LinkedIn just rolled out two free AI tools for job hunters and small businesses, including a Jobs Match feature to evaluate if postings are worth applying to and a synthetic hiring agent to triage candidates. Notably, both rely on LinkedIn's in-house AI rather than OpenAI models.
Microsoft just launched Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, bringing metered AI agents into its free GPT-4o chat experience for commercial users. Employees can now run web searches, analyze files, and trigger custom agents without a full subscription. Why it matters: It gives companies an easy, low-friction on-ramp to deploy workplace agents at scale.
Microsoft just launched its Quantum Ready program, offering workshops, skilling resources, and security roadmaps to help organizations prepare for practical quantum computing. The initiative focuses on building hybrid applications that blend quantum hardware with classical supercomputers and AI, addressing a skills gap where only 12% of business leaders feel ready for quantum tech.
Microsoft and Pearson just signed a multiyear deal to develop new AI learning tools and certifications. Pearson will rely on Azure and roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot across its entire workforce, while Microsoft extends its Pearson VUE certification contract through 2029. Why it matters: Companies want AI, but finding workers trained to use it remains the biggest bottleneck.
Microsoft just released the official weights for its 14B-parameter Phi-4 model on Hugging Face under a permissive MIT license. Previously restricted to the Azure AI Foundry platform, developers can now freely download, fine-tune, and deploy the high-reasoning model locally for commercial applications.
AMD just previewed its next-gen Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT GPUs at CES, built on a new 4nm RDNA 4 architecture. The biggest shift is FSR 4, which now relies on machine learning upscaling powered by dedicated on-die AI accelerators. Both cards drop in Q1, though specs and prices remain under wraps.
Qualcomm just expanded its Snapdragon X lineup with a cheaper Arm laptop chip, bringing Copilot Plus PCs down to around $600. It features an eight-core Oryon CPU and a 45 TOPS NPU to keep all of Microsoft's on-device AI features intact. Why it matters: Qualcomm is aggressively taking Windows on Arm mainstream to squeeze Intel where it hurts.
Microsoft just launched Phi-4, its latest 14-billion-parameter small model focused heavily on math problem-solving. Trained on high-quality synthetic and human datasets with fresh post-training tweaks, it takes aim at lightweight rivals like GPT-4o mini and Gemini 2.0 Flash. For now, it is only available for limited research use on Azure AI Foundry.
Microsoft and Meta just launched a public preview bringing full Windows 11 support to Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets. Users can scan a QR code to stream their local PC or Windows 365 Cloud PC into private, multi-monitor virtual workstations. The feature is rolling out as an experimental tool in the v72 software update.
Microsoft just started rolling out an updated Copilot experience to Windows testers, ditching the clunky web app wrapper for a floating quick view UI above the taskbar. It triggers via Alt + Space and stays pinned on top, though existing apps using the same shortcut might fight Copilot for priority.
Microsoft just unveiled a next-generation datacenter design that consumes zero water for cooling, saving over 125 million liters per site each year. Built for heavy AI workloads, it relies on chip-level closed-loop liquid cooling. The architecture has been standard for all new builds since August 2024, with pilots launching in 2026 before coming online in late 2027.
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman just pushed back against claims that AGI is achievable on current hardware like Nvidia GB200s, estimating it will take two to five more chip generations—or five to ten years. He also distanced practical AGI from sci-fi superintelligence, arguing builders should focus on useful, accountable AI companions instead of chasing the singularity.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai just teased that Google Search will "change profoundly" in 2025 to tackle far more complex queries. Pichai also fired back at Satya Nadella's past comments, inviting a direct model comparison while pointing out that Microsoft is simply relying on OpenAI.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman just downplayed the impact of artificial general intelligence, claiming we’ll reach AGI sooner than expected, but "it will matter much less." Speaking at the DealBook Summit, Altman argued that major safety and economic disruptions won't hit immediately, shifting the dramatic leap to "superintelligence." Why it matters: Conveniently, declaring AGI allows OpenAI an escape hatch from its messy profit-sharing deal with Microsoft.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman just predicted that 2025 could bring the first real AGI systems capable of solving complex tasks with multiple tools. While the initial arrival might feel quiet, Altman warned that the eventual impact of superintelligence and resulting job displacement will be far more intense than people think.
Elon Musk just filed for a preliminary injunction to freeze OpenAI's transition into a for-profit corporation. The court filing accuses OpenAI and Microsoft of anticompetitive tactics, including blocking investors from backing rivals like xAI. OpenAI dismissed the filing as yet another baseless complaint.
Microsoft just debunked viral rumors claiming it uses customer Word and Excel documents to train AI models. The confusion stemmed from a default "connected experiences" privacy toggle, which Microsoft clarified is only used for cloud features like real-time co-authoring, not LLM training.
Inflection AI is officially done trying to build next-generation frontier models. New CEO Sean White says competing against 100,000-GPU systems makes no sense for them anymore. The startup has acquired three companies over two months to pivot completely toward practical on-prem enterprise software.
Intuit just rolled out new AI features for QuickBooks, embedding Intuit Assist to automatically turn notes, emails, or PDFs into invoices and categorize expenses. CEO Sasan Goodarzi noted that longer-term, AI agents could even take over roles typically handled by CFOs or CMOs at midsize businesses.
Google Cloud just launched AI Agent Space, an enterprise ecosystem program designed to help companies discover, deploy, and co-create custom AI agents. Partners get early tech previews and direct engineering support, with plans to distribute agents via Google Cloud Marketplace. It trails Microsoft's Copilot Studio in catalog size, but marks Google's serious push into agentic workflows.
