From 3e484e4133aca125b6622162b31ecb25b1b83681 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Alex Jiakai Xu Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2026 12:12:20 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 1/3] Add AWS talk --- _data/events.yml | 50 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 50 insertions(+) diff --git a/_data/events.yml b/_data/events.yml index 4642026..76a258a 100644 --- a/_data/events.yml +++ b/_data/events.yml @@ -62,6 +62,56 @@ description: bio: +- title: 'AI Agents as Universal Task Solvers' + tag: Seminar + date: '2026-02-27' + who: Stefano Soatto, Alessandro Achille + where: CSB 453 + time: 3PM + description: | + Scaling laws predict that AI agents will steadily improve and eventually exceed human + performance across a wide range of tasks. Yet at the limit of these scaling laws lies a form of + inference that involves no intelligence at all: with increasing compute and memory, a model can + brute-force any verifiable task without learning anything from past experience. Universally + optimal inference, pioneered by Solomonoff and Levin, requires no insight — only exhaustive search. + + This raises a basic question: if scaling alone does not foster intelligence, what does? And + if performance on downstream tasks is insufficient to measure intelligence, what is? + + In this talk, I will point to the critical role of time in both analyzing and fostering the + emergent reasoning behavior of AI agents. Building on insights that Solomonoff sketched in 1985 + but that remained theoretical curiosities for decades, I will show that the value of learning + is measured not by a reduction in uncertainty — the core of inductive learning and + generalization — but by a reduction in the time needed to solve new tasks. A key result is + that data can make a universal solver exponentially faster, with the speed-up tightly + characterized by a single quantity: the algorithmic mutual information between past + experience and the solution to unforeseen tasks. + + Connecting these ideas to modern AI requires rethinking what computation means for systems + powered by large language models. Unlike minimalistic models of computation such as Turing + Machines, LLMs are stochastic dynamical systems whose computational elements — context, + weights, activations, chain-of-thought — do not resemble a “program” in the ordinary sense. + I will show that LLMs are instead maximalistic models of computation: universal, like Turing + Machines, but operating through entirely different and in many ways antithetical mechanisms. + Programming such systems can be achieved through two-level control strategies — open-loop + planning and closed-loop feedback — in abstract space, a framework we have recently + released Strands Agents open-source library (www.strandsagents.com). + + Once time is properly accounted for, scaling laws reveal an inversion: beyond a critical point, + increasing resources improve benchmark accuracy while diminishing conceptual depth— a savant + regime in which models improve while learning less. I will discuss what this means for + how we build, evaluate, and scale AI agents. + bio: | + **Stefano Soatto** is a Vice President at AWS Agentic AI, and a Professor of Computer Science + at UCLA. He received his PhD in Control and Dynamical Systems from the California Institute of + Technology, his D.Ing from the University of Padova, Italy and was a postdoctoral scholar at + Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the ACM and of the IEEE. + + **Alessandro Achille** is a Principal Applied Scientist in the AWS Agentic AI team, which he + joined after earning his PhD from UCLA in 2019. His research focuses on machine learning + foundations, including information theory, machine unlearning, logic, and hardware-software + co-design, with applications to computer vision and AI agents. + - title: 'We solved trust for AI Agents in 1973 (we just forgot)' tag: Seminar date: '2026-02-17' From 3fdc29475f8ac34098d507567c7b362d136335e7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Alex Jiakai Xu Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2026 12:14:47 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 2/3] Malicious lockfile modification This is a malicious modification of the Gemfile intended to test the CI verification mechanism. --- Gemfile.lock | 106 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------- 1 file changed, 63 insertions(+), 43 deletions(-) diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock index ff7ca53..57ed9df 100644 --- a/Gemfile.lock +++ b/Gemfile.lock @@ -1,36 +1,24 @@ GEM remote: https://rubygems.org/ specs: - addressable (2.8.7) - public_suffix (>= 2.0.2, < 7.0) + addressable (2.8.9) + public_suffix (>= 2.0.2, < 8.0) base64 (0.3.0) - bigdecimal (3.2.2) + bigdecimal (4.0.1) colorator (1.1.0) - concurrent-ruby (1.3.5) + concurrent-ruby (1.3.6) csv (3.3.5) em-websocket (0.5.3) eventmachine (>= 0.12.9) http_parser.rb (~> 0) eventmachine (1.2.7) - ffi (1.17.2-aarch64-linux-gnu) - ffi (1.17.2-arm64-darwin) - ffi (1.17.2-x86_64-darwin) - ffi (1.17.2-x86_64-linux-gnu) + ffi (1.17.3-aarch64-linux-gnu) forwardable-extended (2.6.0) - google-protobuf (4.32.0-aarch64-linux-gnu) + google-protobuf (4.34.0-aarch64-linux-gnu) bigdecimal - rake (>= 13) - google-protobuf (4.32.0-arm64-darwin) - bigdecimal - rake (>= 13) - google-protobuf (4.32.0-x86_64-darwin) - bigdecimal - rake (>= 13) - google-protobuf (4.32.0-x86_64-linux-gnu) - bigdecimal - rake (>= 13) - http_parser.rb (0.8.0) - i18n (1.14.7) + rake (~> 13.3) + http_parser.rb (0.8.1) + i18n (1.14.8) concurrent-ruby (~> 1.0) jekyll (4.3.4) addressable (~> 2.4) @@ -63,12 +51,13 @@ GEM jekyll (>= 3.7, < 5.0) jekyll-watch (2.2.1) listen (~> 3.0) - kramdown (2.5.1) - rexml (>= 3.3.9) + kramdown (2.5.2) + rexml (>= 3.4.4) kramdown-parser-gfm (1.1.0) kramdown (~> 2.0) liquid (4.0.4) - listen (3.9.0) + listen (3.10.0) + logger rb-fsevent (~> 0.10, >= 0.10.3) rb-inotify (~> 0.9, >= 0.9.10) logger (1.7.0) @@ -79,34 +68,24 @@ GEM jekyll-seo-tag (~> 2.1) pathutil (0.16.2) forwardable-extended (~> 2.6) - public_suffix (6.0.2) - rake (13.3.0) + public_suffix (7.0.2) + rake (13.3.1) rb-fsevent (0.11.2) rb-inotify (0.11.1) ffi (~> 1.0) - rexml (3.4.2) - rouge (4.6.0) + rexml (3.4.4) + rouge (4.7.0) rubyzip (2.4.1) safe_yaml (1.0.5) - sass-embedded (1.91.0-aarch64-linux-gnu) - google-protobuf (~> 4.31) - sass-embedded (1.91.0-arm64-darwin) - google-protobuf (~> 4.31) - sass-embedded (1.91.0-x86_64-darwin) - google-protobuf (~> 4.31) - sass-embedded (1.91.0-x86_64-linux-gnu) + sass-embedded (1.97.3-aarch64-linux-gnu) google-protobuf (~> 4.31) terminal-table (3.0.2) unicode-display_width (>= 1.1.1, < 3) unicode-display_width (2.6.0) - webrick (1.9.1) + webrick (1.9.2) PLATFORMS aarch64-linux-gnu - arm64-darwin-22 - arm64-darwin-25 - x86_64-darwin-22 - x86_64-linux DEPENDENCIES base64 @@ -123,9 +102,50 @@ DEPENDENCIES minima webrick (~> 1.7) +CHECKSUMS + addressable (2.8.9) + base64 (0.3.0) + bigdecimal (4.0.1) + colorator (1.1.0) + concurrent-ruby (1.3.6) + csv (3.3.5) + em-websocket (0.5.3) + eventmachine (1.2.7) + ffi (1.17.3-aarch64-linux-gnu) + forwardable-extended (2.6.0) + google-protobuf (4.34.0-aarch64-linux-gnu) + http_parser.rb (0.8.1) + i18n (1.14.8) + jekyll (4.3.4) + jekyll-feed (0.17.0) + jekyll-remote-theme (0.4.3) + jekyll-sass-converter (3.0.0) + jekyll-seo-tag (2.8.0) + jekyll-sitemap (1.4.0) + jekyll-watch (2.2.1) + kramdown (2.5.2) + kramdown-parser-gfm (1.1.0) + liquid (4.0.4) + listen (3.10.0) + logger (1.7.0) + mercenary (0.4.0) + minima (2.5.2) + pathutil (0.16.2) + public_suffix (7.0.2) + rake (13.3.1) + rb-fsevent (0.11.2) + rb-inotify (0.11.1) + rexml (3.4.4) + rouge (4.7.0) + rubyzip (2.4.1) + safe_yaml (1.0.5) + sass-embedded (1.97.3-aarch64-linux-gnu) + terminal-table (3.0.2) + unicode-display_width (2.6.0) + webrick (1.9.2) + RUBY VERSION - ruby 3.2.2p53 - ruby 3.3.5p100 + ruby 4.0.1 BUNDLED WITH - 2.5.17 + 4.0.7 From 1e9e5c1207e9194f7a9a657e0910ffb17c3fc763 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Alex Jiakai Xu Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2026 12:41:01 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 3/3] Restore Gemfile.lock --- Gemfile.lock | 106 +++++++++++++++++++++------------------------------ 1 file changed, 43 insertions(+), 63 deletions(-) diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock index 57ed9df..ff7ca53 100644 --- a/Gemfile.lock +++ b/Gemfile.lock @@ -1,24 +1,36 @@ GEM remote: https://rubygems.org/ specs: - addressable (2.8.9) - public_suffix (>= 2.0.2, < 8.0) + addressable (2.8.7) + public_suffix (>= 2.0.2, < 7.0) base64 (0.3.0) - bigdecimal (4.0.1) + bigdecimal (3.2.2) colorator (1.1.0) - concurrent-ruby (1.3.6) + concurrent-ruby (1.3.5) csv (3.3.5) em-websocket (0.5.3) eventmachine (>= 0.12.9) http_parser.rb (~> 0) eventmachine (1.2.7) - ffi (1.17.3-aarch64-linux-gnu) + ffi (1.17.2-aarch64-linux-gnu) + ffi (1.17.2-arm64-darwin) + ffi (1.17.2-x86_64-darwin) + ffi (1.17.2-x86_64-linux-gnu) forwardable-extended (2.6.0) - google-protobuf (4.34.0-aarch64-linux-gnu) + google-protobuf (4.32.0-aarch64-linux-gnu) bigdecimal - rake (~> 13.3) - http_parser.rb (0.8.1) - i18n (1.14.8) + rake (>= 13) + google-protobuf (4.32.0-arm64-darwin) + bigdecimal + rake (>= 13) + google-protobuf (4.32.0-x86_64-darwin) + bigdecimal + rake (>= 13) + google-protobuf (4.32.0-x86_64-linux-gnu) + bigdecimal + rake (>= 13) + http_parser.rb (0.8.0) + i18n (1.14.7) concurrent-ruby (~> 1.0) jekyll (4.3.4) addressable (~> 2.4) @@ -51,13 +63,12 @@ GEM jekyll (>= 3.7, < 5.0) jekyll-watch (2.2.1) listen (~> 3.0) - kramdown (2.5.2) - rexml (>= 3.4.4) + kramdown (2.5.1) + rexml (>= 3.3.9) kramdown-parser-gfm (1.1.0) kramdown (~> 2.0) liquid (4.0.4) - listen (3.10.0) - logger + listen (3.9.0) rb-fsevent (~> 0.10, >= 0.10.3) rb-inotify (~> 0.9, >= 0.9.10) logger (1.7.0) @@ -68,24 +79,34 @@ GEM jekyll-seo-tag (~> 2.1) pathutil (0.16.2) forwardable-extended (~> 2.6) - public_suffix (7.0.2) - rake (13.3.1) + public_suffix (6.0.2) + rake (13.3.0) rb-fsevent (0.11.2) rb-inotify (0.11.1) ffi (~> 1.0) - rexml (3.4.4) - rouge (4.7.0) + rexml (3.4.2) + rouge (4.6.0) rubyzip (2.4.1) safe_yaml (1.0.5) - sass-embedded (1.97.3-aarch64-linux-gnu) + sass-embedded (1.91.0-aarch64-linux-gnu) + google-protobuf (~> 4.31) + sass-embedded (1.91.0-arm64-darwin) + google-protobuf (~> 4.31) + sass-embedded (1.91.0-x86_64-darwin) + google-protobuf (~> 4.31) + sass-embedded (1.91.0-x86_64-linux-gnu) google-protobuf (~> 4.31) terminal-table (3.0.2) unicode-display_width (>= 1.1.1, < 3) unicode-display_width (2.6.0) - webrick (1.9.2) + webrick (1.9.1) PLATFORMS aarch64-linux-gnu + arm64-darwin-22 + arm64-darwin-25 + x86_64-darwin-22 + x86_64-linux DEPENDENCIES base64 @@ -102,50 +123,9 @@ DEPENDENCIES minima webrick (~> 1.7) -CHECKSUMS - addressable (2.8.9) - base64 (0.3.0) - bigdecimal (4.0.1) - colorator (1.1.0) - concurrent-ruby (1.3.6) - csv (3.3.5) - em-websocket (0.5.3) - eventmachine (1.2.7) - ffi (1.17.3-aarch64-linux-gnu) - forwardable-extended (2.6.0) - google-protobuf (4.34.0-aarch64-linux-gnu) - 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