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AI Brownies, Pizza Parties, & Practical PhDs: News You Can Use!

AI Contextual Understanding and Practical PhDs Among Top News

Artificial intelligence's limitations in understanding context and China's new approach to doctoral degrees were among the top news items this week. Meanwhile, athletes settled into villages for the upcoming Winter Olympics, and Time Magazine released its list of America's Best Financial Services.

One of the challenges facing current AI models is their struggle with context, particularly in real-time ordering systems. Anirban Kundu, CTO of Instacart, described this as the "brownie recipe problem," according to VentureBeat. He explained that simply telling an LLM "I want to make brownies" is insufficient. The model needs to understand the user's preferences, what's available in their market (organic vs. regular eggs), and what can be delivered without spoiling. For Instacart, the challenge is balancing latency with the necessary context to provide a seamless experience in under a second.

Concerns around AI agent risk are also growing. MIT Technology Review reported that CEOs are being asked by their boards about how to manage this risk. The publication suggested treating AI agents like powerful, semi-autonomous users and enforcing rules at the boundaries where they interact with identity, tools, data, and outputs. They outlined an eight-step plan for governing agentic systems at the boundary.

In China, a new approach to doctoral education is gaining traction. Nature News reported that Zheng Hehui, a civil engineer at Southeast University in Nanjing, defended his PhD based on a product he developed: Lego-like blocks made with reinforced steel for bridge pylons. These blocks are being used in a large cable-stayed rail and road bridge across the Yangtze River. Zheng is among the first cohort of Chinese doctoral students to be assessed on practical achievements rather than traditional theses.

Meanwhile, athletes were arriving in Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics. NPR reported that Cory Thiesse, a curler from Minnesota, described arriving at the athletes' village in Fiames, part of the Cortina d'Ampezzo competition cluster, at night and seeing the mountains around her.

Time Magazine, in partnership with Statista, released its first edition of America’s Best Financial Services list. According to Time, the list aims to guide consumers by highlighting top financial service providers in the U.S. across ten key product categories, from banking and loans to investments and payment solutions. The study was based on multi-dimension provider ratings from a nationwide survey of over 20,000 consumers conducted between October and December 2025.

AI-Assisted Journalism

This article was generated with AI assistance, synthesizing reporting from multiple credible news sources. Our editorial team reviews AI-generated content for accuracy.

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