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AI Tools Fuel Student Cheating, Prompting Calls for Corporate Accountability

AI Tools Fuel Student Cheating, Prompting Calls for Corporate Accountability

Educators are warning that AI agents from companies such as OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, and Instructure are being used to complete assignments, quizzes, and essays for students. While firms point to the educational potential of their products, they also acknowledge the difficulty of blocking locally‑run tools. Schools report that AI agents can submit work quickly and evade detection, leading to concerns over academic integrity. Stakeholders are urging a collaborative approach to define responsible AI use in classrooms, but practical solutions remain limited.

Coca-Cola’s AI‑Generated Holiday Ad Draws Mixed Reactions

Coca-Cola’s AI‑Generated Holiday Ad Draws Mixed Reactions

Coca-Cola released a new holiday commercial created with generative AI. The spot features the brand’s iconic red trucks traveling through snowy forests accompanied by animals such as polar bears, rabbits and sloths. While visual quality has improved compared to the previous AI effort—showing more realistic movement and lighting—the ad still feels detached and lacks the emotional warmth that defined earlier campaigns. Industry observers note the move signals a broader shift toward AI in core creative work, but also warn that reliance on machines may erode the human spark that connects with audiences.

Microsoft AI Lead Mustafa Suleyman Says AI Will Not Achieve Consciousness, Calls for Focus on Practical Utility

Microsoft AI Lead Mustafa Suleyman Says AI Will Not Achieve Consciousness, Calls for Focus on Practical Utility

At a recent industry gathering, Microsoft’s AI chief Mustafa Suleyman dismissed the notion that artificial intelligence can become conscious. He argued that asking whether AI can be self‑aware is the wrong question and that the field should instead concentrate on building useful tools. Suleyman emphasized that AI models operate through transparent mathematical processes—token inputs, attention weights, and probability calculations—without any hidden internal experience. He warned against anthropomorphizing chatbots and urged developers and users to keep expectations realistic, focusing on functionality rather than imagined sentience.

Anthropic Projects $70 Billion in Revenue by 2028

Anthropic Projects $70 Billion in Revenue by 2028

Anthropic is targeting up to $70 billion in revenue and $17 billion in cash flow by 2028, driven by rapid adoption of its AI business products. The firm expects its current‑year API sales to reach $3.8 billion, more than double OpenAI’s projected $1.8 billion from the same channel. Partnerships with Microsoft, Salesforce, Deloitte and Cognizant are expanding Claude’s enterprise footprint, while new, cost‑effective models such as Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Claude Haiku 4.5 aim to capture large‑scale deployments. A recent $13 billion financing round valued Anthropic at $170 billion, and future fundraising could push the valuation toward $300–$400 billion. The company also reports a $2.5 billion credit facility and a $1.5 billion legal settlement. Gross‑profit margins are projected to rise to 50% this year and 77% by 2028, marking a dramatic turnaround from a negative 94% margin last year.

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ to Amazon Music App

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ to Amazon Music App

Amazon has rolled out Alexa+, its AI‑powered assistant, within the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android. The feature is available to all subscription tiers but requires early‑access enrollment. Alexa+ enables conversational music discovery, letting users ask detailed questions about artists, lyrics, or movie placements, and it can generate personalized playlists on request. Early users report deeper engagement, exploring songs more frequently and listening to more recommendations. The launch positions Amazon Music against competing AI‑enhanced streaming services and showcases the company’s broader AI ambitions.

ClickUp Launches AI Assistants in 4.0 Upgrade to Challenge Slack and Notion

ClickUp Launches AI Assistants in 4.0 Upgrade to Challenge Slack and Notion

ClickUp has refreshed its productivity platform with a 4.0 release that introduces two AI assistants, aiming to create a single‑shop solution that rivals Slack, Notion and Microsoft Teams. The new agents draw on internal knowledge bases and external tools such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Figma and Gmail, while a general‑purpose assistant called Brain can schedule meetings, generate ideas and draft content. CEO Zeb Evans highlighted the company’s eight‑year vision, recent revenue growth past $300 million, and plans to go public within two years. ClickUp’s funding totals more than $537 million from investors including a16z, Tiger Global, Craft Ventures and Lightspeed.

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ AI Assistant Within Music App

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ AI Assistant Within Music App

Amazon has launched Alexa+ as an early‑access AI assistant embedded in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android. Users can tap an "A" button to ask natural‑language questions about songs, lyrics, moods, eras, and more, and receive conversational responses that help refine searches. The feature also supports playlist creation, music‑related queries, and integrates with a range of Amazon devices, including Echo Studio, Ring, Kindle, and the new Vega smart TV platform. While currently in early access for all Amazon Music tiers, the service will eventually become free for Prime members and cost $20 per month for non‑Prime users.

Nvidia and Deutsche Telekom Launch €1 B AI Data Center in Munich

Nvidia and Deutsche Telekom Launch €1 B AI Data Center in Munich

Nvidia has signed a €1 billion partnership with Deutsche Telekom to create an AI factory in Munich. The project, called the Industrial AI Cloud, will deploy over 1,000 Nvidia DGX B200 systems and RTX Pro servers equipped with up to 10,000 Blackwell GPUs to deliver AI inferencing and other services to German companies while respecting data‑sovereignty rules. Early partners include Agile Robots, which will install server racks, and Perplexity, which will use the facility for in‑country AI inferencing. SAP will supply its Business Technology platform, and the center is slated to begin operations in early 2026.

Guillermo del Toro Discusses Frankenstein, AI, and Future Film Projects

Guillermo del Toro Discusses Frankenstein, AI, and Future Film Projects

In a recent interview, director Guillermo del Toro talks about his long‑awaited adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, his skepticism toward AI‑generated art, and his upcoming stop‑motion venture based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant. He also reflects on the changing landscape of streaming, his desire to explore crime narratives, and the artistic possibilities of stop‑motion beyond children’s fare. Del Toro emphasizes the moral complexity of playing God, compares modern technologists to Victor Frankenstein, and outlines his creative roadmap for the next few years.

Meta Seeks Dismissal of Lawsuit Alleging Porn Downloads for AI Training

Meta Seeks Dismissal of Lawsuit Alleging Porn Downloads for AI Training

Meta has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that claims the company illegally downloaded pornography to train its artificial‑intelligence models. The plaintiff, Strike 3 Holdings, alleges that Meta’s corporate IP addresses were used to torrent adult films over several years, and that a hidden network of IP addresses concealed the activity. Meta counters that the downloads were sporadic, likely for personal use, and that there is no evidence the content was used to train any AI system. The company asks the court to drop all copyright claims.

Apple to Use Custom Google Gemini Model for Next-Gen Siri

Apple to Use Custom Google Gemini Model for Next-Gen Siri

Apple is planning to power the upcoming version of Siri with a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. The tech giant evaluated both Google and Anthropic as potential partners, ultimately favoring Google because of a more attractive financial arrangement. The custom Gemini model will operate on Apple’s private cloud, while on‑device models will continue handling personal data. Apple will not publicize Google’s role in the assistant, and representatives for both companies have not responded to comment requests. The move reflects Apple’s broader effort to catch up in the fast‑moving generative‑AI landscape.

Google Translate Adds Gemini-Powered Advanced Translation Mode

Google Translate Adds Gemini-Powered Advanced Translation Mode

Google has begun rolling out a new version of its Translate app that introduces an AI model picker, letting users choose between a fast, efficiency‑focused mode and an Advanced mode powered by Gemini. The feature currently appears for some iOS users and supports English‑French and English‑Spanish translations in the Advanced setting. Early testing shows the Gemini‑driven mode delivers more nuanced and accurate translations at the cost of speed, while still acknowledging that AI‑generated output can contain errors.