Technologies

AI Is Speeding Us Toward Intelligent Computers and the Singularity, Pioneer Says

John Hennessy, a Silicon Valley pioneer and former Stanford president, says AI progress is ‘stunning.’

ChatGPT and other AI systems are propelling us faster toward the long-term technology dream of artificial general intelligence and the radical transformation called the «singularity,» a Silicon Valley chip luminary and former Stanford University professor John Hennessy believes.

«The AI revolution is upon us. It’s stunning,» Hennessy said Monday at the TechSurge conference. «It’s awakened in everybody a sense that maybe the singularity, …this turning point where computers really are more capable than humans, is closer than we thought.»

Hennessy won computing’s highest prize, the Turing Award with colleague Dave Patterson for developing the computing architecture that made energy-efficient smartphone chips possible and that now is the foundation for virtually all major processors. He’s also chairman of Google parent company Alphabet.

AI is indeed transforming computing, relying on neural network processing methods inspired by the human brain to tackle new problems in spotting patterns and more recently to generate new text and imagery. AI spread across the computing industry for years making speech recognition mainstream and letting us unlock our phones with our faces. But AI expectations surged with 2022’s debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which can answer a huge range of questions, offer advice, pass medical exams, hold conversations and write programs and poetry.

Microsoft is using the GPT technology to power a new version of its Bing search engine and plans to use it more broadly in other tools like Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Google, an AI pioneer, debuted a competing AI tool called Bard in February.

What’s unclear is how well today’s AI, trained for relatively narrow tasks, will grow to match the versatility of human brains. Hennessy is optimistic

«Some of us thought that point at which we’d have a general artificial general intelligence was 40 or 50 years away. I think everybody’s horizon has moved in by probably 10 or 20 years,» Hennessy said. «These models keep getting bigger, and every time we make a jump up in the size of the model, we seem to be able to do new tasks. We don’t know where that’s going to plateau yet.»

Another problem with general intelligence, in particular with tools like ChatGPT that synthesize new material from vast swaths of training data, is misleading us. Today, it’s hard for AIs and people use them to distinguish between reality and «hallucinations,» digital flights of fancy that often sound plausible.

Hennessy sees AI today as an «amplifier,» a similar concept to Microsoft’s position of AI as a «co-pilot.»

«I may not get a video that’s perfect or a PowerPoint presentation or a paragraph that’s perfect. But maybe I get something I can really work with, then use some human intelligence to make it even better,» Hennessy said.

Google is concerned about the problems as well, which is why it didn’t race to release Bard until after ChatGPT stole so much attention.

«Google was hesitant to productize this because it didn’t think it was really ready for a product yet. But I think as a demonstration vehicle, it’s a great piece of technology,» Hennessy said. «You don’t want to put a system out that either says wrong things or sometimes says toxic things. Right. There’s a level of caution about this.»

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter.

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.