OpenAI’s new GPT-4.1 AI models focus on coding

OpenAI has released GPT-4.1, along with smaller versions GPT-4.1 Mini and Nano. These models offer significant improvements in coding capabilities, long-context comprehension (up to 1 million tokens), and instruction following. GPT-4.1 surpasses previous models, with coding performance improving by 21% compared to GPT-4o and 27% over GPT-4.5. The models are accessible exclusively via OpenAI’s API and are designed to be more effective for powering AI agents.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/14/openais-new-gpt-4-1-models-focus-on-coding/

5 Powerful AI Prompts That Can Boost Any Business Idea

In his Forbes article, Bernard Marr outlines five AI prompts designed to enhance various aspects of business development. These prompts assist in validating ideas, generating personalized business plans, crafting customer emails, and developing branding strategies.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2025/04/15/5-powerful-ai-prompts-that-can-boost-any-business-idea/

OpenAI debuts Codex CLI, an open source coding tool for terminals

OpenAI has released Codex CLI, a lightweight, open‑source coding agent that runs entirely in the terminal. Linked to the new o3 and o4‑mini models, it can read, write and reorganize local code, execute shell commands and even process screenshots or sketches to generate matching code—all while keeping projects on‑device; OpenAI is sweetening adoption with $1 million in API‑credit grants for open‑source projects.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/16/openai-debuts-codex-cli-an-open-source-coding-tool-for-terminals/

Don’t ask what AI can do for us, ask what it is doing to us’: are ChatGPT and co harming human intelligence?

A new piece in The Guardian raises concerns about the potential cognitive effects of widespread generative AI use. Experts warn that overreliance on tools like ChatGPT may lead to diminished critical thinking, memory, and creativity. Evidence suggests a decline in student performance in areas such as mathematics and reading, potentially linked to technological dependence. The article emphasizes the need for balanced AI use, especially in educational settings, to preserve human cognitive abilities.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/19/dont-ask-what-ai-can-do-for-us-ask-what-it-is-doing-to-us-are-chatgpt-and-co-harming-human-intelligence

AI Has Already Come for the Interns. You’re Probably Next

A report highlights that AI is increasingly automating tasks traditionally performed by interns and entry-level employees, raising concerns about future job prospects.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/ai-tech-job-loss

Seeing AI as a collaborator, not a creator

In the April 2025 editor’s letter from MIT Technology Review, the author explores the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and human creativity. The piece delves into how AI is not just a tool but a collaborative partner in artistic endeavors, prompting a reevaluation of what it means to be creative in the age of intelligent machines. It raises thought-provoking questions about authorship, originality, and the future of art, emphasizing the importance of maintaining human agency and emotional depth in creative processes.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/23/1114891/editors-letter-creativity-art-ai-collaboration-humanity-technology/

Will the Humanities Survive Artificial Intelligence? – The New Yorker

This essay explores how AI tools like ChatGPT are reshaping higher education and the humanities. The author discusses initial resistance to AI in academic settings and how, through classroom experiments, AI revealed its potential to aid research and catalyze profound intellectual engagement. The piece concludes with a hopeful vision that confronting the AI revolution might help rediscover the true essence of the humanities.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/will-the-humanities-survive-artificial-intelligence

The Art of Intelligence – The Atlantic

The Atlantic explores how artists are using AI not as a replacement, but as a collaborator—expanding what’s possible in art, design, and storytelling. A fresh look at the intersection of human imagination and machine intelligence.

https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/google/the-art-of-intelligence/3887

Why This Artist Isn’t Afraid of AI’s Role in the Future of Art – TIME

Panamanian photographer Dahlia Dreszer embraces AI as a transformative tool in art. In her Miami exhibition, she showcases works created using both traditional methods and AI-generated techniques, highlighting AI as a “supercharger” of creativity rather than a replacement.

https://time.com/7282582/ai-art-dahlia-dreszer-interview/

“You’ll NEVER Watch Movies the Same Again — And AI Is Why” | Andy Weir Interview

In this thought-provoking interview, bestselling sci-fi author Andy Weir (The Martian) explores how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the film industry. From AI-generated visuals to new storytelling possibilities, Weir discusses the transformative power of this technology and what it means for the future of movies.

A must-watch for anyone interested in the intersection of cinema, creativity, and AI.

Watch the full interview

Tall Tales is a Critique of AI — So Why Do People Think It Was Made with AI? – The Verge

This collaborative audiovisual project by Jonathan Zawada, Mark Pritchard, and Thom Yorke critiques contemporary life through a surreal blend of CGI and real-world footage. Despite being largely handcrafted, viewers mistakenly believed it was AI-generated, leading to discussions about authenticity and the impact of AI on art perception.

https://www.theverge.com/film/664120/tall-tales-is-a-critique-of-ai-so-why-do-people-think-it-was-made-with-ai

No, Graduates: AI Hasn’t Ended Your Career Before It Starts – Wired

In a commencement address, tech journalist Steven Levy reassures liberal arts graduates that AI cannot replicate the uniquely human qualities of empathy, consciousness, and authentic creativity. He emphasizes that while AI may alter the labor landscape, it cannot replace the emotional resonance of human-created art and ideas.

https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-commencement-speech-artificial-intelligence/

Future of AI: Perspectives for Startups 2025 – Google

This report emphasizes opportunities for startups to innovate by building specialized AI applications, particularly as foundational models stabilize over the next 18 months.

Hao’s Empire: Inside OpenAI’s Quest to Control the Future – MIT Technology Review

Investigative feature by Karen Hao explores OpenAI’s transformation from a nonprofit lab into a powerful AI empire. The article examines how OpenAI’s leadership, vision, and commercial partnerships have reshaped the global AI race—raising critical questions about control, transparency, and the ethics of concentrating such transformative power in the hands of one organization.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116614/hao-empire-ai-openai/

“The AI Con” by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna – The Guardian

This review discusses the book “The AI Con”, which critically examines the inflated promises surrounding artificial intelligence. The authors argue that what is marketed as AI—particularly large language models like ChatGPT—lacks genuine understanding and often produces plagiarized or inaccurate content. They raise ethical concerns about job losses in creative industries and the erosion of critical thinking caused by AI-generated content dominating search results.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/may/19/the-ai-con-by-emily-m-bender-and-alex-hanna-review-debunking-myths-of-the-ai-revolution

“Let’s Talk About ChatGPT and Cheating in the Classroom” – WIRED

This podcast episode explores the growing impact of AI tools like ChatGPT on education. It discusses how students are using generative AI to research, write papers, and improve grades—often blurring the line between efficiency and academic dishonesty. The hosts advocate for AI literacy and ethics education to navigate the opportunities and risks posed by generative AI in academia.

https://www.wired.com/story/uncanny-valley-podcast-chatgpt-cheating-in-the-classroom/

Trends: Artificial Intelligence (2025) – BOND Capital

Mary Meeker, once dubbed the “Queen of the Internet,” has returned with her first major trends report since 2019, this time focusing on the transformative impact of artificial intelligence. Her 340-page document, “Trends – Artificial Intelligence,” offers a comprehensive analysis of AI’s rapid evolution and its implications for the global tech landscape.

Here’s a concise summary of the key insights from Mary Meeker’s report:

AI adoption is unprecedented

ChatGPT reached 800 million weekly users in just 17 months — faster than any major tech product before it. AI adoption is happening at internet/smartphone speed.

Work is being redefined

AI is automating repetitive tasks and enhancing expert work. Entire workflows, roles, and even business models are shifting toward “AI-native” operations.

Commoditization pressure

Foundation models are becoming cheaper and more widely available. This creates pricing pressure and forces companies to differentiate beyond raw model performance.

Open vs. closed models showdown

Countries like China and India are aggressively developing open-source AI. Openness is becoming a strategic advantage in the global AI arms race.

By 2035, AI could drive research

Meeker predicts AI will be able to formulate hypotheses, conduct scientific research, and design experiments largely on its own.

Key takeaway

“For some, the evolution of AI will create a race to the bottom; for others, a race to the top.”


For those interested in delving deeper into Meeker’s insights, the full report is available here: Trends – Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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Source: BOND Capital

Apple reveals that today’s top AI models only appear to “think” — but quickly give up when faced with complex problems.

In a new research paper, Apple tested large models like ChatGPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), and Gemini (Google) on classic logical puzzles that require step-by-step reasoning rather than memorized answers. Here’s what they found:

Benchmark Design
Apple used four classic problems with scalable difficulty: Tower of Hanoi, Blocks World, Checker Jumping, and River Crossing. This setup allowed precise measurement of how models perform as tasks get harder.

Performance Collapse
All tested models — including so-called “thinking” versions — experience a sharp drop in accuracy as complexity increases. At a certain point, they essentially fail completely.

The “Giving-Up” Phenomenon
When the problem becomes too hard, models don’t just get things wrong — they stop trying. Instead of reasoning more, they reduce the number of thinking steps and fall back on shallow guesses.

Chain-of-Thought Degradation
On easy tasks, models overthink and derail. On harder ones, they stop reasoning altogether. This shows they lack consistent strategies for thinking through problems.

Algorithm Injection Fails
Even when given a correct, step-by-step algorithm (e.g., for Tower of Hanoi), models still fail at higher difficulty levels. Knowing the method isn’t enough — they struggle to apply it.

Failure Analysis
For example, Claude-Thinking can complete around 100 correct moves in Tower of Hanoi, but breaks down after just 3 or 4 moves in River Crossing. It suggests these models don’t understand — they imitate.

Key Takeaway
Current large language models don’t truly reason. They simulate thought when the task is familiar, but collapse when it requires real adaptability.

Apple concludes: Instead of making models bigger, the next step in AI should focus on helping them reason more reliably — with dynamic thinking budgets and external planning mechanisms.

Read the full report (PDF):
The Illusion of Thinking — Apple Machine Learning Research