An internal OpenAI memo lays out five strategic priorities for the enterprise business – including a new model codenamed “Spud,” a platform play for AI agents, and the blunt accusation that Anthropic is overstating its revenue by 8 billion dollars.
Google is rolling out a new video generation option for Ultra subscribers that won't cost them any additional credits. The "Veo 3.1 - Lite [Lower Priority]" model sits alongside the existing "Veo 3.1 - Fast [Lower Priority]" option and runs at zero credits. Veo 3.1 Lite recently launched as the cheapest and fastest video model in Google's lineup: it costs less than half of what Veo 3.1 Fast charges, but Google says it generates videos just as quickly. It's not yet clear where the quality tradeoffs lie.
On May 10, Google will drop the current "Veo 3.1 Fast - Lower Priority" option and swap it out for the new "Lite - Lower Priority" version. The standard Veo 3.1 Fast model remains fully available at its current price. For Ultra subscribers already paying for their plan, the extra option lets them experiment with more ideas while keeping their credits intact.
If you set aside strong Chinese video models, Google has been running the western AI video space with barely any competition since OpenAI pulled the plug on Sora. Google's advantage over OpenAI is clear: far more resources, particularly on the compute side.
Softbank is uniting Japan's industrial elite to build the country's own AI foundation, trying to reduce dependence on American and Chinese models.
Eight Japanese corporations, including NEC, Honda, Sony, three major banks, Nippon Steel, and Kobe Steel, have invested in a new Softbank unit. The goal is to develop a foundation model with roughly one trillion parameters by the end of the decade. The project focuses on "Physical AI," meaning artificial intelligence that can autonomously control robots and machinery.
Even large Japanese companies increasingly rely on foundation models from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Alibaba. But as AI handles more sensitive data like the operational status of industrial facilities, concerns about training data flowing to foreign servers are growing, according to Nikkei. All data processing is set to take place on Japanese soil, including at a data center Softbank is building in a former Sharp LCD factory in Sakai, near Osaka.
Through the funding agency NEDO, roughly one trillion yen (about $6.7 billion) is expected to flow into national AI development over the next five years. Softbank's new unit is considered a leading candidate for these funds.
OpenAI is opening a new office in London with space for more than 500 employees - more than double its current headcount of around 200 in the British capital. According to CNBC, the company has signed a lease for roughly 8,200 square meters in the King's Cross neighborhood, home to Google DeepMind, Meta, Synthesia, and Wayve. Back in February, OpenAI announced plans to make London its largest research hub outside the United States.
The news comes just days after OpenAI paused its UK Stargate infrastructure project due to high energy costs and regulatory hurdles. Talks with project partner Nscale are still ongoing.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is developing smart glasses that skip the display entirely and instead function as an AI wearable. The glasses are part of a three-device strategy - glasses, AirPods, and a camera pendant - all designed to capture the user's surroundings through computer vision and feed that data to Siri and Apple Intelligence. The goal is to enable features like better navigation instructions and visual reminders.
The glasses, internally codenamed N50, are expected to be announced in late 2026 or early 2027 and go on sale the same year. A distinguishing design feature will be vertically oriented oval camera lenses. Unlike Meta, Google, and Samsung, which partner with established eyewear manufacturers, Apple plans to handle the design in-house. The glasses will rely on the new version of Siri shipping with iOS 27.
Apple's former AI chief John Giannandrea is leaving the company for good this week, according to Gurman. His role had already been scaled back in 2025 following the underwhelming rollout of Apple Intelligence.
Anthropic brings Claude directly into Microsoft Word. Anthropic already offered Claude add-ins for Excel and PowerPoint. Now the company is rounding out its Microsoft Office integration with a Word add-in.
The AI can rewrite highlighted text, respond to comments in a document, and insert changes as tracked changes that users can accept or reject individually. Context can be shared across the Word, PowerPoint, and Excel add-ins.
Claude for Word is currently in beta for Team and Enterprise plans and can be installed through the Microsoft Marketplace. Supported file formats include .docx and .docm.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's home in San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood has been attacked again. According to an exclusive report by the SF Standard, someone apparently fired a shot at the property from a car early Sunday morning—just two days after a 20-year-old threw a Molotov cocktail at the same house.
According to the police report, a Honda sedan pulled up in front of the property, which stretches from Chestnut Street to Lombard Street, at 1:40 a.m. Sunday. The vehicle had already driven past once before. On the second pass, the passenger reached out the window and apparently fired a shot. Surveillance cameras captured the entire incident along with the license plate of the fleeing vehicle, which led police directly to the suspects.
The San Francisco Police Department announced the arrests of Amanda Tom, 25, and Muhamad Tarik Hussein, 23, on charges of negligent discharge of a firearm. During a search of their home, investigators found three firearms.
A man threw a firebomb at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home in the middle of the night. The suspect was a member of the PauseAI Discord server and had posted online about AI driving humanity to extinction.
