Matthias Bastian

Jan 14, 2026

Microsoft is shaping up to be one of Anthropic's best customers. According to The Information, the software giant is on track to spend nearly $500 million a year on Anthropic's models. Microsoft is using the OpenAI competitor's AI technology in products like GitHub Copilot and Office applications, likely in part to strengthen its bargaining position with OpenAI.

Microsoft has also told its Azure sales team to count Anthropic model sales to cloud customers toward their quotas, just like they would for Microsoft's own software. That's unusual for third-party products, which typically generate less revenue for Azure. The deeper collaboration follows Microsoft's investment of up to $5 billion in Anthropic last November.

Comment Source: The Information

Matthias Bastian

Jan 14, 2026

AI in practice

Google taps its massive data advantage with new Gemini feature

Google knows where you went on vacation, what you bought, and who you email. Now that knowledge is supposed to make your AI assistant smarter. The new “Personal Intelligence” feature connects Gemini with Gmail, Google Photos, and YouTube—an advantage competitors can’t match, if it works as intended.

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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

Matthias Bastian

Jan 13, 2026

Short News

Anthropic's Claude Code inventor says his tool wrote almost all the code for Claude Cowork. Claude Cowork is a newly launched AI tool from Anthropic that builds on Claude Code but adds a user-friendly interface for non-programmers. According to Claude Code inventor Boris Cherny, "pretty much" all the code was generated using Claude Code.

Claude Code inventor Boris Cherny says his tool wrote nearly all the code for Claude Cowork. | Screenshot via X

Product Manager Felix Rieseberg says the app came together in just a sprint and a half, roughly one and a half weeks. The team had already built some prototypes and explored ideas beforehand, though, and the current release is still a research preview with a few rough edges, Rieseberg says. Claude Code also provided an extensive foundation to build on; Rieseberg is likely referring mainly to the front-end work.

Comment Source: Boris Cherny / Code generation | altryne / Development time

Matthias Bastian

Jan 13, 2026

AI in practice

Anthropic's new Cowork feature brings Claude Code's agent capabilities to people who don't write code

Matthias Bastian

Jan 13, 2026

Short News

OpenAI is buying health app Torch for around 100 million dollars. The deal includes 60 million upfront and the rest in retention shares, The Information reports. Torch unifies scattered health records into what the founders call a "medical memory for AI", "a context engine that helps you see the full picture, connect the dots, and make sure nothing important gets lost." The app runs on OpenAI models. All four employees, including CEO Ilya Abyzov, are joining OpenAI.

The deal signals OpenAI's push toward a personalized health assistant in ChatGPT. Last week, the company launched a ChatGPT Health section and an offering for healthcare companies. Anthropic recently added health features to Claude as well. The moves reflect a shared bet on a massive market: hundreds of millions of weekly chatbot conversations already focus on health.

Comment Source: The Information / Torch acquisition | Torch / Medical memory for AI | OpenAI (X) / Team joins OpenAI