News

OpenAI Refutes Claims That ChatGPT Has Banned Legal and Health Advice

OpenAI has denied rumors that recent policy changes prohibit ChatGPT from offering legal or medical information. Karan Singhal, the company’s head of health AI, clarified on X that the chatbot has never been intended as a substitute for professional counsel and will continue to help users understand legal and health topics. The latest policy update, released in late October, simply consolidates existing rules across OpenAI products, reiterating that tailored advice requiring a license must involve a qualified professional. The clarification comes after false social‑media posts suggested a sweeping ban on such content.

ChatGPT Instant Checkout Falls Short of Expectations

OpenAI’s new Instant Checkout lets users buy products directly within ChatGPT, but early adopters report limited functionality, confusing availability, and a lack of true purchasing capability. While the feature is tied to partners like Shopify and Etsy, it currently supports only single‑item purchases and often fails to display a buy button. Users also encounter mixed messages about which listings are eligible. The rollout coincides with a lawsuit from Ziff Davis alleging copyright infringement in OpenAI’s training data.

Google Enhances NotebookLM Chat with Bigger Context Window and New Features

Google has rolled out a substantial upgrade to the chat function in its NotebookLM AI notetaking tool. The update expands the context window to a 1 million‑token limit, improves performance and source assessment, and adds the ability to save and manage conversations. New conversation styles let users tailor responses, while the upgraded Gemini models boost overall quality. The changes aim to make NotebookLM more natural, informative, and useful for both work and school tasks.

AI-Powered Road Trip Planner Curiosio Simplifies Multi-Stop Travel

Curiosio, an AI-driven platform designed specifically for road‑trip planning, offers travelers a quick way to generate personalized itineraries with maps, cost breakdowns, and flexible routing. Users can choose from three modes—Travel, Geek, and Beta—to match their planning style, and the tool promises to produce plans in seconds. The service emphasizes budget‑conscious solo and small‑group travelers, providing detailed day‑by‑day guides and the ability to export routes to popular navigation apps. While praised for its speed and focus on road trips, Curiosio may be less suitable for users seeking all‑inclusive tours or single‑city vacations.

OpenAI Introduces Paid Packs for Sora After Free Video Limit Reached

OpenAI has begun monetizing its AI video app Sora by offering paid "video generation packs" once users hit the daily free limit. Previously, users could create up to 30 videos per day for free, or up to 100 with a Pro subscription. When the cap is reached, the app prompts users to buy additional generations through the App Store, with a bundle of ten extra videos costing roughly $4. Bill Peebles explained on X that the change reflects growing demand and the need to manage GPU resources, noting that free quotas are likely temporary.

Microsoft Adds Optional “Ask Copilot” Box to Windows 11 Taskbar

Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 preview introduces an optional “Ask Copilot” box that replaces the traditional taskbar search field. The new box lets users type queries that are handled by the Copilot AI, while still offering a way to access classic Windows Search. The feature includes quick‑access icons for Copilot Vision and voice commands, and it is disabled by default, requiring users to enable it through Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Ask Copilot. Microsoft emphasizes that the AI uses existing Windows APIs and does not gain additional access to personal files.

Anthropic Finds LLMs’ Self‑Introspection Highly Unreliable

Anthropic’s recent tests reveal that even its most advanced language models, Opus 4 and Opus 4.1, struggle to reliably identify internally injected concepts. The models correctly recognized the injected “thought” only about 20 percent of the time, and performance improved modestly to 42 percent in a follow‑up query. Results varied sharply depending on which internal layer the concept was introduced, and the introspective ability proved brittle across repeated trials. While researchers note that the models display some functional awareness of internal states, they emphasize that the capability is far from dependable and remains poorly understood.

ChatGPT Voice Mode Brings Hands-Free Conversational AI to Users

OpenAI's ChatGPT now includes a Voice Mode that lets users talk to the chatbot and hear spoken replies, creating a natural back‑and‑forth conversation. The feature works across mobile, desktop and web apps, with a standard voice option for all users and an advanced voice option for paid subscribers that leverages multimodal capabilities. Voice Mode supports hands‑free interaction, language practice, real‑world visual queries, and accessibility needs, making the AI assistant easier to use in everyday situations such as driving, cooking or brainstorming ideas.

OpenAI Signs $38 Billion Deal With Amazon

Tech, Policy, and Health: AI‑Driven Education, Real Estate, and Medical Breakthroughs Amid a Federal Shutdown

A week of headlines highlights the ripple effects of a prolonged government shutdown on federal workers, the rise of AI‑generated content from Grokipedia to real‑estate videos, a pioneering pig‑kidney transplant, and controversy surrounding a tech‑focused private school that relies on software as the primary teacher. While families grapple with unpaid benefits and inflated expectations, innovators push AI into new domains and scientists extend organ‑transplant longevity, underscoring both the promise and perils of rapid technological adoption.

Why Copy‑Pasting AI Answers Can Be Rude and How to Use AI Responsibly

Sharing a chatbot’s response without context can be seen as disrespectful, especially when a colleague or friend is seeking personal insight. The practice mirrors the older “Let Me Google That For You” gag, now updated to “Let Me ChatGPT That For You.” Experts like Alex Martsinovich warn that sending AI‑generated text without attribution or consent breaches etiquette and risks spreading inaccuracies. Journalists treat AI as a research aid, verifying sources before citing. The consensus: use AI as a tool, not a shortcut, and always add your own perspective and due diligence.

Google Pulls Gemma Model from AI Studio After Senator’s Complaint

Google announced that it is removing the open‑source Gemma AI model from its AI Studio platform following a complaint from Senator Marsha Blackburn. Blackburn claimed the model generated false sexual‑misconduct allegations against her after a hearing on AI‑generated defamation. Google said the decision aims to reduce hallucinations and limit non‑developer tinkering, while still offering Gemma through its API and downloadable files for local use.