Research & Development news

• OpenAI Debuts Personalized Year-in-Review ChatGPT Experience for Users

  23-12-2025 12:24 via eweek.com
  OpenAI has potentially unveiled its most shareable feature yet.
  The company dropped “Your Year with ChatGPT” — a personalized year-end recap that mirrors Spotify Wrapped’s addictive format, complete with colorful graphics and revealing insights about how people actually use AI.
  Social media is already exploding with users sharing their surprisingly personal AI habits. The timing couldn’t be more perfect — with 2025 fading from view, this new feature analyzes y
  
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• Pulitzer Winner Sues 6 AI Giants for Billions Over Copyright

  24-12-2025 15:53 via eweek.com
  Someone is not in a festive mood, but that’s probably understandable when it comes to the classic story of AI and copyright.
  Renowned investigative journalist John Carreyrou, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who exposed the Theranos scandal, has joined forces with five other writers to launch a copyright lawsuit against six AI powerhouses. Filed in federal court, this legal battle could help to reshape how AI companies use creative content—and potentially cost them billions.
  Court
  
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• Amazon’s Zoox Recalls 332 US Vehicles Due to Software Glitch

  24-12-2025 14:52 via eweek.com
  Amazon’s autonomous vehicle division has hit a roadblock that might send shockwaves through the self-driving car industry.
  The company’s Zoox unit has announced a recall affecting 332 robotaxis, marking the third major software recall in just eight months. The latest incident involves vehicles recklessly crossing into oncoming traffic lanes near intersections, creating situations that federal regulators warn could lead to catastrophic crashes.
  In a filing with the National Highway Tr
  
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• Ex-Yahoo CEO’s AI Startup Dazzle Raises $8M

  24-12-2025 13:34 via eweek.com
  Keep feeling fascination. Marissa Mayer, the former Yahoo CEO who was Google’s 20th employee, has secured $8 million in funding for her new AI venture Dazzle.
  The seed round values her company at $35 million and was spearheaded by Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures, a venture capitalist with a storied record of identifying iconic consumer brands.
  Green’s involvement sends a clear signal that Dazzle is positioning itself for the emerging wave of AI-powered consumer applications. Eve
  
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• The Relentless Rise of OpenAI

  24-12-2025 13:00 via eweek.com
  Not long ago, OpenAI was a name known mostly within research labs and among Silicon Valley insiders. Today, however, the topic is almost impossible to avoid. OpenAI’s transformation into one of the most influential technology companies on the planet has been swift, moving from shaping academic conversations about artificial intelligence to shaping everyday life in just a few years.Today, OpenAI is everywhere, and over the past few months, the company’s pace has only picked up, i
  
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• Waymo to Update Robotaxi Software After SF Blackout Exposes Navigation Gaps

  24-12-2025 12:04 via eweek.com
  A massive power outage in San Francisco on Saturday exposed how autonomous vehicles cope when city infrastructure fails. A fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) substation knocked out electricity to nearly one-third of the city, disabling hundreds of traffic signals and triggering widespread gridlock.
  Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, said the scale of the disruption overwhelmed parts of its system, forcing the company to pause its robotaxi service and pull vehicles off the road
  
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• Waymo to Update Robotaxi Software After San Francisco Blackout Exposes Navigation Gaps

  24-12-2025 12:04 via eweek.com
  A massive power outage in San Francisco on Saturday exposed how autonomous vehicles cope when city infrastructure fails. A fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) substation knocked out electricity to nearly one-third of the city, disabling hundreds of traffic signals and triggering widespread gridlock.
  Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, said the scale of the disruption overwhelmed parts of its system, forcing the company to pause its robotaxi service and pull vehicles off the road
  
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• Indie Band Claims AI Hijacked Their Billie Eilish Cover Before Release

  24-12-2025 09:34 via eweek.com
  An indie band from Milton Keynes in the UK says AI may have lifted their unreleased cover of a Billie Eilish song and turned it into a full track on Spotify without their consent.
  Torus had been working on a grunge-style cover of Ocean Eyes after a short performance clip began gaining traction on TikTok. The band planned to release the full version later, hoping to build on the growing attention.
  But before they could do that, they say a strikingly similar track appeared on Spotify under the nam
  
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• Chinese AI Chipmaker Biren Targets $623M Hong Kong IPO

  23-12-2025 18:16 via eweek.com
  Shanghai-based Biren Technology is planning to raise up to $623 million through an initial public offering in Hong Kong. The company is offering 247.7 million shares priced between HK$17 and HK$19.60, with trading expected to begin on Jan. 2.If successful, the deal will mark the first new stock listing of 2026 in Hong Kong, setting an early tone for what analysts expect to be another busy year for technology offerings in the city.Founded in 2019, Biren focuses on graphics processing units used i
  
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• OpenAI Steps Up Security as ChatGPT Atlas Faces Ongoing Prompt Injection Threats

  23-12-2025 17:33 via eweek.com
  OpenAI is tightening the screws on ChatGPT Atlas, its AI-powered browser agent, as the company warns that prompt injection attacks remain a persistent threat that is unlikely to disappear soon.In a detailed security disclosure published this week, OpenAI explained that it has rolled out a new security update to Atlas’ browser agent after uncovering a new class of prompt injection attacks through internal testing. The update includes a new adversarially trained model and stronger syste
  
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• Alphabet Expands AI Infrastructure Push With $4.75B Intersect Deal

  23-12-2025 17:23 via eweek.com
  Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has agreed to acquire energy and data center infrastructure firm Intersect in a $4.75 billion cash deal, deepening its push to secure power for the next wave of AI growth.The acquisition is designed to accelerate the buildout of data centers and on-site power generation, bringing Intersect’s multi-gigawatt energy projects and infrastructure expertise closer to Google’s expanding AI operations.What Alphabet is buying — and what’s st
  
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• US Department of War Expands GenAI.mil Platform With xAI Partnership

  23-12-2025 16:59 via eweek.com
  The US Department of War has entered into an agreement with xAI, bringing the company’s frontier-grade AI systems to GenAI.mil, the department’s newly launched internal AI platform.The move expands the War Department’s growing AI ecosystem, which is being rolled out across its roughly three million military and civilian personnel. According to the department, xAI’s tools will be added alongside other already-deployed systems, further embedding generative AI into dail
  
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• Chinese AI Startup Z.ai Takes On OpenAI Via Cheaper Prices

  23-12-2025 14:16 via eweek.com
  A Chinese AI startup might have tempted developers around the world to test their latest creation.
  Z.ai has released GLM-4.7, which is a massive 358-billion parameter beast that’s claiming to deliver GPT-4-level performance while slashing costs by up to 80%. It looks like a good move as AI expenses continue crushing developer budgets worldwide.
  The model packs a sophisticated Mixture-of-Experts architecture with an enormous 200,000-token context window, meaning it can analyze entire codeba
  
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• London Set for Robotaxi Tests as Uber, Lyft Team Up With Baidu

  22-12-2025 16:36 via eweek.com
  Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft have confirmed plans to test robotaxis in the UK capital, teaming up with China’s tech firm Baidu as early as next year, pending regulatory approval.Both companies will use Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles, marking a rare moment when rivals move in parallel with the same technology partner.Uber said its London pilot is expected to begin in the first half of 2026, under the UK government’s plan to allow trials of self-driving vehicles. In a
  
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• The Quiet Rise of Synthetic Public Opinion in Government

  22-12-2025 14:52 via eweek.com
  Governments and public institutions are increasingly turning to AI anticipate how communities might respond to policy decisions.
  From modeling how “rural voters” could react to climate legislation to predicting neighborhood responses to zoning reforms, AI systems are being positioned as stand-ins for public opinion. As these tools gain traction, a deeper question is coming into focus: who, exactly, do these systems represent?
  The challenge, as discussed in an article at the Burnes Ce
  
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• Global Investment in Data Centers Hits Record $61B in 2025

  22-12-2025 14:46 via eweek.com
  The global race to power AI has turned the once-humble data center into the hottest real estate on the planet.Global investment in data centers climbed past $61 billion in 2025, setting a new high as companies race to support fast-growing AI workloads, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, first reported by CNBC.The figure already beats the full-year total for 2024, underscoring how central data centers have become to the AI boom. More than 100 deals were recorded in the fir
  
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• NY Governor Seeks AI Safety Via RAISE Act Signing

  22-12-2025 11:45 via eweek.com
  Governor Kathy Hochul just made New York the second state in the nation to impose comprehensive AI safety regulations.
  The RAISE Act became law after months of negotiations, creating strict new rules for the most powerful AI companies operating in the US.
  Hochul signed the bill soon after President Trump issued an executive order designed to block exactly this type of state-level AI regulation. Hochul’s defiant signing shows states aren’t backing down from regulating AI, even under f
  
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• Taylor Swift, Jenna Ortega, and the Battle Over AI’s Role in Creativity

  19-12-2025 22:54 via eweek.com
  Taylor Swift’s voice has always been unmistakably hers. In the age of AI, that distinction is no longer guaranteed.As synthetic performances creep into film, music, and art, stars like Swift, Jenna Ortega, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and many other A-listers warn that the industry may be drifting toward a future in which perfection replaces personality and creativity loses its human core.While some stars see a tool for immortality, others see the death of art itself.Jenna Ortega: ‘We&rsquo
  
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• Unitree Launches the World’s First Robot App Store

  19-12-2025 20:57 via eweek.com
  Humanoid robots are stepping into the app era. Chinese robotics company Unitree has unveiled what it calls the world’s first “Robot App Store,” allowing users to download, share, and develop software for its humanoid robots, bringing the smartphone app model to physical AI.The Unitree App Store is currently in public beta, focusing on motion routines and task models for the company’s G1 humanoid robot. Early applications include entertainment-focused downloads like Funny
  
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• Amazon Adds Conversational AI to Ring Doorbells With Alexa+ Greetings

  19-12-2025 18:51 via eweek.com
  Alexa can now have conversations at your front door.Amazon this week announced Alexa+ Greetings, a new feature that brings conversational AI directly to compatible Ring video doorbells. The update enables Alexa to answer the door, speak naturally with visitors, and handle common situations, such as deliveries, sales pitches, and unexpected drop-ins.According to Amazon, the goal is to turn the doorbell into more than a camera. It becomes an assistant that can understand what is happening at the d
  
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• Marines Compete in First-Ever Attack Drone Competition in Japan

  19-12-2025 18:03 via eweek.com
  US Marines based in Japan have wrapped up the Marine Corps’ first Attack Drone Competition, an event that focused on precision, speed, and control rather than traditional marksmanship. From Dec. 3 to 12, Marines from the 3rd Marine Division under III Marine Expeditionary Force trained and competed at Camps Hansen and Schwab in Okinawa.The event brought first-person-view attack drones directly into the hands of Marines, marking a shift in how the Corps prepares for future battlefields where
  
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• Under Pressure, OpenAI Expands Teen Safety Protections in ChatGPT

  19-12-2025 16:41 via eweek.com
  AI chatbots are becoming a routine part of teenage life. That shift is putting new pressure on how safety and responsibility are built in.With this in mind, OpenAI has vowed to put child safety first with the release of its latest model, GPT-5.2, introducing an updated model spec for users under 18 alongside new literacy resources to help teens and parents use the chatbot responsibly.The move follows mounting pressure from lawmakers and bereaved parents. ChatGPT is at the center of several lawsu
  
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• OpenAI Just Laid Out Its 2026 Roadmap

  19-12-2025 16:10 via eweek.com
  OpenAI just had one of those “blink and you missed the platform shift” weeks.First, a new coding model: OpenAI shipped GPT-5.2-Codex, a new coding model for its coding agent, Codex. At a high level:
  It’s tuned for long-horizon, multi-file work (context compaction, refactors/migrations, better Windows support)……with a BIG emphasis on defensive cybersecurity (Codex system card).
  We’ve been hearing conflicting reports of benchmarks being useful, so we’ll
  
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• AI Surge in 2025 Generated As Much CO2 As NYC

  19-12-2025 13:45 via eweek.com
  Researchers published a report on AI that should worry anyone who cares about our planet’s future.
  While tech companies celebrated AI’s breakthrough year, research by Dutch academic Alex de Vries-Gao, the founder of Digiconomist, revealed that AI systems generated as much carbon pollution in 2025 as the entire city of New York.
  The numbers show that AI’s carbon footprint could reach 80 million tonnes this year, equivalent to more than 8% of global aviation emissions. But carbon
  
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• Bank of England Governor Reckons AI Unlikely to Cause ‘Mass Unemployment’

  19-12-2025 12:04 via eweek.com
  What is a week in the tech world, without someone having an opinion on artificial intelligence.
  But this isn’t some loud man in a pub/bar pontificating after a few drinks. This is Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey.
  He reckons the rapid spread of AI across the UK economy is likely to displace workers in a way comparable to the Industrial Revolution. The technology would transform how people work and which skills employers value, requiring a renewed focus on training and education to he
  
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• US Congress Passes SPEED Act to Fast-Track AI Infrastructure

  19-12-2025 09:47 via eweek.com
  The House delivered a massive victory for Big Tech in the US by passing legislation that could slash years off AI infrastructure development timelines.
  The SPEED Act, which cleared the chamber in a bipartisan 221-196 vote, represents the most significant overhaul of federal environmental permitting laws in over half a century and could reshape how America builds the backbone of AI.
  Environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects currently stretch nearly five years and produce documents a
  
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• China’s Brain Implant May Have Leapfrogged Elon Musk’s Neuralink

  18-12-2025 20:19 via eweek.com
  Chinese scientists have shown that people with severe paralysis can now control machines using only their thoughts. The breakthrough was announced this week by the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at a media briefing in Shanghai. In recent trials, two patients in their 30s received tiny implanted brain-machine interface (BMI) systems in June and October, respectively. After short training periods, they were able
  
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• Google Quietly Added ‘Vibe Coding’ to Gemini

  18-12-2025 17:07 via eweek.com
  Google is giving Gemini users a new way to tinker, experiment, and build.The tech giant announced on Wednesday that Opal, its AI-powered mini app builder from Google Labs, is now available directly in the Gemini web app. The move means users no longer need to leave Gemini to create experimental tools, known as Gems, that are tailored to specific tasks.Opal focuses on what many now call “vibe-coding.” Instead of writing code, users simply describe what they want an app to do in plain
  
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• This New Startup Plans to Deploy 50,000 Humanoid Robots by 2027

  18-12-2025 16:41 via eweek.com
  A humanoid robot built for factories is one thing. A humanoid robot built to be the “first body in” to a combat zone is something else entirely.Robotics startup Foundation says it plans to manufacture 50,000 of its Phantom humanoid robots by the end of 2027, with some units destined for warehouses and others for the US military. At 5 feet 9 inches tall and 180 pounds, Phantom is designed to move seamlessly between domestic labor and warfare, a convergence that puts it among the most
  
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• Who’s Most Afraid of Being Replaced by AI? New Data Reveals the Rankings

  18-12-2025 16:33 via eweek.com
  If you’re worried AI might take your job, you’re not alone… and some professions are far more anxious than others. New research reveals which workers are watching AI most closely.The study by AI ad generator Bestever analyzed the average monthly search volume across the US for key terms related to AI use in certain jobs over the past year. Key terms included phrases like “AI Lawyer” and “Mathematician replaced by AI.”The data found that the mathematicia
  
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