??? AI News: Lethal AI-pon—Microsoft, OpenAI, and the Ultimate Showdown ??
Welcome to this week’s explosive edition of AI News, inspired by the buddy-cop action classic, Lethal Weapon. We've got tech rivals squaring off, unexpected partnerships, and AI breakthroughs that are as unpredictable as Riggs on a bad day. Buckle up, because this one's going full throttle!
?? “Microsoft’s Got a New Partner… and It Ain’t OpenAI” ??
Looks like Microsoft’s not just sticking to one AI partner anymore. While OpenAI is still in the picture, Microsoft is quietly swapping out OpenAI’s models inside Copilot for their own MAI models—developed in-house and allegedly just as good.
Microsoft’s Mustafa Suleyman, now their “AI CEO” (because that’s a job title now), is leading the charge. And let’s just say, things between him and OpenAI’s Sam Altman have been tense. (Rumor has it, OpenAI wouldn’t spill the details on how o1 “thinks”—and that was a dealbreaker.)
?? Copilot’s AI brain might not be OpenAI’s anymore.
?? Microsoft’s got backup from Anthropic, Meta, and even Elon’s xAI.
?? Developers will get access to MAI models later this year.
With 400M+ weekly users on ChatGPT and 2M companies relying on Copilot, does it even matter who’s under the hood? The real battlefield isn’t AI models—it’s distribution. Would you even notice if your Microsoft AI assistant suddenly ran on Grok instead of GPT? Would you care? That’s the real question.
?? “OpenAI’s Secret Weapon: AI Agents Are Coming” ??
According to OpenAI’s Kevin Weil, 2025 is “The Year of the AI Agent”—when AI stops just answering questions and starts actually doing real work. That’s right, we’re heading into full-on digital sidekick territory.
OpenAI’s latest platform lets developers build AI agents that can:
?? Search the web and cite sources like ChatGPT Search (90% accuracy—better than some news anchors).
?? Search through private files with upgraded organization and database access.
?? Operate computers—yep, your AI can now click, type, and navigate apps for you.
And for developers? OpenAI’s dropping:
?? Responses API → Smarter conversations, like a chatbot with a master’s degree.
?? Agents SDK → A toolkit for building AI teams that work together (and, hopefully, don’t argue).
Stripe’s already using it to automate invoicing, customer requests, and billing, while developers at a SF hackathon used it to create AI artists, nature guides, real estate bots, and even a political polling simulator.
So, who wins? The AI that’s easiest and cheapest for developers. If OpenAI makes it too expensive, DeepSeek, Claude, or Grok might steal the spotlight. After all, writing code ain’t cheap.
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?? “Google’s Gemma 3: The Little AI That Could” ??
Google just dropped Gemma 3, a small but mighty AI model designed to run on phones, laptops, and even gaming PCs.
?? Four sizes: 1B, 4B, 12B, and 27B.
?? Runs on devices—no cloud needed (finally, an AI that respects privacy).
?? Sees images and understands them—perfect for offline AI vision tasks.
Developers love it because it’s cost-effective, reliable, and private—no need to rely on Big Tech servers. Google’s also throwing in Gemini Robotics, a system that helps robots navigate, pick things up, and even fold origami (because why not?).
Could this mean smarter AI assistants on your phone and home robots that don’t just vacuum? If so, we’re all in.
?? “Apple’s AI Crisis: Too Old for This…”
Apple’s AI efforts are not going well. They just delayed their smart home hub indefinitely—a device meant to rival Amazon Echo and Google Nest—because Siri still isn’t ready.
That’s… a problem.
?? iPhone sales forecasts just got slashed because Apple Intelligence isn’t wowing anyone.
?? Apple’s stock took a beating—down 4.85% in one day.
?? Customers are frustrated—Apple hyped features last year that still aren’t here.
Apple knows it’s behind and is throwing $500B at the problem. That includes a new AI server factory in Texas, which should create 20,000 jobs. But here’s the real twist: Apple might not even need its own AI model.
Why? Because people already love ChatGPT—and OpenAI is now deeply integrated into iPhones. Apple’s best move might be just riding that partnership instead of rushing out something half-baked.
Still, one wild card remains: OpenAI’s rumored hardware project with Jony Ive. If that drops, Apple could lose control of the AI hardware game entirely.
??? Quick AI Updates—Riggs-Style Speed Round
?? “Fresh AI Bytes—Murtaugh-Approved Tech Tools”
?? Perplexity now has a Windows desktop app—your AI-powered search just got an upgrade.
?? Three new AI video editors are trending:
?? Freepik (powered by Google’s Veo 2)
These tools could be the next must-haves for content creators and marketers.
That’s a Wrap! ???
The AI world is moving faster than a car chase down the 405, but we’ve got you covered. Keep reading, stay sharp, and don’t get too old for this tech.
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Until next time, The ITCubed Team