A Communist Apple II and Fourteen Years of Not Knowing What You're Testing (llama.gs)

KPMG's recent survey reveals that 70% of UK business leaders will continue investing in AI without clear evidence of its effectiveness, prompting the firm to suggest reframing these expenditures as "strategic enablers" instead of investments. In parallel, OpenAI has halted its Stargate UK project due to rising electricity costs and regulatory issues, highlighting the volatility in the AI landscape. Meanwhile, AMD's AI director has reported a disappointing performance drop in the AI model Claude Code, based on extensive session analysis, raising alarms about the reliability of AI outputs. The article also discusses the significance of reverse engineering, exemplified by Bulgaria’s Правец computers, which were clones of the Apple II assembled during the communist era. This practice enabled a generation of engineers to learn computing in an environment with limited access to Western technology. Additionally, the ISCAS-85 benchmarks illustrate another reverse engineering success; initially used without knowledge of their functions, researchers eventually uncovered their purposes, enhancing the field of electronic design automation (EDA). This narrative underscores a fundamental tension in modern AI: while current methods often involve creating opaque systems through massive data training, reverse engineering fosters deeper understanding and clarity in technology development.