Artificial Intelligence: News, Business, Science

Jan 14, 2026

Deutsche Telekom is soon using AI voice agents from Elevenlabs in its customer service. Customers can talk to realistic-sounding AI voices around the clock through the app or by phone. The partnership between Europe's largest telecom company and the AI audio startup goes back a while. Since October 2025, Magenta customers have been able to convert text into podcasts up to 25 times a month for free in the MeinMagenta app. Deutsche Telekom also invested in Elevenlabs' Series C funding round.

According to Elevenlabs' internal data, the AI support agent successfully resolves about 80 percent of user queries, particularly when it comes to specific documentation questions. For more complex issues like troubleshooting or pricing inquiries, though, the system still hits its limits and needs to hand off to human support.

Elevenlabs recently launched a marketplace for licensed voices of famous people like John Wayne and Judy Garland. Last year, the company introduced the Eleven v3 voice model with expanded expression options.

Comment Source: Elevenlabs

Maximilian Schreiner

Jan 14, 2026

AI and society

After Grok's deepfake flood, Senate passes bill letting victims take creators to court

Abstract visualization of people in a data stream

Maximilian Schreiner

Jan 14, 2026

Short News

Apple's expanded partnership with Google relegates ChatGPT to a backup option on iPhone.

An Apple spokesperson told The Information that deeper Gemini integration would not affect the company's agreement with OpenAI to use ChatGPT for more complex requests.

For OpenAI, though, the Gemini-Siri integration marks the end of a failed partnership. CEO Sam Altman and his team originally hoped the Apple deal would bring in billions in additional revenue and break Google's dominance on Apple devices.

That didn't happen. According to a source speaking to The Information, the partnership brought OpenAI almost no additional traffic. Now Google's model handles everyday user interactions, while ChatGPT serves only as an optional fallback.

Comment Source: The Information

Maximilian Schreiner

Jan 14, 2026

Short News

Music platform Bandcamp now prohibits music created entirely or substantially by generative AI. The company says the new policy protects human creativity and the direct connection between artists and fans. The updated rules also strictly ban using AI tools to imitate specific artists or styles.

Unlike most streaming services, Bandcamp focuses on direct purchases of music and merchandise, letting fans support creators financially without intermediaries.

Users can now report content that sounds heavily AI-generated. Bandcamp reserves the right to remove music from the platform based on suspected AI origins alone.

Comment Source: Bandcamp

Jonathan Kemper

Jan 14, 2026

AI research

Google's MedGemma 1.5 brings 3D CT and MRI analysis to open-source medical AI

Google has updated its open-source medical AI with MedGemma 1.5, a model capable of analyzing 3D medical scans like CTs and MRIs. The release also includes a specialized speech tool that reportedly outperforms OpenAI’s Whisper in medical dictation tasks, though strict licensing conditions apply for clinical use for both models.

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Matthias Bastian

Jan 13, 2026

Short News

Several monkeys have escaped in St. Louis, and AI-generated images are making the search for the animals harder, another sign of how synthetic media is muddying everyday reality. The vervet monkeys were first spotted Thursday near a park in the north of the city, AP reports. Since then, social media has been flooded with rumors and AI-generated images from people falsely claiming they've caught the animals. As of Monday, the monkeys still hadn't been captured, according to Willie Springer, a spokesman for the city health department.

It’s been a lot in regard to AI and what’s genuine and what’s not. People are just having fun. Like I don’t think anyone means harm.
Willie Springer

Authorities still don't know who owns the monkeys, how they escaped, or exactly how many are out there. They're urging residents to keep their distance, as the animals can turn aggressive when stressed.

Comment Source: AP

Matthias Bastian

Jan 13, 2026

Short News

Google Deepmind has updated Veo 3.1 with new features for generating video from reference images. The update enables more dynamic and expressive videos, even with simple text prompts, according to Google. Users can now keep characters consistent across multiple scenes and seamlessly combine different elements like textures, objects, and backgrounds.

The update also adds native support for vertical videos in 9:16 format, optimized for YouTube Shorts and the YouTube Create app along with other mobile platforms. Veo 3.1 now offers upscaling to 1080p and 4K resolution for professional productions. This likely means even more AI-generated content flooding YouTube, especially in the Shorts format.

The updates are available now in the Gemini app, YouTube, Flow, Google Vids, and through the Gemini API and Vertex AI. All generated videos include the invisible SynthID watermark to identify AI-generated content. Users can check in the Gemini app whether a video was created with Google AI.

Comment Source: Google

Matthias Bastian

Jan 13, 2026

Update

AI in practice

China reportedly tightens Nvidia H200 restrictions, limits purchases to special cases

The AI race between the US and China enters a new phase: Washington loosens Nvidia export rules, but Beijing reportedly halts purchases. China wants to shield its chip industry and may require buyers to also purchase domestic chips.

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Matthias Bastian

Jan 13, 2026

Short News

Salesforce has launched a new Slackbot built on Anthropic's Claude AI model. According to co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Parker Harris, the company is also testing alternatives. The AI assistant lives directly inside Slack and can search data across Slack, Salesforce, Google Drive, Box, and Atlassian's Confluence. It uses context from conversations, files, and channels to answer questions, create content, and prepare meetings, while respecting existing access rights and permissions.

Slackbot is now available for Business+ and Enterprise+ customers, with a gradual rollout running through February. Down the road, Slackbot will also be able to work with Agentforce and other AI agents.

Comment Source: CNBC | Salesforce

Matthias Bastian

Jan 13, 2026

Short News

A new leak reveals details about OpenAI's planned hardware, an audio device designed to compete with Apple's Airpods. X and Weibo leaker "Smart Pikachu" claims OpenAI is developing a device codenamed "Sweetpea" with designer Jony Ive reportedly involved. The alleged September launch targets 40 to 50 million units in year one.

The device supposedly features an oval metal housing with two capsule-shaped components worn behind the ear, running on a 2nm chip with Samsung Exynos as the frontrunner. A separate chip would enable iPhone control through Siri. Material costs are reportedly close to smartphone level.

Die Komponenten von "Sweetpea": ein EMG-Signalfenster zur Erkennung von Muskelsignalen, ein Keramik-Hautkontaktfenster, Hauptplatine mit Lithium-Ionen-Akku sowie ein Ultraschall-Sende-/Empfangsmodul. | Bild: via zhihuipikachu — The leaked diagram shows "Sweetpea's" alleged components: EMG signal window, ceramic skin contact window, mainboard with lithium-ion battery, and ultrasonic transmitter/receiver module. | Image: via zhihuipikachu

If the leak proves accurate, Foxconn could produce up to five OpenAI devices by 2028, including a pen codenamed "Gumdrop." The manufacturer reportedly sees this as a chance to recover after losing all Airpods programs to Luxshare. OpenAI allegedly favored Luxshare initially but switched to Foxconn to enable production outside China.

Comment Source: zhihuipikachu