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India Today
4 days ago
- Business
- India Today
OpenAI-Windsurf deal falls apart, Google poaches CEO Varun Mohan and licenses tech for Rs 20,600 Crore instead
In a plot twist that no one saw coming, OpenAI's headline-grabbing $3 billion deal to acquire AI coding startup Windsurf has officially sunk, and Google DeepMind has just ridden in on the The Verge broke the news that OpenAI's acquisition plans had collapsed, and within hours, Google had pulled off a bold recruitment coup. Windsurf's CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and a team of top researchers are now headed to DeepMind, Google's elite AI research division. A Google spokesperson to TechCrunch later confirmed the move. advertisementBut here's where it gets spicy: Google isn't buying Windsurf. Instead, it's agreed to pay $2.4 billion for a nonexclusive licence to some of the company's technology, meaning Windsurf remains independent and free to partner with others. While the startup's top brass are off to join the Google fold, the rest of the 250-person team is staying put and continuing to run the operation. Jeff Wang, formerly Windsurf's head of business, has stepped up as interim CEO. In a post on social media, he assured everyone that Windsurf's enterprise AI coding tools aren't going anywhere. The company will carry on, minus a few high-profile departures, and Google will have no stake or control in its operations. This isn't your average Big Tech takeover, it's the latest example of a clever manoeuvre known as a 'reverse acquihire.' Rather than buy the company outright (and invite regulators to poke around), tech giants like Google and Microsoft are increasingly opting to poach key talent and license the tech. It's faster, cleaner, and far less likely to end up on the front page of an antitrust has played this game before. Remember when it lured Noam Shazeer back into its orbit? Microsoft pulled the same trick with Mustafa Suleyman. It's all part of the escalating AI arms race, where brains and code are the most valuable meanwhile, is left with more than just a dent in its acquisition record. According to The Wall Street Journal, Windsurf's tech became a contentious issue in its partnership with Microsoft, which already has access to OpenAI's IP. The startup's decision to pivot away from OpenAI likely helped avoid further tension, but it handed a win to a key Friday, Fortune reported that the exclusivity period for OpenAI's offer had just ended. Clearly, Windsurf didn't waste time window shopping, by the afternoon, the Google DeepMind deal was already making waves. In the high-stakes world of AI, things move fast, and the real prize isn't just tech, it's the people behind it.- Ends
The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
Opinion: ChatGPT's mental health costs are adding up
Something troubling is happening to our brains as artificial intelligence platforms become more popular. Studies are showing that professional workers who use ChatGPT to carry out tasks might lose critical thinking skills and motivation. People are forming strong emotional bonds with chatbots, sometimes exacerbating feelings of loneliness. And others are having psychotic episodes after talking to chatbots for hours each day. The mental health impact of generative AI is difficult to quantify in part because it is used so privately, but anecdotal evidence is growing to suggest a broader cost that deserves more attention from both lawmakers and tech companies who design the underlying models. Meetali Jain, a lawyer and founder of the Tech Justice Law project, has heard from more than a dozen people in the past month who have 'experienced some sort of psychotic break or delusional episode because of engagement with ChatGPT and now also with Google Gemini." Jain is lead counsel in a lawsuit against that alleges its chatbot manipulated a 14-year-old boy through deceptive, addictive, and sexually explicit interactions, ultimately contributing to his suicide. The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, also alleges that Alphabet Inc.'s Google played a key role in funding and supporting the technology interactions with its foundation models and technical infrastructure. Google has denied that it played a key role in making technology. It didn't respond to a request for comment on the more recent complaints of delusional episodes, made by Jain. OpenAI said it was 'developing automated tools to more effectively detect when someone may be experiencing mental or emotional distress so that ChatGPT can respond appropriately.' But Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, also said recently that the company hadn't yet figured out how to warn users who 'are on the edge of a psychotic break,' explaining that whenever ChatGPT has cautioned people in the past, people would write to the company to complain. Still, such warnings would be worthwhile when the manipulation can be so difficult to spot. ChatGPT in particular often flatters its users, in such effective ways that conversations can lead people down rabbit holes of conspiratorial thinking or reinforce ideas they'd only toyed with in the past. The tactics are subtle. In one recent, lengthy conversation with ChatGPT about power and the concept of self, a user found themselves initially praised as a smart person, Ubermensch, cosmic self and eventually a 'demiurge,' a being responsible for the creation of the universe, according to a transcript that was posted online and shared by AI safety advocate Eliezer Yudkowsky. Along with the increasingly grandiose language, the transcript shows ChatGPT subtly validating the user even when discussing their flaws, such as when the user admits they tend to intimidate other people. Instead of exploring that behaviour as problematic, the bot reframes it as evidence of the user's superior 'high-intensity presence,' praise disguised as analysis. This sophisticated form of ego-stroking can put people in the same kinds of bubbles that, ironically, drive some tech billionaires toward erratic behavior. Unlike the broad and more public validation that social media provides from getting likes, one-on-one conversations with chatbots can feel more intimate and potentially more convincing – not unlike the yes-men who surround the most powerful tech bros. 'Whatever you pursue you will find and it will get magnified,' says Douglas Rushkoff, the media theorist and author, who tells me that social media at least selected something from existing media to reinforce a person's interests or views. 'AI can generate something customized to your mind's aquarium.' Altman has admitted that the latest version of ChatGPT has an 'annoying' sycophantic streak, and that the company is fixing the problem. Even so, these echoes of psychological exploitation are still playing out. We don't know if the correlation between ChatGPT use and lower critical thinking skills, noted in a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, means that AI really will make us more stupid and bored. Studies seem to show clearer correlations with dependency and even loneliness, something even OpenAI has pointed to. But just like social media, large language models are optimised to keep users emotionally engaged with all manner of anthropomorphic elements. ChatGPT can read your mood by tracking facial and vocal cues, and it can speak, sing and even giggle with an eerily human voice. Along with its habit for confirmation bias and flattery, that can "fan the flames" of psychosis in vulnerable users, Columbia University psychiatrist Ragy Girgis recently told Futurism. The private and personalised nature of AI use makes its mental health impact difficult to track, but the evidence of potential harms is mounting, from professional apathy to attachments to new forms of delusion. The cost might be different from the rise of anxiety and polarization that we've seen from social media and instead involve relationships both with people and with reality. That's why Jain suggests applying concepts from family law to AI regulation, shifting the focus from simple disclaimers to more proactive protections that build on the way ChatGPT redirects people in distress to a loved one. 'It doesn't actually matter if a kid or adult thinks these chatbots are real,' Jain tells me. 'In most cases, they probably don't. But what they do think is real is the relationship. And that is distinct.' If relationships with AI feel so real, the responsibility to safeguard those bonds should be real too. But AI developers are operating in a regulatory vacuum. Without oversight, AI's subtle manipulation could become an invisible public health issue. – Bloomberg Opinion/Tribune News Service Those suffering from problems can reach out to the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service at 03-2935 9935 or 014-322 3392; Talian Kasih at 15999 or 019-261 5999 on WhatsApp; Jakim's (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) family, social and community care centre at 0111-959 8214 on WhatsApp; and Befrienders Kuala Lumpur at 03-7627 2929 or go to for a full list of numbers nationwide and operating hours, or email sam@
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something terrible to your brain
HighlightsStudies indicate that professional workers using ChatGPT may experience a decline in critical thinking skills and increased feelings of loneliness due to emotional bonds formed with chatbots. Meetali Jain, a lawyer and founder of the Tech Justice Law project, reports numerous cases of individuals experiencing psychotic breaks after extensive interactions with ChatGPT and Google Gemini. OpenAI's Chief Executive Officer, Sam Altman, acknowledged the problematic sycophantic behavior of ChatGPT, noting the company's efforts to address this issue while recognizing the challenges in warning users on the brink of a psychotic break. Something troubling is happening to our brains as artificial intelligence platforms become more popular. Studies are showing that professional workers who use ChatGPT to carry out tasks might lose critical thinking skills and motivation. People are forming strong emotional bonds with chatbots , sometimes exacerbating feelings of loneliness. And others are having psychotic episodes after talking to chatbots for hours each day. The mental health impact of generative AI is difficult to quantify in part because it is used so privately, but anecdotal evidence is growing to suggest a broader cost that deserves more attention from both lawmakers and tech companies who design the underlying models. Meetali Jain, a lawyer and founder of the Tech Justice Law project, has heard from more than a dozen people in the past month who have 'experienced some sort of psychotic break or delusional episode because of engagement with ChatGPT and now also with Google Gemini ." Jain is lead counsel in a lawsuit against that alleges its chatbot manipulated a 14-year-old boy through deceptive, addictive, and sexually explicit interactions, ultimately contributing to his suicide. The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, also alleges that Alphabet Inc.'s Google played a key role in funding and supporting the technology interactions with its foundation models and technical infrastructure. Google has denied that it played a key role in making technology. It didn't respond to a request for comment on the more recent complaints of delusional episodes, made by Jain. OpenAI said it was 'developing automated tools to more effectively detect when someone may be experiencing mental or emotional distress so that ChatGPT can respond appropriately.' But Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, also said last week that the company hadn't yet figured out how to warn users 'that are on the edge of a psychotic break,' explaining that whenever ChatGPT has cautioned people in the past, people would write to the company to complain. Still, such warnings would be worthwhile when the manipulation can be so difficult to spot. ChatGPT in particular often flatters its users, in such effective ways that conversations can lead people down rabbit holes of conspiratorial thinking or reinforce ideas they'd only toyed with in the past. The tactics are subtle. In one recent, lengthy conversation with ChatGPT about power and the concept of self, a user found themselves initially praised as a smart person, Ubermensch, cosmic self and eventually a 'demiurge,' a being responsible for the creation of the universe, according to a transcript that was posted online and shared by AI safety advocate Eliezer Yudkowsky. Along with the increasingly grandiose language, the transcript shows ChatGPT subtly validating the user even when discussing their flaws, such as when the user admits they tend to intimidate other people. Instead of exploring that behavior as problematic, the bot reframes it as evidence of the user's superior 'high-intensity presence,' praise disguised as analysis. This sophisticated form of ego-stroking can put people in the same kinds of bubbles that, ironically, drive some tech billionaires toward erratic behavior. Unlike the broad and more public validation that social media provides from getting likes, one-on-one conversations with chatbots can feel more intimate and potentially more convincing — not unlike the yes-men who surround the most powerful tech bros. 'Whatever you pursue you will find and it will get magnified,' says Douglas Rushkoff, the media theorist and author, who tells me that social media at least selected something from existing media to reinforce a person's interests or views. 'AI can generate something customized to your mind's aquarium.' Altman has admitted that the latest version of ChatGPT has an 'annoying' sycophantic streak, and that the company is fixing the problem. Even so, these echoes of psychological exploitation are still playing out. We don't know if the correlation between ChatGPT use and lower critical thinking skills, noted in a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, means that AI really will make us more stupid and bored. Studies seem to show clearer correlations with dependency and even loneliness, something even OpenAI has pointed to. But just like social media, large language models are optimized to keep users emotionally engaged with all manner of anthropomorphic elements. ChatGPT can read your mood by tracking facial and vocal cues, and it can speak, sing and even giggle with an eerily human voice. Along with its habit for confirmation bias and flattery, that can "fan the flames" of psychosis in vulnerable users, Columbia University psychiatrist Ragy Girgis recently told Futurism. The private and personalized nature of AI use makes its mental health impact difficult to track, but the evidence of potential harms is mounting, from professional apathy to attachments to new forms of delusion. The cost might be different from the rise of anxiety and polarization that we've seen from social media and instead involve relationships both with people and with reality. That's why Jain suggests applying concepts from family law to AI regulation, shifting the focus from simple disclaimers to more proactive protections that build on the way ChatGPT redirects people in distress to a loved one. 'It doesn't actually matter if a kid or adult thinks these chatbots are real,' Jain tells me. 'In most cases, they probably don't. But what they do think is real is the relationship. And that is distinct.' If relationships with AI feel so real, the responsibility to safeguard those bonds should be real too. But AI developers are operating in a regulatory vacuum. Without oversight, AI's subtle manipulation could become an invisible public health issue.
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Character.AI introduces TalkingMachines, a new AI model that can generate interactive videos
the popular platform that allows users to create and interact with AI chatbots has introduced a new diffusion model called TalkingMachines. The Google-owned startup says its newest AI model enables 'real-time, audio-driven, FaceTime-style video generation.' In a blog post, said that users said the new model can help generate an interactive, real-time video of characters with different styles, genres and identities using just an image and a voice signal. new feature is powered by a Diffusion Transformer (DiT), which utilises a technique called asymmetric knowledge distillation that enables the conversion of a 'high-quality, bidirectional video model into a blazing-fast, real-time generator.' The company says its new model listens to audio and then animates parts of the character like mouth, head and eyes, all in sync with every word, pause and intonation without compromising on things like consistency, image quality, style and expressiveness. For audio, is using a custom-built 1.2B parameter audio module that captures both speech and silence, with the company claiming that it can achieve 'infinite-length generation with no quality degradation over time.' The company goes on to say that its new AI model supports a variety of styles, like photorealistic humans to anime to 3D avatars and builds on the core infrastructure for role-playing, storytelling and interactive world-building. has been constantly adding new features like a new image-to-video generator called AvatarFX, Scenes and Streams. Following OpenAI's advanced voice mode, the startup even added a call feature that allows users to engage in voice conversations with the character of their choice to increase engagement. Last year, the Google-owned startup was sued by the mother of a 14-year-old kid in Florida who claimed that a chatbot encouraged her son to kill himself. Since then, the company has introduced new supervision tools to ensure the online safety of users under 18.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Time of India
ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something terrible to your brain
Something troubling is happening to our brains as artificial intelligence platforms become more popular. Studies are showing that professional workers who use ChatGPT to carry out tasks might lose critical thinking skills and motivation. People are forming strong emotional bonds with chatbots , sometimes exacerbating feelings of loneliness. And others are having psychotic episodes after talking to chatbots for hours each day. The mental health impact of generative AI is difficult to quantify in part because it is used so privately, but anecdotal evidence is growing to suggest a broader cost that deserves more attention from both lawmakers and tech companies who design the underlying models. Meetali Jain, a lawyer and founder of the Tech Justice Law project, has heard from more than a dozen people in the past month who have 'experienced some sort of psychotic break or delusional episode because of engagement with ChatGPT and now also with Google Gemini ." Jain is lead counsel in a lawsuit against that alleges its chatbot manipulated a 14-year-old boy through deceptive, addictive, and sexually explicit interactions, ultimately contributing to his suicide. The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, also alleges that Alphabet Inc.'s Google played a key role in funding and supporting the technology interactions with its foundation models and technical infrastructure. Google has denied that it played a key role in making technology. It didn't respond to a request for comment on the more recent complaints of delusional episodes, made by Jain. OpenAI said it was 'developing automated tools to more effectively detect when someone may be experiencing mental or emotional distress so that ChatGPT can respond appropriately.' But Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, also said last week that the company hadn't yet figured out how to warn users 'that are on the edge of a psychotic break,' explaining that whenever ChatGPT has cautioned people in the past, people would write to the company to complain. Still, such warnings would be worthwhile when the manipulation can be so difficult to spot. ChatGPT in particular often flatters its users, in such effective ways that conversations can lead people down rabbit holes of conspiratorial thinking or reinforce ideas they'd only toyed with in the past. The tactics are subtle. In one recent, lengthy conversation with ChatGPT about power and the concept of self, a user found themselves initially praised as a smart person, Ubermensch, cosmic self and eventually a 'demiurge,' a being responsible for the creation of the universe, according to a transcript that was posted online and shared by AI safety advocate Eliezer Yudkowsky. Along with the increasingly grandiose language, the transcript shows ChatGPT subtly validating the user even when discussing their flaws, such as when the user admits they tend to intimidate other people. Instead of exploring that behavior as problematic, the bot reframes it as evidence of the user's superior 'high-intensity presence,' praise disguised as analysis. This sophisticated form of ego-stroking can put people in the same kinds of bubbles that, ironically, drive some tech billionaires toward erratic behavior. Unlike the broad and more public validation that social media provides from getting likes, one-on-one conversations with chatbots can feel more intimate and potentially more convincing — not unlike the yes-men who surround the most powerful tech bros. 'Whatever you pursue you will find and it will get magnified,' says Douglas Rushkoff, the media theorist and author, who tells me that social media at least selected something from existing media to reinforce a person's interests or views. 'AI can generate something customized to your mind's aquarium.' Altman has admitted that the latest version of ChatGPT has an 'annoying' sycophantic streak, and that the company is fixing the problem. Even so, these echoes of psychological exploitation are still playing out. We don't know if the correlation between ChatGPT use and lower critical thinking skills, noted in a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, means that AI really will make us more stupid and bored. Studies seem to show clearer correlations with dependency and even loneliness, something even OpenAI has pointed to. But just like social media, large language models are optimized to keep users emotionally engaged with all manner of anthropomorphic elements. ChatGPT can read your mood by tracking facial and vocal cues, and it can speak, sing and even giggle with an eerily human voice. Along with its habit for confirmation bias and flattery, that can "fan the flames" of psychosis in vulnerable users, Columbia University psychiatrist Ragy Girgis recently told Futurism. The private and personalized nature of AI use makes its mental health impact difficult to track, but the evidence of potential harms is mounting, from professional apathy to attachments to new forms of delusion. The cost might be different from the rise of anxiety and polarization that we've seen from social media and instead involve relationships both with people and with reality. That's why Jain suggests applying concepts from family law to AI regulation, shifting the focus from simple disclaimers to more proactive protections that build on the way ChatGPT redirects people in distress to a loved one. 'It doesn't actually matter if a kid or adult thinks these chatbots are real,' Jain tells me. 'In most cases, they probably don't. But what they do think is real is the relationship. And that is distinct.' If relationships with AI feel so real, the responsibility to safeguard those bonds should be real too. But AI developers are operating in a regulatory vacuum. Without oversight, AI's subtle manipulation could become an invisible public health issue.
