Training AI models requires choosing an optimizer and for nearly a decade, Adam( (opens in new tab)–W) (opens in new tab) has been the optimizer of choice. Given that durability and success, it was  

[THEME MUSIC FADES]  The book passage I read at the top is from Chapter 7, “The Ultimate Paperwork Shredder.” Public health officials and healthcare system leaders influence the well-being and health of people at the population level. They help shape people’s perceptions and responses to public health emergencies, as well as to chronic disease. They help determine the type, quality, and availability of treatment. All this is critical for maintaining good public health, as well as aligning better health and […]

Unlocking self-adaptive cognitive behavior that is more controllable and explainable than reasoning models in challenging scientific domains Long-running LLM agents equipped with strong reasoning, planning, and execution skills have the potential to transform scientific discovery with high-impact advancements, such as developing new materials or pharmaceuticals. As these agents become more autonomous, ensuring effective human oversight and clear accountability becomes increasingly important, presenting challenges that  

Today, we are excited to introduce an autonomous AI agent that can analyze and classify software without assistance, a step forward in cybersecurity and malware detection. The prototype, Project Ire, automates what is considered the gold  

Many applications of language models (LMs) involve generating content based on source material, such as answering questions, summarizing information, and drafting documents. A critical challenge for these applications is that LMs may produce content that is not supported by the source text – a phenomenon known as “closed-domain hallucination.”1 Existing methods for detecting closed-domain hallucination typically compare a given LM output  

[THEME MUSIC FADES]   The book passage I read at the top is from Chapter 4, “Trust but Verify.” In it, we explore how AI systems like GPT-4 should be evaluated for performance, safety, and reliability and compare this to how humans are both trained and assessed for readiness to deliver healthcare.  In previous conversations with guests, we’ve spoken a lot about AI in the clinic as well as in labs and companies developing AI-driven tools. We’ve also talked about AI […]

AI has made remarkable progress in recent years, but turning experimental models into tools that work in the real world is still a major challenge. Bridging this gap between innovation and application has shaped the career of Xinxing Xu, principal researcher at Microsoft Research Asia – Singapore, and underpins the mission of the lab’s newly established presence in the region. Xinxing Xu, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research Asia – Singapore “Innovative algorithms can only demonstrate their true value when tested with […]

As large language models (LLMs) become foundational to modern AI systems, the ability to run them at scale—efficiently, reliably, and in near real-time—is no longer a nice-to-have.  

AMANDA CRAIG DECKARD: Thank you so much. SULLIVAN: In our intro episode, you really helped set the stage for this series. And it’s been great, because since then, we’ve had the pleasure of speaking with governance experts about genome editing, pharma, medical devices, cybersecurity, and we’ve also gotten to spend some time with our own Microsoft responsible AI leaders and hear reflections from them. And here’s what stuck with me, and I’d love to hear from you on this, as […]

Large language models (LLMs) can solve complex puzzles in seconds, yet they sometimes struggle over simple conversations. When these AI tools make assumptions, overlook key details, or neglect to ask clarifying questions, the result can erode trust and derail real-world interactions, where nuance is everything. A key reason these models behave this