Should talking to an AI chatbot be protected and privileged information, like talking to a doctor or lawyer? A new court order raises the ideaRead More

06/03 — 2025 by abduzeedo Explore the impactful branding and visual identity for Culture & Community Power Fund by Outside. See how design elevates community action. Hey creatives! Let's dive into some truly inspiring work today. Our friends at Outside, a global design and tech studio based in Kathmandu, recently rolled out a fresh brand and website for the Culture & Community Power Fund (C&CPF). This project isn't just about aesthetics; it's about design with a deeper purpose. Crafting a Visual Voice for Community Power C&CPF champions grassroots organizations. They focus on communities most affected by systemic oppression. Their mission involves direct funding, sharing resources, and building networks. Outside's goal was clear: uplift grantee work, create a wisdom hub, and clarify culture's role in social action . Elizabeth Lepro, Editorial Lead at Outside, shared that the project expanded their understanding of "culture." They aimed to visually inject the celebratory and communal aspects of shared spaces, rituals, stories, and traditions throughout the brand . This passion shines through in the final output. The Ampersand: A Symbol of Collaboration One standout element in C&CPF's new branding and visual identity is the ampersand (&). Outside emphasized this symbol in the logo, a direct nod to C&CPF's collaborative ethos. What's really clever is how they rendered the ampersand in various fonts. Each typeface reflects the diverse visions of C&CPF's partner-grantees. For instance, the rounded Akaya Kanadaka typeface conveys the joyful spirit of culturally infused community power building. Pilowlava, another typeface, speaks to a grantee-partner's work in urban farming and sustainability . It's a subtle yet powerful way to represent unity in diversity. Gritty, Bold, and Inviting Visuals Established in 2022, C&CPF is relatively new. They wanted to avoid looking overly traditional. Outside delivered a gritty, bold aesthetic, drawing inspiration from protest signs and zines. Snappy animations complement this vibe. They even provided image frames to unify varying aesthetics from featured organizations. The chosen color palette is a rich blend of orange, purple, yellow, black, and white. This combination expresses warmth and invitation, perfectly aligning with the Fund's focus on people and communities. The brand incorporates vibrant photography, showcasing scenes like festivals, local games, and urban farms. Bridging the Knowledge Gap Beyond the visual, Outside also provided copywriting and narrative support. They made sure the site explains "community power building" in accessible language. The "What is Community Power Building?" page breaks down basics, relevant vocabulary, and context. It clarifies that culture extends beyond art and music, encompassing traditions, stories, rituals, and shared spaces. A key feature is the "Knowledge Commons," a custom-built resource library. It serves both experienced practitioners and newcomers, fostering shared wisdom. This hub even accepts submissions, allowing C&CPF team members to edit and publish them. This project by Outside is a fantastic example of how thoughtful branding and visual identity can empower a mission. It shows that design isn't just about looking good; it's about building understanding, fostering connection, and driving meaningful change. What aspects of this purposeful design resonate most with you? Explore more of Outside's work and the Culture & Community Power Fund's initiatives to see how design can truly make an impact. Learn more about Outside's work Branding and visual identity artifacts Tags branding

By Ellyn Lapointe Published May 31, 2025 | Comments (0) | Researchers recovered this face-shaped rock from the San Lázaro rock-shelter in central Spain in 2022 © Álvarez-Alonso et al While digging inside a cave in the Spanish city of Segovia, archaeologists uncovered an unusual rock. The hand-sized stone naturally resembled an elongated face, and featured a spot of red pigment made from ochre right on the tip of what may be considered its nose.  “We were all thinking the same thing and looking at each other because of its shape: we were all thinking, ‘This looks like a face,’” David Álvarez Alonso, an archaeologist at Complutense University in Madrid who was part of the dig, told The Guardian. Álvarez Alonso and his colleagues spent the next three years studying this bizarre rock. The researchers posit that 43,000 years ago, a Neanderthal dipped their finger in ochre and pressed it onto the stone’s central ridge—leaving behind what is now considered to be the world’s oldest complete human fingerprint. It’s an intriguing finding that could have significant implications, but some experts would like to see more evidence to support this hypothesis.  The team published its findings in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences on Saturday, May 24. In the paper, the archaeologists state that the “strategic position” of the dot suggests it is evidence of Neanderthals’ “symbolic behavior.” In other words, it’s a piece of art that “could represent one of the earliest human face symbolizations in prehistory.” “The fact that the [rock] was selected because of its appearance and then marked with ochre shows that there was a human mind capable of symbolizing, imagining, idealizing and projecting his or her thoughts on an object,” the researchers write.  Whether Neanderthals were capable of making art is a subject of ongoing debate, co-author María de Andrés-Herrero, a professor of prehistory at Complutense University, told the BBC. But over the past decade, a growing body of evidence has led many experts to believe that artistic expression emerged earlier in human evolution than previously thought.  The authors of this new study think their stone adds to this evidence. To reach this conclusion, they first needed more data to support the idea that this ancient artist had actually experienced pareidolia: seeing a face in an inanimate object. To that end, they generated a 3D model of the stone’s surface and measured the distances between its features, finding that the red dot—or nose—was placed such that it accurately resembled an actual nose on a human face.  Then, the researchers enlisted the help of geologists to characterize the red dot, confirming that it was made with ochre. Forensic police experts then used multispectral analysis—a technique that can reveal details invisible to the naked eye—to confirm that the red dot had been applied with a fingertip. Their analysis uncovered a fingerprint that could have belonged to an adult male Neanderthal inside the dot.  “Once we had that and all the other pieces, context and information, we advanced the theory that this could be a pareidolia, which then led to a human intervention in the form of the red dot,” Álvarez Alonso told The Guardian. “Without that red dot, you can’t make any claims about the object.” But Gilliane Monnier, a professor of anthropology at the University of Minnesota who studies Neanderthal behavior, is not totally convinced by the researchers’ findings. “The fact that there are these natural depressions—and that we can measure the distance between them and argue that it’s a face—that’s all well and good,” Monnier, who wasn’t involved in the study, told Gizmodo. “But that doesn’t give us any indication that the Neanderthals who [occupied this cave] saw a face in that [rock].”  What’s more, she is skeptical of the researchers’ claim that the red dot was actually made with a human fingertip. It’s possible, she said, that the coloring and fingerprint-like ridges formed naturally. “I would be interested in seeing an explanation by a geologist—someone trained in geology—saying the likelihood of this forming by natural, geological or geomicrobial processes is a very low likelihood,” Monnier said.  The researchers, too, acknowledge that “it is unlikely that all doubts surrounding this hypothesis can be fully dispelled,” and state that the pareidolia hypothesis should not be seen as a definitive claim, but rather a possible explanation for this object based on the evidence. So it’s hard to say whether this study clarifies or complicates our understanding of how the human mind evolved the ability to create art. The face-shaped rock is an intriguing piece of the puzzle, but more research is needed to figure out where it fits. Daily Newsletter You May Also Like By Margherita Bassi Published May 28, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published May 27, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published May 25, 2025 By Natalia Mesa Published May 13, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published May 8, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published April 23, 2025

Remedy's surreal take on co-op with FBC: Firebreak Game director Mike Kayatta discusses Remedy's approach to multiplayer titles, and how it balances appealing to fans and appeasing casual co-op players Image credit: Remedy Entertainment Feature by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on May 29, 2025 Much like Remedy's narrative-driven single-player games, FBC: Firebreak is a step into the unknown. Not for the player, but for the developer itself. Firebreak not only marks the first time that Remedy has developed a multiplayer game, but it's also the developer's first foray into a first-person shooter. But a project focused on session-based gameplay runs the risk of alienating fans of Remedy's lore-heavy third-person games, while potentially dissuading casual players from checking out its impressive back catalogue if the game doesn't click. Mike Kayatta, Remedy Following a hands-on preview of the game, GamesIndustry.biz spoke to Firebreak's game director, Mike Kayatta, to discuss Remedy's approach to developing its first co-op FPS title. He also explained how the studio balanced appeasing longtime Remedy fans while attracting seasoned co-op players unfamiliar with Firebreak's surreal world. Firebreak is a spin-off of 2019's Control, which follows Jesse Faden – the director of a secretive government agency known as the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). Its headquarters, known as the Oldest House, is a shifting, paranatural building that holds all sorts of otherworldly entities contained by the organisation. Control sees the Oldest House under lockdown following the invasion of a hostile force known as the Hiss. Firebreak takes place six years after the events of Control, and the lockdown is still in place. Maintaining a balance Right off the bat, there's a hurdle of not overloading players new to Remedy with so much lore that they'll feel like they need to play Control to play Firebreak. As Kattaya explains, the studio prioritised not overwhelming those unfamiliar with its universe and appeasing fans that will be on the lookout for connections to other Remedy titles. "We set the game during a lockdown, which creates a narrative bubble for the FBC that also helps us create a bubble around the world itself," Kayatta notes. "So, if you know Control, then you might be interested in seeing what was going on in the Oldest House six years after the first game. And if you don't know Control, then you can step right into this moment and get a contained experience." Firebreak may be a spin-off, but Kayatta affirms it is firmly set within Remedy's connected universe (RCU) – which links the Control and Alan Wake franchises together. "Of course, we are set firmly within the RCU timeline and canon, so there are connections," he explains. "But we're very focused on protecting Control players who might not want to switch genres to get the 'whole story', and protecting co-op players who might not want to fire up an old game to get the full experience out of Firebreak." By maintaining this balance, Remedy has made a game that potentially encourages fans to step out of their comfort zone while also enticing less familiar players to dive into Remedy's back catalogue if the world intrigues them. Internally, Remedy also faced the task of producing a game in a genre it's not developed for before. Still, it has over two decades of experience in developing narrative-driven, immersive single-player titles, which offered the studio some advantages. "Even though games like Alan Wake and Control aren't all that similar to Firebreak in terms of genre and gameplay, they do all share a focus on immersive worlds and impactful narrative space," Kayatta says. "That sort of thing comes through lighting, audio, world design, and more somewhat direct crossovers. "When we look at what's different [about Firebreak], it's the perspective, the social nature of the game, and driving gameplay through systems. It's a combination of previous work experience outside of Remedy, personal experience as gamers or solo projects, and transference of other practical design skills into a new vision." Kayatta continues: "We do have a lot to learn and definitely face the task and players with a lot of humility, but there wasn't really a point where we felt like we didn't know how to go about something fun." Overcoming development obstacles Remedy also had to contend with approaching the game from a different perspective during the development process. Kayatta says the making of Firebreak differed in "so many ways" compared to Alan Wake 2 or Control, but that overall, every Remedy game release "is a miracle and Firebreak is no exception." "Even things as simple as playing the game suddenly takes three times the number of people," he emphasises. "Lots of typical production processes remain the same, but the rest has been a lot of adaptation and learning on the fly." This included playtests. Remedy has conducted a lot during Firebreak's development, even as recently as a couple weeks ago to test various game mechanics and matchmaking. The game is constantly changing – I'll have a totally different experience playing with friends post-release than I did during my playtest, and the devs were busy polishing things then, too. "Sometimes making games feels like nothing but overcoming obstacles," Kayatta laughs. "Honestly, it's been [like that] every single day. Sometimes it's about absorbing the pain, learning lessons, and pushing through to the next milestone. Other times, it's about seeking help from experts across the studio. Every single game released is a miracle and Firebreak is no exception. "Then, creatively, a lot has been shifting the mindset of what's the most valuable [aspects] to players and learning to let go of the control you have over players when making a single-player experience." Image credit: Remedy Entertainment Unlike Alan Wake 2 and Control, Remedy aren't guiding players through narrative cues. There are suggestions and hints of what needs to be done in a given situation, but players are given much more agency and control over how they approach obstacles with the arsenal they're given. As for the FPS aspect – there are plenty of guns to fire in Firebreak, but it's the 'crisis kits' that are the focal point. "Every single game released is a miracle and Firebreak is no exception" These three loadouts are tailored to a specific skill – one is electricity-focused for field control, another is impact-focused for problem solving, and one is water-focused for manipulating conditions like controlling flames and cooling down team members. Players aren't limited to what they use, either. All three players in a session can use the same kit, or they can plan who will use which kit to maximise the effects of teamwork during a session. The kits are also where Remedy's kookiness shines. Each kit has a tool related to its theme, whether that's a massive wrench or a hydro-cannon. Paranatural items known as 'Altered Augments' can be attached to these weapons, which provide bizarre – and at times chaotic – effects to give players the upper hand against enemies. For example, a paranatural teapot can be attached to the hydro cannon to super heat water globules into molten lava. Experimentation is key Giving players a varied loadout of guns and tools enabled Remedy to make Firebreak something newcomers to the FPS co-op genre could enjoy. This was achieved by providing the ability to adjust components to meet players needs and a progression system that doesn't focus on "power ramping." "Like most games, we front load a lot of the extremely impactful long-term progress, such as unlocking critical gear and abilities," Kayatta says. "And the 'mid-game' (if you want to call it that) is about getting your power up and upgrading what you like to use." Kayatta also clarifies they didn't want newer players to be locked out of the experience when playing with those who are familiar with how multiplayer FPS games work. "[Firebreak] doesn't dwell too long in the 'power ramping' phase and quickly shifts into promoting experimentation and forming playstyles," Kayatta notes. "We've also added things like the resonance system which can let players with access to strong builds actually share those abilities to anyone (so long as they stay close)." Speaking of progress, Kayatta notes that Remedy made it a priority for Firebreak to "feel like a fair experience for everyone" – whether you're playing for long or short periods of time. "For this, we made sure that the longer-term progression focuses more on unlocking options rather than raw power," he explains. "That players can create their own end-game challenges by adjusting threat, clearance, and corruption [levels] to meet their capabilities." Threat, clearance, and corruption control the difficulty of a job, with rewards scaling up accordingly based on the level of challenge. These aspects also enhance replayability – particularly corruption, which enables 'corrupted items' that modify the environment and enemy behaviours. Remedy's approach to microtransactions There's also a perk system that provides unique gameplay effects, which are achieved by levelling up or using in-game currency known as 'lost assets'. Players can also use in-game currency to purchase 'requisitions' – cosmetic items including armor sets, sprays, and weapon skins that have no effect on gameplay. Some requisitions are 'classified' meaning that players will need to spend real-money to unlock them. "We tried to think of ourselves as gamers and what we would want out of a game" When asked why Remedy went down the route of locking only cosmetics behind a paywall as opposed to a pay-to-win system like some other multiplayer titles, Kayatta says the team thought of what they would want out of Firebreak as players. "[This approach] is not a direct response to any particular mechanic or game, but it is different from many that you see in the multiplayer space," Kayatta explains. "Mostly, we tried to think of ourselves as gamers and what we would want out of a game. "Maybe it's a bit of a nostalgia, old man, 'kids-these-days' sort of thing to say, but dang. I miss games like Left 4 Dead 2 where you could just buy the game and play it when you feel like playing it. It felt easier to get friends on board and easier to kick back and enjoy things." Kayatta continued: "I don't like the stigma that comes with multiplayers today. I don't like how guarded I feel when I hear something is going to be supported after release. Support after release should be an awesome, exciting thing. So why, so often, does it make me feel worried somehow?" The future of Firebreak With that in mind, Remedy has implemented a solid roadmap to support Firebreak post-release. It launches with five jobs, with two additional jobs planned for this year and more to come in 2026. "It's always hard to predict the future, especially before we've released the game and gotten the chance to hear from players," says Kayatta. "We know we are going to support the game, we know we want to make it bigger this year, at least. "And going into next year, we want to know what's going to add value for players and do that. Is it more jobs? Could be, in which case that will be the plan. Is it something else? Let's see and then try to do that if it makes sense." "We're a small team with limited resources. We're trying to be super careful about where we put our attention" Remedy is steadfast on putting the players' needs first. All post-launch content will be free, and will be catered to what fans want out of the game they're spending their money and time on. "Ultimately, we're a small team with limited resources," he adds. "We're trying to be super careful about where we put our attention." As for the future of co-op games at Remedy, Firebreak sets a precedent for potential games set around its other franchises. So has the experience of developing Firebreak inspired the devs for similar games in the future? "Oh boy," Kayatta laughs. "The only future on my mind right now is getting Firebreak to players on June 17, then supporting them as best I can. As for anything else, to quote the wise Magic 8-Ball: 'Ask again later'."

The big Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 interview: Sandfall and Kepler on team size, the return of AA games, and what's next Plus: how Kepler plans to be the A24 for games, and why a follow-up to Clair Obscur won't involve a big studio expansion Image credit: Sandfall Interactive Feature by Lewis Packwood Contributor Published on May 27, 2025 The success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – which sold 2 million copies within 12 days of launch – has meant all eyes are now on its developer, Sandfall Interactive. As the games industry mulls how to move forward, faced with a saturated market, widespread layoffs and spiralling development costs, the fact that an original title made by a relatively small team could see such massive success gives hope to everyone. It's also an emphatic validation of the strategy of Clair Obscur's publisher, Kepler Interactive, which since its formation in 2021 has focused on original titles with eye-catching art styles and mould-breaking gameplay, including Sifu, Tchia, Scorn, Pacific Drive, Ultros, Bionic Bay, and the upcoming Rematch. "They respect creativity and innovation in games, they have a very high standard in choosing games to publish, and they are very fun people to work with," enthuses Shuhei Yoshida, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, and now a freelance consultant for Kepler. Yoshida has been helping to evaluate game pitches for the publisher since he left Sony in January, as well as helping to promote Bionic Bay and Clair Obscur. "They have a great balance in looking for innovation in games and investing in commercially viable projects," he says. "I think the way Kepler chooses games and supports developers is a great example of sustainable indie publishing. I expect many companies in the industry will look for inspiration from what Kepler is doing." Coop mode One thing that immediately marks out Kepler as different is its structure. "Kepler is co-owned by a group of studios, but they all operate autonomously," explains portfolio director Matthew Handrahan, who joined Kepler from PlayStation in 2022 (before that, he was editor-in-chief of this very site). "They make a lot of their own choices creatively and commercially in terms of the direction of their business. But there is a collaborative aspect that they can draw upon if they feel they need it. The thing that we definitely are very clear on is Kepler is not sitting here telling anyone what to do." The idea is that Kepler can provide support into each studio in terms of things like HR, legal teams, and IT. "And each one of them can draw on that to the degree that they want to, in the belief that if you give people that solid base, they can just focus more on being creative," says Handrahan. Image credit: Sandfall Interactive But the plan was always for Kepler to become a third party publisher, he continues. So in addition to publishing games from its own studios, since 2024 Kepler has started releasing games from outside developers, like Pacific Drive, Clair Obscur, and the newly signed PVKK from Bippinbits, the creators of Dome Keeper. "As we go forward, what we really hope is that people can spot a Kepler game," says Handrahan. So what marks out a Kepler title? CEO Alexis Garavaryan has previously emphasised the publisher champions games with "bold art direction and innovative game design" that avoid familiar influences like Star Wars and superheroes. Handrahan says this is essential in today's market. "I remember writing about Steam being overcrowded for GamesIndustry.biz 10 years ago, and saying, 'Oh, there's too many games'," he says. "Well there's five times more games being released now. So if you are coming to market with a game, it had better be doing something genuinely fresh." What Kepler definitely isn't doing is chasing trends, which Handrahan says is a dangerous strategy. He gives the example of Balatro imitators. "If you're making something hot on the heels of that, by the time you get to market, there'll probably be 150 other alternatives." One can't help thinking, too, of the expensive failure of Concord at PlayStation, which proved to be one hero shooter too many. The next expedition Sandfall's COO and producer François Meurisse says that the fact that studio head Guillaume Broche was deliberately avoiding chasing trends with Clair Obscur was what attracted him to join in the first place. "Some people predicted to us that it was a tricky [sector] when we started development, and there could be kind of a curse on AA games" François Meurisse, Sandfall Interactive He was immediately on board with Broche's passion for revitalising the kind of flashy, 3D, turn-based JRPGs that had long gone out of fashion. That passion came first: the strategy came later. "A bit after, when we tried to rationalise that yearning he has for this kind of game, we realised that it wasn't addressed as much in the market, and maybe there was a place for it," says Meurisse. The end result went beyond their wildest dreams. "The game has had success to an extent that we didn't imagine," he says. "We smashed our forecasts pretty fast." Naturally, thoughts are already turning to a follow-up. "There will be another video game, for sure," says Meurisse, adding that it's a little early to say exactly what form it will take. "I can't wait to dig more into the ideas we already have for the next game," he says. "Plus the team has grown up, has acquired new skills throughout production," he says. "Many of them were junior when we started. We learned to work together. So I can't wait to get to the next project, because we'll start from a more efficient position than when we started the company five years ago. And that [comes] with higher expectations as well, so it will be challenging. But I can say that we have – and Guillaume in particular has – great ideas for the next game." AA comeback Image credit: Sandfall Interactive The success of Clair Obscur has led many to herald the comeback of AA games, a sector that has shrunk significantly over the past couple of console generations – even if it's a harder category to define in 2025 based on a lack of publicly available budget numbers. "Some people predicted to us that it was a tricky [sector] when we started development, and there could be kind of a curse on AA games," remembers Meurisse. "But from our perspective, we didn't care too much about market considerations. […] In a sense, A Plague Tale or Mortal Shell or Hellblade, games like those were already proof for us that small teams of less than 50 people could have great games and great execution." Speaking of team size, much was made of the claim that Clair Obscur was created by a team of around 30, although many were quick to point out that the credits include dozens more people than that, working on things like QA, localization and voice production, as well as a ‘gameplay animation' team in Korea. "These kinds of games did exist in much greater numbers about 15 years ago, and I think there are some threads that the AAA industry lost as they grew and grew and grew" Matt Handrahan, Kepler Interactive So was the game mis-sold? "I don't think so," says Handrahan. "I think that the creative engine of the game was that group of 30. […] In terms of what the game is – the vision of it and the way in which it's executed – [that] does come from that nucleus of staff that is at Sandfall." "In terms of main credits over the four years of production, we were on average about 30 people," clarifies Meurisse. "We started with less than 10 people, scaled up until 30, and close to 40, and then scaled a little bit down. You mentioned Korean animators, but it's important to mention that none of them were full time. They were doing some extras beside some other jobs of animation. So the core team was on average 30 people in the home studio, plus privileged contractors like the lead writer or the composer, for example: I include them in that core team." "But of course, we had a galaxy of partners revolving around the project. Kepler in the first place – and I want to really pinpoint that they were really key in the success of the game – plus some other creative people as well, like musician players, translators, QA testers also. And that definitely extends the team, and I'm super grateful we could work with all those super […] passionate partners from all over the world." "I think people fixated on this number," adds Handrahan, "but actually the more useful thing that was being said was that this is not a AAA game, right? You can look at those credits, and it's still definitely not a AAA game." "These kinds of games did exist in much greater numbers about 15 years ago, and I think there are some threads that the AAA industry lost as they grew and grew and grew, and brought in different ways of monetising," he continues. "We have to remember there was a time when AAA companies were making games like Vanquish and Mirror's Edge and Kane & Lynch, and all of these really cool, interesting, not small games, but much smaller scale games. And you've seen the number of releases from AAA publishers dwindle and dwindle and dwindle. Now there's an opportunity for teams like Sandfall to come in and give players something that they really have not been given for quite a long time." Which leads us to ask, if Clair Obscur can't be classed as a AAA game, how much did it cost, exactly? Neither Handrahan nor Meurisse is willing to disclose the true figure. "I would say that I've seen a lot of budget estimations that are all higher than the real budget," muses Meurisse. Handrahan agrees. "Everybody's desperate to know what the budget is, and I won't tell them, but I would guarantee if you got 10 people to guess, I think all 10 wouldn't guess the actual figure," he says. "I'm sure Mirror's Edge and Vanquish cost more, put it that way." Keeping the team small Image credit: Sandfall Interactive With a success like Clair Obscur, the temptation might be to scale up the studio for a blockbuster sequel: a pattern we've seen with successful franchises many times before. But Meurisse says that's something Sandfall wants to avoid. "For now, our vision would be to stick to a close team working in the same city with less than 50 people on board, focusing on one project after another, and keeping this agility, and this creative strength, and smartness of a small group of passionate people wanting to do something big," he says. "That's how video games were made for years," he continues. "The team that made Ocarina of Time or Half-Life 2, I think those were max 60 or 70 people*, and that kind of size allows for good decisions and great creativity." He adds that the studio might recruit a few more members, but it won't start working on multiple projects simultaneously, and they will deliberately avoid growing too big and unwieldy. "We want to keep the organisation that made us successful," he says. Handrahan notes that because game making is an iterative process, maintaining only a small permanent team makes sense. "I think keeping a core team to hold the vision and to build out what the game is, and then expanding as you need to through things like outsourcing, is a very smart and sustainable way to manage game development," he says. "I think that there's been a lot of irresponsible practices in the industry," he continues, referring to the inherent risks involved in ballooning AAA budgets and team sizes. "Some games can make it work. Grand Theft Auto 6 is going to make it work, I think we can all say with great confidence. But there are plenty of games made with very large teams and for huge amounts of money that don't land, and there is a human cost to running things that way. People lose their jobs. God knows how many layoffs there's been in the industry over the last few years." He worries that the temptation to scale up is too great. "I do see a lot of developers who ship a game and then get some level of success – even very small levels of success or on very small budgets – and then almost instinctively feel like they need to double or triple the budget of the next game. And that is something I definitely question." No bloat He also questions the need to make games bigger. "One of the things that's great about Expedition 33 is it really respects the player's time. It gives them plenty to do, and it gives them plenty of satisfaction, but it isn't arbitrarily 500 hours of gameplay. It's impactful because it's scoped correctly. […] It doesn't have any sense of bloat or extraneous things that are put there just to make it larger and larger and larger." "Brevity should be more of a virtue in gaming," he adds. "Something can be better by being shorter – something that's being discussed in film at the moment. Every film seems to be two and a half hours long, and I think most people are like, 'Can they all be a bit shorter, please? Because we have other things to do with our lives'." Meurisse notes that the focus for Clair Obscur was always on quality over quantity. "From the beginning, we wanted to do an intense and short experience," he says. "The first length estimates of the game were closer to 20 hours for the main quest. I think we ended up closer to 30, even 40 hours if you take a bit of time. As a player, there are so many great games out there that I want to experience, [and] what's important to me is the level of excitement and fun I get from a game, rather than how long it is." He also questions the link between game length and price. "The value that players get from games does not align systematically with the length of the game," he says. "For example, one of my favourite games of all time is Inside, which lasts about two hours, but it's one of the most polished, and intense [experiences] – and even life changing for some people." What are games worth? Notably, Clair Obscur launched at a price point of $50/$45, at a time when the standard price for big-budget games is creeping up to $80. "I think as that AAA price goes up, I think it creates more of an opportunity to be launching games – more sensibly scoped games – [and] pricing them at that $40–50 range," says Handrahan. "And I don't think anyone that played Expedition 33 would think they didn't get their money's worth out of that." "When we announced the pricing at $50 we did actually have a little of a backlash online," adds Meurisse, "with people fearing it would be a 12-hour-long game with unfinished content, and that it was suspicious to have a $50 game that was looking like this in the trailers. But in the end we stuck with the price, we doubled down on it, [and] we provided some context about the fact that it wasn't a AAA." "In the end, it was a win-win situation, because it was a way to attract more players towards the game, to have good player satisfaction about their buying [decision], and it could actually end up doing more sales. So maybe players' perception can change a bit about that kind of price [point]." The Kepler brand Image credit: Sandfall Interactive Clair Obscur has obviously provided a huge boost for Kepler as a publisher, and Handrahan says the plan now is for Kepler to build a brand as the home for high-quality, mid-sized games with a unique vision. He gives the newly signed PVKK as an example. "The art direction is very high quality, it's very, very bold. It has a strong narrative component. It has innovative gameplay design. It speaks to wider culture, it's not an insular vision for a game. I think you get a lot of games that are kind of just about other games, and that is not something we're interested in necessarily." It's a model that he thinks others could follow. "We definitely want there to be strong associations with the games we do, so if that is something that other publishers could imitate or follow along from, then all the better," he says, adding that it makes little sense for publishers to cast a broad net of styles and genres in such a crowded market. But of course, there is a risk to championing unique, untested visions. So what does Kepler do to mitigate that risk? "We definitely do market research," says Handrahan – although he adds that ultimately the process is subjective. "I came to this company because I really trusted the taste of the people that I work for. I have always felt that if I'm really excited by a game, there will be other people out there who are excited by it. Yes, you can test that against market research, and that is definitely a function that we have in the company, and we use it. But our litmus test is a subjective level of excitement and belief in the vision and creativity that we see in the games that we sign." He points to companies in other media, like A24 or Warped Records, that have taken a similar approach with great success. "We want to be that in games." *Fact check note: Valve's core team was actually 84 for Half-Life 2, without including the many people involved in voice acting, QA, IT, legal, and so on. The team behind Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time numbered around 66, although the people involved in QA testing aren't listed individually in the credits.

Honey Don’t! opens in theaters August 22. This review is based on a screening at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.Ethan Coen’s desert detective comedy Honey Don’t! is a step down from what was already a disappointing departure. When older Coen brother Joel branched out from the duo’s acclaimed collaborations, it led to Shakespearean grandeur. There’s no shame in going a more playful route, as the younger Coen and co-writer Tricia Cooke did with Honey Don’t! and its predecessor, Drive-Away Dolls. But their second film in their planned “lesbian B-movie trilogy” is flimsy and insubstantial. It reads like a brisk, star-studded romp on paper: The plot concerns small-town California private eye Honey O'Donahue (Margaret Qualley), a consummate professional summoned to investigate the suspicious roadside death of a woman who had called her not 24 hours prior. Coen and Cooke zoom out to give us the lay of the land before agonizingly connecting each dot, between the deceased’s sexually exploitative church leader, Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans), Honey’s fractured family life, and her advances towards alluring policewoman MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza).Each of these subplots has its own subplots that drag Honey Don’t! further away from its mystery, including Reverend Drew’s involvement in international drug trade and Honey’s teenage niece Corrine (Talia Ryder) confiding in her about an abusive relationship. Honey occasionally follows up on leads, moving languidly between several matter-of-fact exchanges with no real emotional trajectory. The dialogue is delivered so flatly that you might struggle to differentiate the dramatic and comedic material in any given scene. Take, for instance, Honey’s many conversations with her doting, capable assistant Spider (Gabby Beans), which feel like they’re supposed to be banter between two quick-witted women, but result in awkward dead air for extended periods. The movie’s parched, dusty setting extends infinitely in establishing shots, but the characters’ interactions feel like that, too.What’s more, none of Honey’s sleuthing ever turns up useful answers. Notable discoveries and plot turns usually fall in her lap, and the story’s disparate threads end up being tied together through sheer coincidence. This might be intentional: Coen and Cooke are more concerned with the theme of feminine trauma and anger binding their storylines. However, it results in a plot-heavy film that continuously meanders on its way toward building on (or satisfying) its intrigue. There’s no single noir tradition that dictates exactly how a modern successor should operate; some of these stories focus on the mystery, while others use their underworld escapades as vehicles for charismatic characters – but that’s the main ingredient Honey Don’t! lacks. Qualley, through no fault of her own, is stuck pounding the pavement with little more than a mild scowl on her face, while Evans strains to embody a foul-mouthed douchebag with no further dimensions, much as he did in The Gray Man. The Biggest Movies Coming in 2025If Honey Don’t! has one redeeming performance, it’s that of Charlie Day as local detective Marty Metakawich. It’s a minor role made hilarious in a retrograde, tongue-in-cheek manner, since Marty keeps desperately asking Honey out on dates, no matter how many times she clarifies her sexual orientation. Unfortunately, like much of the supporting cast, Day’s role is truncated, and written first and foremost with its function in mind. His handful of scenes are all about nudging Honey’s investigation in a different direction, even though this seldom leads to interesting developments.Honey Don’t! lacks both visual pizzazz and the kind Coen-esque edge that made the brothers’ previous capers shine. Their zaniest works, like The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona, let their sprawling ensembles loose in a fun-house-mirror reflection of reality. But this one feels far too plodding to draw your attention. It also reads too overtly like the product of a hasty first draft influenced by the window dressing of other, better noirs – the PIs, the lurid crimes, the femmes fatale – without the time or effort to examine what drew audiences to those movies in the first place.Honey Don’t! is a step down from what was already a disappointing departure.“There’s no better summary of the difference between what Honey Don’t! promises and what it delivers than the mood of the crowd at its Cannes premiere. As the logos for the festival and studio came up on screen, they were met with the kind of deafening roars typically reserved for midnight cult movies. But once Honey Don’t! was underway, the excitement slowly dissipated. Punchlines were met with scattered chuckles, and the movie’s violent bloodshed – part-cartoonish, part-viscerally upsetting – yielded befuddlement. You can’t judge a movie by an audience’s reaction, but in this case, it’s at least instructive.

Colossal Biosciences' chief scientist has clarified that its "dire wolves" are just genetically modified gray wolves following a backlash to the "de-extinction" label it put on them.

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. What started as a tool to supercharge productivity through writing essays and code with short text prompts has evolved into a behemoth with 300 million weekly active users. 2024 was a big year for OpenAI, from its partnership with Apple for its generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, the release of GPT-4o with voice capabilities, and the highly-anticipated launch of its text-to-video model Sora. OpenAI also faced its share of internal drama, including the notable exits of high-level execs like co-founder and longtime chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and CTO Mira Murati. OpenAI has also been hit with lawsuits from Alden Global Capital-owned newspapers alleging copyright infringement, as well as an injunction from Elon Musk to halt OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit. In 2025, OpenAI is battling the perception that it’s ceding ground in the AI race to Chinese rivals like DeepSeek. The company has been trying to shore up its relationship with Washington as it simultaneously pursues an ambitious data center project, and as it reportedly lays the groundwork for one of the largest funding rounds in history. Below, you’ll find a timeline of ChatGPT product updates and releases, starting with the latest, which we’ve been updating throughout the year. If you have any other questions, check out our ChatGPT FAQ here. To see a list of 2024 updates, go here. Timeline of the most recent ChatGPT updates Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW May 2025 OpenAI CFO says hardware will drive ChatGPT’s growth OpenAI plans to purchase Jony Ive’s devices startup io for $6.4 billion. Sarah Friar, CFO of OpenAI, thinks that the hardware will significantly enhance ChatGPT and broaden OpenAI’s reach to a larger audience in the future. OpenAI’s ChatGPT unveils its AI coding agent, Codex OpenAI has introduced its AI coding agent, Codex, powered by codex-1, a version of its o3 AI reasoning model designed for software engineering tasks. OpenAI says codex-1 generates more precise and “cleaner” code than o3. The coding agent may take anywhere from one to 30 minutes to complete tasks such as writing simple features, fixing bugs, answering questions about your codebase, and running tests. Sam Altman aims to make ChatGPT more personalized by tracking every aspect of a person’s life Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said during a recent AI event hosted by VC firm Sequoia that he wants ChatGPT to record and remember every detail of a person’s life when one attendee asked about how ChatGPT can become more personalized. OpenAI releases its GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini AI models in ChatGPT OpenAI said in a post on X that it has launched its GPT-4.1 and GPT4.1 mini AI models in ChagGPT. OpenAI has launched a new feature for ChatGPT deep research to analyze code repositories on GitHub. The ChatGPT deep research feature is in beta and lets developers connect with GitHub to ask questions about codebases and engineering documents. The connector will soon be available for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team users, with support for Enterprise and Education coming shortly, per an OpenAI spokesperson. OpenAI launches a new data residency program in Asia After introducing a data residency program in Europe in February, OpenAI has now launched a similar program in Asian countries including India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. The new program will be accessible to users of ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu, and API. It will help organizations in Asia meet their local data sovereignty requirements when using OpenAI’s products. OpenAI to introduce a program to grow AI infrastructure OpenAI is unveiling a program called OpenAI for Countries, which aims to develop the necessary local infrastructure to serve international AI clients better. The AI startup will work with governments to assist with increasing data center capacity and customizing OpenAI’s products to meet specific language and local needs. OpenAI for Countries is part of efforts to support the company’s expansion of its AI data center Project Stargate to new locations outside the U.S., per Bloomberg. OpenAI promises to make changes to prevent future ChatGPT sycophancy OpenAI has announced its plan to make changes to its procedures for updating the AI models that power ChatGPT, following an update that caused the platform to become overly sycophantic for many users. April 2025 OpenAI clarifies the reason ChatGPT became overly flattering and agreeable OpenAI has released a post on the recent sycophancy issues with the default AI model powering ChatGPT, GPT-4o, leading the company to revert an update to the model released last week. CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the issue on Sunday and confirmed two days later that the GPT-4o update was being rolled back. OpenAI is working on “additional fixes” to the model’s personality. Over the weekend, users on social media criticized the new model for making ChatGPT too validating and agreeable. It became a popular meme fast. OpenAI is working to fix a “bug” that let minors engage in inappropriate conversations An issue within OpenAI’s ChatGPT enabled the chatbot to create graphic erotic content for accounts registered by users under the age of 18, as demonstrated by TechCrunch’s testing, a fact later confirmed by OpenAI. “Protecting younger users is a top priority, and our Model Spec, which guides model behavior, clearly restricts sensitive content like erotica to narrow contexts such as scientific, historical, or news reporting,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch via email. “In this case, a bug allowed responses outside those guidelines, and we are actively deploying a fix to limit these generations.” OpenAI has added a few features to its ChatGPT search, its web search tool in ChatGPT, to give users an improved online shopping experience. The company says people can ask super-specific questions using natural language and receive customized results. The chatbot provides recommendations, images, and reviews of products in various categories such as fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics. OpenAI wants its AI model to access cloud models for assistance OpenAI leaders have been talking about allowing the open model to link up with OpenAI’s cloud-hosted models to improve its ability to respond to intricate questions, two sources familiar with the situation told TechCrunch. OpenAI aims to make its new “open” AI model the best on the market OpenAI is preparing to launch an AI system that will be openly accessible, allowing users to download it for free without any API restrictions. Aidan Clark, OpenAI’s VP of research, is spearheading the development of the open model, which is in the very early stages, sources familiar with the situation told TechCrunch. OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 may be less aligned than earlier models OpenAI released a new AI model called GPT-4.1 in mid-April. However, multiple independent tests indicate that the model is less reliable than previous OpenAI releases. The company skipped that step — sending safety cards for GPT-4.1 — claiming in a statement to TechCrunch that “GPT-4.1 is not a frontier model, so there won’t be a separate system card released for it.” OpenAI’s o3 AI model scored lower than expected on a benchmark Questions have been raised regarding OpenAI’s transparency and procedures for testing models after a difference in benchmark outcomes was detected by first- and third-party benchmark results for the o3 AI model. OpenAI introduced o3 in December, stating that the model could solve approximately 25% of questions on FrontierMath, a difficult math problem set. Epoch AI, the research institute behind FrontierMath, discovered that o3 achieved a score of approximately 10%, which was significantly lower than OpenAI’s top-reported score. OpenAI unveils Flex processing for cheaper, slower AI tasks OpenAI has launched a new API feature called Flex processing that allows users to use AI models at a lower cost but with slower response times and occasional resource unavailability. Flex processing is available in beta on the o3 and o4-mini reasoning models for non-production tasks like model evaluations, data enrichment, and asynchronous workloads. OpenAI’s latest AI models now have a safeguard against biorisks OpenAI has rolled out a new system to monitor its AI reasoning models, o3 and o4 mini, for biological and chemical threats. The system is designed to prevent models from giving advice that could potentially lead to harmful attacks, as stated in OpenAI’s safety report. OpenAI launches its latest reasoning models, o3 and o4-mini OpenAI has released two new reasoning models, o3 and o4 mini, just two days after launching GPT-4.1. The company claims o3 is the most advanced reasoning model it has developed, while o4-mini is said to provide a balance of price, speed, and performance. The new models stand out from previous reasoning models because they can use ChatGPT features like web browsing, coding, and image processing and generation. But they hallucinate more than several of OpenAI’s previous models. OpenAI has added a new section to ChatGPT to offer easier access to AI-generated images for all user tiers Open AI introduced a new section called “library” to make it easier for users to create images on mobile and web platforms, per the company’s X post. OpenAI could “adjust” its safeguards if rivals release “high-risk” AI OpenAI said on Tuesday that it might revise its safety standards if “another frontier AI developer releases a high-risk system without comparable safeguards.” The move shows how commercial AI developers face more pressure to rapidly implement models due to the increased competition. OpenAI is currently in the early stages of developing its own social media platform to compete with Elon Musk’s X and Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram and Threads, according to The Verge. It is unclear whether OpenAI intends to launch the social network as a standalone application or incorporate it into ChatGPT. OpenAI will remove its largest AI model, GPT-4.5, from the API, in July OpenAI will discontinue its largest AI model, GPT-4.5, from its API even though it was just launched in late February. GPT-4.5 will be available in a research preview for paying customers. Developers can use GPT-4.5 through OpenAI’s API until July 14; then, they will need to switch to GPT-4.1, which was released on April 14. OpenAI unveils GPT-4.1 AI models that focus on coding capabilities OpenAI has launched three members of the GPT-4.1 model — GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano — with a specific focus on coding capabilities. It’s accessible via the OpenAI API but not ChatGPT. In the competition to develop advanced programming models, GPT-4.1 will rival AI models such as Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and DeepSeek’s upgraded V3. OpenAI will discontinue ChatGPT’s GPT-4 at the end of April OpenAI plans to sunset GPT-4, an AI model introduced more than two years ago, and replace it with GPT-4o, the current default model, per changelog. It will take effect on April 30. GPT-4 will remain available via OpenAI’s API. OpenAI could release GPT-4.1 soon OpenAI may launch several new AI models, including GPT-4.1, soon, The Verge reported, citing anonymous sources. GPT-4.1 would be an update of OpenAI’s GPT-4o, which was released last year. On the list of upcoming models are GPT-4.1 and smaller versions like GPT-4.1 mini and nano, per the report. OpenAI has updated ChatGPT to use information from your previous conversations OpenAI started updating ChatGPT to enable the chatbot to remember previous conversations with a user and customize its responses based on that context. This feature is rolling out to ChatGPT Pro and Plus users first, excluding those in the U.K., EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. OpenAI is working on watermarks for images made with ChatGPT It looks like OpenAI is working on a watermarking feature for images generated using GPT-4o. AI researcher Tibor Blaho spotted a new “ImageGen” watermark feature in the new beta of ChatGPT’s Android app. Blaho also found mentions of other tools: “Structured Thoughts,” “Reasoning Recap,” “CoT Search Tool,” and “l1239dk1.” OpenAI offers ChatGPT Plus for free to U.S., Canadian college students OpenAI is offering its $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus subscription tier for free to all college students in the U.S. and Canada through the end of May. The offer will let millions of students use OpenAI’s premium service, which offers access to the company’s GPT-4o model, image generation, voice interaction, and research tools that are not available in the free version. ChatGPT users have generated over 700M images so far More than 130 million users have created over 700 million images since ChatGPT got the upgraded image generator on March 25, according to COO of OpenAI Brad Lightcap. The image generator was made available to all ChatGPT users on March 31, and went viral for being able to create Ghibli-style photos. OpenAI’s o3 model could cost more to run than initial estimate The Arc Prize Foundation, which develops the AI benchmark tool ARC-AGI, has updated the estimated computing costs for OpenAI’s o3 “reasoning” model managed by ARC-AGI. The organization originally estimated that the best-performing configuration of o3 it tested, o3 high, would cost approximately $3,000 to address a single problem. The Foundation now thinks the cost could be much higher, possibly around $30,000 per task. OpenAI CEO says capacity issues will cause product delays In a series of posts on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company’s new image-generation tool’s popularity may cause product releases to be delayed. “We are getting things under control, but you should expect new releases from OpenAI to be delayed, stuff to break, and for service to sometimes be slow as we deal with capacity challenges,” he wrote. March 2025 OpenAI plans to release a new ‘open’ AI language model OpeanAI intends to release its “first” open language model since GPT-2 “in the coming months.” The company plans to host developer events to gather feedback and eventually showcase prototypes of the model. The first developer event is to be held in San Francisco, with sessions to follow in Europe and Asia. OpenAI removes ChatGPT’s restrictions on image generation OpenAI made a notable change to its content moderation policies after the success of its new image generator in ChatGPT, which went viral for being able to create Studio Ghibli-style images. The company has updated its policies to allow ChatGPT to generate images of public figures, hateful symbols, and racial features when requested. OpenAI had previously declined such prompts due to the potential controversy or harm they may cause. However, the company has now “evolved” its approach, as stated in a blog post published by Joanne Jang, the lead for OpenAI’s model behavior. OpenAI adopts Anthropic’s standard for linking AI models with data OpenAI wants to incorporate Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) into all of its products, including the ChatGPT desktop app. MCP, an open-source standard, helps AI models generate more accurate and suitable responses to specific queries, and lets developers create bidirectional links between data sources and AI applications like chatbots. The protocol is currently available in the Agents SDK, and support for the ChatGPT desktop app and Responses API will be coming soon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said. OpenAI’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images could raise AI copyright concerns The latest update of the image generator on OpenAI’s ChatGPT has triggered a flood of AI-generated memes in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio behind blockbuster films like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.” The burgeoning mass of Ghibli-esque images have sparked concerns about whether OpenAI has violated copyright laws, especially since the company is already facing legal action for using source material without authorization. OpenAI expects revenue to triple to $12.7 billion this year OpenAI expects its revenue to triple to $12.7 billion in 2025, fueled by the performance of its paid AI software, Bloomberg reported, citing an anonymous source. While the startup doesn’t expect to reach positive cash flow until 2029, it expects revenue to increase significantly in 2026 to surpass $29.4 billion, the report said. ChatGPT has upgraded its image-generation feature OpenAI on Tuesday rolled out a major upgrade to ChatGPT’s image-generation capabilities: ChatGPT can now use the GPT-4o model to generate and edit images and photos directly. The feature went live earlier this week in ChatGPT and Sora, OpenAI’s AI video-generation tool, for subscribers of the company’s Pro plan, priced at $200 a month, and will be available soon to ChatGPT Plus subscribers and developers using the company’s API service. The company’s CEO Sam Altman said on Wednesday, however, that the release of the image generation feature to free users would be delayed due to higher demand than the company expected. OpenAI announces leadership updates Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, will lead the company’s global expansion and manage corporate partnerships as CEO Sam Altman shifts his focus to research and products, according to a blog post from OpenAI. Lightcap, who previously worked with Altman at Y Combinator, joined the Microsoft-backed startup in 2018. OpenAI also said Mark Chen would step into the expanded role of chief research officer, and Julia Villagra will take on the role of chief people officer. OpenAI’s AI voice assistant now has advanced feature OpenAI has updated its AI voice assistant with improved chatting capabilities, according to a video posted on Monday (March 24) to the company’s official media channels. The update enables real-time conversations, and the AI assistant is said to be more personable and interrupts users less often. Users on ChatGPT’s free tier can now access the new version of Advanced Voice Mode, while paying users will receive answers that are “more direct, engaging, concise, specific, and creative,” a spokesperson from OpenAI told TechCrunch. OpenAI and Meta have separately engaged in discussions with Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries regarding potential collaborations to enhance their AI services in the country, per a report by The Information. One key topic being discussed is Reliance Jio distributing OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Reliance has proposed selling OpenAI’s models to businesses in India through an application programming interface (API) so they can incorporate AI into their operations. Meta also plans to bolster its presence in India by constructing a large 3GW data center in Jamnagar, Gujarat. OpenAI, Meta, and Reliance have not yet officially announced these plans. OpenAI faces privacy complaint in Europe for chatbot’s defamatory hallucinations Noyb, a privacy rights advocacy group, is supporting an individual in Norway who was shocked to discover that ChatGPT was providing false information about him, stating that he had been found guilty of killing two of his children and trying to harm the third. “The GDPR is clear. Personal data has to be accurate,” said Joakim Söderberg, data protection lawyer at Noyb, in a statement. “If it’s not, users have the right to have it changed to reflect the truth. Showing ChatGPT users a tiny disclaimer that the chatbot can make mistakes clearly isn’t enough. You can’t just spread false information and in the end add a small disclaimer saying that everything you said may just not be true.” OpenAI upgrades its transcription and voice-generating AI models OpenAI has added new transcription and voice-generating AI models to its APIs: a text-to-speech model, “gpt-4o-mini-tts,” that delivers more nuanced and realistic sounding speech, as well as two speech-to-text models called “gpt-4o-transcribe” and “gpt-4o-mini-transcribe”. The company claims they are improved versions of what was already there and that they hallucinate less. OpenAI has launched o1-pro, a more powerful version of its o1 OpenAI has introduced o1-pro in its developer API. OpenAI says its o1-pro uses more computing than its o1 “reasoning” AI model to deliver “consistently better responses.” It’s only accessible to select developers who have spent at least $5 on OpenAI API services. OpenAI charges $150 for every million tokens (about 750,000 words) input into the model and $600 for every million tokens the model produces. It costs twice as much as OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 for input and 10 times the price of regular o1. Noam Brown, who heads AI reasoning research at OpenAI, thinks that certain types of AI models for “reasoning” could have been developed 20 years ago if researchers had understood the correct approach and algorithms. OpenAI says it has trained an AI that’s “really good” at creative writing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, in a post on X, that the company has trained a “new model” that’s “really good” at creative writing. He posted a lengthy sample from the model given the prompt “Please write a metafictional literary short story about AI and grief.” OpenAI has not extensively explored the use of AI for writing fiction. The company has mostly concentrated on challenges in rigid, predictable areas such as math and programming.might not be that great at creative writing at all. OpenAI rolled out new tools designed to help developers and businesses build AI agents — automated systems that can independently accomplish tasks — using the company’s own AI models and frameworks. The tools are part of OpenAI’s new Responses API, which enables enterprises to develop customized AI agents that can perform web searches, scan through company files, and navigate websites, similar to OpenAI’s Operator product. The Responses API effectively replaces OpenAI’s Assistants API, which the company plans to discontinue in the first half of 2026. OpenAI reportedly plans to charge up to $20,000 a month for specialized AI ‘agents’ OpenAI intends to release several “agent” products tailored for different applications, including sorting and ranking sales leads and software engineering, according to a report from The Information. One, a “high-income knowledge worker” agent, will reportedly be priced at $2,000 a month. Another, a software developer agent, is said to cost $10,000 a month. The most expensive rumored agents, which are said to be aimed at supporting “PhD-level research,” are expected to cost $20,000 per month. The jaw-dropping figure is indicative of how much cash OpenAI needs right now: The company lost roughly $5 billion last year after paying for costs related to running its services and other expenses. It’s unclear when these agentic tools might launch or which customers will be eligible to buy them. ChatGPT can directly edit your code The latest version of the macOS ChatGPT app allows users to edit code directly in supported developer tools, including Xcode, VS Code, and JetBrains. ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers can use the feature now, and the company plans to roll it out to more users like Enterprise, Edu, and free users. ChatGPT’s weekly active users doubled in less than 6 months, thanks to new releases According to a new report from VC firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), OpenAI’s AI chatbot, ChatGPT, experienced solid growth in the second half of 2024. It took ChatGPT nine months to increase its weekly active users from 100 million in November 2023 to 200 million in August 2024, but it only took less than six months to double that number once more, according to the report. ChatGPT’s weekly active users increased to 300 million by December 2024 and 400 million by February 2025. ChatGPT has experienced significant growth recently due to the launch of new models and features, such as GPT-4o, with multimodal capabilities. ChatGPT usage spiked from April to May 2024, shortly after that model’s launch. February 2025 OpenAI cancels its o3 AI model in favor of a ‘unified’ next-gen release OpenAI has effectively canceled the release of o3 in favor of what CEO Sam Altman is calling a “simplified” product offering. In a post on X, Altman said that, in the coming months, OpenAI will release a model called GPT-5 that “integrates a lot of [OpenAI’s] technology,” including o3, in ChatGPT and its API. As a result of that roadmap decision, OpenAI no longer plans to release o3 as a standalone model.  ChatGPT may not be as power-hungry as once assumed A commonly cited stat is that ChatGPT requires around 3 watt-hours of power to answer a single question. Using OpenAI’s latest default model for ChatGPT, GPT-4o, as a reference, nonprofit AI research institute Epoch AI found the average ChatGPT query consumes around 0.3 watt-hours. However, the analysis doesn’t consider the additional energy costs incurred by ChatGPT with features like image generation or input processing. OpenAI now reveals more of its o3-mini model’s thought process In response to pressure from rivals like DeepSeek, OpenAI is changing the way its o3-mini model communicates its step-by-step “thought” process. ChatGPT users will see an updated “chain of thought” that shows more of the model’s “reasoning” steps and how it arrived at answers to questions. You can now use ChatGPT web search without logging in OpenAI is now allowing anyone to use ChatGPT web search without having to log in. While OpenAI had previously allowed users to ask ChatGPT questions without signing in, responses were restricted to the chatbot’s last training update. This only applies through ChatGPT.com, however. To use ChatGPT in any form through the native mobile app, you will still need to be logged in. OpenAI unveils a new ChatGPT agent for ‘deep research’ OpenAI announced a new AI “agent” called deep research that’s designed to help people conduct in-depth, complex research using ChatGPT. OpenAI says the “agent” is intended for instances where you don’t just want a quick answer or summary, but instead need to assiduously consider information from multiple websites and other sources. January 2025 OpenAI used a subreddit to test AI persuasion OpenAI used the subreddit r/ChangeMyView to measure the persuasive abilities of its AI reasoning models. OpenAI says it collects user posts from the subreddit and asks its AI models to write replies, in a closed environment, that would change the Reddit user’s mind on a subject. The company then shows the responses to testers, who assess how persuasive the argument is, and finally OpenAI compares the AI models’ responses to human replies for that same post.  OpenAI launches o3-mini, its latest ‘reasoning’ model OpenAI launched a new AI “reasoning” model, o3-mini, the newest in the company’s o family of models. OpenAI first previewed the model in December alongside a more capable system called o3. OpenAI is pitching its new model as both “powerful” and “affordable.” ChatGPT’s mobile users are 85% male, report says A new report from app analytics firm Appfigures found that over half of ChatGPT’s mobile users are under age 25, with users between ages 50 and 64 making up the second largest age demographic. The gender gap among ChatGPT users is even more significant. Appfigures estimates that across age groups, men make up 84.5% of all users. OpenAI launches ChatGPT plan for US government agencies OpenAI launched ChatGPT Gov designed to provide U.S. government agencies an additional way to access the tech. ChatGPT Gov includes many of the capabilities found in OpenAI’s corporate-focused tier, ChatGPT Enterprise. OpenAI says that ChatGPT Gov enables agencies to more easily manage their own security, privacy, and compliance, and could expedite internal authorization of OpenAI’s tools for the handling of non-public sensitive data. More teens report using ChatGPT for schoolwork, despite the tech’s faults Younger Gen Zers are embracing ChatGPT, for schoolwork, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. In a follow-up to its 2023 poll on ChatGPT usage among young people, Pew asked ~1,400 U.S.-based teens ages 13 to 17 whether they’ve used ChatGPT for homework or other school-related assignments. Twenty-six percent said that they had, double the number two years ago. Just over half of teens responding to the poll said they think it’s acceptable to use ChatGPT for researching new subjects. But considering the ways ChatGPT can fall short, the results are possibly cause for alarm. OpenAI says it may store deleted Operator data for up to 90 days OpenAI says that it might store chats and associated screenshots from customers who use Operator, the company’s AI “agent” tool, for up to 90 days — even after a user manually deletes them. While OpenAI has a similar deleted data retention policy for ChatGPT, the retention period for ChatGPT is only 30 days, which is 60 days shorter than Operator’s. OpenAI launches Operator, an AI agent that performs tasks autonomously OpenAI is launching a research preview of Operator, a general-purpose AI agent that can take control of a web browser and independently perform certain actions. Operator promises to automate tasks such as booking travel accommodations, making restaurant reservations, and shopping online. Operator, OpenAI’s agent tool, could be released sooner rather than later. Changes to ChatGPT’s code base suggest that Operator will be available as an early research preview to users on the $200 Pro subscription plan. The changes aren’t yet publicly visible, but a user on X who goes by Choi spotted these updates in ChatGPT’s client-side code. TechCrunch separately identified the same references to Operator on OpenAI’s website. OpenAI tests phone number-only ChatGPT signups OpenAI has begun testing a feature that lets new ChatGPT users sign up with only a phone number — no email required. The feature is currently in beta in the U.S. and India. However, users who create an account using their number can’t upgrade to one of OpenAI’s paid plans without verifying their account via an email. Multi-factor authentication also isn’t supported without a valid email. ChatGPT now lets you schedule reminders and recurring tasks ChatGPT’s new beta feature, called tasks, allows users to set simple reminders. For example, you can ask ChatGPT to remind you when your passport expires in six months, and the AI assistant will follow up with a push notification on whatever platform you have tasks enabled. The feature will start rolling out to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro users around the globe this week. New ChatGPT feature lets users assign it traits like ‘chatty’ and ‘Gen Z’ OpenAI is introducing a new way for users to customize their interactions with ChatGPT. Some users found they can specify a preferred name or nickname and “traits” they’d like the chatbot to have. OpenAI suggests traits like “Chatty,” “Encouraging,” and “Gen Z.” However, some users reported that the new options have disappeared, so it’s possible they went live prematurely. FAQs: What is ChatGPT? How does it work? ChatGPT is a general-purpose chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to generate text after a user enters a prompt, developed by tech startup OpenAI. The chatbot uses GPT-4, a large language model that uses deep learning to produce human-like text. When did ChatGPT get released? November 30, 2022 is when ChatGPT was released for public use. What is the latest version of ChatGPT? Both the free version of ChatGPT and the paid ChatGPT Plus are regularly updated with new GPT models. The most recent model is GPT-4o. Can I use ChatGPT for free? There is a free version of ChatGPT that only requires a sign-in in addition to the paid version, ChatGPT Plus. Who uses ChatGPT? Anyone can use ChatGPT! More and more tech companies and search engines are utilizing the chatbot to automate text or quickly answer user questions/concerns. What companies use ChatGPT? Multiple enterprises utilize ChatGPT, although others may limit the use of the AI-powered tool. Most recently, Microsoft announced at its 2023 Build conference that it is integrating its ChatGPT-based Bing experience into Windows 11. A Brooklyn-based 3D display startup Looking Glass utilizes ChatGPT to produce holograms you can communicate with by using ChatGPT.  And nonprofit organization Solana officially integrated the chatbot into its network with a ChatGPT plug-in geared toward end users to help onboard into the web3 space. What does GPT mean in ChatGPT? GPT stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformer. What is the difference between ChatGPT and a chatbot? A chatbot can be any software/system that holds dialogue with you/a person but doesn’t necessarily have to be AI-powered. For example, there are chatbots that are rules-based in the sense that they’ll give canned responses to questions. ChatGPT is AI-powered and utilizes LLM technology to generate text after a prompt. Can ChatGPT write essays? Yes. Can ChatGPT commit libel? Due to the nature of how these models work, they don’t know or care whether something is true, only that it looks true. That’s a problem when you’re using it to do your homework, sure, but when it accuses you of a crime you didn’t commit, that may well at this point be libel. We will see how handling troubling statements produced by ChatGPT will play out over the next few months as tech and legal experts attempt to tackle the fastest moving target in the industry. Does ChatGPT have an app? Yes, there is a free ChatGPT mobile app for iOS and Android users. What is the ChatGPT character limit? It’s not documented anywhere that ChatGPT has a character limit. However, users have noted that there are some character limitations after around 500 words. Does ChatGPT have an API? Yes, it was released March 1, 2023. What are some sample everyday uses for ChatGPT? Everyday examples include programming, scripts, email replies, listicles, blog ideas, summarization, etc. What are some advanced uses for ChatGPT? Advanced use examples include debugging code, programming languages, scientific concepts, complex problem solving, etc. How good is ChatGPT at writing code? It depends on the nature of the program. While ChatGPT can write workable Python code, it can’t necessarily program an entire app’s worth of code. That’s because ChatGPT lacks context awareness — in other words, the generated code isn’t always appropriate for the specific context in which it’s being used. Can you save a ChatGPT chat? Yes. OpenAI allows users to save chats in the ChatGPT interface, stored in the sidebar of the screen. There are no built-in sharing features yet. Are there alternatives to ChatGPT? Yes. There are multiple AI-powered chatbot competitors such as Together, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, and developers are creating open source alternatives. How does ChatGPT handle data privacy? OpenAI has said that individuals in “certain jurisdictions” (such as the EU) can object to the processing of their personal information by its AI models by filling out this form. This includes the ability to make requests for deletion of AI-generated references about you. Although OpenAI notes it may not grant every request since it must balance privacy requests against freedom of expression “in accordance with applicable laws”. The web form for making a deletion of data about you request is entitled “OpenAI Personal Data Removal Request”. In its privacy policy, the ChatGPT maker makes a passing acknowledgement of the objection requirements attached to relying on “legitimate interest” (LI), pointing users towards more information about requesting an opt out — when it writes: “See here for instructions on how you can opt out of our use of your information to train our models.” What controversies have surrounded ChatGPT? Recently, Discord announced that it had integrated OpenAI’s technology into its bot named Clyde where two users tricked Clyde into providing them with instructions for making the illegal drug methamphetamine (meth) and the incendiary mixture napalm. An Australian mayor has publicly announced he may sue OpenAI for defamation due to ChatGPT’s false claims that he had served time in prison for bribery. This would be the first defamation lawsuit against the text-generating service. CNET found itself in the midst of controversy after Futurism reported the publication was publishing articles under a mysterious byline completely generated by AI. The private equity company that owns CNET, Red Ventures, was accused of using ChatGPT for SEO farming, even if the information was incorrect. Several major school systems and colleges, including New York City Public Schools, have banned ChatGPT from their networks and devices. They claim that the AI impedes the learning process by promoting plagiarism and misinformation, a claim that not every educator agrees with. There have also been cases of ChatGPT accusing individuals of false crimes. Where can I find examples of ChatGPT prompts? Several marketplaces host and provide ChatGPT prompts, either for free or for a nominal fee. One is PromptBase. Another is ChatX. More launch every day. Can ChatGPT be detected? Poorly. Several tools claim to detect ChatGPT-generated text, but in our tests, they’re inconsistent at best. Are ChatGPT chats public? No. But OpenAI recently disclosed a bug, since fixed, that exposed the titles of some users’ conversations to other people on the service. What lawsuits are there surrounding ChatGPT? None specifically targeting ChatGPT. But OpenAI is involved in at least one lawsuit that has implications for AI systems trained on publicly available data, which would touch on ChatGPT. Are there issues regarding plagiarism with ChatGPT? Yes. Text-generating AI models like ChatGPT have a tendency to regurgitate content from their training data.

We knew that NVIDIA might use shady tactics to deceive customers during a GPU launch, especially the RTX 5060, but we never expected them to go to such extremes. NVIDIA's RTX 5060 8 GB Barely Matches The Performance of the RTX 4060, Yet The Firm Wants Us To Make It Look Like a Good Option There's no doubt that the RTX 50 series by NVIDIA is by far one of the most controversial launches by the company, not just because of their performance, but also because of their retail availability and how they weren't available anywhere most of the time. We were hoping for the situation to improve with mainstream GPUs like the 60-class segment, but it seems like NVIDIA has lost its "gamers-first" essence, as the review fiasco with the GeForce RTX 5060 is an indication that the company has started to prioritize profits over consumer sentiment. For a bit of a backstory, when there is a next-gen GPU launch, review outlets usually get a driver version compatible with the model before the launch date to test out the GPU under similar environments to what the actual end-user would have. However, in particular, with the RTX 5060, NVIDIA decided not to provide drivers for the GPU until its official launch date, which was simply bizarre, given that reviewers won't have time to put out their testing, since the launch period conflicts with the Computex timeline. If this feels deceptive to NVIDIA, wait for what's next. Various media outlets have told us, and our information has been confirmed by GamersNexus as well, that NVIDIA is forcing "smaller" reviewers to push out "bias" versions of the RTX 5060 review by providing them with a sample, and Team Green's key focus is on giving out deceptive information by "Multi-Frame Generation" capabilities, which gives out the impression of more performance, but on the backend, it's just artificial frames. The idea of how NVIDIA is manipulating the RTX 5060 launch is simply unthinkable at the first stage, but it seems this is the case. RTX 5060 view focusing on MFG 4x | Image Credits: Gamestar.de Now, you might wonder why a company worth $3 trillion+ would do this? Well, it's simple: NVIDIA cannot compromise on its brand image. The RTX 5060 8GB model is targeted to be "percieved" like a GPU which performs similar to its 16 GB counterpart, but actual "un-biased" testing shows that the SKU comes close to its previous-gen counterpart, whilst forged reviews have placed the model against GPUs like the RTX 2060 or the RTX 3060, which are generations old. Our hardware team is currently busy with Computex, and we'll most likely have an RTX 5060 review out pretty soon, but WCCFtech has always prioritized the consumer first, hence our version would likely put all the uncertainties with the model to the end. As for users looking to get the GPU, we would advise them to stay away, not at least until NVIDIA clarifies the situation and we get to see actual performance of the model. Deal of the Day

We're just weeks from the release date of Nintendo Switch 2, and the company has issued a clarification on a big feature change after fans probed the console's tech specsTech10:43, 19 May 2025The console launches on June 5The Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World arrive in just a few weeks, and while we might not have reviews from outlets such as Daily Star until launch, we do have the console's full tech specs.Still, there's one big change from what Nintendo originally released, and it's to do with variable refresh rate on external displays when the console is docked.‌We know the Switch 2 will support frame rates of up to 120Hz in handheld mode, but the console was originally tipped for supporting variable refresh rates on supported TVs which would have allowed for smoother motion on compatible screens.‌Just weeks before launch, the company has issued an apology via Nintendo Life, confirming VRR is only available in handheld.You will need to act fast to get a Switch 2(Image: Nintendo)"Nintendo Switch 2 supports VRR in handheld mode only. The incorrect information was initially published on the Nintendo Switch 2 website, and we apologise for the error," Nintendo told the outlet, but were cagey on whether the functionality could come later.Article continues below"We have nothing to announce on this topic," it asked about the possibility of it coming in the future.The change was spotted after Nintendo amended its product site to remove mentions of VRR, as per Digital Foundry's Oliver MacKenzie on X (formerly Twitter).Content cannot be displayed without consent‌Over on Reddit, one fan said "that's such a strange thing", with the prevailing theory that the console's use of USB-C to transfer video to HDMI could be what prevents a variable refresh rate."This is a huge bummer. VRR is pretty damn game changing and for it not to be enabled in docked mode is definitely unfortunate," one added, while another said "that's pretty dumb, considering this is a 2025 console."It's the latest in a long line of clarifications fans have been asking for, including knowing how much of a game is on a cartridge, the cumbersome rollout of Switch 1 game upgrade information, and even knowing which peripherals will or won't work with the new system.Article continues belowAll this prompted former Nintendo marketing staff to suggest the company release a whole host of information about the console and let fans "read to their hearts' content".For more on Nintendo Switch 2, be sure to check out our favourite Switch 1 games, as well as our most-wanted Switch 2 ports.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌