grammarly Grammarly Acquires Coda to Transform into AI Productivity Platform Grammarly purchases Coda in an undisclosed deal and names Coda's co-founder as its new CEO. The acquisition aims to merge writing assistance with broader workplace tools to compete in the evolving AI market.
openai OpenAI Expands Access to Premium o1 Reasoning Model in API OpenAI releases a highly customizable version of its o1 reasoning model to its API for top-tier developers. The update brings new controls and improved accuracy, though it comes at a significantly higher price point than standard models.
openai OpenAI Holds Off on Sora API as Rivals Push Ahead OpenAI confirms it currently has no plans to release an API for its Sora video generation model. The delay stems from overwhelming demand that recently forced the company to pause new user sign-ups.
salesforce Salesforce Doubles Down on AI With 2,000 New Sales Hires Salesforce plans to hire 2,000 new sales representatives to push its growing lineup of AI products. The hiring surge comes just ahead of the February launch of the company's second-generation AI agent software.
google DOJ Seeks Perplexity Executive Testimony in Google Antitrust Penalty Phase The Justice Department requests testimony from Perplexity's chief business officer to explore how generative AI impacts Google's search monopoly. Both Google and the DOJ currently seek internal documents from the AI search startup to support their opposing legal arguments.
google Google Labs Tests Whisk Tool for Blending Three Images Into One Google's experimental division introduces Whisk, an image generator that uses photos instead of text prompts to remix a subject, scene, and style. The tool currently runs exclusively for users in the United States.
meta Meta Brings Live AI Video and Real-Time Translation to Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Meta releases a major firmware update for its Ray-Ban smart glasses that enables continuous AI conversations and live video analysis. The update also introduces real-time language translation and music recognition features.
openai OpenAI Expands AI Web Search to All ChatGPT Users OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT Search to free and paid users, adding browser integration and mobile upgrades. The feature aims to compete with traditional search engines despite ongoing concerns from publishers.
softbank SoftBank Pledges $100 Billion for U.S. Tech and Job Creation SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son commits to investing $100 billion into the United States over the next four years, aiming to create at least 100,000 jobs. The announcement highlights a focus on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
waymo Waymo Expands Robotaxi Testing Outside US for First Time With Tokyo Debut Waymo prepares to test its autonomous vehicles on Tokyo's public roads in early 2025, marking its first international expansion. The company partners with local taxi firms to navigate left-hand traffic and dense urban streets.
youtube YouTube Introduces New Controls for Third-Party AI Training on Creator Videos YouTube launches a dashboard feature allowing creators to authorize specific AI companies to train on their content. Google continues to exempt itself from these new third-party restrictions.
neurips NeurIPS Speaker Apologizes After Keynote Slide Draws Bias Accusations MIT professor Rosalind Picard faces backlash after highlighting a Chinese student's nationality during an AI ethics presentation. Both Picard and NeurIPS organizers issue formal apologies for the unnecessary reference.
open source TechCrunch Tracks the Growing Trend of Open Source Companies Going Proprietary A new timeline details how various software companies have shifted from open source to proprietary or more restrictive licenses over the past decade to protect their commercial interests.
lucid air 2025 Lucid Air Pure Offers Luxury Tech Experience for Under $70,000 The 2025 Lucid Air Pure delivers impressive range and a refined interior at a starting price of $69,900. However, its ultimate value depends heavily on the automaker's commitment to continuous over-the-air software updates.
donald trump Trump's Tech Advisers Target AI Censorship as New Culture War Front Silicon Valley leaders advising Donald Trump view AI chatbot moderation as a dangerous form of censorship. They see these AI systems as a powerful new threat to free speech that outpaces traditional social media algorithms.