The FTC announced on Thursday that it is launching an inquiry into seven tech companies that make AI chatbot companion products for minors: Alphabet, CharacterAI, Instagram, Meta, OpenAI, Snap, and xAI. The federal regulator seeks to learn how these companies are evaluating the safety and monetization of chatbot companions, how they try to limit negative…
Mistral AI, the French company behind AI assistant Le Chat and several foundational models, is officially regarded as one of France’s most promising tech startups and is arguably the only European company that could compete with OpenAI. It is reportedly in the process of raising another round that would value it at $14 billion, up…
OpenAI is reorganizing its Model Behavior team, a small but influential group of researchers who shape how the company’s AI models interact with people, TechCrunch has learned. In an August memo to staff seen by TechCrunch, OpenAI’s chief research officer Mark Chen said the Model Behavior team — which consists of roughly 14 researchers —…
This article has been updated with comment from lead counsel in the Raine family’s wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI. OpenAI said Tuesday it plans to route sensitive conversations to reasoning models like GPT-5 and roll out parental controls within the next month — part of an ongoing response to recent safety incidents involving ChatGPT failing…
Fidji Simo is wrapping up her first week at OpenAI, where she is expected to oversee most of the company’s roughly 3,000 employees. To investors and partners, OpenAI leaders have been describing the former Instacart CEO as the kind of steady hand the company needs. Her mandate is clear: turn a chaotic, unprofitable startup into…
OpenAI has announced plans to open its first office in India, just days after launching a ChatGPT plan tailored for Indian users, as it looks to tap into the country’s rapidly growing AI market. On Friday, the company said it would set up a local team in India and open a corporate office in the…
OpenAI is asking Meta to produce evidence related to any coordinated plans with Elon Musk and xAI to acquire or invest in the ChatGPT-maker. The request was made public in a brief filed Thursday in Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI. Lawyers representing OpenAI said they subpoenaed Meta in June for documents related to its…
The day before the launch of GPT-5, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman surprised employees with a message in the company’s Slack. “As we mentioned a few weeks ago, we have been looking at comp for our technical teams given the movement in the market,” wrote Altman, according to a copy of the message that was shared…
Sam Altman’s blowtorch to his competitors is so hot, it even includes a new partnership with Amazon Web Services. As OpenAI announced two open-weight reasoning models with capabilities on par with its o-series, Amazon announced that the new models would become available on AWS on Tuesday. This is the first time that OpenAI models will…
OpenAI announced Tuesday the launch of Study Mode, a new feature within ChatGPT that aims to help students develop their own critical thinking skills, rather than simply obtain answers to questions. With Study Mode enabled, ChatGPT will ask users questions to test their understanding and, in some cases, refuse to offer direct answers unless students engage with…