China's 'Villager' AI puts hacking on autopilot

PLUS: Harvard's new AI reverses disease, China's brain-like chip, and Gemini overtakes ChatGPT

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Welcome back, AI’ers!

Here’s What’s On The Menu For Today

  • China's 'Villager' AI puts hacking on autopilot

  • A new brain-like AI chip from China

  • Harvard's AI tool that reverses disease

  • Gemini surpasses ChatGPT in app downloads

AI ON MY MIND

Happy Monday,

A new AI tool from a Chinese entity is putting powerful hacking capabilities on autopilot. The tool, named 'Villager', automates complex cyberattacks from start to finish, raising new alarms across the cybersecurity industry.

By using autonomous agents that can even self-destruct to evade detection, this development lowers the barrier for malicious actors significantly. As AI-native offensive tools become more widespread, how will the security industry adapt to defend against attacks that operate at machine speed?

By the way, I've been getting questions about how AI works in practice, so I'm launching a separate newsletter that dives deeper into real business applications and practical advice. [Click here if you're interested].

-Jelani Fuel (Co-founder of Best of AI)

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TODAY’S TOP STORIES

China's 'Villager' AI Puts Hacking on Autopilot

The Recap: A new AI-powered penetration testing tool named 'Villager,' reportedly from a Chinese entity, is rapidly gaining traction with over 11,000 downloads since July. It automates complex cyberattacks, lowering the barrier for novice hackers and raising alarms across the cybersecurity industry.

Unpacked:

  • Villager works by combining the tools of Kali Linux with DeepSeek AI models, spawning autonomous agents that can independently execute entire attack workflows from reconnaissance to exploitation.

  • The tool has seen swift adoption with more than 11,000 downloads from the PyPI repository in just over two months, signaling its potential to empower a wide range of actors.

  • Its design includes advanced features to evade detection, such as using self-contained environments and self-destructing after 24 hours to wipe logs and complicate forensic analysis.

Bottom line: Villager exemplifies a major shift toward AI-native offensive tools that can operate faster and more stealthily than human-led attacks. This development pressures the security industry to accelerate the creation of equally advanced AI-driven defensive measures.

China's 'Brain-Like' AI Breakthrough

The Recap: Chinese researchers published new research on SpikingBrain 1.0, an AI system that mimics human neurons to achieve massive speed gains using domestic hardware.

Unpacked:

  • The system's design is based on neuromorphic computing, which means it mimics the structure and function of the human brain's neurons for greater efficiency.

  • By running on specialized domestic hardware, SpikingBrain 1.0 reportedly operates up to 100 times faster than AI systems using conventional methods.

  • This development marks a notable advance in China's push for self-sufficient AI infrastructure, reducing its reliance on foreign chip technology.

Bottom line: This breakthrough highlights a major step forward in creating AI that computes more like a human brain, potentially leading to more powerful systems. It also signals China's growing capabilities in developing both cutting-edge AI software and the domestic hardware required to power it

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👾 AI Tools We Use Everyday

➡️ N8N for AI Agents - Literally use this everyday to write this newsletter (link)

➡️ Axiom AI - AI Browser automation to scrape anything on the web (link)

➡️ GummySearch - AI Reddit research (link)

Tools are sourced from our database and are not sponsored or affiliated.

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MORE NEWS

Harvard AI Reverses Disease in Cells

The Recap: Researchers at Harvard Medical School have released PDGrapher, a new AI tool that identifies specific treatments to reverse disease at the cellular level. This novel approach could dramatically accelerate the discovery of new therapies for complex illnesses.

Unpacked:

  • PDGrapher works by pinpointing the exact gene and drug combinations needed to guide a diseased cell back to a fully healthy state.

  • Instead of just targeting disease symptoms, the AI model aims to fundamentally restore cellular health from the ground up.

  • As a free tool, PDGrapher makes this advanced research capability accessible to scientists globally, speeding up the search for new treatments.

Bottom line: AI is moving beyond diagnostics and is now helping to create direct therapeutic strategies. Tools like PDGrapher have the potential to significantly shorten the path from laboratory research to life-saving treatments.

Gemini Topples ChatGPT in App Store

The Recap: In a major signal of shifting consumer preference, Google's Gemini has surpassed OpenAI's ChatGPT to become the most downloaded iOS app in the U.S.

Unpacked:

  • This milestone highlights Google's growing momentum in the consumer AI race as it directly challenges OpenAI for market leadership.

  • The shift in app store rankings points to the fierce competition in the AI chatbot space, where user adoption is a critical metric for success and model improvement.

  • This news arrives as Google also introduces VaultGemma, a new AI model designed from the ground up to protect user privacy for sensitive industries.

Bottom line: This victory in the app store shows the race for AI dominance is far from settled. Securing the top spot provides Google with a significant advantage in user interaction and data, which helps accelerate its development and refinement cycles.

OTHER NEWS YOU MAY LIKE

OpenAI plans to cut its revenue share with partners like Microsoft to just 8% by the end of the decade, a move that could shift an additional $50B in revenue to the company.

Penske Media sued Google over its AI Overviews, claiming the feature diverts clicks and hurts ad revenue for its publications, which include Rolling Stone and Variety.

xAI laid off a number of its data annotators, signaling a possible shift in the company's approach to data labeling and model training.

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THAT’S IT FOR TODAY

Until next time, stay safe.

-Best of AI Team

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