May
Sam Altman’s $10b bet to give OpenAI its ‘iPhone moment’
Artificial intelligence is helping computers get to the toughest destination of all: your face.
OpenAI taking on Apple is the beginning of the end of the iPhone
Sam Altman’s acquisition of a storied design firm positions him as a contender to the legacy of Steve Jobs: not just reshaping software, but also reimagining devices.
Two books tell a similar tale about OpenAI. It is worrying
Sam Altman is a beguiling character. The first things you notice about him are his slight stature and the intensity of his gaze.
OpenAI reveals plan to build global capacity with governments
OpenAI says it plans to invest in efforts outside the US to develop the infrastructure to run AI systems, building on its US Stargate efforts.
April
What is Elon Musk’s IQ?
The questionable measure of intelligence has now been uncoupled from any test and functions as a general-purpose human ranking system that implies invincibility, prosperity and virility.
OpenAI finalises biggest ever tech funding round at $US300b valuation
The ChatGPT maker has closed the largest private funding round in history, at $US40 billion, led by Japanese investor SoftBank.
March
A new type of AI is coming that will generate trillions (and remake the world)
Every week, I meet engineers and entrepreneurs working on AI who tell me that change – the kind of transformation we’ve never seen before – is just around the corner.
Be afraid: Google’s new AI assistant will remember your search history
The tech giant has unveiled updated artificial intelligence tools, including a feature that learns from your web browsing, while OpenAI says the US will lose to China if it can’t use copyrighted work.
February
‘Astonishingly good advice:’ Altman rates new ChatGPT
OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman says chatting with its new GPT-4.5 model feels like having a conversation with a thoughtful person.
A one-person company worth $1b? AI could make it a reality
Tech start-ups typically raised huge sums to hire armies of workers and grow fast. Now AI tools are making workers more productive and spurring “tiny team” success.
OpenAI board rejects Musk’s $153b bid to control company
OpenAI’s chairman said the board had “unanimously” rejected Elon Musk’s latest attempt to disrupt his competition.
Musk will pull OpenAI bid if it remains a non-profit, lawyers say
If OpenAI’s board “is prepared to preserve the charity’s mission”, then Elon Musk will withdraw his hostile bid for control of the ChatGPT maker.
Sam Altman calls Musk ‘insecure’ as AI race gets personal
The OpenAI chief accused the billionaire of playing games over his offer for control of the start-up. “I wish he would just compete by building a better product”.
Musk probably won’t take over OpenAI, but investors should still worry
Elon Musk’s attempts to buy OpenAI is the latest in a flood of potentially market-shaking events, which make the fortunes of the world’s biggest companies anyone’s guess.
Trump flags tariff exemption; Victoria in recession: Ryan Stokes; Breville eyes China’s kitchens
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
‘We will buy Twitter for $US9.74b’: Altman counters Musk’s OpenAI bid
A consortium of investors led by billionaire Elon Musk is reportedly offering to buy the nonprofit that controls artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI, in a move that was quickly rejected by its chief executive Sam Altman.
January
The sweet irony of OpenAI’s DeepSeek beef
OpenAI thinks DeepSeek took its private data to train its models; the hearts of writers, artists, musicians and journalists around the world must bleed for it.
These four graphs show why DeepSeek is spooking investors
The little-known (until this week) Chinese AI start-up has its American rivals on edge. Could it actually be faster, smarter and use fewer resources?
AI’s next big (risky) thing: Special agents to organise your life
Tasks that would have taken a month can now be done in an hour, but people will be exposing a lot more digital information, raising privacy and security concerns.
December 2024
Musk raises $9b for ‘anti-woke’ AI company
xAI’s funding round signals the battle with OpenAI and Anthropic is intensifying.