The article discusses the historical and ongoing role of puzzles and games in AI development, noting that while AI’s performance on puzzles like the New York Times Connections has improved dramatically—from solving only 18% of puzzles in late 2024 to near-perfect accuracy by early 2025—these achievements also reveal the technology’s limitations. The author suggests that analyzing where AI models succeed and fail provides insight into their capabilities and shortcomings, and invites readers to test their own skills against AI in a curated set of puzzles.
Additionally, the article reports on the Fermi Explorer Mission, a nonprofit organization planning to launch a spacecraft to the Alpha Centauri star system by the end of 2029. The mission, which could take up to 80,000 years to reach its destination 4.4 light-years away, will utilize a novel trajectory identified by an AI system developed by the physics research lab PSI. The article hints at exploring how this AI-discovered route could contribute to our understanding of potential alien life, while also reflecting on the broader human motivations driving space exploration, as discussed in recent literature.