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OpenAI just raised another $40 billion round led by SoftBank
Image: The Verge
OpenAI has raised $40 billion in a new investment round led by SoftBank, vaulting the company to a $300 billion valuation. It’s the largest funding round for a private tech company in history, according to CNBC.
OpenAI is set to receive $10 billion up front (SoftBank will invest $7.5 billion along with $2.5 billion “from an investor syndicate,“ according to Bloomberg). The remaining $30 billion is slated to arrive by year’s end, CNBC reported — but only if it officially converts into a for-profit company by then. If not, it reportedly stands to lose a quarter of the deal.
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ChatGPT’s Ghibli filter is political now, but it always was
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
When I saw my colleague Kylie Robison’s story about OpenAI’s new image generator on Tuesday, I thought this week might be fun. Generative AI images raise all kinds of ethical issues, but I find them wildly entertaining, and I spent large chunks of that day watching other Verge staff test ChatGPT in ways that covered the entire spectrum, from cute to cursed.
But on Thursday afternoon, the White House decided to spoil it. Its X account posted a photograph of a crying detainee that it bragged was an arrested fentanyl trafficker and undocumented immigrant. Then it added an almost certainly AI-generated cartoon of an officer handcuffing the sobbing woman — not attributed to any particular tool, but in the unmistakable style of ChatGPT’s super-popular Studio Ghibli imitations, which have flooded the internet over the past week.
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OpenAI says ‘our GPUs are melting’ as it limits ChatGPT image generation requests
Illustration: The Verge
The fervor around ChatGPT’s more accessible (and more advanced) image generation capabilities has forced OpenAI to “temporarily” put a rate limit on image generation requests, according to CEO Sam Altman. “It’s super fun seeing people love images in ChatGPT, but our GPUs are melting,” he posted on X today. Altman didn’t specify what the rate limit is, but said the safeguard “hopefully” won’t need to be in place for very long as OpenAI tries to increase its efficiency in handling the avalanche of requests.
The demand crunch already caused the artificial intelligence company to push back availability of the built-in image generator for users on ChatGPT’s free tier. But apparently that measure alone wasn’t enough to ease the stress on OpenAI’s infrastructure. (Altman said free users will “soon” be able to generate up to three images per day.)
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ChatGPT is turning everything into Studio Ghibli art — and it got weird fast
Image: ChatGPT
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ChatGPT’s new image generator is delayed for free users
Image: The Verge
OpenAI is pushing back the rollout of ChatGPT’s built-in image generator for free users. In a post on Wednesday, CEO Sam Altman admitted that the image-generation tool is more popular than he expected, adding that “rollout to our free tier is unfortunately going to be delayed for awhile.”
OpenAI only just added image generation capabilities to ChatGPT on Tuesday, allowing users to create images directly within the app using the company’s reasoning model, GPT-4o. Since its launch, users have flooded social media feeds with photos transformed into images generated in the style of Studio Ghibli, a trend that even Altman has gotten in on.
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OpenAI rolls out image generation powered by GPT-4o to ChatGPT
OpenAI
OpenAI is integrating new image generation capabilities directly into ChatGPT starting today — this feature is dubbed “Images in ChatGPT.” Users can now use GPT-4o to generate images within ChatGPT itself.
This initial release focuses solely on image creation and will be available across ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Team, and Free subscription tiers. The free tier’s usage limit is the same as DALL-E, spokesperson Taya Christianson told The Verge, but added that they “didn’t have a specific number to share” and ”these may change over time based on demand.“ Per the ChatGPT FAQ, free users were previously able to generate “three images per day with DALL·E 3.” As for the fate of DALL-E, Christianson said “fans” will “still have access via a custom GPT.”
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OpenAI reshuffles leadership as Sam Altman pivots to technical focus
Image: The Verge
In a significant executive shuffle announced Monday, OpenAI is expanding COO Brad Lightcap’s responsibilities while CEO Sam Altman shifts his attention more toward the company’s technical direction. The news was first reported by Bloomberg.
Lightcap will now “oversee day-to-day operations,” international expansion, and manage key partnerships with tech giants like Microsoft and Apple, according to Bloomberg. OpenAI has also promoted Mark Chen to chief research officer (he was recently SVP of research) and Julia Villagra to chief people officer (she was formerly VP of people).
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ChatGPT accused of saying an innocent man murdered his children
Image: The Verge
A privacy complaint has been filed against OpenAI by a Norwegian man who claims that ChatGPT described him as a convicted murderer who killed two of his own children and attempted to kill a third.
Arve Hjalmar Holmen says that he wanted to find out what ChatGPT would say about him, but was presented with the false claim that he had been convicted for both murder and attempted murder, and was serving 21 years in a Norwegian prison. Alarmingly, the ChatGPT output mixes fictitious details with facts, including his hometown and the number and gender of his children.
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What does OpenAI really want from Trump?
When AI giant OpenAI submitted its “freedom-focused” policy proposal to the White House’s AI Action Plan last Thursday, it gave the Trump administration an industry wishlist: use trade laws to export American AI dominance against the looming threat of China, loosen copyright restrictions for training data (also to fight China), invest untold billions in AI infrastructure (again: China), and stop states from smothering it with hundreds of new laws.
But specifically, one law: SB 1047, California’s sweeping, controversial, and for now, defeated AI safety bill.
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The questions ChatGPT shouldn’t answer
Chatbots can’t think, and increasingly I am wondering whether their makers are capable of thought as well.
In mid-February OpenAI released a document called a model spec laying out how ChatGPT is supposed to “think,” particularly about ethics. (It is an update of a much shorter version published last year.) A couple of weeks later, people discovered xAI’s Grok suggesting its owner Elon Musk and titular President Donald Trump deserved the death penalty. xAI’s head of engineering had to step in and fix it, substituting a response that it’s “not allowed to make that choice.” It was unusual, in that someone working on AI made the right call for a change. I doubt it has set precedent.
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OpenAI announces GPT-4.5, warns it’s not a frontier AI model
Image: OpenAI
OpenAI is launching GPT-4.5 today, its newest and largest AI language model. GPT-4.5 will be available as a research preview for ChatGPT Pro users to start. OpenAI is calling the release its “most knowledgeable model yet,” but initially warned that GPT-4.5 is not a frontier model and might not perform as well as o1 or o3-mini.
GPT-4.5 will have better writing capabilities, improved world knowledge, and what OpenAI calls a “refined personality over previous models.” OpenAI says interacting with GPT 4.5 will feel more “natural,” adding that the model is better at recognizing patterns and drawing connections, making it ideal for writing, programming, and “solving practical problems.”
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ChatGPT is a terrible, fascinating, and thrilling to-do list app
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Every day for the last few weeks, I’ve received a notification on my phone at 7:30 in the morning. The notification comes from ChatGPT, and it always contains the same thing: instructions for a 20-minute full-body workout and a 10-minute meditation. The instructions are simple, and I’ve actually come to appreciate the daily prodding. I do wish it would stop recommending the exact same thing every damn day, though. The mountain climbers and positive intentions are getting a little old.
OpenAI has added a number of new features to ChatGPT in the last few weeks, a couple of which attempt to turn the chatbot into a straightforward productivity app. There’s Tasks, which all paid users can access and allows you to set reminders and make to-do lists in ChatGPT; and there’s Operator, a so-called “agentic” model for Pro subscribers that attempts to actually accomplish tasks on your behalf. As an incorrigible tester of to-do list apps, I decided to throw my life into ChatGPT and see if it could help me get more done.
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Mira Murati is launching her OpenAI rival: Thinking Machines Lab
Getty Images for WIRED
After her sudden departure from OpenAI last fall, ex-CTO Mira Murati vanished from public view to start something new. Now, she is ready to share some details about what she’s working on.
Her new AI startup is called Thinking Machines Lab, and while the specifics of what it plans to release are still under wraps, the company says its goal is “to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable and generally capable.” The startup also promises at least some level of public transparency by pledging to regularly publish technical research and code.
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OpenAI is rethinking how AI models handle controversial topics
Image: The Verge
OpenAI is releasing a significantly expanded version of its Model Spec, a document that defines how its AI models should behave — and is making it free for anyone to use or modify.
The new 63-page specification, up from around 10 pages in its previous version, lays out guidelines for how AI models should handle everything from controversial topics to user customization. It emphasizes three main principles: customizability; transparency; and what OpenAI calls “intellectual freedom” — the ability for users to explore and debate ideas without arbitrary restrictions. The launch of the updated Model Spec comes just as CEO Sam Altman posted that the startup’s next big model, GPT-4.5 (codenamed Orion), will be released soon.
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OpenAI lays out plans for GPT-5
Image: The Verge
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman detailed plans for the company’s GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 AI models in a roadmap published on X on Wednesday.
In the post, Altman also acknowledged that OpenAI’s product lineup has gotten complicated and says that the company wants to do “a much better job” simplifying its offerings. “We hate the model picker as much as you do and want to return to magic unified intelligence,” Altman says.
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What $200 of ChatGPT is really worth
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Inside OpenAI’s $14 million Super Bowl debut
OpenAI
OpenAI just made its Super Bowl debut with a 60-second spot that positions AI alongside humanity’s greatest innovations.
The commercial traces humanity’s technological evolution through a distinctive pointillism-inspired animation style, transforming abstract dots into iconic images of progress – from early tools like fire and the wheel to modern breakthroughs like DNA sequencing and space exploration. It culminates with modern AI applications, showing ChatGPT handling everyday tasks like drafting business plans and language tutoring. The ad cost roughly $14 million for the first-half placement.
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I tested ChatGPT’s deep research with the most misunderstood law on the internet
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
In the vast number of fields where generative AI has been tested, law is perhaps its most glaring point of failure. Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have gotten lawyers sanctioned and experts publicly embarrassed, producing briefs based on made-up cases and nonexistent research citations. So when my colleague Kylie Robison got access to ChatGPT’s new “deep research” feature, my task was clear: make this purportedly superpowerful tool write about a law humans constantly get wrong.
Compile a list of federal court and Supreme Court rulings from the last five years related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, I asked Kylie to tell it. Summarize any significant developments in how judges have interpreted the law.
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ChatGPT drops its sign-in requirement for search
Image: The Verge
ChatGPT no longer requires you to log in to use the AI chatbot’s search engine, OpenAI announced on Wednesday. With the feature, ChatGPT will surface responses based on information from the web while presenting a list of sources it used to inform its answer.
OpenAI first launched its search engine to paid ChatGPT subscribers last October and later rolled it out to everyone in December. But now that you no longer need an account to use it, ChatGPT search will compete directly with search engines like Google and Bing.
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Here’s OpenAI’s new logo
OpenAI just gave itself a full rebrand, complete with a new typeface, logo, and color palette, as explained to Wallpaper in an interview about the process behind the changes. You’ll have to look closely to spot the difference between the redrawn logo and its old one, but a side-by-side comparison shows the updated “blossom” with a slightly larger space in the center and cleaner lines.
Though the original logo was designed by OpenAI co-founders Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever, an in-house design team led by Veit Moeller and Shannon Jager took the reins this time around, intending to create a “more organic and more human” identity, Wallpaper reports.
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SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son says AGI will arrive ‘much earlier’ than he thought
Getty Images
SoftBank isn’t just part of the group investing $500 billion into Project Stargate to build American AI infrastructure capacity for OpenAI. It’s also making a Japanese joint venture with OpenAI, will spend $3 billion deploying OpenAI tech across SoftBank companies, and claims it will revolutionize business with AI agents through a new AI system called “Cristal intelligence.”
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who also invested billions in WeWork, claimed at an announcement event in Tokyo that artificial general intelligence, or AGI will come “much earlier” than his previous two- to three-year prediction, The Wall Street Journal reports. That could be helped, of course, by changes in the definition of AGI, as explained recently by his new partner, Sam Altman.
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ChatGPT’s agent can now do deep research for you
OpenAI has revealed another new agentic feature for ChatGPT called deep research, which it says can operate autonomously to “plan and execute a multi-step trajectory to find the data it needs, backtracking and reacting to real-time information where necessary.”
Instead of simply generating text, it shows a summary of its process in a sidebar, with citations and a summary showing the process used for reference.
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OpenAI launches new o3-mini reasoning model with a free ChatGPT version
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman teased exactly two weeks ago that o3-mini would ship in “a couple of weeks,” and it’s arriving on time today. OpenAI is launching its latest o3-mini reasoning model inside ChatGPT and its API services and making a version with rate limits available to free users of ChatGPT for the first time.
Originally announced as part of OpenAI’s 12 days of “ship-mas” in December, o3-mini is designed to match o1’s performance in math, coding, and science, while responding faster than the existing reasoning model. OpenAI says o3-mini should respond 24 percent faster than o1-mini and provide more accurate answers in the process. Much like o1-mini, this latest model will show how it worked out an answer, rather than just providing a response.
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Sam Altman’s Stargate is science fiction
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
Stargate is a staggering power grab.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has spent the past year seeking an absurd amount of computing power to train the company’s AI models — one report says Japanese officials literally laughed at the amount of electricity he demanded. The stakes were clear: without massive computing resources, OpenAI risked losing ground to tech giants like Google and Meta, who’ve spent years building their AI infrastructure.
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DeepSeek, Stargate, and the new AI arms race
Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge; Getty Images
On today’s episode of Decoder, we’re talking about the only thing the AI industry — and pretty much the entire tech world — has been able to talk about for the last week: that is, of course, DeepSeek, and how the open-source AI model built by a Chinese startup has completely upended the conventional wisdom around chatbots, what they can do, and how much they should cost to develop.
DeepSeek, for those unaware, is a lot like ChatGPT — there’s a website and a mobile app, and you can type into a little text box and have it talk back to you. What makes it special is how it was built. On January 20th, the startup’s most recent major release, a reasoning model called R1, dropped just weeks after the company’s last model V3, both of which began showing some very impressive AI benchmark performance. It quickly became clear that DeepSeek’s models perform at the same level, or in some cases even better, as competing ones from OpenAI, Meta, and Google. Also: they’re totally free to use.
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