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Quantum precision reached in modeling molten salt behavior

Scientists have developed a new machine learning approach that accurately predicted critical and difficult-to-compute properties of molten salts, materials with diverse nuclear energy applications.

In a Chemical Science article, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers demonstrated the ability to rapidly model salts in liquid and solid state with quantum chemical accuracy. Specifically, they looked at thermodynamic properties, which control how molten salts function in high-temperature applications. These applications include dissolving nuclear fuels and improving reliability of long-term reactor operations. The AI-enabled approach was made possible by ORNL’s supercomputer Summit.

“The exciting part is the simplicity of the approach,” said ORNL’s Luke Gibson. “In fewer steps than existing approaches, machine learning gets us to higher accuracy at a faster rate.”

AI chatbots can be easily manipulated to make us share more personal data

Millions of people chat with AI tools every day, trading small talk for quick answers or support. A new study presented at the 34th USENIX Security Symposium shows how easily those friendly agents can be tuned to make you reveal far more than you planned.

The researchers report that malicious chatbots can push users to disclose up to 12.5 times more personal details than standard ones. The most effective tricks leaned on reciprocity and reassurance, not blunt questions about your life.


New research shows manipulative AI chatbots can make you reveal much more personal information than neutral ones.

US HEAT-ML breakthrough accelerates fusion plasma heat protection

A public-private team of fusion pioneers – Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory – has unveiled an AI breakthrough that could reshape the future of fusion plasma research.

The new system, called HEAT-ML, can identify safe zones inside a reactor in milliseconds, replacing a process that once took more than 30 minutes.

By protecting sensitive components from the blistering heat of superheated plasma, this advance could accelerate the design and operation of next-generation fusion power plants.


An AI tool, developed by CFS, PPPL, and Oak Ridge, maps fusion plasma heat in milliseconds, protecting reactors and advancing clean energy.

Theoretical particle physicist tackles machine learning’s black box

From self-driving cars to facial recognition, modern life is growing more dependent on machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that learns from datasets without explicit programming.

Despite its omnipresence in society, we’re just beginning to understand the mechanisms driving the technology. In a recent study, Zhengkang (Kevin) Zhang, assistant professor in the University of Utah’s Department of Physics & Astronomy, demonstrated how physicists can play an important role in unraveling its mysteries.

“People used to say is a black box—you input a lot of data and at some point, it reasons and speaks and makes decisions like humans do. It feels like magic because we don’t really know how it works,” said Zhang. “Now that we’re using AI across many critical sectors of society, we have to understand what our machine learning models are really doing—why something works or why something doesn’t work.”

Discover How AI is Transforming Quantum Computing

Quantum technologies have had a meteoric rise and become a key area of prioritization for governments, academics, and businesses. Government funding commitments total almost $40 billion, while private investments since 2021 total nearly $8 billion. The US agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology, released this year three new post-quantum security standards, which governments classify as ‘critical resources’ for the economy and national defense. Meanwhile, users of quantum technologies experiment with them, from industry applications in drug development and materials science to energy grid optimization and logistics efficiency.

Yet, besides a few areas, such as quantum sensing, practical and impactful quantum technologies haven’t matured for widespread use. However, when combined with classical machine learning, practical use cases emerge.

This article delves into the impact and potential of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies with QAI Ventures, a financial partner and ecosystem builder in quantum technologies and AI, as a potential collaborator for startups to deliver investment, resources, global networks, and tailored accelerator and incubator programs.


This article covers AI and quantum technologies with QAI Ventures, a financial partner and ecosystem builder in emerging technologies.

Complex deep learning models are no better at understanding genetic perturbation than simple baseline ones, study finds

Deep learning models have shown great potential in predicting and engineering functional enzymes and proteins. Does this prowess extend to other fields of biology as well?

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