OpenAI made a TikTok for deepfakes, and it’s getting hard to tell what’s real
On Monday, I watched OpenAI CEO Sam Altman drink from a gigantic mango-flavored juice box and remark aloud about how the box was half his size. The catch: It wasn’t…
Apple asks judge to toss Musk’s lawsuit over ChatGPT on iPhone
Apple has hit back at Elon Musk over his claims its partnership with OpenAI to build ChatGPT directly into the iPhone is stunting AI industry competition. In court documents filed…
Wikimedia wants to make it easier for you and AI developers to search through its data
The late English writer Douglas Adams is best known as the author of the 1979 book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But there is much more to Adams than…
Microsoft is giving Copilot AI faces you can chat with
Here are some examples of the “Portraits” avatars available to select Copilot users. Microsoft is trying to make Copilot more approachable by giving the AI assistant an animated face to…
OpenAI’s new social video app will let you deepfake your friends
A frame from a Sora 2-generated video. OpenAI has a new version of the Sora AI video generator that it launched at the end of last year, and it’s arriving…
Nothing’s ‘first step’ to an ‘AI OS’ is not first, or an OS, but is fascinating
Nothing’s Playground tool lets users design smartphone apps with AI. Nothing says it has just taken “the first step towards an AI-native operating system.” Not exactly. Playground, Nothing’s new app…
Opera launches its AI browser, but you’ll have to pay to try it
A limited number of people will get to try out Opera’s AI browser, Neon, starting today for $19.90 per month. The Norwegian software company first announced the “agentic browser” in…
SB 53, the landmark AI transparency bill, is now law in California
Senate Bill 53, the landmark AI transparency bill that has divided AI companies and made headlines for months, is now officially law in California. On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom…
Apple’s ‘Veritas’ chatbot is reportedly an employee-only test of Siri’s AI upgrades
Siri’s new logo. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman Apple is testing Siri’s upcoming revamp using an internal chatbot called Veritas. The company’s struggles as it tries to keep pace in…
How generative AI boosters are trying to break into Hollywood
A still from the Critterz short film. This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the intersection of entertainment…