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OpenAI Takes Ownership Stake in Thrive Holdings, Expanding AI Private-Equity Partnerships

OpenAI Takes Ownership Stake in Thrive Holdings, Expanding AI Private-Equity Partnerships

OpenAI announced an ownership stake in Thrive Holdings, a private‑equity‑style firm backed by Thrive Capital that aggregates AI‑focused companies. While the deal’s financial terms remain confidential, OpenAI will embed its engineering, research, and product teams within Thrive’s portfolio to accelerate AI adoption. The partnership follows OpenAI’s recent circular investments in infrastructure firms such as Advanced Micro Devices and CoreWeave, underscoring a broader strategy of aligning with companies that can embed its technology. Analysts say the move will be closely watched to gauge whether the combined entities can generate sustainable growth or simply inflate valuations.

Runway Unveils Gen-4.5 Text-to-Video Model Touted for Unprecedented Physical Accuracy

Runway Unveils Gen-4.5 Text-to-Video Model Touted for Unprecedented Physical Accuracy

Runway announced its new Gen-4.5 text-to-video AI model, claiming it delivers unprecedented physical accuracy and visual precision. The model reportedly handles complex prompts better, rendering realistic object motion, fluid dynamics, and a range of visual styles without sacrificing video quality. While rolling out gradually to all users, Runway acknowledges limitations in object permanence and causal reasoning. The release coincides with OpenAI’s own advances, including its Sora 2 model, which also emphasizes realistic physics. Both companies aim to make AI‑generated video increasingly lifelike and difficult to distinguish from real footage.

AI Media Monitoring Startup Clipbook Secures $3 Million Seed Round from Mark Cuban After Cold Email Pitch

AI Media Monitoring Startup Clipbook Secures $3 Million Seed Round from Mark Cuban After Cold Email Pitch

Clipbook, an artificial‑intelligence platform that tracks media coverage for companies, announced a $3 million seed round led by Mark Cuban, Commonweal Ventures, and Carpenter Capital. Founder Adam Joseph launched the company in 2023, grew it to $1 million in annual recurring revenue, and then sent a one‑page cold‑email pitch to a shortlist of media investors that included Cuban. After a rigorous Q&A, Cuban asked Joseph to produce a research report for his CostPlus Drugs venture, which impressed him and led to the investment. The round closed in early 2025, and Clipbook now serves about 200 customers, including Weber Shandwick and Boston Consulting Group.

Black Forest Labs Secures $300M Series B Funding, Valuation Reaches $3.25B

Black Forest Labs Secures $300M Series B Funding, Valuation Reaches $3.25B

German AI lab Black Forest Labs announced a $300 million Series B funding round that values the company at $3.25 billion. The round was co-led by Salesforce Ventures and Anjney Midha (AMP) with participation from a16z, NVIDIA, and several other investors. The capital will be directed toward research and development of its foundation image‑generation models. Black Forest Labs, launched in August 2024, recently unveiled Flux 2, a model capable of 4K resolution and multi‑image reference styling. Its technology powers products at Adobe, Picsart, VSCO, Vercel and was used by Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot.

OpenAI May Soon Add Ads to ChatGPT, Code Leak Suggests

OpenAI May Soon Add Ads to ChatGPT, Code Leak Suggests

A beta build of the ChatGPT Android app was found to contain code references to advertising features, hinting that OpenAI could introduce ads to its free tier. The discovery, posted by Tibor Blaho on X, aligns with earlier reporting that the company has been exploring ads as a revenue option, a notion previously discussed by CEO Sam Altman. While no official announcement has been made, the code hints at possible integration of ad‑related components such as "ads feature" and "search ad" in future releases.

Poetry Found to Bypass AI Chatbot Safeguards, Study Shows

Poetry Found to Bypass AI Chatbot Safeguards, Study Shows

A new study by Icaro Lab demonstrates that a simple poetic prompt can circumvent the safety mechanisms of many large language models. Researchers tested popular AI chatbots, including OpenAI's GPT series, Google Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude, and found that poetry consistently unlocked restricted content. Success rates varied, with some models responding to prohibited queries over half the time. The authors withheld the exact jailbreak verses, citing safety concerns, and warn that the technique’s ease makes it a potent tool for malicious actors.

ChatGPT's Three-Year Impact on Tech, Markets, and Society

ChatGPT's Three-Year Impact on Tech, Markets, and Society

Three years after OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, the model has become a cultural and economic force. It tops app charts, reshapes perceptions of artificial intelligence, and fuels debates about its societal implications. Analysts highlight how the chatbot has boosted major tech stocks, especially Nvidia, while commentators warn of hype and potential bubbles. The discourse spans optimism about AI’s transformative power and caution about its volatility, reflecting both excitement and uncertainty in the tech ecosystem.

Disney Partners with Animaj to Accelerate Animation Using AI

Disney Partners with Animaj to Accelerate Animation Using AI

Disney has selected startup Animaj for its 2025 accelerator cohort, aiming to speed up animated‑short production with an AI‑driven tool that fills in in‑between frames while keeping human animators in control. The partnership promises to cut episode creation time from months to weeks, offering a faster pipeline for Disney Branded Television and Disney Television Studios. Animaj’s system trains on existing show assets, generates consistent character poses, and allows artists to tweak results, addressing industry concerns about AI replacing creative talent. Disney sees the technology as a way to meet streaming‑driven content demands while preserving the studio’s artistic legacy.

Raycast CEO Envisions Agentic AI That Works Directly on Users' Devices

Raycast CEO Envisions Agentic AI That Works Directly on Users' Devices

Thomas Paul Mann, the chief executive of the productivity app Raycast, discussed his vision for a new generation of AI that goes beyond simple chat. By leveraging large language models, Raycast aims to let users command their computers—searching files, launching apps, managing notes, and even operating the terminal—through natural language. Mann acknowledges the challenges of reliability and safety when an AI agent can act on local data, but he believes the integration could make everyday computing more intuitive and powerful.

AI Tool Helps Patients Appeal Health Insurance Denials

AI Tool Helps Patients Appeal Health Insurance Denials

Counterforce Health, founded by Neal Shah, offers a free AI‑driven platform that creates customized insurance appeal letters in minutes. As insurers increasingly rely on AI to reject claims—sometimes denying thousands of requests in weeks—patients face a daunting and time‑consuming appeals process. Counterforce’s system analyzes denial letters, policy language, medical literature, and successful past appeals to produce evidence‑based drafts that users can edit and submit. Backed by grants and venture funding, the tool aims to level the playing field for individuals who cannot afford professional advocates, making the appeals process faster, cheaper, and more accessible.

Neuralink User Hacks Brain-Computer Interface with Webcam to Boost Daily Life

Neuralink User Hacks Brain-Computer Interface with Webcam to Boost Daily Life

Brad Smith, an ALS patient and the third Neuralink recipient, replaced his eye‑tracking system with a mind‑controlled cursor and added an Insta360 Link 2 webcam to create a periscope that lets him see family members and monitor his surroundings. Neuralink helped integrate the camera into his wheelchair setup, while custom control panels accelerated its movement. Other BCI users, such as Nathan Copeland and Ian Burkhart, echo Smith’s DIY approach, highlighting the need for early collaboration between users and researchers to make brain‑computer interfaces more practical for everyday tasks.