Carnegie Mellon University News
Carnegie Mellon University has received a $500 million gift from Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of investment firm Citadel, prompting the renaming of its School of Computer Science as the Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science. The gift will support new research, modernize education, expand access to AI tools, strengthen student support, and provide researchers with advanced computing infrastructure. The donation is part of a broader $3 billion commitment to the school that includes a new Miami campus.
From "$500M Gift Will Fuel Next Era of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon"
Carnegie Mellon University News (09/30/26) Aaron Aupperlee
View Full Article
The Japan Times
Britain’s MI5 spy agency issued its first publicly released espionage alert, accusing the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) of funding U.K. academic research for China’s Ministry of State Security. MI5 said more than 100 U.K.-based academics contributed to CGTRI-funded projects involving AI, cybersecurity, covert communications, and steganography, which it claims could strengthen Chinese intelligence capabilities. The U.K. has urged universities to end relationships with the organization. China’s British embassy rejected the allegations.
From "U.K. Accuses China of Using Academics to Spy on Tech Research"
The Japan Times (10/01/26) Michael Holden
View Full Article
Fortune
In an interview, ACM A.M. Turing Award laureate Yann LeCun said he is not worried “at all” that AI will cause human extinction and argues that recent AI incidents stem primarily from poor system design and inadequate cybersecurity safeguards. He strongly criticized AI-safety advocates warning of AI's existential risks. LeCun is more concerned about regulatory capture by major AI companies than extinction risks, arguing that restrictive rules could entrench incumbents and hurt open-source development.
From "AI ‘Godfather’ LeCun Has ‘Zero Concerns’ About Human Extinction"
Fortune (10/01/26) Emily Forlini
View Full Article - May Require Paid Subscription
InfoWorld
Microsoft has elevated Rust to a Tier-1 programming language, reflecting its growing importance to the company’s Windows and Azure development strategy. Rust’s memory-safety features support Microsoft’s security goals, while new tooling aims to integrate Rust closely with the existing Visual C++ ecosystem, enabling interoperability for low-level Windows software such as drivers and potentially kernel components. Microsoft’s internal rustc_codegen_utc compiler backend is production-ready and being used by more than 100 projects, even though it is not yet publicly available.
From "Microsoft Doubles Down on Rust"
InfoWorld (10/01/26) Simon Bisson
View Full Article
BleepingComputer
Hackers breached the Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), exposing sensitive information belonging to more than 3 million people. The breach, which occurred between October 2025 and July 2026, exploited a vulnerability in the agency’s file-sharing systems and affected nearly 2.8 million living individuals and about 294,000 deceased people. Stolen information varies but may include Social Security numbers, names, birth dates, contact details, demographic information, and military personnel data.
From "Hackers Stole Pentagon Personnel Records of over 3 Million People"
BleepingComputer (10/01/26) Sergiu Gatlan
View Full Article
Startup Fortune
Effective Oct. 1, arXiv has imposed a new limit of two paper submissions per author per month, with a maximum of three active submissions at once, citing growing submission volumes and pressure on volunteer moderators. The policy applies across all research categories, and even rejected submissions count toward the monthly quota. The move follows earlier measures targeting AI-generated or low-quality papers, including potential yearlong bans for submissions containing hallucinated references or leftover AI instructions.
From "arXiv Limits Researchers to 2 Submissions a Month"
Startup Fortune (10/01/26) Walter Schulze
View Full Article
