Retter Reboot #34

Meta Signs $10B+ Cloud Deal with Google

Meta has signed a cloud computing deal worth over $10 billion with Google, according to sources familiar with the matter. The agreement will see Meta use Google Cloud to support its growing AI ambitions and infrastructure needs, particularly as it scales its Llama AI models and develops new products like AI glasses. The deal represents one of the largest cloud contracts ever signed, highlighting the escalating demand for AI compute capacity and the intensifying competition among hyperscalers (Google, Microsoft, and Amazon) to secure AI-heavy workloads.

Source: Reuters

Google Expands AI Mode Globally with New Agentic Features

Google has rolled out its AI Mode to users worldwide, after initially launching in the U.S. and India. The expansion brings agentic features that allow the AI to take more proactive actions on behalf of users, including real-time search assistance, workflow automation, and personalized task execution across Google services. AI Mode is being integrated deeper into Search, Gmail, Docs, and Android, giving users the ability to delegate more complex, multi-step tasks. Google emphasized that privacy controls will let users manage how much autonomy the AI has when acting on their behalf.

Source: TechCrunch

OpenAI Lawyers Question Meta’s Role in Elon Musk’s $97B Takeover Bid

OpenAI’s legal team has raised concerns about Meta’s involvement in Elon Musk’s proposed $97 billion takeover bid for the company. While the details of Meta’s role remain unclear, OpenAI lawyers are reportedly scrutinizing whether Meta may have influenced or backed aspects of the deal, given its direct competition with OpenAI in AI development. The inquiry underscores the high-stakes tension in the AI industry, where partnerships, rivalries, and acquisitions are increasingly intertwined with regulatory and antitrust scrutiny. Analysts suggest that any potential connection between Meta and Musk’s bid could trigger further competition law reviews in both the U.S. and Europe.

Source: TechCrunch

DeepSeek V3.1 Launches as One of the Most Powerful Open AI Models

DeepSeek has released V3.1, positioning it as potentially the most powerful open AI model to date. The model is designed to rival proprietary systems like GPT-4 and Claude Opus while remaining openly available to researchers and developers. Key highlights include:

• Massive performance gains across reasoning, coding, and multilingual benchmarks.

• Optimizations that allow it to run more efficiently compared to previous versions.

• Open weights, making it highly attractive for enterprises and researchers seeking transparency and fine-tuning flexibility.

Source: VentureBeat

Qwen Image-Edit Challenges Photoshop With Fast AI-Powered Editing

Alibaba’s Qwen team has launched Qwen Image-Edit, an AI-powered image editing tool that performs text-to-image edits in seconds, positioning itself as a serious competitor to Photoshop. Users can make edits—like changing backgrounds, adding objects, or altering styles—simply by describing them in text. This release highlights the growing trend of AI tools competing with industry-standard creative software, making powerful editing capabilities available without requiring advanced design skills.

Source: VentureBeat

Meta Launches AI-Powered Translations for Creators

Meta has introduced AI-powered translations for creators worldwide, starting with English and Spanish. The feature will automatically translate captions and comments, enabling creators to better connect with international audiences without relying on manual translation. Meta says this rollout is part of its broader strategy to expand AI-driven tools across its platforms, aiming to boost engagement and accessibility for creators on a global scale.

Source: TechCrunch

OpenAI Says GPT-5 Is Designed to Be “Nicer”

OpenAI is positioning GPT-5 as a more polite and approachable model, aiming to address criticism that previous versions could come across as blunt or unhelpful. The company has fine-tuned GPT-5’s responses to be more considerate and user-friendly, while still maintaining accuracy and efficiency. This change reflects OpenAI’s broader effort to make AI interactions feel more natural and engaging for both consumers and enterprise users.

Source: TechCrunch

Anthropic Bundles Claude Code Into Enterprise Plans

Anthropic is strengthening its enterprise offering by bundling Claude Code, its AI-powered coding assistant, into business plans at no additional cost. Claude Code helps developers with tasks like code generation, debugging, and workflow automation, making it a valuable addition for enterprise teams already using the Claude platform. By integrating the tool directly into its enterprise suite, Anthropic aims to boost adoption, deepen customer reliance on its ecosystem, and compete more directly with rivals like OpenAI and GitHub Copilot. 

Source: TechCrunch

Microsoft AI Chief Warns Against Studying AI Consciousness

Microsoft’s AI chief has cautioned that pursuing research into AI consciousness could be dangerous, arguing that it risks distracting the industry from more immediate and practical challenges such as safety, reliability, and governance. He emphasized that current AI systems, while powerful, do not possess sentience or self-awareness, and speculating about consciousness could lead to misplaced priorities. Instead, Microsoft is focusing on ensuring that AI models are transparent, controllable, and aligned with human needs. The statement reflects growing debate in the AI community about balancing futuristic concerns with present-day risks.

Source: TechCrunch

Thousands of Grok Chats Now Searchable on Google

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has started appearing in Google search results, with thousands of user chats now being indexed and publicly accessible. While this boosts visibility, it also raises serious privacy concerns, as conversations originally assumed to be private can now surface online. The development mirrors similar issues faced by other AI platforms like ChatGPT, where public queries have also been indexed. Observers warn that companies deploying chatbots must address data governance and user transparency before such indexing undermines trust.

Source: TechCrunch

Google Study Finds 90% of Game Developers Use AI Agents

A new Google study shows that nearly 90% of video game developers are now using AI agents in their workflows. Developers are leveraging AI for game design, character behavior, and world-building, accelerating production and reducing costs. The findings highlight how quickly AI has become standard infrastructure in the gaming industry, shaping everything from content creation to live player interactions.

Source: Economic Times