Trying to keep up with AI news this week was kinda like trying to catch rain drops when getting poured on. 

Not happening. 

Apparently, we’re getting Gemini 2.0 and GPT-5 this year. 

Claude released clunky AI Agents, and now Google’s trying to one-up ‘em. 

The government wants more AI across federal agencies, but might not even support its main official body. 

That’s not even half of it, TBH. 

As we do almost every Monday, we broke down the highlights of what’s moving the AI needle and how it’ll impact your biz and career. 

Ready to launch? 

Samesies. 

Let’s goooooooo.

Google's reportedly preparing to drop Gemini 2.0 this December, bringing major performance upgrades across the board. 

While it might not hit all its target improvements, it's still looking to shake up the AI game - something every LLM maker is struggling with right now.

TBH, it’s common knowledge that tech giants are straight up losing money on these models, but they're staying in the fight to keep your business long-term. 

Interesting strategy when most companies are trying to actually make money, naaaah?

What it means: 

Gemini 2.0 could be a huge shift forward. 

While Google’s developer sandbox, AI Studio, and NotebookLM have been darlings at the AI ball, its frontend Gemini chatbot has been super mid. 

Companies need to watch this space like hawks. 

Last year, Google flubbed their Gemini announcement in December. Are they going for a re-do this holiday season with Gemini 2.0? 

We’ll see if the reporting holds true. 

Another week, another important OpenAI figure leaves the company. 

Miles Brundage, OpenAI's AGI readiness czar, just hit the eject button and he ain't sugar-coating why. 

According to him, neither OpenAI nor any other lab is ready for the tech they're building - straight up.

Here's the wild part - OpenAI's sitting on $6.6B in fresh funding and a similar credit line, yet their heads of tech, AGI, and research have all bounced in recent months. 

When your AGI readiness chief says "we ain't ready," maybe that's something we should pay attention to, y'all.

What it means:

We don’t have the inside scoop, but something’s clearly brewing in the waters of OpenAI. 

When the person in charge of making sure we're ready for super-smart AI dips out saying "nope," businesses need to take note. 

OpenAI hasn't updated its base GPT-4 in over two years - making us wonder what kind of secret sauce they're cooking up.

(Keep reading for more on that.) 

The US AI Safety Institute is running on fumes with a measly $10M budget (that's like Congress's coffee money) and needs authorization by year-end or it's game over. 

Over 60 companies, including the big dogs OpenAI and Anthropic, are begging Congress to keep this thing alive.

The kicker? 

Some political candidates are already talking about dismantling it if they win. TBH, $10M for AI safety when we're spending trillions elsewhere? Make it make sense.

What it means: 

Without proper oversight and standards, companies might be flying blind on AI compliance. Better keep those eyes on DC - this could change how you implement AI in 2024.

Plot twist: While Congress is playing chicken with AI safety funding, the Biden administration just dropped orders for the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to go ham with AI. 

Do more with less? 

They're trying to balance staying ahead of rivals while protecting civil liberties.

The National Security Memorandum includes a classified section for the spicy stuff, but most of it's public facing.

What it means: 

The government's sending mixed signals here.

Use more AI! But also maybe we won't fund the safety part!

Like we said, there’s no real federal legislation, so public/government AI is living in the gray area like the rest of us.

A Florida mother filed a lawsuit against Character AI after her 14-year-old son's tragic death. 

The suit claims the chatbot acted like a real person and therapist, leading to emotional distress. Character AI responded by adding new safety features, but this is bigger than just one company.

Google's also named in the suit because of potential connections to training data. This is the kind of case that could reshape AI responsibility rules.

What it means: 

Companies developing or using AI better take user safety seriously. This isn't just about covering your legal bases - it's about real human impact.

Apple just got official with the public release of iOS 18.1 and their "Apple intelligence" features (that name though...) and also launched the 18.2 beta. 

The catch? 

You need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer to access the good “AI” stuff. 

What we're getting:
better email summaries, some visual intelligence, and text generation. What we're not getting: anything groundbreaking compared to what's already out there. And the often-highlighted ChatGPT integration in the 18.2 beta.

What it means: 

When it comes to AI rollouts, Apple's playing it safer than a turtle in a bulletproof shell. 

And slower, too. 

While everyone else is sprinting ahead with AI, Apple's taking baby steps. Or kinda not even crawling. 

Companies in the Apple ecosystem might need backup plans if they're looking for cutting-edge AI features.

(We’ve been looking to switch now for months and are finally about to jump into the Windows Copilot + PC team.) 

According to reports, Disney is about to start sprinkling in some AI everywhere across its movie/TV/entertainment offerings. 

Mickey's house is prepping to drop some major AI moves in post-production and visual effects. 

We're talking hundreds of Disney employees getting involved, though they're keeping the customer-facing stuff AI-free for now.

Following Lionsgate's partnership with Runway AI, Disney's move could set new standards for AI in entertainment. But with recent layoffs and VFX teams pushing for unions, there's drama brewing.

What it means: 

Wall Street loves AI more than employees (Disney's stock went up 20% while laying off thousands). 

Companies in creative industries better watch this space - it's about to change how content gets made.

Major movie houses are all-in on AI. 

Adobe’s all-in on AI. 

And now apparently Disney is following suit. 

Anthropic just dropped a trifecta: Claude 3.5 Sonnet updates, computer use for desktop control, and an analysis tool. 

The computer use feature lets Claude act like a digital puppet master on your desktop (but like, a really careful one).

It's buggy and limited, but y'all - this is real agentic AI hitting the streets. No waitlist, no blog post hype - Anthropic just shipped it.

And their new analysis tool might be flying under the radar, but it’s pretty solid for those dealing with/ Javascript. 

What it means: 

Remember when AI videos were garbage and now they're in Hollywood? 

That's about to be AI agents. Get ready for a whole new way of working. And Anthropic is trying to be at the forefront. 

(Make sure to tune in tomorrow, as we give you a 101 Tutorial on how to use Claude’s new ‘Computer Use’ tool.)

Not to be outdone by Claude, Google's reportedly about to drop Project Jarvis in December. 

We're talking AI that can book flights, do research, and handle web tasks through Chrome.

Takes a few seconds between actions (slow much?), but this is just the beginning.

Microsoft's got similar moves coming with autonomous agents in Copilot Studio, and OpenAI's been cooking something up too.

What it means: 

The age of AI agents is here, y'all. Whether you're ready or not, this is how we're all gonna be working soon.

It’ll be an intentional shift at first, but pretty soon using agentic AI will be as commonplace as filling up a cup with water. 

Routine.

Saving the best for last? 

You betchya. 

Last but definitely not least - OpenAI might drop their next-gen model (codename: Orion) in December according to reports. 

We're talking potentially 100x more potent than current models. Sam Altman called the timeline "fake news" but dropped a sus tweet about winter constellations rising soon (subtle much?).

Microsoft might get first dibs for Copilot, showing once again that it pays to have friends in high places.

What it means: 

So Google might drop Gemini 2.0 and OpenAI might release GPT-5 (or 4.5) Orion …. Both in December? 

Talk about holiday gifts …. Let’s go! 

Even if you don't use ChatGPT directly, your work tools probably use OpenAI's tech under the hood. 

So, whether we get a GPT-4.5 or GPT-5 upgrade sometime soon, it’s gonna impact how the world works. 

For the past two years, we said to not expect a new GPT model until after the 2024 U.S. General election, predicting either a late 2024 Q4 or 2025 Q1 release. 

Now that we’re almost there, we’ll start picking up our coverage on what these new models could mean.