Artificial Intelligence

Jan 5, 2026

Almost 90 percent of ChatGPT's roughly 900 million weekly users live outside the USA and Canada, according to The Information, citing data from tracking platform Sensor Tower. This creates a challenge for OpenAI's planned advertising business, since international users generate far less revenue. At Pinterest, for example, the average revenue per user in the USA is $7.64, compared to just 21 cents elsewhere.

India and Brazil rank among the largest ChatGPT markets alongside the USA, Japan, and France. Only about five percent of users pay for subscriptions. For emerging markets like India, OpenAI offers the cheaper "ChatGPT Go" plan at around $5 per month.

OpenAI plans to generate roughly $110 billion from free users by 2030, with advertising likely playing a major role. The company needs this aggressive revenue growth to meet its data center commitments.

Comment Source: The Information

Maximilian Schreiner

Jan 5, 2026

AI in practice

Amazon has released the web version of its AI assistant Alexa Plus in early access for users in the US and Canada. Users can sign up at Alexa.com and use the new chatbot directly in their browser. Alexa Plus was already available on new Echo devices and recently rolled out to older Echos as well. A beta test is currently running in Germany.

The web interface lets users upload documents, emails, and images. Alexa Plus can extract information from these files - turning recipes into shopping lists or automatically adding appointments to your calendar. Amazon is also promoting features like automatic meal planning and filling Amazon Fresh carts based on dietary restrictions. Smart home devices can be controlled through the website too. Amazon is also launching a new sidebar for quick access and a redesigned mobile Alexa app.

Comment Source: Amazon

Matthias Bastian

Jan 5, 2026

AI in practice

Microsoft CEO Nadella argues AI's real problem isn't capability but that people haven't learned to use it yet

Maximilian Schreiner

Jan 5, 2026

AI in practice

AI tool catches pancreatic cancer in routine scans before symptoms appear

According to physician Zhu Kelei, AI has definitively saved the lives of patients whose scans were only flagged by PANDA, an AI tool developed by Alibaba researchers. The system analyzes non-contrast CT images – scans where even experienced radiologists can easily miss tumors.

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Matthias Bastian

Jan 4, 2026

AI and society

NYU professor fights AI cheating with AI-powered oral exams that cost 42 cents per student

Matthias Bastian

Jan 4, 2026

Short News

"The exponential continues until it doesn't," says Anthropic President Daniela Amodei, quoting her colleagues. At Anthropic, the team believed every year that this pace couldn't possibly keep up, and yet it did, Amodei says in an interview with CNBC TV. But that's not guaranteed, she adds. Anthropic doesn't know the future either and could be wrong about this assumption.

Economically, things get more complicated, Amodei says (from 15:56). Even if the models keep improving, rolling them out in companies can stall for "human reasons": change management takes time, procurement processes move slowly, and specific use cases often remain unclear. The key question for whether AI is in a bubble comes down to whether the economy can absorb the technology as fast as it's advancing, she suggests.

Comment Source: CNBC via YouTube

Matthias Bastian

Jan 4, 2026

Short News

Tech companies building AI data centers are facing growing opposition from US communities, the Los Angeles Times reports. Between April and June, 20 projects worth $98 billion were blocked or delayed across eleven states: two-thirds of all projects it is tracking, according to Data Center Watch. Residents cite rising electricity costs, water consumption, noise, and loss of farmland.

Real estate firms are now considering selling land over approval concerns. Matthews, North Carolina Mayor John Higdon told the LA Times that politicians backing these projects risk getting voted out. In Indiana alone, more than a dozen projects failed to get permits, says activist Bryce Gustafson. Industry representatives like Dan Diorio from the Data Center Coalition are pushing for better community outreach.

Meanwhile, AI companies have massive expansion plans. Google wants to increase computing capacity 1,000-fold within five years, and OpenAI is pursuing its Stargate project. Beyond local resistance, there's another problem: the US power grid can't keep up.

Comment Source: LA Times

Jonathan Kemper

Jan 4, 2026

AI research

The "curse of knowledge" means smarter AI models don't understand where human learners struggle

Illustration: Three people and a robot put puzzle pieces together on a table in front of a digital background.

Matthias Bastian

Jan 4, 2026

Update

AI in practice

Google engineer says Claude Code built in one hour what her team spent a year on

A senior Google engineer publicly praises Anthropic’s Claude Code: the tool built in one hour what her team spent a year developing. The quality and efficiency gains exceed anything anyone could have imagined, she says. Plus: Claude Code’s creator shares his best workflow tips.

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Jonathan Kemper

Jan 3, 2026

AI research

ByteDance's StoryMem gives AI video models a memory so characters stop shapeshifting between scenes

ByteDance tackles one of AI video generation’s most persistent problems: characters that change appearance from scene to scene. The new StoryMem system remembers how characters and environments should look, keeping them consistent throughout an entire story.

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