Microsoft launches ‘vibe working’ in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

You’re about to feel the AI money squeeze

Earlier this month, millions of OpenClaw users woke up to a sweeping mandate: The viral AI agent tool, which this year took the worldwide tech industry by storm, had been severely restricted by Anthropic. Anthropic, like other leading AI labs, was under immense pressure to lessen the strain on its systems and start turning a profit. So if the users wanted its Claude AI to power their popular agents, they’d have to start paying handsomely for the privilege. “Our subscriptions weren’t built for the usage patterns of these third-party tools,” wrote Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, on X. “We want to be intentional in managing our growth to continue to serve our customers sustainably long-term. This change is a step toward that.” The announcement was a sign of the times. Investors have poured hundreds of billions of dollars into…

THE PEOPLE DO NOT YEARN FOR AUTOMATION

Today on Decoder, I want to lay out an idea that’s been banging around my head for weeks now as we’ve been reporting on AI and having conversations here on this show. I’ve been calling it software brain, and it’s a particular way of seeing the world that fits everything into algorithms, databases and loops — software. THE PEOPLE DO NOT YEARN FOR AUTOMATION Software brain is changing the world, but most people still aren’t buying. Software brain is powerful stuff. It’s a way of thinking that basically created our modern world. Marc Andreessen, the literal embodiment of software brain, called it in 2011 when he wrote the piece “Why software is eating the world” as an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal. But software thinking has been turbocharged by AI in a way that I think helps explain the…

OpenAI says its new GPT-5.5 model is more efficient and better at coding

OpenAI just announced its new GPT-5.5 model, which the company calls its “smartest and most intuitive to use model yet, and the next step toward a new way of getting work done on a computer.” OpenAI just released GPT-5.4 last month, but says that the new GPT-5.5 “excels” at tasks like writing and debugging code, doing research online, making spreadsheets and documents, and doing that work across different tools. OpenAI says its new GPT-5.5 model is more efficient and better at coding The new model ‘excels’ at tasks like writing and debugging code and doing work across different tools. The new model ‘excels’ at tasks like writing and debugging code and doing work across different tools. “Instead of carefully managing every step, you can give GPT-5.5 a messy, multi-part task and trust it to plan, use tools, check its work,…

Anthropic’s Mythos breach was humiliating

Anthropic’s tightly controlled rollout of Claude Mythos has taken an awkward turn. After spending weeks insisting the AI model is so capable at cybersecurity that it is too dangerous to release publicly, it appears the model fell into the wrong hands anyway. Anthropic’s Mythos breach was humiliating There’s no good excuse for letting hackers into an AI model too dangerous for public release. There’s no good excuse for letting hackers into an AI model too dangerous for public release. According to Bloomberg, a “small group of unauthorized users” has had access to Mythos — whose existence was first revealed in a leak — since the day Anthropic announced plans to offer it to a select group of companies for testing. Anthropic says it is investigating. That’s a rough look for a company that has built its brand on taking AI…

Meta is laying off 10 percent of its staff

Meta is planning to layoff around 10 percent of employees in May, according to a memo from the company’s chief people officer, Janelle Gale, published by Bloomberg. That means approximately 8,000 people will see their jobs cut. Meta will also be closing around 6,000 open roles, according to Gale. Meta is laying off 10 percent of its staff Meta is making the cuts to help ‘offset the other investments we’re making.’ Meta is making the cuts to help ‘offset the other investments we’re making.’ The cuts follow Meta’s significant investments in AI, including spending huge sums to hire top talent and build data centers. The company forecast in January that it will spend $115 billion to $135 billion in capital expenditures in 2026 — a significant increase from its $72.22 billion in capital expenditures for 2025. The increase is to…

Claude is connecting directly to your personal apps like Spotify, Uber Eats, and TurboTax

Claude users can access more apps with Anthropic’s AI now thanks to new connectors for everything from hiking to grocery shopping. Anthropic already supported connecting numerous work-related apps to Claude, like Microsoft apps, but this expansion focuses on personal apps like Audible, Spotify, Uber, AllTrails, TripAdvisor, Instacart, TurboTax, and others. Claude is connecting directly to your personal apps like Spotify, Uber Eats, and TurboTax Anthropic says the new app connectors are available to all Claude users, ‘with mobile in beta.’ Anthropic says the new app connectors are available to all Claude users, ‘with mobile in beta.’ Some of these apps, such as Spotify, already have similar connectors in OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Once an app is connected, Claude will suggest relevant connected apps directly in your conversations, like using AllTrails for hike recommendations. Anthropic notes in its blog post announcing the new…

OpenAI now lets teams make custom bots that can do work on their own

OpenAI is giving users of its Business, Enterprise, Edu, and Teachers plans access to cloud-based “workspace” agents available in ChatGPT that can perform business tasks. In its blog post, OpenAI gives examples of agents like one that finds product feedback on the web and sends a report in Slack and a sales agent that can draft follow-up emails in Gmail. OpenAI now lets teams make custom bots that can do work on their own The new workspace agents can perform tasks like reporting on product feedback on their own in the cloud. The new workspace agents can perform tasks like reporting on product feedback on their own in the cloud. These new agents follow increasing interest in agents across the AI landscape, especially after OpenClaw — the AI agent formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot that touts itself as the…

Anthropic’s most dangerous AI model just fell into the wrong hands

Anthropic’s Mythos AI model, a powerful cybersecurity tool that the company said could be dangerous in the wrong hands, has been accessed by a “small group of unauthorized users,” Bloomberg reports. An unnamed member of the group, identified only as “a third-party contractor for Anthropic,” told the publication that members of a private online forum got into Mythos via a mix of tactics, utilizing the contractor’s access and “commonly used internet sleuthing tools.” Anthropic’s most dangerous AI model just fell into the wrong hands A Discord group has had access to the Mythos model for two weeks. A Discord group has had access to the Mythos model for two weeks. The Claude Mythos Preview is a new general-purpose model that’s capable of identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities “in every major operating system and every major web browser when directed by a…

Now Meta will track what employees do on their computers to train its AI agents

Meta employees’ activity at work is now being used to train the company’s AI agents. As reported by Reuters, Meta is installing a tool it calls Model Capability Initiative (MCI) on US-based employees’ computers that runs in work-related apps and websites, recording mouse movements, clicks, keystrokes, and occasional screenshots. Now Meta will track what employees do on their computers to train its AI agents The ‘Model Capability Initiative’ records mouse activity, keystrokes, and screenshots to use as AI training data. The ‘Model Capability Initiative’ records mouse activity, keystrokes, and screenshots to use as AI training data. The data from this tool will be used to train the company’s AI models to get better at interacting with computers the way humans do, including automating work tasks like those Meta’s employees perform on the job. According to Reuters, the data from MCI…

Google Meet will take AI notes for in-person meetings too

Google’s AI meeting notetaker is no longer limited to Google Meets — Gemini can also generate summaries and transcripts of in-person meetings now, as well as meetings on Zoom and Microsoft Teams, as first reported by 9to5Google. Google Meet will take AI notes for in-person meetings too Users can also get AI summaries and transcripts for meetings in Zoom and Teams. Users can also get AI summaries and transcripts for meetings in Zoom and Teams. Support for in-person meetings was previously limited to alpha users and only available on Android. Google’s support page for the feature notes that, “If a user who is not in person wants to join the meeting, you can transition the meeting to a normal video call.” The feature also works for impromptu meetings — Google says you “don’t need to be in a meeting room”…

Anthropic’s Mythos rollout has missed America’s cybersecurity agency

Several US federal agencies are taking up Anthropic’s new cybersecurity model to find vulnerabilities, but one is reportedly not getting in on the action: the nation’s central cybersecurity coordinator. Anthropic’s Mythos rollout has missed America’s cybersecurity agency CISA, embattled under the Trump administration, reportedly hasn’t gotten Anthropic’s powerful AI. CISA, embattled under the Trump administration, reportedly hasn’t gotten Anthropic’s powerful AI. On Tuesday, Axios reported that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) didn’t have access to Mythos Preview, which Anthropic has touted as a powerful tool for finding and patching security vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, other agencies like Commerce Department and National Security Agency (NSA) are reportedly using the model, and President Donald Trump’s administration has been negotiating broader access, Axios wrote last week. In a blog post, Anthropic said it’s “been in ongoing discussions with US government officials about Claude…

Watch Sony’s elite ping-pong robot beat top-ranked players

Humans have been building ping-pong playing robots for decades, such as Omron’s FORPHEUS that challenged amateur competitors at CES 2017. What sets Ace apart from the rest is that the robot, which was developed by Sony’s AI division, is the first that can hold its own against top-ranked human players and occasionally even beat them in matches that follow the official rules of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Watch Sony’s elite ping-pong robot beat top-ranked players Ace is an AI-powered articulated robot that uses 12 cameras to compete against top table tennis players. Ace is an AI-powered articulated robot that uses 12 cameras to compete against top table tennis players. AI is already capable of besting humans at games like Chess and Go, but physical games pose a much greater challenge as robots have to be engineered to match…

AI failure could trigger the next financial crisis, warns Elizabeth Warren

“I know a bubble when I see one.” AI failure could trigger the next financial crisis, warns Elizabeth Warren ‘The first big stumble will have everyone running for the exits.’ ‘The first big stumble will have everyone running for the exits.’ That’s what Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who led the push to create a new consumer financial regulator in the wake of the 2008 recession, told a crowd at a Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator event in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. Warren warned of what she called “striking” parallels to that crisis in the AI industry. While she believes the technology has “enormous potential,” she warned that AI companies’ massive spending and borrowing practices are creating a tinderbox and Congress should step in. Though the AI industry has grown rapidly, Warren said the pace isn’t keeping up with their spending, requiring them…

AI backlash is coming for elections

Ask Americans how they feel about AI and most say they have concerns. Communities have mounted resistance to data center projects, stalling them across the US. On social media, anger at AI companies and executives is unrestrained — sometimes to the point of condoning violence. AI backlash is coming for elections Americans are worried about AI — but how it will play into the midterms is less clear. Americans are worried about AI — but how it will play into the midterms is less clear. But look at the issues that most campaigns are focused on, and AI is far less prevalent, experts say. More than 60 percent of both Republicans and Democrats polled by Ipsos earlier this year agree that the government should regulate AI for economic stability and public safety, and that the technology’s development should slow down.…

SpaceX cuts a deal to maybe buy Cursor for $60 billion

With an IPO looming for Elon Musk’s SpaceX / xAI / X combo platter of companies, SpaceX has announced an odd arrangement to either acquire the automated programming platform Cursor for $60 billion or pay a fee of $10 billion. Buying this startup that’s focused on AI coding could help xAI’s tools compete with market leader Anthropic, as well as the other competitors. A report by The Information this week said Sergey Brin has directed Google’s “strike team” to help its agentic AI tools catch up, while Sam Altman reportedly declared a “code red” at OpenAI last year before shutting down Sora to focus on the ChatGPT superapp and its own Codex tool. SpaceX cuts a deal to maybe buy Cursor for $60 billion With a SpaceX IPO around the corner. With a SpaceX IPO around the corner. The New…

Yelp is making its AI chatbot way more useful

Yelp is giving its chatbot assistant a major upgrade, turning the platform into something closer to a digital concierge with a suite of new features designed for “getting things done.” The move, one of several AI-focused updates in recent months, is part of a broader industry push to make AI more relevant and practically useful to consumers while turning huge troves of user-generated data into a competitive edge. Yelp is making its AI chatbot way more useful The platform says it wants people to use the AI chatbot to ‘search less and do more.’ The platform says it wants people to use the AI chatbot to ‘search less and do more.’ In a press release, Yelp says the Yelp Assistant chatbot will be at “the center of the app experience,” where it can answer questions, make recommendations, and even handle…

John Ternus’ first big problem is AI

Less than a year ago, Apple made headlines for a lack of AI announcements at its annual WWDC event. Ten months later, the company has announced that hardware executive John Ternus will succeed longtime CEO Tim Cook as chief executive — and the official release doesn’t mention AI once. John Ternus’ first big problem is AI Does Tim Cook’s newly announced successor have what it takes to regain the company’s lost ground in the AI race? John Ternus’ first big problem is AI Does Tim Cook’s newly announced successor have what it takes to regain the company’s lost ground in the AI race? Ternus, currently Apple’s SVP of hardware engineering, will take over as CEO on September 1st, after Cook’s decade and a half in the role. Ternus is a 25-year veteran of the company and the first Apple CEO…

Ordering with the Starbucks ChatGPT app was a true coffee nightmare

Venti iced coffee, light skim milk. That’s what I get at Starbucks. It is what I have gotten at Starbucks every time I’ve been to Starbucks for as long as I can remember, other than a brief love affair with the caffe misto a few years ago. In person, my brain barely needs to activate to say the words aloud; in the app, it’s four taps and I’m ready to go. Ordering with the Starbucks ChatGPT app was a true coffee nightmare Ordering coffee is easy. Besting the Starbucks app with AI chat is going to be very, very hard. Ordering coffee is easy. Besting the Starbucks app with AI chat is going to be very, very hard. My first time ordering Starbucks through its new ChatGPT integration, which launched last week, was comparatively a complete mess. Getting started is…

Celebrities will be able to find and request removal of AI deepfakes on YouTube

YouTube is expanding its AI deepfake monitoring feature to Hollywood — meaning some celebrity AI videos could soon disappear. Celebrities will be able to find and request removal of AI deepfakes on YouTube The platform’s likeness detection tool scans the platform for AI lookalikes and flags them for potential removal. The platform’s likeness detection tool scans the platform for AI lookalikes and flags them for potential removal. The platform’s likeness detection feature searches YouTube for AI deepfake content and flags it for public figures enrolled in the program. Public figures can use it to keep track of AI content on YouTube of themselves or request removal (takedowns are evaluated against YouTube’s privacy policy, and not every request will be approved). YouTube began testing the feature with content creators last fall; in March, the company expanded the program to politicians and…

Framework’s first eGPUs turn its laptop into a desktop PC

Remember when Framework made the first laptop where you can easily upgrade its entire internal video card in three minutes flat? The company’s getting into the external graphics game, too. As promised last August, you’ll be able to turn the Framework Laptop 16’s GPU modules into external ones instead. Or, you can plug in a desktop graphics card (or network card, or other PCIe cards) for more power than most laptops ever dream of having, with eight lanes of PCI-Express bandwidth. Framework’s first eGPUs turn its laptop into a desktop PC Only power users need apply — and you’ll have to shut down the laptop before you plug or unplug. Only power users need apply — and you’ll have to shut down the laptop before you plug or unplug. Framework’s calling it the OCuLink Dev Kit, because it uses the…

OpenAI’s updated image generator can now pull information from the web

OpenAI is rolling out the latest version of its AI-powered image generator with new “thinking capabilities,” allowing it to search the web to help it create multiple images from a single prompt. On Tuesday, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Images 2.0 can now create more “sophisticated” images, with improvements to its ability to follow instructions, preserve details of your choosing, and generate text. OpenAI’s updated image generator can now pull information from the web The update allows ChatGPT Images 2.0 to create a series of images based on one prompt. The update allows ChatGPT Images 2.0 to create a series of images based on one prompt. It’s powered by OpenAI’s new GPT Image 2 model, with new thinking capabilities available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers. When a thinking model is selected, the chatbot’s image generator can pull information…

Fortnite developers can make AI characters now — just don’t try to date them

Following last year’s AI-powered Darth Vader in Fortnite that swore in a re-creation of James Earl Jones’ voice, Epic Games is now letting Fortnite creators experiment with a new “conversations” tool to create AI-powered characters that players can talk and interact with. Fortnite developers can make AI characters now — just don’t try to date them Following last year’s AI-powered Darth Vader in Fortnite that swore, developers can test their own AI characters. Following last year’s AI-powered Darth Vader in Fortnite that swore, developers can test their own AI characters. “Instead of authoring dialogue trees for characters in your islands, conversations transforms an NPC into an AI-powered character capable of unscripted dialogue and interactions with players, like a quest giver or narrator,” Epic says. “You define who the character is with simple prompts—how they think, what they know, and how…

Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want

One of the most mortifying things about knowing a lot of techies is listening to them tell me excitedly about some very important discovery that they believe they have made. Recently, I ran into an acquaintance of mine, who began talking my ear off about an amazing discovery he’d made with LLMs. Knowledge, it turns out, is structured into language! You could put one word into ChatGPT and it might understand what you wanted, or make up a word and see if it understood what you meant! These amazing new tools have revealed that the English corpus contains so much about its speakers! Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want What NFTs, AI and the metaverse tell us about “thought leadership” Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want What NFTs, AI and the metaverse tell us about “thought…

Cloud development platform Vercel was hacked

Vercel, a major development platform that hosts and deploys web apps, was compromised, and the hackers are attempting to sell stolen data. A person claiming to be a member of ShinyHunters, which was behind the recent hack of Rockstar Games, posted some data online, including employee names, email addresses, and activity time stamps. Vercel confirmed in a post on X that a “security incident” had occurred, and that it impacted a “limited subset” of its customers. Vercel said that a compromised third-party AI tool was the avenue for attack, though it did not specify which third party was involved. Cloud development platform Vercel was hacked The company says the attack originated from a compromised ‘third-party AI tool.’ The company says the attack originated from a compromised ‘third-party AI tool.’ Vercel encouraged administrators to review their activity logs for suspicious activity.…