Welcome again to Week in Assessment. This week we’re taking a look at OpenAI doubtlessly charging $20,000 a month for a specialised AI agent, the sudden return of early-internet darling Digg, an organization genetically engineering mice to have mammoth-like fur, and extra! Let’s do that.
OpenAI might cost as much as $20,000 per thirty days for specialised AI “brokers.” In response to a report from The Data, OpenAI intends to launch a number of “agent” merchandise tailor-made for various functions. One of many rumored brokers, said to be priced at $20,000 a month, can be aimed toward supporting “PhD-level analysis.” The jaw-dropping determine is indicative of how a lot money OpenAI wants proper now: The corporate misplaced roughly $5 billion final 12 months after paying for prices associated to operating its companies and different bills.
Scale AI is being investigated by the U.S. Division of Labor for compliance with the Truthful Labor Requirements Act, which regulates unpaid wages, misclassification of workers as contractors, and unlawful retaliation in opposition to employees. The investigation has been energetic since at the least August 2024 and continues to be ongoing, according to a source familiar with the matter. A spokesperson for Scale AI instructed TechCrunch that the investigation was initiated throughout the earlier presidential administration and that the startup felt its work was misunderstood by regulators then.
A federal choose denied Elon Musk’s movement for an injunction that might have halted OpenAI’s planned transition into a for-profit company, citing inadequate proof. Nevertheless, U.S. District Courtroom Choose Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated the courtroom is ready to carry an expedited trial based mostly on the declare that OpenAI’s conversion plan is illegal. It’s the newest flip in Musk’s lawsuit, which accuses OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of abandoning its unique nonprofit mission.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Assessment, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Sign up here.
Information
Welcome again, Digg: One of many net’s early information aggregators is again beneath the possession of its unique founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Rose instructed TechCrunch that the revived Digg gained’t be like “your old-school boards.” Read more
Google, have a look at my display screen: Google unveiled a brand new Gemini characteristic referred to as “Screenshare” at Cell World Congress 2025 that may let customers share what’s on their telephone’s display screen with the AI chatbot and ask questions on what it sees in actual time. Read more
An “AI telephone” for lower than $1K: Deutsche Telekom introduced that it’s constructing an “AI Telephone,” a low-cost handset created in shut collaboration with Perplexity. DT plans to unveil the machine within the second half of the 12 months, and it’ll begin promoting it in 2026 for lower than $1,000. Read more
It’sa me, synthetic intelligence! UCSD analysis org Hao AI Lab threw AI fashions right into a Tremendous Mario Bros. emulator to benchmark efficiency. Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 carried out the very best, whereas OpenAI’s GPT-4o struggled. Read more
Volkswagen’s most cost-effective EV ever: Volkswagen this week revealed the ultra-cheap EV referred to as the ID EVERY1. In response to a supply aware of the brand new mannequin, the small four-door hatchback would be the first to roll out with software program and structure from Rivian. Read more
Going ghost mode: Getting ghosted is rarely enjoyable — particularly in the event you’re a founder searching for capital from traders. TechCrunch spoke to a number of VCs about why they ghost and the way founders could make a extra significant impression. Read more
ChatGPT can instantly edit your code: The most recent model of the macOS ChatGPT app can instantly edit code in supported developer instruments. ChatGPT Plus, Professional, and Crew subscribers can use the characteristic now, and the corporate plans to roll it out to extra customers subsequent week. Read more
A cool use case for AI: Wildlife researchers use digital camera traps to review animal populations, however it might take weeks to sift by all that knowledge. Now Google has open sourced SpeciesNet, an AI mannequin that may determine animal species by analyzing pictures from digital camera traps. Read more
A brand new option to watch YouTube ad-free: YouTube Lite is a brand new subscription tier that lets customers watch most movies ad-free for $7.99 per thirty days. Nevertheless, it gained’t have Premium options like downloads, background play, or the flexibility to look at music movies ad-free. Read more
All hail the woolly mouse: Colossal Biosciences, which is attempting to resurrect the woolly mammoth by 2028, has made an lovely inroad by genetically engineering mice to have mammoth-like fur. These are the cutest issues I’ve ever seen. I can’t advocate watching the video sufficient. Read more
Evaluation
Why is Sign such successful within the Netherlands? Privateness-focused messaging app Sign has been flying excessive within the Dutch app shops this previous month, usually sitting on the high as probably the most downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout all classes. Whereas it’s tough to pinpoint one particular motive as to why, Bits of Freedom senior coverage adviser Rejo Zenger isn’t stunned. Latest developments within the U.S. have seen the massive platform suppliers align with the brand new Trump administration, and Europe’s reliance on expertise from large non-public U.S. corporations has change into a focus in that debate. Read more
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