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  • Ask AI Why It Sucks at Sudoku. You’ll Find Out Something Troubling About Chatbots

    Ask AI Why It Sucks at Sudoku. You’ll Find Out Something Troubling About Chatbots

    Chatbots are genuinely impressive when you watch them do things they’re good at, like writing a basic email or creating weird futuristic-looking images. But ask generative AI to solve one of those puzzles in the back of a newspaper, and things can quickly go off the rails.

    That’s what researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found when they challenged large language models to solve Sudoku. And not even the standard 9×9 puzzles. An easier 6×6 puzzle was often beyond the capabilities of an LLM without outside help (in this case, specific puzzle-solving tools).

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    A more important finding came when the models were asked to show their work. For the most part, they couldn’t. Sometimes they lied. Sometimes they explained things in ways that made no sense. Sometimes they hallucinated and started talking about the weather.

    If gen AI tools can’t explain their decisions accurately or transparently, that should cause us to be cautious as we give these things more control over our lives and decisions, said Ashutosh Trivedi, a computer science professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and one of the authors of the paper published in July in the Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics.

    “We would really like those explanations to be transparent and be reflective of why AI made that decision, and not AI trying to manipulate the human by providing an explanation that a human might like,” Trivedi said.

    When you make a decision, you can try to justify it, or at least explain how you arrived at it. An AI model may not be able to accurately or transparently do the same. Would you trust it?

    Watch this: Telsa Found Liable for Autopilot accident, Tariffs Start to Impact Prices & More | Tech Today

    Why LLMs struggle with Sudoku

    We’ve seen AI models fail at basic games and puzzles before. OpenAI’s ChatGPT (among others) has been totally crushed at chess by the computer opponent in a 1979 Atari game. A recent research paper from Apple found that models can struggle with other puzzles, like the Tower of Hanoi.

    It has to do with the way LLMs work and fill in gaps in information. These models try to complete those gaps based on what happens in similar cases in their training data or other things they’ve seen in the past. With a Sudoku, the question is one of logic. The AI might try to fill each gap in order, based on what seems like a reasonable answer, but to solve it properly, it instead has to look at the entire picture and find a logical order that changes from puzzle to puzzle. 

    Read more: AI Essentials: 29 Ways You Can Make Gen AI Work for You, According to Our Experts

    Chatbots are bad at chess for a similar reason. They find logical next moves but don’t necessarily think three, four, or five moves ahead — the fundamental skill needed to play chess well. Chatbots also sometimes tend to move chess pieces in ways that don’t really follow the rules or put pieces in meaningless jeopardy. 

    You might expect LLMs to be able to solve Sudoku because they’re computers and the puzzle consists of numbers, but the puzzles themselves are not really mathematical; they’re symbolic. “Sudoku is famous for being a puzzle with numbers that could be done with anything that is not numbers,” said Fabio Somenzi, a professor at CU and one of the research paper’s authors.

    I used a sample prompt from the researchers’ paper and gave it to ChatGPT. The tool showed its work, and repeatedly told me it had the answer before showing a puzzle that didn’t work, then going back and correcting it. It was like the bot was turning in a presentation that kept getting last-second edits: This is the final answer. No, actually, never mind, this is the final answer. It got the answer eventually, through trial and error. But trial and error isn’t a practical way for a person to solve a Sudoku in the newspaper. That’s way too much erasing and ruins the fun.

    A robot plays chess against a person.

    AI and robots can be good at games if they’re built to play them, but general-purpose tools like large language models can struggle with logic puzzles.

    Ore Huiying/Bloomberg via Getty Images

    AI struggles to show its work

    The Colorado researchers didn’t just want to see if the bots could solve puzzles. They asked for explanations of how the bots worked through them. Things did not go well.

    Testing OpenAI’s o1-preview reasoning model, the researchers saw that the explanations — even for correctly solved puzzles — didn’t accurately explain or justify their moves and got basic terms wrong. 

    “One thing they’re good at is providing explanations that seem reasonable,” said Maria Pacheco, an assistant professor of computer science at CU. “They align to humans, so they learn to speak like we like it, but whether they’re faithful to what the actual steps need to be to solve the thing is where we’re struggling a little bit.”

    Sometimes, the explanations were completely irrelevant. Since the paper’s work was finished, the researchers have continued to test new models released. Somenzi said that when he and Trivedi were running OpenAI’s o4 reasoning model through the same tests, at one point, it seemed to give up entirely. 

    “The next question that we asked, the answer was the weather forecast for Denver,” he said.

    (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

    Explaining yourself is an important skill

    When you solve a puzzle, you’re almost certainly able to walk someone else through your thinking. The fact that these LLMs failed so spectacularly at that basic job isn’t a trivial problem. With AI companies constantly talking about “AI agents” that can take actions on your behalf, being able to explain yourself is essential.

    Consider the types of jobs being given to AI now, or planned for in the near future: driving, doing taxes, deciding business strategies and translating important documents. Imagine what would happen if you, a person, did one of those things and something went wrong.

    “When humans have to put their face in front of their decisions, they better be able to explain what led to that decision,” Somenzi said.

    It isn’t just a matter of getting a reasonable-sounding answer. It needs to be accurate. One day, an AI’s explanation of itself might have to hold up in court, but how can its testimony be taken seriously if it’s known to lie? You wouldn’t trust a person who failed to explain themselves, and you also wouldn’t trust someone you found was saying what you wanted to hear instead of the truth. 

    “Having an explanation is very close to manipulation if it is done for the wrong reason,” Trivedi said. “We have to be very careful with respect to the transparency of these explanations.”


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  • Sleep, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and risk of cataract: a cross-sectional and prospective study from UK Biobank | BMC Medicine

    Sleep, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and risk of cataract: a cross-sectional and prospective study from UK Biobank | BMC Medicine

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  • Taponen happy with maiden Feature Race podium but already focused on Monza and chance of first F3 win

    Taponen happy with maiden Feature Race podium but already focused on Monza and chance of first F3 win

    Tuukka Taponen stood on an FIA Formula 3 Feature Race podium for the first time this season in Budapest, achieving a P3 result on Sunday for ART Grand Prix.

    The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent was able to hold off a host of rivals in the closing laps around a drying Hungaroring to secure his visit to the rostrum.

    Reflecting on the race and the weekend overall, the Finn says it was an important milestone in his rookie campaign, but he was not surprised by the result having shown pace all season long.

    “Obviously I need to be happy for that, but I’m not celebrating massively because I knew it’s been there waiting for me. And I have had a couple of P4’s this year earlier on, so it’s not a surprise I would say, but happy to have finally podium on Sunday as well.

    “I didn’t really have the pace. I managed to hold them behind, but it was never easy. At some point I was starting to think that we were going to need to do a pit stop. Because it started to be sunny, and I started to see some dry spots on the track.

    “But anyway, slicks were never quicker than the wet tyres. So luckily, the conditions were not as bad as in Spa, and we were able to able to drive this as a proper wet race.”

    Diving into the specifics of why the results haven’t come sooner, Taponen explained that Qualifying has been the limiting factor in 2025.

    Taponen says that Qualifying was the key to his maiden F3 Feature Race podium in Budapest

    While he and his teammates James Wharton and Laurens van Hoepen have felt comfortable earlier in the grid-setting sessions, it’s making an improvement on the final laps that have held ART back according to the Finn.

    So he was not surprised to be fighting for the top spots after executing a clean Qualifying session around the Hungaroring, where he fought for Pole Position.

    READ MORE: Ferrari’s Jérôme d’Ambrosio on Rafael Câmara’s F3 title and how he’s evolved in 2025

    “We have done a decent job to be able to qualify well, and that helps obviously for the race. The only problem the last couple of weekends has been being able to put the lap in on the last set of tyres in qualifying.

    “The last set of tyres matters so much in this Championship, because you get a better track, you get less fuel, so you always improve the lap time. You get also better feeling with the car as a driver.

    “So last three weekends, I have not been able to complete that last push, and that’s why the qualifying result has been so bad. This weekend, I managed to do it, and that P3 is completely where we should be. And again, that’s not a surprise. It might look like a surprise because the last few weekends have been very bad, but we know clearly what the issue has been.

    The Finn is already eyeing up his first win and is targeting a season-ending victory at Monza
    The Finn is already eyeing up his first win and is targeting a season-ending victory at Monza

    Looking ahead to the finale next month at Monza, Taponen is bracing for a chaotic Qualifying session to end the year on, as everyone fights for a slipstream around the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

    The ART driver believes that it will be crucial to find the ideal track position to ensure the benefits of a tow and avoid being at the head of the queue and ending up without one.

    “We are gonna need to keep in mind Monza is probably going to be a big mess with finding good track position for Qualifying. No one who wants to lead the back and go alone, because if you go alone, it’s just very difficult to get pole position or even a top five.

    “Winning the Feature Race is our target. Now we had the podium, and we will try and do the job in qualifying again, put the car as high as possible, and then we’ll see on Sunday how it goes.”

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  • Rising Chinese squash star Yin Ziyuan impresses on World Games 2025 debut

    Rising Chinese squash star Yin Ziyuan impresses on World Games 2025 debut

    Yin Ziyuan – A future star of the Chinese squash scene?

    Yin’s rapid ascent in squash first started at the age of eight through her father’s club.

    She had tried her hand at several other sports but found herself drawn to squash, a racquet sport well known for its cerebral element as the ‘chess of sports’: “I liked squash because the court is small, it requires a lot of thinking, and it’s fun.

    Nowadays, her schedule works to combine life and sport with a tight daily routine.

    “I usually finish school around 3:30 pm and head straight to the club for training, which lasts until 8 or 9 at night. I study during meals or on the commute home. On weekends, I train longer – about two sessions a day – and spend the rest of the time studying.”

    Just last month, Yin won the U13 girls’ title at the Asian Junior Squash Championships in the Republic of Korea, marking a significant step in her trajectory and a breakthrough for Chinese squash.

    With a fledgling program and no players with a Professional Squash Association (PSA) ranking, Yin’s recent achievement points to a welcomed sense of progress, not least as the sport prepares to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.

    On the possibility of competing at the Olympics, the Shanghai native shared the moment she discovered her sport had made it to the Games.

    “When I found out squash was going to be in the Olympics, I was so excited. I told myself I had a dream: to stand on the Olympic stage one day.

    “There are still three years to go, and I’ll work hard to improve step by step.”

    Now competing at The World Games 2025, Yin is valuing the experience before any results. “Players in the PSA top ten play at such a fast pace, while us juniors are still a bit slower. This match gave me a glimpse of that intensity, and I want to keep learning from it,” she said.

    “Age doesn’t necessarily determine skill. Everyone in the team is training hard.”

    And while her opening round may have started with a loss, Yin is not done yet. She will continue to compete in the classification rounds, where the focus will be on banking crucial minutes of exposure to squash at the international level. “These matches give us more chances to play and learn,” she said, “And that’s really valuable.”

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  • Prince Andrew lost his virginity aged 11, new biography claims

    Prince Andrew lost his virginity aged 11, new biography claims

    Prince Andrew lost his virginity when he was aged 11, a new biography has claimed.

    It is one of a number of explosive claims made in a new biography of the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson by Andrew Lownie.

    Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York covers Andrew’s life including sexual escapades and further ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

    The Royal Family have allegedly tried to have the book banned. It is due to be released later this month.

    In the biography, the author claims the prince lost his virginity aged just 11 and had a number of other sexual experiences before he turned 13.

    The book alleges it became a moment he “realised that he was obsessed with women”.

    It also claims that by the time Andrew became a teenager, he had already slept with “more than half a dozen girls”.

    Referred to as “Randy Andy” in the media in the past, people close to him have suggested these encounters may have shaped the person he became.

    According to the biographer, the young royal’s early sexual encounters “perhaps explains some of the behaviour later on”, with another source also agreeing that it “might be the root of Andrew’s problems.”

    A synopsis of the new book claims: “Based on years of investigation, extensive Freedom of Information requests and more than a hundred interviews with previously silent sources, acclaimed royal expert Andrew Lownie delivers an authoritative and deeply revealing dual portrait of the Duke and Duchess, whose lives and relationship have been marked by privilege, controversy, and public fascination.”

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  • Just 13, rising Chinese squash star Yin Ziyuan impresses on World Games 2025 debut

    Just 13, rising Chinese squash star Yin Ziyuan impresses on World Games 2025 debut

    Yin Ziyuan – A future star of the Chinese squash scene

    Yin’s rapid ascent in squash first started at the age of eight through her father’s club.

    She had tried her hand at several other sports but found herself drawn to squash, a racquet sport well known for its cerebral element as the ‘chess of sports’: “I liked squash because the court is small, it requires a lot of thinking, and it’s fun.

    Nowadays, her schedule works to combine life and sport with a tight daily routine.

    “I usually finish school around 3:30 pm and head straight to the club for training, which lasts until 8 or 9 at night. I study during meals or on the commute home. On weekends, I train longer – about two sessions a day – and spend the rest of the time studying.”

    Just last month, Yin won the U13 girls’ title at the Asian Junior Squash Championships in the Republic of Korea, marking a significant step in her trajectory and a breakthrough for Chinese squash.

    With a fledgling program and no players with a Professional Squash Association (PSA) ranking, Yin’s recent achievement points to a welcomed sense of progress, not least as the sport prepares to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.

    On the possibility of competing at the Olympics, the Shanghai native shared the moment she discovered her sport had made it to the Games.

    “When I found out squash was going to be in the Olympics, I was so excited. I told myself I had a dream: to stand on the Olympic stage one day.

    “There are still three years to go, and I’ll work hard to improve step by step.”

    Now competing at The World Games 2025, Yin is valuing the experience before any results. “Players in the PSA top ten play at such a fast pace, while us juniors are still a bit slower. This match gave me a glimpse of that intensity, and I want to keep learning from it,” she said.

    “Age doesn’t necessarily determine skill. Everyone in the team is training hard.”

    And while her opening round may have started with a loss, Yin is not done yet. She will continue to compete in the classification rounds, where the focus will be on banking crucial minutes of exposure to squash at the international level. “These matches give us more chances to play and learn,” she said, “And that’s really valuable.”

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  • Slot hints at new Liverpool bid for Newcastle’s Isak | Football News

    Slot hints at new Liverpool bid for Newcastle’s Isak | Football News

    Newcastle tells striker Alexander Isak to train alone amid interest from other clubs, including Liverpool.

    Liverpool manager Arne Slot has refused to rule out an improved bid for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak as the Premier League champions consider adding to their formidable firepower as Darwin Nunez is set to leave for Saudi Arabia.

    After a quiet first year in the transfer market under Slot, the Reds have spent almost 300 million pounds ($402m) on forwards Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike as well as full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.

    Nunez is one of a number of significant exits that will help recoup much of that outlay as the Uruguayan closes in on a 46-million-pound ($61.8m) move to Al Hilal.

    Liverpool reportedly had a 110-million-pound ($147.8m) bid for Isak turned down by Newcastle, who are seeking a record British transfer fee.

    The Swedish striker has not been part of the Magpies’ preseason preparations and has been told to train on his own by Newcastle.

    “You never talk about players that are not yours,” Slot said on Friday at his pre-match news conference before Sunday’s Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley, the traditional curtain-raiser for the season.

    “I think we have a lot of attacking power in our team. When I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Mo Salah, Jeremie Frimpong, who can play as a right-winger, Florian Wirtz, who can play as a left-winger, I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my current squad.

    “But as always as a club, we are always looking at the chances in the market.”

    Last season, Liverpool celebrated a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title but were devastated last month by the death of forward Diogo Jota.

    The Portuguese international was killed in a car accident with his brother in northern Spain as he began to make his way back to England for the preseason.

    A series of tributes has been paid to Jota at every Liverpool game since and will continue throughout the season.

    A “Forever 20” emblem, referencing Jota’s now-retired shirt number, will be printed on Liverpool’s shirts this season while a permanent memorial will be installed at Anfield.

    “First of all, tragedy impacted us, but it impacted far more his wife, children and parents,” Slot said.

    “But it impacted us as well, definitely. The tributes that have been done since were all very emotional and impressive every time we were somewhere.

    “It started off in Preston and in Asia as well. It’s been emotional but impressive as well.”

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  • The Black Keys praise Oasis for being ‘electric’

    The Black Keys praise Oasis for being ‘electric’

    The Black Keys gush over ‘amazing’ Oasis 

    The Black Keys believe Oasis have “transformed the continent.”

    Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, who make up the rock duo – played Manchester’s Sounds of the City festival last month, just two days before Oasis’ first homecoming gig at Heaton Park.

    Speaking of the Wonderwall hitmakers’ concert, Dan told The Sun newspaper: “The atmosphere was electric. Our audience was so up for it.”

    “I feel like they’ve transformed the continent. We’ve never seen anything like it,” he added.

    During the Wild Child rockers’ time in Manchester, Dan also visited the Oasis Adidas store. “I had one of the black soccer jerseys made — Oasis on the front and AUERBACH on the back. Had to do it, man, they’re the kings,” he said.

    The Black Keys have written three songs with Noel Gallagher in 2023 and have performed with Liam Gallagher as well so they couldn’t be happier over the reunion of the brothers for an Oasis comeback tour.

    “It was amazing. We just sat in a circle with our instruments and we worked things up from nowhere. Not too long after that we played a song with Liam [in Milan] and hung out with him afterwards. He gave us some really good advice about our setlist,” Dan told the outlet, as he recalled his interaction with Oasis.

    “Noel and Liam are both incredible — we’re really happy for them,” he concluded. 


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  • Wheat hits 5-year low, corn at contract lows as supply pressure builds

    Wheat hits 5-year low, corn at contract lows as supply pressure builds

    Chicago wheat futures slipped to a five-year low on Wednesday, while corn set contract lows for the third session in a row as ample global supply hung over grain markets.

    Massive global supplies of wheat from recent harvests in the United States and Black Sea have flooded the market, while strong export competition and a lack of supply shortfalls have pushed prices to lows, analysts said.

    The most active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade ZW1! ended 1/4 cent higher at $5.08-1/2 a bushel, recovering after hitting $5.04 a bushel, its lowest point since August 2020.

    CBOT most-active corn ZC1! fell 3/4 cent to close at $4.01-1/4 per bushel, rebounding after breaking through the psychological $4 floor.

    Tumbling corn futures have also exerted spillover pressure on the wheat market as producers turn to lower-priced corn to feed poultry and livestock instead of wheat.

    “Wheat is searching for demand,” Brian Basting, analyst at Advance Trading, said.

    Private estimates for massive U.S. corn yields and trade expectations that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will revise its yield estimates higher have weighed heavily on corn futures.

    “You can almost be sure that the USDA will give you a big number too,” Tom Fritz, broker at EFG Group, said.

    The USDA on Monday issued condition ratings that showed U.S. corn conditions were at their highest in nine years, reinforcing the prospect of a bumper U.S. harvest as crops emerge from the crucial pollination period.

    A big second corn crop in Brazil is already flowing onto the market ahead of the autumn U.S. harvest.
    Weakening soymeal futures dragged down the whole soy complex on Wednesday as lackluster demand and a large supply of soymeal hung over the market.

    CBOT soybeans ZS1! settled 6-1/4 cents lower to $9.84-1/2 per bushel.
    source: Reuters


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  • Centuries from Ravindra, Nicholls, Conway earn New Zealand monumental lead of 476 against Zimbabwe

    Centuries from Ravindra, Nicholls, Conway earn New Zealand monumental lead of 476 against Zimbabwe

    BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Three big centuries by top-order New Zealand batters led the Black Caps to a record-breaking 601-3 against an exhaustive Zimbabwe on the second day of the second test on Friday.

    Rachin Ravindra was unbeaten on 165 from 139 balls, featuring 21 fours and two sixes, while Henry Nicholls was not out on 150 as the Black Caps shut out the home team for a monumental lead of 476 runs.

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    Both left-handers combined in an explosive 256-run fourth-wicket stand off 285 balls to surpass New Zealand’s previous best of 582-4 declared against Zimbabwe at the same venue nine years ago.

    Zimbabwe had little to counter the aggression of the top-order batters as New Zealand smacked 427-2 after resuming on a solid 174-1.

    Devon Conway had earlier made 153 with 18 fours for his first test hundred in over two years before being undone by Blessing Muzarabani.

    But that was all Zimbabwe could bag with the second new ball.

    Ravindra exhibited a wide range of shots on both sides of the wicket from the onset and capped a perfect day for the Black Caps when he hammered leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa (1-104) for two fours and two sixes in one over late in the final session.

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    Nicholls has long been struggling to get a regular place in New Zealand test team. But in the absence of Kane Williamson and Tom Latham for the two-test series, he made full use of the opportunity to score his first test hundred since 2023, grinding out his innings off 245 balls with 15 fours.

    Conway and Nicholls grafted a 110-run stand on a day when Zimbabwe spinners couldn’t getting any assistance of a slow wicket as pace bowlers Muzarabani (1-101) and Trevor Gwandu (1-131) also conceded more than 100 runs.

    Earlier, Conway moved to 140 and Nicholls set himself up for a big knock by reaching 41 by lunch as New Zealand cruised to 306-2.

    Zimbabwe tried six bowlers in the session but only Masekesa got success when the leg-spinner dismissed nightwatcher Jacob Duffy for 36 before New Zealand had another productive session of 132-1 as Conway led the charge with his fifth test century.

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    He showed plenty of aggression against the fast bowlers and smashed Tanaka Chivanga through point boundary off the first ball of the day.

    Conway then reached his century off 143 balls when he drove Muzarabani through mid-off for his 13th boundary of the innings, raising both arms to celebrate his much-awaited hundred in the longest format.

    Conway’s last test hundred came against Pakistan at Karachi in 2023. Since then the left-hander had played 16 test matches without a century.

    Zimbabwe lost the first test by nine wickets inside three days and its batting order once again crumbled for 125 on Day 1 against a new crop of New Zealand fast bowlers with Matt Henry and debutant Zakary Foulkes sharing nine wickets between them.

    The two-match series is not part of the World Test Championship.

    ___

    AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

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