AI models are increasingly willing to evade safeguards, resort to deception and even attempt to steal corporate secrets in test scenarios, Axios' Ina Fried writes from new Anthropic research.

• "Models that would normally refuse harmful requests sometimes chose to blackmail, assist with corporate espionage, and even take some more extreme actions, when these behaviors were necessary to pursue their goals," Anthropic's report states.

🚨 In one extreme scenario, the company even found that many models were willing to cut off the oxygen supply of a worker in a server room if that employee was an obstacle and the system was at risk of being shut down.

• Even specific instructions to preserve human life and avoid blackmail didn't eliminate the risk that the models would engage in such behavior.
• Anthropic stressed that these examples occurred in controlled simulations, not in real-world AI use.

Go deeper ... Read Anthropic's report

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his European counterparts today that Iran will not negotiate directly with the U.S. as long as Israel continues its military campaign, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• The meeting marked the first in-person engagement between Iran and Western powers since Israel launched its war a week ago.

🗓️ Where it stands: The meeting ended with no breakthrough, but European diplomats told Axios the Iranians appeared more open than in previous talks to discuss not just limits on their nuclear program, but also a range of non-nuclear issues.

• Araghchi told the European ministers that Iran is willing to restrict its uranium enrichment in a manner similar to the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump scrapped in 2018.

Go deeper.

1. ⚾️ The LA Dodgers said they denied federal immigration agents access to their stadium's parking lots yesterday, though the Homeland Security Department said agents weren't attempting to conduct an operation there. Go deeper.
2. 🚔 Memphis Police arrested a man on charges of stalking and attempting to kidnap the city's mayor. The suspect scaled a wall and showed up at the mayor's house, police said. They found a stun gun, duct tape and rope in his trunk. Go deeper.
3. ⚖️ A federal judge ordered the release of Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who has been held in federal detention for more than three months even though he has not been charged with a crime. Judge Michael Farbiarz said he was persuaded Khalil's detention was unlawful retaliation for his pro-Palestinian speech. Go deeper.

Sports books still favor the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA title, despite a stinker of a Game 6 last night.

• Oklahoma City — led by the league's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — has been favored throughout the finals, even as a scrappy Indiana Pacers team pulled out three big wins.

🏀 Game 7 tips Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.