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Need-to-Know
- OpenAI’s VP falsely claimed GPT-5 solved major math problems — it merely rediscovered existing research, sparking backlash over credibility and hype.
- AI data centers are increasingly powered by fracked natural gas, turning Texas into the fossil-fueled backbone of the AI boom.
- World Labs unveiled RTFM (Real-Time Frame Model), generating and rendering persistent 3D worlds on a single H100 GPU.
- Meta will introduce new parental controls next year, letting parents restrict or monitor teens’ AI chatbot activity on Instagram.
- Meta secured $30 B in financing from Blue Owl to build its 5 GW Hyperion AI datacenter in Louisiana.
- SK Telecom offered voluntary retirement weeks after forming its AI division to streamline teams and accelerate its new strategy.
- OpenAI partnered with Hollywood unions to strengthen Sora 2 safeguards against unauthorized voice or likeness cloning.
- Former Scale AI executive Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh raised $9 M for 1001 AI to bring decision-making AI to key MENA industries.
- New Yorkers protested the Friend AI pendant, chanting “Get real friends,” while founder Avi Schiffmann called the exchange “meaningful.”
- A study found readers preferred fine-tuned ChatGPT imitations to human writing, raising new questions about fair-use in AI training.
- Google added vibe-coding to AI Studio, enabling natural-language app creation and laying groundwork for the Gemini 3.0 ecosystem.
- Estuary raised $17 M to merge batch and streaming pipelines for more efficient AI data infrastructure.
- Sesame Labs, from the Oculus founders, raised $250 M Series B to build voice-interactive smart glasses and open its beta.
- Fal.ai raised $250 M at a $4 B valuation within 3 months as demand surges for multimodal and video AI systems.
- Cloudflare’s CEO urged UK regulators to separate Google’s search and AI crawlers to prevent excessive data scraping.
- Anthropic released Claude Desktop for both macOS and Windows.
- MythWorx raised $5 M to develop brain-inspired AI models that outperform larger systems while using minimal power.
- Snapchat made its Imagine Lens free in the U.S., competing directly with Meta and OpenAI’s image tools.
- Datadog launched Updog, a free AI tool that detects and displays real-time cloud service outages.
- GM announced a Gemini-powered in-car AI assistant for 2026, enabling natural voice and personalized driving experiences.
- OpenAI is updating Sora with pet cameos, editing tools, social features, and a coming Android version.
- Wonder Studios raised $12 M to build a “borderless Hollywood,” using AI for original IP and content creation.
- Microsoft introduced Mico, a new Copilot character reviving Clippy’s personality with expressive, memory-based voice interaction.
- EA Games teamed with Stability AI to deploy generative tools that accelerate content production.
- Amazon added a “Help me decide” AI button that proactively compares products based on a user’s shopping history.
Weekly AI Launches
- TinyFast released a drag-and-drop macOS app that locally compresses media files for privacy and speed.
- Kibo UI launched an open-source registry of composable UI components, expanding shadcn/ui.
- HeyGrid unveiled a link-in-bio builder replacing link trees with infinite, aesthetic grid layouts.
- Rybbit launched an open-source, GDPR-compliant web-analytics tool as a privacy-first alternative to Google Analytics.
- Fish Audio introduced S1, a 10-second emotional TTS model capable of lifelike voice cloning.
- Replymer rolled out a service that uses authentic human replies to grow brands through real engagement.
- Logic Inc. launched a platform that automates recurring business decisions written in plain English.
- Voice Gecko debuted a desktop dictation tool converting speech to text instantly via shortcut.
- Director AI launched a browser-based platform automating any web task from a prompt.
- Beatoven.ai released Maestro SFX, generating professional sound effects from text descriptions.
- Anthropic launched Claude Code Web, enabling users to assign and track parallel coding tasks in browser or iOS.
- Supervibes introduced the first vibecoding tool for Swift to build and publish iOS apps via prompts.
- Xmind launched a project-management suite combining mind maps, AI task breakdown, and Gantt charts.
- ProblemHunt debuted a service that discovers validated, paying problems for startups.
- Manus 1.5 launched a faster AI agent that researches, analyzes, and builds full-stack apps via chat.
- DevReadyKit released a free React + Tailwind UI kit for faster SaaS prototyping.
- Nimo unveiled an intelligent canvas replacing browser tabs with context-aware AI cards.
- FunBlocks introduced an AI Markdown Editor with an @ai assistant and instant conversion to slides or canvas.
- Migma AI launched a platform that generates branded, responsive emails and includes a Figma-to-Email converter.
- Plexe rolled out an AI platform that automates the full ML lifecycle—from messy data to deployed models—using natural language.
