OpenAI seems to have been busy at work as it may launch its own AI agent tool, codenamed Operator, as early as January next year, according to a Bloomberg report. The report seems to suggest that Operator would perform tasks directly on a user's computer as a general-purpose tool for the web browser, potentially rivaling Anthropic's Computer Use and Google's rumored Jarvis AI agent right out of the gate. Conveniently, this report coincided with OpenAI's release of a policy paper advocating for AI-focused economic zones and international collaboration on AI infrastructure.
Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI from July, which was then revived in August, seems to have received an amendment including new defendants and plaintiffs. The updated complaint adds new defendants, including Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, and Dee Templeton, as well as new plaintiffs, such as Musk's xAI and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. Musk accuses OpenAI of anti-competitive practices, benefiting disproportionately from Microsoft's resources, and violating antitrust rules through overlapping board memberships. Despite this, OpenAI continues to seek dismissal OpenAI, calling the lawsuit baseless.
Chegg, an education company in Santa Clara, recently filed to lay off 319 employees, a little over a fifth of its workforce, marking its second major layoff this year. Company CEO Nathan Schultz pointed the finger at generative AI, outlying Google's AI Overviews and chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT as the main culprits as students see the former especially as a "strong alternative" to Chegg. Add on top reported losses of around $212 million last quarter, a drop in web traffic and subscribers, and it's clear to Schultz that Chegg needs to adapt and explore AI integration in its services to not become ChatGPT's "first major victim."
OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman has returned to the AI startup after a three-month sabbatical starting in August, as he confirmed in a post on X/Twitter, confirmed by an OpenAI spokesperson. Brockman, who had stepped down from his role as president, said he is back to "building OpenAI," though his current role remains unknown. Bloomberg reports say that Brockman and company CEO Sam Altman are still working out what position he could take up, primarily focusing on tackling key technical challenges.
Google has launched a standalone Gemini app for iPhones, bringing easy access to its AI chatbot with iOS-specific features, likely looking to push Siri aside. Available worldwide, the app includes Dynamic Island integration and Gemini Extensions for Gmail, allowing users to interact with Gemini directly from their inbox. Users who already own the Gemini Advanced subscription or are interested in it can also purchase it directly from the app, which offers access to Gemini Live, a responsive AI voice assistant that works seamlessly with Dynamic Island and the Lock Screen.
YouTube has begun testing out a new AI feature that allows select creators to "remix" licensed songs for their YouTube Shorts by adjusting elements of them, be it the mood or genre. Known as the Dream Track AI feature that was showcased last year, it generates a 30-second reworked soundtrack for videos using AI-generated voices of artists like Charlie Puth, Demi Lovato, and John Legend. Details on available songs and partnered music labels are still a little hazy, though reports indicate YouTube has approached major labels to use their songs in AI training.
Led by cybersecurity firm Snyk founder Guy Podjarny, his London-based AI startup Tessl recently revealed that it had quietly raised $125 million across seed and Series A rounds to develop an "AI-native" platform to help teams create and maintain software. Now at a $750 million post-money valuation, the platform's goal is to address the issues that arise from mixing human- and AI-generated code and streamline software development by allowing users to provide specifications, test code in a sandbox, and automate maintenance. Though it has yet to launch, a waitlist for those interested was opened this Thursday.