation in what AI can do offensively, and it raises serious questions about how quickly defensive tools can keep pace.
Shifting gears to the AI running on your desk rather than in a data center, DeepSeek's V four Flash model is now reportedly running locally on Apple's M five Max chip, with the Redis creator Antirez adding vision capabilities to the DS four project. It's a reminder that the frontier isn't only in the cloud, and that open, tinkerable AI continues to close the gap with proprietary systems faster than most expected.
And in Y Combinator news, an early look at the S twenty six batch is circulating, with analysts at Access Fund breaking down the cohort's themes and bets. The batch appears heavily weighted toward AI infrastructure and developer tooling, reflecting where venture appetite sits right now as the application layer starts to mature.
Keep surfing. Tech Beat out.
