Today's digest · Saturday, August 1

The 14 things in AI/dev today.

LiveNext issue at 7:00 CET
#1 / TODAY
Simon Willison·2 min·10h agoFREE

smevals - a small eval suite for evaluating models, prompts, and harnesses

Simon Willison announced smevals, a new tool for running small eval suites across different model configurations and grading results. Developed with Jesse Vincent's Prime Radiant lab, it uses YAML-based evals, supports multiple models, and offers commands to run, grade, serve, and build static reports. Willison describes it as his third iteration on evals and feels it's right.

Provides developers a new tool to systematically evaluate models, prompts, and harnesses with reusable YAML-based evals.

evalsllmtoolssmevals
simonwillison.net
smevals - a small eval suite for evaluating models, prompts, and harnesses
Stateless MCP has recaptured my interest (and inspired mcp-explorer and datasette-mcp)
#2 / TOP STORY
Simon WillisonFREE

Stateless MCP has recaptured my interest (and inspired mcp-explorer and datasette-mcp)

Simon Willison reports that the rollout of the stateless MCP specification (2026-07-28) has renewed his interest in the Model Context Protocol. He highlights the simplification of client and server implementations, and describes building three projects: mcp-explorer, a CLI tool for probing MCP servers; datasette-mcp, a Datasette plugin exposing an MCP endpoint; and llm-mcp-client, an alpha plugin for his LLM tool.

deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731
#3 / TOP STORY
Simon WillisonFREE

deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731

DeepSeek released DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731, a 304-billion-parameter model with enhanced agentic capabilities. It is priced at $0.14 per million input tokens and $0.27 per million output tokens. Artificial Analysis ranks it ahead of MiniMax M3, a 428B model, and it scores well on the Intelligence Index vs. Cost chart.

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// Worth acting on3 stories

Developers gain a new open-source tool for building and managing multi-agent systems in work contexts.

agentsmultiplayerdeveloper-toolsgithub
Hacker News13h ago1mFREE
// Worth knowing8 stories

What happens to the internet when robots act like humans?​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​​‌​‍​‌‍‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌​‍‌​‍‌​​‍​‍‌​​​​‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍​​​​​‍​‍‌​‍​​​‍​‌​‌‍‌​​‍‌‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍​‌‍‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​​‌​‍​‌‍‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌​‍‌​‍‌​​‍​‍‌​​​​‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍​​​​​‍​‍‌​‍​​​‍​‌​‌‍‌​​‍‌‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍​‌‍‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌

The discussion highlights the need for developers to consider how to build systems that can differentiate human users from AI agents and protect against malicious bot activity.

aiagentsbotsinternetsecuritywebdevelopment
Stack Overflow Blog23h ago1mFREE

Dispatches from O'Reilly: The best risk mitigation strategy in data? A single source of truth​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​‍​‌‍‌‌​​​​​‌‍​‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​‍​‍‌​‌‌​‌​‌‍‌​​​​​‍‌​‌​​‌​‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‍​​​‍‌​‌​​‌​​​‍‌‌‍​‌​‍‌‌‍​‍​​​‌‌‍‌​‌‍​​‌‍​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​‍​‌‍‌‌​​​​​‌‍​‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​‍​‍‌​‌‌​‌​‌‍‌​​​​​‍‌​‌​​‌​‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‍​​​‍‌​‌​​‌​​​‍‌‌‍​‌​‍‌‌‍​‍​​​‌‌‍‌​‌‍​​‌‍​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌

Semantic layers can mitigate operational data risks by providing a single source of truth.

semantic-layerdata-managementrisk-mitigation
Stack Overflow Blog17h ago1mFREE
// Yesterday11 stories