In response to a cease-and-desist letter from Disney, ByteDance plans to enhance protections for its AI video generator, Seedance 2.0, amid allegations of unauthorized use of copyrighted characters. Disney's attorney, David Singer, condemned ByteDance for "hijacking" their IP, referencing characters such as Spider-Man and Darth Vader. The Motion Picture Association has demanded immediate cessation of infringing actions, highlighting concerns over creator rights and job security in the U.S. entertainment industry.
OpenClaw Founder Peter Steinberger has joined OpenAI, aiming to develop the next generation of personal AI agents. Despite this transition, he reassured that OpenClaw will remain open-source, managed by a new foundation to maintain its independence. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praised Steinberger as a "genius" and highlighted the importance of multi-agent systems in the future of AI. Steinberger expressed his desire to create user-friendly AI tools accessible without technical expertise.
Alibaba has unveiled its latest AI model, Qwen 3.5, asserting it surpasses major U.S. counterparts in various benchmarks. The model integrates advanced natural language processing and generation capabilities. Alibaba's Chief Technology Officer, Wang Jian, stated, "The capabilities of Qwen 3.5 reflect our commitment to innovation in AI," as the company aims to bolster its position in the global AI landscape. This launch poses renewed competition to tech giants, enhancing Alibaba's market presence.
India is gearing up to host a significant AI summit, anticipating over 250,000 attendees and featuring 300 exhibitors at the Bharat Mandapam convention center, a $300 million facility. The event has led to steep price hikes in luxury accommodations, with the Taj Palace's suite soaring from $2,200 to over $33,000 per night. Additionally, India's Supreme Court permits video conferencing for advocates during the summit to alleviate expected traffic congestion.
A recent study by AI4Bharat highlights significant challenges faced by global AI models like OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft in accurately transcribing Indian languages. OpenAI's models report a Word Error Rate (WER) exceeding 55% in Indian speech, with some dialects, such as Bhojpuri and Maithili, falling to 66% errors. In stark contrast, Indian startup Sarvam achieves over 93% accuracy across multiple languages, demonstrating the effectiveness of localized solutions in speech recognition.
OpenAI officially retires several GPT models, including GPT-5 and GPT-4o, effective February 13 at 11:30 PM IST, due to low user adoption—only 0.1% still utilize GPT-4o. The company focuses on enhancing user experiences with the widely adopted GPT-5.2. Additionally, OpenAI launches GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark for real-time coding, designed for speed and efficiency using Cerebras' AI accelerator. This strategic shift aims to consolidate resources on widely used improvements in the AI landscape.
Portugal's parliament has approved a draft law mandating parental consent for social media access for teens aged 13 to 16, aiming to enhance online protections. The ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) highlighted concerns over cyberbullying and online predators. Parents must authorize access using Portugal's Digital Mobile Key, and companies face fines up to 2% of global revenue for non-compliance. The proposal passed with 148 votes, signaling a robust government enforcement intent.
OpenAI has alerted US lawmakers that its competitor, DeepSeek, is employing advanced distillation techniques to extract data from US AI models. This practice, described in a memo to the House Select Committee on China, allows DeepSeek to enhance its R1 chatbot by disseminating US capabilities without authorization. OpenAI argues that this trend undermines the enormous investments made by American firms and poses significant national security risks due to the potential for misuse of AI technology.
The tech industry has experienced significant layoffs in early 2026, with over 30,700 job cuts reported globally, predominantly affecting the US, where 24,600 roles were eliminated. India accounts for 920 of these job cuts in Asia. According to RationalFx, if this trend continues, total layoffs could exceed 273,000 by year-end. As firms pivot towards AI-focused roles, many professionals feel unprepared, challenging their ability to secure new employment amidst intense competition.
Google has unveiled a significant upgrade to its Gemini 3 Deep Think AI, now available for premium subscribers and select researchers. This model achieves remarkable scores, including 48.4% on Humanity’s Last Exam, a benchmark historically dominated by humans scoring nearly 90%. CEO Sundar Pichai emphasizes collaboration with scientists to tackle complex challenges. With top benchmarks like 84.6% on ARC-AGI-2, Gemini 3 Deep Think positions itself as a transformative research tool in AI development.