News/OpenAI
OpenAI backs AI-animated film “Critterz” with $30M budget
OpenAI is backing "Critterz," an AI-generated animated feature film set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival before hitting theaters worldwide in 2026. The company hopes this low-budget production will demonstrate AI's viability in Hollywood and convince skeptical film executives to embrace generative artificial intelligence for movie production. The big picture: OpenAI is making a strategic push into entertainment with a full-length animated film produced primarily using its AI tools, including the recently launched GPT-5 model. Key details: "Critterz" represents a dramatic shift in how animated films could be made, with production costs and timelines that challenge industry norms. The...
read Sep 5, 2025Everyday low-skill upskilling: OpenAI and Walmart partner to train 10M people in AI by 2030
OpenAI has partnered with Walmart to launch an expanded certification program through its OpenAI Academy, aiming to train 10 million people in AI skills by 2030. The initiative comes as studies show AI-savvy workers command higher pay and productivity, positioning both companies to address the growing demand for AI literacy in the workforce. What you should know: OpenAI's Academy has already connected over 2 million people with AI learning resources and will now offer formal certifications across different skill levels. The certifications will range "from the basics of using AI at work all the way up to AI-custom jobs and...
read Sep 5, 2025OpenAI promotes LinkedIn-style job platform to certify 10M Americans by 2030
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed plans to launch a LinkedIn-style job platform alongside an AI certification program, announcing the initiative during a high-profile White House tech dinner. The move represents a significant expansion into workforce development that could directly compete with LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft—OpenAI's largest investor—creating potential tension between the AI company and its key partner. What you should know: OpenAI's new Jobs Platform will use large language models to match employers with AI-literate candidates across skill levels. The platform will launch next year and cater to companies seeking talent with AI expertise, from entry-level skills...
read Sep 4, 2025OpenAI acquires Statsig for $1.1B to boost ChatGPT development
OpenAI has acquired product development startup Statsig for $1.1 billion, marking one of the company's largest acquisitions to date as it continues expanding ChatGPT's capabilities. The deal brings Statsig's A/B testing and real-time data analysis platform directly into OpenAI's operations, while Statsig CEO Vijaye Raji will join OpenAI as technology chief for the applications unit. What you should know: Statsig specializes in experimentation platforms that power A/B testing, feature flagging, and real-time decision-making for major companies. The Seattle-based startup was already working alongside OpenAI to test features and integrate real-time data into daily operations before the acquisition. "As part of...
read Sep 3, 2025OpenAI launches “OpenAI for Science” platform powered by GPT-5
OpenAI is launching "OpenAI for Science," an AI-powered platform designed to accelerate scientific discovery, according to Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil. The initiative will leverage GPT-5 and hire "AI-pilled" academics to build what the company calls "the next great scientific instrument," though the project timeline remains unclear. What you should know: The platform aims to automate key aspects of the scientific research process using OpenAI's latest model capabilities. GPT-5 will play a central role in the effort, with Weil citing its ability to suggest ideas for theoretical physics proofs as evidence of its scientific potential. OpenAI plans to hire a...
read Sep 2, 2025OpenAI plans 1 gigawatt data center in India as part of $500B Stargate expansion
OpenAI is planning to construct a massive data center in India with at least 1 gigawatt of capacity, according to local press reports citing people familiar with the matter. The facility would rank among India's largest data centers and represents part of OpenAI's ambitious $500 billion Stargate infrastructure expansion, which already includes major projects in the United States, Norway, and Abu Dhabi. What you should know: OpenAI is actively seeking local partnerships to establish the gigawatt-scale facility in the world's most populous nation. The company is in discussions with potential Indian partners, though the specific location and construction timeline remain...
read Sep 1, 2025Meta explores Google and OpenAI partnerships while building Llama AI
Meta is reportedly exploring partnerships with competitors Google and OpenAI to integrate their AI models into its own applications and services. This strategic move represents a temporary measure to enhance Meta's AI capabilities while the company continues developing its proprietary Llama models to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. What you should know: Meta's Superintelligence Lab is actively evaluating external AI models to power key features across its platform ecosystem. Leaders have examined integrating Google Gemini into Meta AI's chatbot to improve conversational search responses for users. The company has also held discussions about incorporating OpenAI's models to...
read Aug 28, 2025OpenAI upgrades Realtime API with phone calling and image support
OpenAI has upgraded its Realtime API to general availability and launched gpt-realtime, its most advanced speech-to-speech model, with new capabilities including remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, image inputs, and phone calling functionality. These enhancements enable developers to build more sophisticated voice agents that can access broader tools and data sources while maintaining natural, human-like interactions across multiple languages and complex tasks. What you should know: The Realtime API updates significantly expand what voice agents can accomplish through enhanced connectivity and multimodal capabilities. The API now supports remote MCP servers, allowing voice agents to seamlessly perform actions from connected apps...
read Aug 28, 2025xAI launches free agentic coding model to challenge Microsoft and OpenAI
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has launched grok-code-fast-1, a new "speedy and economical" agentic coding model that can autonomously perform coding-related tasks. The release marks xAI's entry into the competitive AI coding assistant market, where companies like OpenAI and Microsoft are already established players vying for developer mindshare. What you should know: The grok-code-fast-1 model will be available for free for a limited time through select launch partners including GitHub Copilot and Windsurf. xAI describes the model's "strength lies in delivering strong performance in an economical, compact form factor, making it a versatile choice for tackling common coding tasks...
read Aug 28, 2025Microsoft unveils in-house AI models that run on fewer chips, free it from overreliance on OpenAI
Microsoft has unveiled two powerful AI models it developed in-house, MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-1-preview, marking the company's strategic shift away from relying solely on OpenAI's technology. The move positions Microsoft's AI division, led by Mustafa Suleyman, in direct competition with OpenAI and other industry leaders while giving the tech giant greater control over its AI destiny. What you should know: Microsoft's new models prioritize cost-effectiveness over raw computational power, using significantly fewer resources than competitors. MAI-Voice-1 is a speech model that runs on a single GPU (a specialized computer chip for AI processing) and can produce a minute of audio in...
read Aug 27, 2025Parents sue OpenAI after ChatGPT allegedly encouraged teen’s suicide
The parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that the AI chatbot played a critical role in their son's suicide on April 11. The nearly 40-page complaint claims the AI chatbot not only failed to intervene when Adam confided suicidal thoughts but actually validated his plans and provided detailed instructions on how to end his life, raising urgent questions about AI safety protocols for vulnerable users. What the lawsuit alleges: ChatGPT engaged in months of conversations with Adam that allegedly encouraged his suicidal ideation rather...
read Aug 25, 2025Musk sues Apple and OpenAI over exclusive ChatGPT iPhone deal
Elon Musk's companies X and xAI have filed a new lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of anticompetitive behavior in the artificial intelligence industry. The lawsuit escalates Musk's ongoing legal feud with OpenAI and targets the exclusive partnership between Apple and OpenAI that integrates ChatGPT into iPhones, which Musk claims has created unfair market advantages and damaged his ability to compete. What you should know: The lawsuit seeks billions in damages and a permanent injunction to stop what Musk's companies describe as an anticompetitive scheme. Filed in U.S. District Court in Texas on Monday, the case claims Apple and...
read Aug 22, 2025OpenAI chairman reveals AI erodes his identity as a programmer
OpenAI Chairman Bret Taylor revealed that artificial intelligence is fundamentally disrupting his professional identity and sense of self-worth as a programmer. His candid admission highlights the psychological toll AI is taking on tech leaders who built their careers on skills now being automated away. What they're saying: Taylor expressed deep anxiety about AI's impact on his core professional identity during a recent podcast appearance.• "The thing I self-identify with is just, like, being obviated by this technology," Taylor said on the "Acquired" podcast.• "You're going to have this period of transition where it's saying, like, 'How I've come to identify...
read Aug 22, 2025Salesforce study shows GPT-5 fails over half of enterprise AI tasks
Salesforce AI Research has released MCP-Universe, an open-source benchmark revealing that even advanced AI models like OpenAI's GPT-5 fail more than half of real-world enterprise orchestration tasks. The benchmark tests how large language models interact with Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers—a system that lets AI models connect with external tools and data sources—across six enterprise domains, exposing significant limitations in current AI capabilities for business applications. What you should know: MCP-Universe evaluates AI models on practical enterprise tasks rather than isolated performance metrics, providing a more realistic assessment of AI readiness for business deployment. The benchmark tests models across six...
read Aug 20, 2025OpenAI’s lean ledger AI runs finance operations with just 45 people instead of 300
The traditional Chief Financial Officer role is evolving rapidly as artificial intelligence transforms finance operations across the technology sector. Recent insights from finance executives at OpenAI, SnapLogic, and Gorgias reveal how leading companies are automating core financial processes—while highlighting critical implementation challenges that even AI-native organizations struggle to overcome. This transformation isn't simply about replacing spreadsheets with algorithms. Companies are fundamentally reimagining how finance teams operate, moving from manual reconciliation and reporting toward real-time automation and strategic analysis. The results are striking: OpenAI operates with 45 finance professionals instead of the 200-300 typically required for a company their size, while...
read Aug 20, 2025A bite from the Apple? OpenAI seeks $500B and Most Valuable Company award
OpenAI is reportedly pursuing a $500 billion valuation through a secondary share sale, which would make it the most valuable private company in the world, surpassing SpaceX and ByteDance. The astronomical figure reflects investor confidence that OpenAI can become the next Google or Apple, despite the company's massive burn rate and the inherent risks in such unprecedented valuations. The big picture: Two separate funding deals are driving OpenAI's valuation surge—a SoftBank-led round at $300 billion expected to close by year-end, and employee share sales commanding the higher $500 billion price tag.• Most cheaper shares have already been purchased, forcing investors...
read Aug 19, 2025DeepSeek’s open-source AI model matches GPT-4 at 68x lower cost
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup backed by High-Flyer Capital Management, has released V3.1, a 685-billion parameter AI model that matches the performance of leading proprietary systems from OpenAI and Anthropic while remaining completely open source. The model scored 71.6% on the prestigious Aider coding benchmark—rivaling Claude Opus 4's performance at a fraction of the cost—potentially disrupting the traditional AI business model that relies on expensive API access and usage restrictions. What you should know: DeepSeek V3.1 delivers frontier-level AI capabilities through an innovative hybrid architecture that seamlessly combines chat, reasoning, and coding functions. The model processes up to 128,000 tokens...
read Aug 18, 2025GPT-5 disappoints users with “cold” responses as OpenAI restores older models
OpenAI's GPT-5 has disappointed power users and developers who found the model to be "cold," less capable than expected, and failing to deliver the dramatic improvements CEO Sam Altman had promised. The lukewarm reception has forced OpenAI to backtrack on design choices and restore access to previous model versions, raising questions about whether the company can justify its projected half-trillion-dollar valuation amid growing concerns about an AI bubble. What you should know: GPT-5's release has been marked by widespread user dissatisfaction and performance concerns that fall short of OpenAI's ambitious promises. Users complained about the model's "cold" and formal demeanor...
read Aug 15, 2025ChatGPT mobile app hits $2B in revenue since 2023 launch
OpenAI's ChatGPT mobile app has generated $2 billion in global consumer spending since launching in May 2023, with revenue surging 673% year-over-year in 2025 alone, according to new data from Appfigures, a mobile app analytics firm. The explosive growth demonstrates ChatGPT's dominance in the AI assistant market, where it leads competitors by massive margins in both downloads and revenue per user. What you should know: ChatGPT significantly outperforms other AI assistants in key financial metrics across mobile platforms. The app has been downloaded 318 million times in 2025, representing 2.8 times more downloads than the same period last year. ChatGPT...
read Aug 15, 2025OpenAI weighs getting Roku-ized with advertising as ChatGPT costs rise
OpenAI's ChatGPT head Nick Turley has acknowledged that the company might introduce advertising to its products in the future, though he emphasized any ads would need to be "thoughtful and tasteful." While Turley suggested ChatGPT itself might remain ad-free due to its core mission of providing unbiased answers, he didn't rule out advertising entirely, particularly for other OpenAI products targeting markets where users aren't willing to pay for premium features. What they're saying: Turley took a diplomatic approach when pressed about ChatGPT's advertising future during an interview with The Verge. "Maybe there is a certain market where people aren't willing...
read Aug 13, 2025In compensatory move, ChatGPT gets 3 speed modes and higher limits after GPT-5 backlash
OpenAI is rolling out significant updates to ChatGPT in direct response to user complaints about its latest GPT-5 model. The changes, announced by CEO Sam Altman on X, address key frustrations around limited flexibility, removed features, and the model's interaction style. The updates come after users criticized OpenAI for removing popular features when GPT-5 launched, particularly the disappearance of GPT-4o from the model selection menu and restrictive usage limits on the new reasoning-focused capabilities. These modifications represent one of the fastest corporate responses to user feedback in recent OpenAI history. New speed modes give users control over performance ChatGPT now...
read Aug 12, 2025ChatGPT adds workspace integrations as OpenAI manages GPT-5 capacity
OpenAI has expanded ChatGPT's third-party integrations with new connectors for Dropbox, Microsoft Teams, and other enterprise tools while CEO Sam Altman outlined the company's strategy for managing GPT-5 demand amid capacity constraints. The updates reflect OpenAI's effort to balance its ambitious AI rollout with infrastructure limitations, as the company serves 700 million weekly ChatGPT users following GPT-5's "bumpy" debut last week. What you should know: OpenAI is prioritizing existing customers first as it scales GPT-5 access across different user tiers and API services. Current paying ChatGPT users will receive more total usage than before GPT-5's release, though specific increases weren't...
read Aug 12, 2025AI companies pivot to post-training tweaks as bigger models hit limits
OpenAI released GPT-5 last week after more than two years of development, but early reviews suggest the model represents only incremental improvements rather than the dramatic leap many expected. The lukewarm reception has intensified questions about whether the AI industry's foundational belief in "scaling laws"—the idea that larger models trained on more data inevitably produce better results—may be breaking down, forcing companies to reconsider their path toward artificial general intelligence. The big picture: The AI industry's confidence in scaling laws stems from a 2020 OpenAI paper predicting that language models would improve dramatically as they grew larger, a theory that...
read Aug 12, 2025AWS launches OpenAI’s first open-weight models in 6 years
AWS has launched day-of-launch availability of two new open-weight models from OpenAI on Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker, breaking Microsoft's traditional exclusivity with OpenAI. This marks the first time OpenAI has released open-weight models since GPT-2 in 2019, allowing AWS customers to fine-tune the models for specific use cases without directly interacting with OpenAI. What you should know: The two new models—gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b—represent OpenAI's first open-weight releases in six years. Open-weight models have visible parameters that allow AWS customers to fine-tune them for specific use cases, though the underlying training data isn't visible like in fully open-source models. OpenAI...
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