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Meta Develops New AI Model 'Avocado' as It Moves Toward Closed‑Source Strategy

Meta Develops New AI Model 'Avocado' as It Moves Toward Closed‑Source Strategy

Meta is reportedly working on a new large‑language model internally called “Avocado.” The project signals a shift away from the company’s earlier open‑source stance on AI, with the model expected to be proprietary. Avocado is being developed by a small team within Meta’s AI Superintelligence Labs, led by Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang. The move follows internal turmoil, including layoffs at the FAIR unit and the departure of Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun. Industry observers note that the change reflects Meta’s desire to keep pace with rivals such as OpenAI and Google.

Mistral AI Launches Devstral 2 Coding Model and Mistral Vibe CLI

Mistral AI Launches Devstral 2 Coding Model and Mistral Vibe CLI

French AI startup Mistral AI introduced Devstral 2, a 123 billion‑parameter open‑weights coding model that achieved a 72.2 percent score on the SWE‑bench Verified benchmark. Alongside the model, Mistral released the Mistral Vibe command‑line interface, enabling developers to interact with Devstral models directly in their terminal, manage project context, and execute autonomous code changes. A smaller 24 billion‑parameter version, Devstral Small 2, scored 68 percent on the same benchmark and can run locally on consumer hardware. Both models support a 256,000‑token context window and are released under permissive open‑source licenses.

Slack CEO Denise Dresser Moves to OpenAI as Chief Revenue Officer

Slack CEO Denise Dresser Moves to OpenAI as Chief Revenue Officer

Denise Dresser, formerly CEO of Slack, is joining OpenAI as its new chief revenue officer. The move follows more than a decade at Slack’s parent company, Salesforce, where she helped launch AI features. At OpenAI, Dresser will lead revenue strategy for enterprise customers and oversee customer success. OpenAI’s applications chief, Fidji Simo, highlighted Dresser’s experience in scaling AI tools for businesses. The transition also triggers leadership changes at Slack, with chief product officer Rob Seaman set to serve as interim CEO.

Google Pilots AI-Generated Article Summaries on Google News

Google Pilots AI-Generated Article Summaries on Google News

Google has launched a pilot program that adds AI‑generated overviews to articles from participating news publishers on their Google News pages. The initiative, aimed at delivering more context to readers, includes a roster of international outlets and offers direct payments to publishers for their involvement. While the summaries appear only within the Google News environment, the move builds on earlier AI experiments in Discover and signals broader efforts such as audio briefings and the expansion of Google’s Preferred Sources feature.

OpenAI Faces Growing Competitive Pressure as Rivals Accelerate AI Advances

OpenAI Faces Growing Competitive Pressure as Rivals Accelerate AI Advances

OpenAI's dominance in the generative‑AI market has waned as competitors such as Google, Anthropic and DeepSeek have introduced new models that outpace its latest release, GPT‑5. The company, led by Sam Altman, has responded with accelerated development and internal restructuring, but analysts note that its reliance on external funding and costly infrastructure deals leaves it vulnerable. While ChatGPT still draws hundreds of millions of users, the rapid growth of rival platforms and the escalating cost of AI‑related hardware have intensified a "code red" atmosphere within OpenAI.

Hackers tricked ChatGPT, Grok and Google into helping them install malware

Hackers tricked ChatGPT, Grok and Google into helping them install malware

Security researchers have uncovered a new method in which attackers use AI chatbots and search engines to deliver malicious commands. By prompting AI assistants to suggest terminal commands and then promoting those suggestions in search results, hackers can lure unsuspecting users into executing harmful code. Tests by Huntress showed the technique succeeded against both ChatGPT and Grok, allowing malware to be installed without traditional download or link clicks. The approach exploits user trust in familiar platforms and highlights the need for heightened caution when copying command‑line instructions from online sources.

Google to Add Inline Source Links to AI Mode Search

Google to Add Inline Source Links to AI Mode Search

Google announced that its AI‑powered search feature, AI Mode, will soon display more in‑line links to the sources it draws information from. The update will place brief AI‑generated descriptions above a carousel of source links, helping users see where content originates. The change arrives as the European Commission investigates whether Google’s AI tools use publisher material without proper compensation. At the same time, Google is piloting new collaborations with publishers such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press to explore AI‑driven audience engagement and real‑time news delivery.

AI Upskilling Debate: Who Should Lead Employee Training?

AI Upskilling Debate: Who Should Lead Employee Training?

Emergn research reveals a split view on AI training responsibility. While 81% of employees expect employers to provide upskilling, 83% of CEOs believe workers should train themselves. The gap extends to senior leaders, with 64% of COOs and 59% of CTOs sharing the CEO stance. The lack of adequate training could deter two‑thirds of job seekers and risk delays in digital transformation, higher churn, and reduced productivity and wellbeing. Companies face a critical challenge in balancing expectations to stay competitive in the AI‑driven talent war.

Meta Considers Charging for Upcoming Avocado AI Model

Meta Considers Charging for Upcoming Avocado AI Model

Meta is reportedly developing a new AI model, code‑named Avocado, that may be offered as a paid service, marking a potential shift away from its recent open‑source focus. The move follows a disappointing release of the Llama 4 model and a delayed "Behemoth" version. In a July 30th memo, Mark Zuckerberg highlighted safety concerns around open‑sourcing AI, suggesting the company will become more selective. Zuckerberg is also spending significant time with a newly formed group called TBD Lab, which operates in a dedicated space near his office at Meta’s headquarters.

AI Chatbots Show Mixed Performance on Suicide‑Help Requests

AI Chatbots Show Mixed Performance on Suicide‑Help Requests

Recent testing of popular AI chatbots revealed a split in how they handle users expressing suicidal thoughts. While some models, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, promptly provided accurate, location‑specific crisis resources, others either failed to respond, offered irrelevant numbers, or required users to supply their own location. Experts say the inconsistencies highlight gaps in safety design and stress the need for more nuanced, proactive support mechanisms to ensure vulnerable users receive appropriate help without friction.

Google Introduces Managed MCP Servers to Streamline AI Agent Integration with Cloud Services

Google Introduces Managed MCP Servers to Streamline AI Agent Integration with Cloud Services

Google Cloud has launched managed Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers that let AI agents directly access Google services such as Maps, BigQuery, Compute Engine and Kubernetes Engine. The servers, offered in public preview at no extra cost to existing enterprise customers, simplify connector setup by allowing developers to paste a URL and instantly grant agents tool access. Built with Google Cloud IAM, Model Armor and audit logging, the offering adds security and governance controls. Google plans to expand MCP support to additional storage, database, monitoring and security services in the coming months, positioning the platform as a broader enterprise solution for AI‑driven workflows.

Oboe Secures $16 Million Series A to Accelerate AI‑Powered Course Generation Platform

Oboe Secures $16 Million Series A to Accelerate AI‑Powered Course Generation Platform

Oboe, the AI‑driven learning startup founded by former Spotify executives, announced a $16 million Series A round led by a16z with participation from existing backers including Eniac, Haystack, Offline and Factorial, as well as individual investors such as Adam D’Angelo and Garry Tan. The funding will fuel growth and product enhancements for Oboe’s platform, which lets users define learning goals and automatically generates multi‑modal courses—including text, audio, quizzes and flashcards—tailored to each topic. The company also introduced new pricing tiers that expand unlimited course generation and export capabilities.