Weekly Roundup 505

Mathematicians were not happy. On 10/6, OpenAI released 719 AI-created papers, with solutions to 372 long-standing open problems. The mathematicians' unhappiness wasn’t so much about whether the solutions were right, wrong, or even checkable at all (many solutions weren’t verified, and at least one exploited a loophole in the problem's wording). The reason was that the finding matters more than the answer found (Economist). Tackling problems spurs the invention of new tools and techniques. These papers offered no surprising new ideas or lines of inquiry and were, moreover, difficult for humans to understand. So the solutions provided an answer, but not one that generates new thinking or can be replicated against other problems. It is, in essence, a secular example of the idea that formation results from the journey, not from reaching the end.

This is true of discipleship, too: we are formed by walking with Jesus and learning how he walks. I have a phrase I am coming to use: The nous is not the enkephalos. The enkephalos is the Greek word for the organ of the brain, literally meaning “that which is in the head” (and where we get encephalitis from, for example). The nous is the capacity to perceive, judge, and set direction. The nous can be futile (Eph 4:17), depraved (Rom 1:28), or renewed (Rom 12:2). We “have the nous of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16).

An AI is, at best, a mimic of the enkephalos. It is not, to my nous, a nous. It might echo some nous functions, but only because it can echo human enkephalos acting on nouses really well. Presenting a set of choices is a function of the enkephalos (perhaps extended into other things, be it paper, kitchen countertops, or AI); making a choice is a function of the nous.

Nota Bene

Second Tigray War, Advisory 3. Last week, the fighting had the appearance of a game of Risk where Ethiopia was advancing rapidly to sweep the board. Ethiopian federal forces had seized Mekelle, Shire, Adwa, and advanced on Adigrat. This week, a much more troubling view is on the horizon. Eritrean troops advanced into Ethiopia, initially saying they were establishing a border area. After four days, reports indicate they have advanced south of Adigrat, then retreated "under heavy Ethiopian drone pressure" which means someone was shooting at someone else. The Economist said a war between them was "all but inevitable"; the last war between them (1998-2000) killed 10s of 1000s. I wouldn't set the probability quite so high as the Economist, but I don't think it's lower than a "realistic possibility."

... Eritrea's army, says Africa Report, is large, but poorly equipped: 350k strong, but with a minuscule air defense force. Tigray's TPLF has been rolled back to the mountains and by one account is recruiting young boys. Ethiopia may think it can push the Risk board even further than Tigray, and perhaps give Abiy that port on the sea he wants. I don't pretend to know the motivations, but I have two prognostications: if the TPLF insurgents kicked this off with little actual Eritrean backing, then there is a realistic possibility the fighting largely stops by January 1. On the other hand if Eritrea is the shadow instigator for this, then they could realistically be fighting still in the new year. I still judge it unlikely this will widen into a larger war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, but lots of other analysts seem to think it's more likely than I do. Regardless, between now and January it's very likely that a lot of Kingdom work will find itself at increased risk of collateral damage.

... Also: "Tigray faces a double catastrophe: war and worsening hunger--many households experienced complete crop failure." NewHum

Houthi Red Sea Advance, Advisory 3. The Houthis have landed strikes on Saudi airports and reportedly on oil installations, and the Saudis seem hard pressed to stop them. President Trump says no strikes on anyone prior to the mid-terms, but it sounds like there may be renewed conflict in Iran shortly after that, and if so, that could trigger Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Houthis are dug in; I estimate it's actually highly unlikely they will attack non-Saudi/Israeli shipping, but I also think it now highly unlikely that there will be a ceasefire prior to January 1. I still think it's realistic that one will be reached by April. I also think it's a realistic possibility that the Houthis could take Taiz.

Also

1. US-Iran war. Over 24 ships have been struck in the past two weeks, one of the most violent periods on record. At the same time, Gulf oil exports have recovered to near pre-war levels. The strikes are likely aimed at putting political pressure on the US administration during the mid-term elections. A resumption of US strikes after the mid-terms seems a realistic possibility. Pressure

2. In the Russia-Ukraine war, for a little bit, Starshield (the military side of Starlink which Ukraine relies upon for drone targeting) was degraded, and then actually cut off (but later restored). Elon Musk said President Trump decides any limits on access. Ukraine's military is at the mercy of US technology and intelligence. I'm sure other countries are thinking about that and pondering the differences between, say, the US and China; and have this in view when they think about who has Starlink access, and why. Starshield cut off, Musk

3. India's 37 million diaspora is the world's biggest. Many left because it was easier to succeed abroad: India has not "created the conditions for them to flourish." But many countries are now clamping down on immigrants, and racism and resentment are fueling hate campaigns. Few in the diaspora want to return home to India, where "jobs are scarce and cities are unliveable." Over 3 million are in the US. Economist

4. "The only place left is the moon: a Sudanese journey through a world of closed borders: 'I can't survive here, and I can't survive in Sudan.'" Tougher global visa rules for Sudanese have isolated those trying to start over after escaping the war. Who is granted immediate access to movement around the world, and who must continuously prove their right to belong? NewHum

5. Chinese foreign missionaries. "In the last five years, over 1.5 million people have left mainland China to settle in foreign countries... a tiny percentage of them left for foreign missions... this is the story of two non-believers who met Jesus, followed him, and eventually became missionaries." China Partner Fellowship

Quick Links

Afghanistan has inaugurated a new Wakhan Corridor road connecting it with China. Asia Times

"The Taliban are using Europe's fear of migrants to their advantage": Governments dialing back their condemnations of pariah states if they can negotiate to deport refugees back to them. NYT

Azerbaijan bans hijabs in school, saying they violate the principle of secularism; protests have followed. Al Jazeera

More on the "loneliness industry" in China: human connection and help services, including home visits for the elderly, help to manage medical appointments, even support during hiking trips. BBC

The classic Victorian-era novel "Jane Eyre" is compulsory reading for every Chinese student in secondary school: counter to feminism, "money worship" and "distorted marriage values" seen as a threat to procreation. Economist

China is turning trash into treasure at a vast scale: EV batteries, especially, will help it secure supplies of critical minerals. Economist

Where every tree hides "an enemy": how I watched China's paranoia grow. "A surveillance state more paranoid and pervasive than ever." NYT

Former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila officially joined the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion as the political leader of a rebranded movement called the FRN. Crisis Group, Al Jazeera: why it matters

"Neither war nor peace": Palestinians in Gaza on existing amid disease, despair, and ruins: "describe daily routines full of challenges including shortages of water, food, disease, unemployment, threat of death." Guardian

"A disturbing picture of how self-defense groups, politicians, corrupt members of the security forces all see a business opportunity in Haiti's unstable environment, and risk perpetuating the cycle of violence..." Miami Herald, Report

India is roiled with "Cockroach Party" opposition marches over voter list changes: 130 million people were struck from voter rolls--mostly Muslims/non-BJP, or "routine verification"? Reuters

India's multinational tech job machine is centered around 2,000 multinational "global capability centers" who on average have about 1,000 staff each. AI is slowing hiring at them. Nikkei

Iraqi Kurds see opportunities and risks in the withdrawal of US troops: useful look at ground realities for this large people group. Conversation

Kenyan churches combat abandonment, suicide among older men: churches providing meals, medical care, community to members whose wives and children have left them to age alone. CT

China Talk interviews Jonathan Cheng (WSJ Beijing bureau chief) re his book, "Korean Messiah," on the formative influence of American Christianity on North Korea's cult of personality. ChinaTalk

The North Korea-China Yalu River bridge, stalled for 12 years over cooled relationship, has been finally opened. Reuters

Saddam Haftar's ambition to rule Libya runs into trouble in the Sahel: Mali and Niger see support for rebel movements and his alliance with Chad as meddling. Africa Report

Russia is building a "hidden state" inside the occupied Ukrainian territories: with schools teaching Russian curricula, Russian passports, and Russian law. Atlantic

Russia's also building up a new army mobilization effort: Russian men are fleeing before the army can grab them. Economist

The Faroese Bible Society produced the first Faroese NT in 90 years. Evangelical Focus

One evangelical church established in Chile every day on average. Evangelical Focus

Ideas & Reports

Migrant arrivals to Europe fell 39% in 2026 (from 98k in 2025 to 60k in 2026) while deaths along Central Mediterranean routes climbed. IOM

The "Underworld Republic": "How non-state alliances are reshaping the global order: from the Houthis to Mexican cartels, non-state actors are forging global networks that private-sector ties make hard to hamper." Asia Times

Drug-related organized crime surging: Latin American organized crime operating in 16 European countries (Guardian), Southeast Asia is "swimming in meth" (Diplomat on Youtube), illicit tramadol being trafficked in Africa "where pain relief is scarce" (Africa Report).

Andrew Ng, an influential computer scientist, calls AI doom a "delusion": AI poses no meaningful existential risk, the real danger is malicious use, the safety talk is lobbying, incidents get engineered away, AGI is far off and requires things we don't have yet, recursive self-improvement is hype, and there will be no jobpocalypse because AI only does part of the job. With credentialed scientists on both sides saying things, it's hard to know who will turn out right, but this is worth consideration. Economist Podcast with Transcript

Toward 2033: Operating Environments

Togo has launched a National Local Language Challenge to train AI models for digital public services. Tech Review Africa

Anthropic updated their usage policy to include a "prohibition on sustained and needless abusive or cruel behavior toward our models... does not apply to common versions of user frustration, pushback, dark creative themes, or model testing or research... allowing models to end rare conversations with persistently abusive users." Anthropic

The scam economy is being supercharged by AI, is bigger than the cocaine trade, and is spinning out into numerous countries. Some 57% of the world's adult population are estimated to have been "targeted by fraudsters." Bloomberg

At the same time, anti-cybercrime initiatives are using AI to scam scammers by tricking them into talking to lifelike bots that they think are real victims. Wired

Your phone is more secure than ever, thanks to AI? A long but accessible read on how AI "bug hunting" is closing the hacks law enforcement used to gain access to phones for surveillance, phones are becoming more secure, and the argument for "constructed, intentional back doors" might re-start in earnest. Cryptography Engineering

Apple reportedly plans December China launch for Apple Intelligence using Alibaba models (the region where a phone is bought determines what model it uses?). TechNode

Beyond 2033

A revolutionary way of targeting tumors could beat even the worst cancers (and cancer affects a lot of field workers). New Scientist

"Personal AI assistants may be ushering in the biggest behavior change we've seen since smartphones... their value grows as they gain relevant context and keep it current... that can mean giving a single service access to your conversations, relationships, purchases, and plans. We have a history of valuing convenience over privacy." Shelly Palmer

How attachment theory can help us understand AI relationships. Scientific American

The end of "pensioner communism": "from each according to his ability, to each according to his age." Change comes quickly to an ailing system. Will pensioners fight, in a "battle of the ages"? Economist

Almost 300,000 live in flood-prone areas in the Nepalese Himalayas. Conversation

"Amid a sea of AI writing slop, a new stamp for 'organic literature' will help readers to pick out books authored by real, corn-fed, free-range humans." What would a 'human-authored' mark mean for Christian lit, from studies to devotionals to fiction? Wired

Companies may (may!) be held liable when AI harms their clients and customers. Conversation

Israel's election overseer on how to stop AI distorting votes: "Chatbots can help inform citizens but should not be allowed to make choices for them." Economist

Rabbit Trails

Beyond the end of the road: a four-hour horse ride to stay with Mongolia's reindeer herders. BBC

Quotable

You are receiving this because you signed up via justinlong.org.
JustinLong.org / ActBeyond, PO Box 831539, Richardson, TX 75083, USA
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe.
Copyright © 2026 JustinLong.org, all rights reserved.

My Column

The Nous Is Not the Enkephalos