Month: July 2025

BIM Design: Compelling Reasons to Use it for Architectural Projects and CAD Design Firms

Posted on by faz_business


Think about how you would build a modern office tower with rooftop gardens, subterranean parking, and systems that use less energy. Using traditional methods can lead to expensive mistakes, such as realizing that the beautiful ceiling design needs to be ripped apart to make room for ductwork that was ignored. Architects, engineers, and designers not working together properly leads to costly delays and sacrifices that could have been avoided.

Building information modeling (BIM) services get rid of these difficulties by making a smart digital copy of your project. BIM is different from regular CAD sketches because it acts as a “brain” for the whole project, coordinating structural analysis, scheduling, and design integration in real time. For top architecture companies and CAD design studios, BIM has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have standard. It makes sure that all the parts work together perfectly before building starts.

🚀 Table of contents

BIM is not just a tool—it’s a whole way of thinking

Let’s dispel an unfair myth immediately: BIM (Building Information Modeling) is not merely some flash 3D modeling tool. It’s really much more than that—it’s an entire mindset revolution. Consider BIM a digital philosophy that transforms how we design and build structures. Rather than laboring in isolation, the team works together starting day one in a unified digital environment. Each aspect, such as walls and wiring to beams and sensors, is simulated and smartly connected, providing everyone with the complete picture in real time.

For CAD design companies, this transition is enormous. Historically, their value proposition may have been to provide detailed drawings. With BIM, their value expands. They’re now co-creators of something much greater, an integrated process involving architects, MEP engineers, structural consultants, contractors, and even facility managers. Everyone contributes to the same digital model, identifying problems early on and making more informed decisions collectively.

So no, BIM isn’t “just another tool”, it’s a new way of thinking. It transforms isolated design work into coordinated innovation. If any design firm wants to remain relevant and competitive, adopting BIM isn’t a choice—it’s a necessity.

RELATED: Streetscape renderings: 3D realism for urban, commercial and residential spaces with 3D modeling services

BIM modeling of a skyscraper and MEP design

Everything talks to everything else (And actually gets along)

Let’s be real—old-school 2D CAD drawings are moody siblings. They never agree. The floor plan says something, the elevation something else, and the HVAC layout? Freelancing, likely.

BIM brings harmony to the household. Any aspect of the design is linked and parametric. Shift a wall in a view? It shifts everywhere. Install a skylight? It impacts energy analysis, lighting plans, and material quantities instantly. This cohesion results in fewer mistakes, quicker changes, and a sharp reduction in those 3 a.m. “Wait, did we modify that within the section drawings?” freak-outs.

Goodbye to rework and design conflicts

Let’s set the scene: the pipes have been run directly through a beam—again. The client raises an eyebrow, the contractor winces, and suddenly everyone’s discussing change orders and overtime. Ring a bell? Not if you’re working with BIM. With building information modeling, clash detection occurs early, before anything is ever built by architectural design services. BIM software can automatically alert when a duct collides with a beam or when two doors swing into each other in the same cramped hallway.

Instead of scrambling to fix problems on-site, you’re solving them digitally at the design stage. That means fewer delays, less rework, and way fewer headaches. Your firm looks sharp, your budget stays intact, and your project flows smoothly. Plus, let’s be honest—it feels pretty great being the one who catches a $20,000 mistake before it ever hits the job site. BIM doesn’t just build better—it builds smarter.

Data-rich models that go beyond pretty pictures

Yes, old-fashioned CAD drawings can be beautiful. But BIM models are more than that. They’re full of information about materials, thermal efficiency, cost, sustainability ratings, and fire resistance.

For architectural planning and design firms working with product libraries or prefab elements, this is a game-changer. Components in BIM can carry manufacturer specs, pricing, lead times, and even maintenance schedules. Suddenly, you’re not just delivering design. You’re delivering insight. And clients love insight.

RELATED: How do architectural BIM services for companies complement the MEP/FP design process?

Lightning-fast quantities and cost estimation

BIM doesn’t just design your dream building; it keeps an accountant’s eye on the budget. Because every object in the model is data-rich and tagged by category, running quantitative takeoffs is nearly automatic. Need to know how many square meters of glass you’re using? Done. Wondering about the volume of concrete for your foundation? Two clicks.

For companies that competitively bid or desire more control over project margins, this type of real-time cost monitoring is as good as discovering gold in the utility closet.

Real-time collaboration? Yes, please.

Here’s a twist: several designers collaborating on the same model simultaneously, from various locations, without sending 57 versions of “finalFINAL.dwg.”

BIM tools such as Revit, ArchiCAD, and cloud-based CDEs (Common Data Environments) enable real-time collaboration, version tracking, and user-specific access. The structural engineer in Berlin can insert reinforcements while the interior designer in Tokyo makes changes to lighting layouts. No lag. No confusion. Pure, digital harmony.

Client presentations that wow (and convert)

Clients tend to struggle to read 2D plans. But drop them into a flythrough of their new hotel, with daylight simulations and interior finishes? Suddenly, they’re convinced.

BIM’s ability to export to visualization software, VR/AR environments, and even gamified walkthroughs puts firms ahead in presentations. It’s not merely pretty, it’s immersive, informative, and crazily persuasive.

BIM-enabled designers and architectural design experts are able to express intent confidently, prevent misinterpretation, and speed up sign-off. It’s Netflix for housing aspirations.

Sustainability objectives embedded from the ground up

Green architecture is not a nice-to-have—it’s mandatory. Performance analysis software gets integrated with BIM tools to assess energy efficiency, solar exposure, thermal comfort, and even carbon footprint prior to breaking ground.

Want to compare two HVAC systems on a lifecycle carbon emission basis? You can do that. Need to model water usage to qualify for a LEED rating? Go ahead.

For companies committed to sustainable design leadership, BIM is an unbeatable friend—and a convincing sell to green-conscious clients.

Post-construction facility management = Bonus round

BIM doesn’t disappear after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. It remains the best project manager in the world, pumping data into FM systems (facility management), asset tracking, maintenance planning, and future refurbishments.

When CAD companies deliver BIM models that last long after the building is built, they transition from project collaborators to long-term solution providers. And that unlocks recurring revenue streams in digital twins, smart buildings, and IoT integration.

RELATED: Benefits of outsourcing architectural CGI services for real estate marketing agencies

Future-proofing your practice

This is for the boutique studios, engineering design freelancers, and young design renegades: BIM implementation is no longer a choice if you’re looking to play ball in the major leagues.

More and more tenders are making BIM mandatory. Governments, infrastructure builders, and global architecture competitions increasingly require BIM submissions. Being behind here is closing doors before you’ve even knocked.

Embracing BIM keeps your company lean, technologically advanced, and appealing to partners. And it simplifies hiring—young professionals anticipate using BIM, not tracing paper and spreadsheets.

Making the mundane automatic

Come on, let’s face it: nobody gets into architecture to manually label hundreds of toilets. BIM takes over tedious documentation work—schedules, door tags, keynotes, legends—so you can get on with designing, daydreaming, and ordering overpriced cappuccinos.

Automation via BIM also eliminates human error, ensures standardization, and facilitates easy updates. Your team no longer becomes a bottleneck but becomes a creative dynamo.

A huge boost for remote and outsourced teams

With worldwide workforces and blended teams, the new standard, BIM, facilitates easy outsourcing of CAD and architectural work. A lighting specialist in Dublin or a CAD drafting company in the Philippines—anyone can work from a common digital reality—the BIM model.

This makes access equal, permits 24-hour design cycles, and decreases overhead for companies collaborating with off-site contributors.

BIM modeling of a structure and mall complex design

RELATED: Pros and cons of outsourcing 3D rendering services and visualization for your company

Involvement with 4D, 5D, and Even 7D BIM

The BIM universe doesn’t just exist in 3D. We now also have 4D BIM (time/scheduling), 5D (cost), 6D (sustainability), and 7D (facility management). Every additional dimension brings intelligence and planning capability to the project life cycle.

Want to model how long a phase will last? Monitor budget changes between different versions of the design? Streamline maintenance procedures in the future? It’s all within the extended BIM universe.

CAD companies that access these dimensions become high-value partners able to direct whole building lifecycles, not merely drawings.

Final thoughts: Is BIM worth the investment?

Yes, absolutely, BIM design is more than a trend, but it’s a tectonic shift in the way we envision, design, construct, and maintain the spaces we occupy. From magnificent skyscrapers to home design services, BIM empowers architectural and CAD design companies with an arsenal that meshes creativity, lucidity, and control.

Yes, there is a learning curve. Yes, it will take some software investment and training of teams. But the ROI is huge—fewer mistakes, quicker timelines, more collaborative successes, and buildings that don’t just look good but perform better from day one.

Cad Crowd is here to help!

Ready to eliminate costly design conflicts and deliver projects that wow your clients? Transform your architectural workflow with intelligent BIM design from Cad Crowd’s expert professionals. Stop losing money on rework and change orders. Start building smarter with real-time collaboration and clash detection technology. Connect with our BIM specialists today and discover how leading firms are staying competitive in the digital age. Get your free quote now and join the future of architecture and design.

author avatar

MacKenzie Brown is the founder and CEO of Cad Crowd. With over 18 years of experience in launching and scaling platforms specializing in CAD services, product design, manufacturing, hardware, and software development, MacKenzie is a recognized authority in the engineering industry. Under his leadership, Cad Crowd serves esteemed clients like NASA, JPL, the U.S. Navy, and Fortune 500 companies, empowering innovators with access to high-quality design and engineering talent.

Connect with me: LinkedIn ✦ X ✦ Cad Crowd

How AI Factories Can Help Relieve Grid Stress

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In many parts of the world, including major technology hubs in the U.S., there’s a yearslong wait for AI factories to come online, pending the buildout of new energy infrastructure to power them.

Emerald AI, a startup based in Washington, D.C., is developing an AI solution that could enable the next generation of data centers to come online sooner by tapping existing energy resources in a more flexible and strategic way.

“Traditionally, the power grid has treated data centers as inflexible — energy system operators assume that a 500-megawatt AI factory will always require access to that full amount of power,” said Varun Sivaram, founder and CEO of Emerald AI. “But in moments of need, when demands on the grid peak and supply is short, the workloads that drive AI factory energy use can now be flexible.”

That flexibility is enabled by the startup’s Emerald Conductor platform, an AI-powered system that acts as a smart mediator between the grid and a data center. In a recent field test in Phoenix, Arizona, the company and its partners demonstrated that its software can reduce the power consumption of AI workloads running on a cluster of 256 NVIDIA GPUs by 25% over three hours during a grid stress event while preserving compute service quality.

Emerald AI achieved this by orchestrating the host of different workloads that AI factories run. Some jobs can be paused or slowed, like the training or fine-tuning of a large language model for academic research. Others, like inference queries for an AI service used by thousands or even millions of people, can’t be rescheduled, but could be redirected to another data center where the local power grid is less stressed.

Emerald Conductor coordinates these AI workloads across a network of data centers to meet power grid demands, ensuring full performance of time-sensitive workloads while dynamically reducing the throughput of flexible workloads within acceptable limits.

Beyond helping AI factories come online using existing power systems, this ability to modulate power usage could help cities avoid rolling blackouts, protect communities from rising utility rates and make it easier for the grid to integrate clean energy.

“Renewable energy, which is intermittent and variable, is easier to add to a grid if that grid has lots of shock absorbers that can shift with changes in power supply,” said Ayse Coskun, Emerald AI’s chief scientist and a professor at Boston University. “Data centers can become some of those shock absorbers.”

A member of the NVIDIA Inception program for startups and an NVentures portfolio company, Emerald AI today announced more than $24 million in seed funding. Its Phoenix demonstration, part of EPRI’s DCFlex data center flexibility initiative, was executed in collaboration with NVIDIA, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and the regional power utility Salt River Project (SRP).

“The Phoenix technology trial validates the vast potential of an essential element in data center flexibility,” said Anuja Ratnayake, who leads EPRI’s DCFlex Consortium.

EPRI is also leading the Open Power AI Consortium, a group of energy companies, researchers and technology companies — including NVIDIA — working on AI applications for the energy sector.

Using the Grid to Its Full Potential

Electric grid capacity is typically underused except during peak events like hot summer days or cold winter storms, when there’s a high power demand for cooling and heating. That means, in many cases, there’s room on the existing grid for new data centers, as long as they can temporarily dial down energy usage during periods of peak demand.

A recent Duke University study estimates that if new AI data centers could flex their electricity consumption by just 25% for two hours at a time, less than 200 hours a year, they could unlock 100 gigawatts of new capacity to connect data centers — equivalent to over $2 trillion in data center investment.

Quote from article

Putting AI Factory Flexibility to the Test

Emerald AI’s recent trial was conducted in the Oracle Cloud Phoenix Region on NVIDIA GPUs spread across a multi-rack cluster managed through Databricks MosaicML.

“Rapid delivery of high-performance compute to AI customers is critical but is constrained by grid power availability,” said Pradeep Vincent, chief technical architect and senior vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, which supplied cluster power telemetry for the trial. “Compute infrastructure that is responsive to real-time grid conditions while meeting the performance demands unlocks a new model for scaling AI — faster, greener and more grid-aware.”

Jonathan Frankle, chief AI scientist at Databricks, guided the trial’s selection of AI workloads and their flexibility thresholds.

“There’s a certain level of latent flexibility in how AI workloads are typically run,” Frankle said. “Often, a small percentage of jobs are truly non-preemptible, whereas many jobs such as training, batch inference or fine-tuning have different priority levels depending on the user.”

Because Arizona is among the top states for data center growth, SRP set challenging flexibility targets for the AI compute cluster — a 25% power consumption reduction compared with baseline load — in an effort to demonstrate how new data centers can provide meaningful relief to Phoenix’s power grid constraints.

“This test was an opportunity to completely reimagine AI data centers as helpful resources to help us operate the power grid more effectively and reliably,” said David Rousseau, president of SRP.

On May 3, a hot day in Phoenix with high air-conditioning demand, SRP’s system experienced peak demand at 6 p.m. During the test, the data center cluster reduced consumption gradually with a 15-minute ramp down, maintained the 25% power reduction over three hours, then ramped back up without exceeding its original baseline consumption.

AI factory users can label their workloads to guide Emerald’s software on which jobs can be slowed, paused or rescheduled — or, Emerald’s AI agents can make these predictions automatically.

Dual chart showing GPU cluster power and SRP load over time in Phoenix on May 3, 2025, alongside a bar chart comparing job performance across flex tiers.
(Left panel): AI GPU cluster power consumption during SRP grid peak demand on May 3, 2025; (Right panel): Performance of AI jobs by flexibility tier. Flex 1 allows up to 10% average throughput reduction, Flex 2 up to 25% and Flex 3 up to 50% over a six-hour period. Figure courtesy of Emerald AI.

Orchestration decisions were guided by the Emerald Simulator, which accurately models system behavior to optimize trade-offs between energy usage and AI performance. Historical grid demand from data provider Amperon confirmed that the AI cluster performed correctly during the grid’s peak period.

Line graph showing power usage over time on May 2, 2025, for simulator, AI cluster and individual jobs.
Comparison of Emerald Simulator prediction of AI GPU cluster power with real-world measured power consumption. Figure courtesy of Emerald AI.

Forging an Energy-Resilient Future

The International Energy Agency projects that electricity demand from data centers globally could more than double by 2030. In light of the anticipated demand on the grid, the state of Texas passed a law that requires data centers to ramp down consumption or disconnect from the grid at utilities’ requests during load shed events.

“In such situations, if data centers are able to dynamically reduce their energy consumption, they might be able to avoid getting kicked off the power supply entirely,” Sivaram said.

Looking ahead, Emerald AI is expanding its technology trials in Arizona and beyond — and it plans to continue working with NVIDIA to test its technology on AI factories.

“We can make data centers controllable while assuring acceptable AI performance,” Sivaram said. “AI factories can flex when the grid is tight — and sprint when users need them to.”

Learn more about NVIDIA Inception and explore AI platforms designed for power and utilities.

Smarter Ad Placement Starts with Better Data

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Madhav Bhandari
Head of Marketing at Storylane

Madhav Bhandari is Head of Marketing at Storylane, an agentic demo automation platform used by 4,000+ companies to create interactive demos in minutes. With 12+ years in B2B SaaS, he’s helped multiple startups scale from early traction to $15M+ ARR by building lean, high-impact marketing engines across content, brand, product marketing, and demand gen. Madhav’s strength – and philosophy – is doing marketing that stands out. He bets on bold campaigns, uses pattern interrupts to break through the noise, and shares behind-the-scenes lessons on LinkedIn – from what worked to what didn’t.

Jon McNeill brings the operator’s playbook to TC All Stage

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Founders are often told to chase product-market fit before anything else, but what if scaling too soon, too fast, is what’s really holding them back?

At TechCrunch All Stage 2025 on July 15 in Boston, Jon McNeill, CEO and co-founder of DVx Ventures (and former president of Tesla and COO of Lyft), will take the Scale Stage to flip the script on conventional startup growth advice.

His session, “The Operator’s Playbook for Building and Scaling Sustainable Companies,” explores why the next generation of enduring companies will be built differently — by operators who validate both product and go-to-market strategy before lighting the growth fuse.

Now is the perfect time to lock in your attendance, with Founder Passes now available for $155 and Investor Passes coming in at $250, both of which are steep discounts from what you can expect at the door in just a couple weeks.

TechCrunch All Stage 2025 Jon McNeill

Scaling smarter, not just faster

With a career that includes founding six companies, scaling Tesla from $2 billion to $20 billion in revenue, and helping take Lyft public, McNeill knows the difference between momentum and sustainable growth. At DVx Ventures, he and his team have already launched 12 companies with a focus on profitability, impact, and long-term value, not just speed.

In this session, McNeill will share tactical insights from building and backing companies in electrification, transportation, and AI. Attendees can expect hard-won lessons around capital efficiency, operating discipline, and how to break the traditional VC mold by building businesses that last.

If you’re a founder navigating hypergrowth or an investor looking for new models that prioritize long-term impact, this session delivers a grounded, operator-first roadmap.

It’s not just about building big — it’s about building right

On July 15, TechCrunch All Stage takes over Boston’s SoWa Power Station. It’s the founder summit built for scaling, packed with tactical takeaways, real conversations, and connections with investors and builders at every stage. Grab your pass now before you miss the chance to get 60% off your Founder and Investor Passes.

The PC game releases we’re most excited about in July 2025

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After the rush of Summer Game Fest, June is a bit of a blur. And while the annual showing didn’t have much to tease for July—the biggest games mostly set their sights on 2026—there’s still plenty to tide you over. Not that some of us even need more games to add to the pile. My backlog spiraled out of control again somewhere between the last Baldur’s Gate 3 update and Clair Obscure: Expedition 33.

July is no doubt lighter than the first half of the year, but take that as a sign to play catch-up or savor what we’ve got. This month, Mecha Break gets things started with some big ol’ robot action, followed by the first-person fungus-shooting adventure Mycopunk. That leaves Killing Floor 3 and Tales of the Shire wrap up the month as two games making a comeback from earlier delays in the year.

I’m diagnosing survivors of a zombie apocalypse and only occasionally mistaking cold symptoms for the zombie plague in this military base management sim

Posted on by faz_business


In a zombie apocalypse there’s often a quarantine zone: a military-controlled outpost that survivors flock to in hopes of finding safety. There’s usually an evil army officer running the joint who ironically proves himself to be more of a threat to human life than the undead, and you can bet that zombies will eventually surround and breach the barriers.

That’s the setting in the demo of Quarantine Zone: The Last Check (full game coming in September), a first-person zombie apocalypse management sim where you examine survivors and determine if they’ve become infected by the zombie virus, then decide if they should be let in and rescued or, shall we say, liquidated.

Why is My Shopify Store Not Selling: Top 7 Reasons

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Shopify Store
Deposit Photos

Imagine your dream was to open a store selling the best clothes. A stylish, comfortable place everyone will like. You set up your Shopify store and carefully pick the products, but don’t get as many orders as you expected. It feels confusing and a little – or very – disappointing. So, why is your Shopify store not selling? What’s standing between you and those dream customers?

Let’s break down some of the top reasons why you get no sales on Shopify and what you can do to turn things around.

Problem 1: Your Store Looks Cluttered and Confusing

If your Shopify store feels like a messy place where nothing is easy to find, visitors won’t buy from you. Slow loading, broken links, or outdated designs will turn people away very fast.

Solution:

Organize your store. Perform regular Shopify website maintenance to keep your site tidy – fix broken links, update images, and speed it up. This will make shopping comfortable and pleasant, and keep customers returning.

Problem 2: Boring Product Descriptions

Check if your product descriptions don’t look like a list of features. When customers read descriptions, the need to connect with your products emotionally, to feel something. Compare which of these evokes more emotion and desire to buy: “Red paint, automatic transmission” or “A sleek, fiery red ride that turns heads wherever it goes and makes every drive feel like a celebration”.

Solution:

Write descriptions that paint a vivid picture. Explain how your products make people feel or solve a problem. Use everyday language and stories to show why your products are special.

Problem 3: Pricing Feels Off

Too high? People will hesitate. Too low? They might doubt quality. Pricing that doesn’t match your market or product value is a big turnoff.

Solution:

Look at your competitors’ prices. Study your audience and how much they’re ready to pay. You can also offer occasional discounts or free shipping to make your pricing more attractive.

Problem 4: Lack of Trust Signals

If your store doesn’t show any reviews, doesn’t clearly explain how returns work, or doesn’t have those little security icons at checkout, people might feel unsure about trusting it – and that’s usually enough to make them walk away.

Solution:

Add customer reviews, clearly state a return policy, and demonstrate security badges at checkout. These little things help customers feel more confident and show that your store is safe and reliable.

Problem 5: Zero Traffic

How can you get sales if no one knows about your store and your products?

Solution:

Use social media, email newsletters, ads, and search engine optimization to drive buyers to your store.

Problem 6: Poor Mobile Experience

Over 50% of shoppers buy things on the go from their phones. If your ecommerce site looks bad or is hard to use on mobile devices, you will lose a huge part of potential buyers.

Solution:

Choose a Shopify theme that looks good and runs smoothly on mobile. Or just open your store on a few different phones and tablets to see how it feels. Make sure the buttons are easy to tap, images load fast, and nothing looks weird or gets cut off on smaller screens.

Problem 7: Complicated Checkout and High Shipping Costs

Be honest – you will just close the tab and walk away and gind another store if you don’t understand how to check out or if you surprisingly find there are extra shipping fees right before payment. So will your customers.

Solution:

Make checkout as simple and quick as possible. Cut down on the steps, inform about shipping costs early on, and think about offering free shipping if someone spends over a certain amount.

Fixing these seven common problems can help turn your online store into a busy, active place where customers actually want to shop. Take a look at your store and decide which issue you’re going to tackle first.

Find a Home-Based Business to Start-Up >>> Hundreds of Business Listings.

Cloudflare launches way to charge AI bots for crawling sites

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Cloudflare announced a new tool on Tuesday that can allow publishers to charge AI bots for scraping websites.

That could prove to be a major change to how the internet has functioned so far in the AI age — models have, by default, scraped the internet with abandon and without permission, often to the chagrin of content owners. Cloudflare is a major infrastructure provider, meaning large swaths of the internet will get access to this tool.

The “pay per crawl” feature was part of Cloudflare’s announcement on Tuesday that the company is now the first internet infrastructure provider to “block AI crawlers accessing content without permission or compensation, by default.” The tool, which is currently in beta, allows site owners to charge a fee each time an AI bot wants to “crawl” its website for information.

Mashable Light Speed

The idea behind this push from Cloudflare is to put power back in the hands of the people who make the content that AI uses to train. (Full disclosure: Ziff Davis, which owns Mashable, was among the many publishers quoted in Cloudflare’s press release that supported a permission-based approach to AI bots.)

Wrote Cloudflare in its press release:

“For decades, the Internet has operated on a simple exchange: search engines index content and direct users back to original websites, generating traffic and ad revenue for websites of all sizes. This cycle rewards creators that produce quality content with money and a following, while helping users discover new and relevant information. That model is now broken. AI crawlers collect content like text, articles, and images to generate answers, without sending visitors to the original source – depriving content creators of revenue, and the satisfaction of knowing someone is viewing their content.”

We’ll see how it evolves, but the tool could prove to be useful for people who create original content on the internet.

Topics
Artificial Intelligence

An MCU-style Squid Game cinematic universe graphic has gone viral, but it’s actually a really obvious fake

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If you’ve been glued to your phone after the Squid Game season 3 ending, you may have noticed an intriguing timeline that blows the Squid Game universe wide open.

According to the cinematic universe graphic that’s been doing the rounds on social media, Squid Game season 3 will be followed by Squid Game USA in fall 2026, Squid Game 1987 in winter 2026, Squid Game 28th in Spring 2027, followed by Squid Game World in 2028.



Everything you need to know about the AI chatbot

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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

June 2025

OpenAI uses Google’s AI chips to power its products

OpenAI has started using Google’s AI chips to power ChatGPT and other products, as reported by Reuters. The ChatGPT maker is one of the biggest buyers of Nvidia’s GPUs, using the AI chips to train models, and this is the first time that OpenAI is using non-Nvidia chips in an important way.

A new MIT study suggests that ChatGPT might be harming critical thinking skills

Researchers from MIT’s Media Lab monitored the brain activity of writers in 32 regions. They found that ChatGPT users showed minimal brain engagement and consistently fell short in neural, linguistic, and behavioral aspects. To conduct the test, the lab split 54 participants from the Boston area into three groups, each consisting of individuals ages 18 to 39. The participants were asked to write multiple SAT essays using tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the Google search engine, or without any tools.

ChatGPT was downloaded 30 million times last month

The ChatGPT app for iOS was downloaded 29.6 million times in the last 28 days, while TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X were downloaded a total of 32.9 million times during the same period, representing a difference of about 10.6%, according to ZDNET report citing Similarweb’s X post.

The energy needed for an average ChatGPT query can power a lightbulb for a couple of minutes

Sam Altman said that the average ChatGPT query uses about one-fifteenth of a teaspoon of water, equivalent to 0.000083 gallons of water, or the energy required to power a lightbulb for a few minutes, per Business Insider. In addition to that, the chatbot requires 0.34 watt-hours of electricity to operate.

OpenAI has launched o3-pro, an upgraded version of its o3 AI reasoning model

OpenAI has unveiled o3-pro, an enhanced version of its o3, a reasoning model that the chatGPT maker launched earlier this year. O3-pro is available for ChatGPT and Team users and in the API, while Enterprise and Edu users will get access in the third week of June.

ChatGPT’s conversational voice mode has been upgraded

OpenAI upgraded ChatGPT’s conversational voice mood for all paid users across different markets and platforms. The startup has launched an update to Advanced Voice that enables users to converse with ChatGPT out loud in a more natural and fluid sound. The feature also helps users translate languages more easily, the comapny said.

ChatGPT has added new features like meeting recording and connectors for Google Drive, Box, and more

OpenAI’s ChatGPT now offers new funtions for business users, including integrations with various cloud services, meeting recordings, and MCP connection support for connecting to tools for in-depth research. The feature enables ChatGPT to retrieve information across users’ own services to answer their questions. For instance, an analyst could use the company’s slide deck and documents to develop an investment thesis.

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.”

ChatGPT helps users by giving recommendations, showing images, and reviewing products for online shopping

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 building its own social media network

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.

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, Meta in talks with Reliance in India

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.

OpenAI research lead Noam Brown thinks AI “reasoning” models could’ve arrived decades ago

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. And it turns out that it might not be that great at creative writing at all.

OpenAI launches new tools to help businesses build AI agents

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.

OpenAI may preview its agent tool for users on the $200-per-month Pro plan

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.

This story is continually updated with new information.