NerdNews

OpenAI has canceled its o3 release and announced a roadmap for GPT 4.5 and 5, focusing on a unified intelligence model that integrates multiple capabilities. The new model will simplify product offerings and provide tiered subscription tiers with advanced reasoning capabilities.

OpenAI released Operator, an AI agent that can perform web-based tasks on a user's behalf. It achieves state-of-the-art performance on WebArena and WebVoyager benchmarks, outperforming Anthropic's Claude model. Operator uses a new model called Computer-Using Agent (CUA), derived from GPT-4o, and has built-in safety guardrails, including refusing high-risk tasks and requiring user intervention for sensitive actions.

Thinking Machines Lab, founded by ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, aims to build tooling for customizable AI systems and create more capable AI models. The startup plans to focus on multimodal systems, AI safety, and developing strong foundations for AI. Murati is joined by OpenAI co-founder John Schulman as chief scientist and Barret Zoph, OpenAI’s ex-chief research officer, as CTO.

Meta announces LlamaCon, its first generative AI dev conference, to be held on April 29. The conference will focus on Meta's open source AI developments and will feature the latest on its Llama family of generative AI models. Meta plans to share its progress on Llama and provide developers with tools to build apps and products using its AI technology.

Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI, has launched a new AI startup called Thinking Machines Lab. The company aims to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable, and capable. Murati has recruited several top researchers and engineers from OpenAI, including co-founder John Schulman, to join her new venture.

Dropbox introduced a unified Messaging System Model (MSM) to support diverse use cases and handle over 30 million tasks per minute, addressing previous issues with scalability, reliability, and operational complexity. The MSM consists of five logical layers and has improved developer productivity, reliability, and cost efficiency.

Two significant security vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-26465 and CVE-2025-26466) have been discovered in OpenSSH, posing risks of man-in-the-middle and denial-of-service attacks. The vulnerabilities have been addressed in OpenSSH 9.9p2, and system administrators are urged to upgrade immediately and review their configurations.

Two vulnerabilities in OpenSSH, tracked as CVE-2025-26465 and CVE-2025-26466, expose SSH servers to man-in-the-middle (MitM) and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. The flaws affect OpenSSH clients and servers, with one introduced over a decade ago. Updates are available to address these issues.

Safe Superintelligence, founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, is close to raising $1 billion at a $30 billion valuation, with VC firm Greenoaks Capital Partners leading the deal. The startup has already raised money from Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and DST Global, and is not generating revenue yet.

Two vulnerabilities in OpenSSH, a widely used secure remote access tool, have been discovered. The vulnerabilities, identified as CVE-2025-26465 and CVE-2025-26466, can be exploited for man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Patches have been released, and users are advised to update as soon as possible.

Huawei has launched its first tri-foldable phone, the Mate XT, priced at $3,662. The phone has a 10.2-inch screen and is the thinnest foldable phone at 3.6mm. Despite US technology curbs, Huawei has achieved a symbolic victory with this innovation. However, challenges such as pricing, longevity, and app constraints may limit its success.

Humane is discontinuing its AI Pin and selling out to HP, with all devices to stop working in 10 days. Users will lose access to features like calling, messaging, and AI queries, and are encouraged to download stored data before February 28.

Meta has announced its first-ever LlamaCon, a developer conference dedicated to generative AI, scheduled for April 29. The event will share the latest on Meta's open source AI developments, with a focus on helping developers build amazing apps and products. Additionally, Meta has scheduled its next major Connect event for September 17, promising reveals for virtual and mixed reality developers, content creators, and AI enthusiasts.

Google has gained permission to sell e-books and audiobooks directly to customers through its iOS app, Google Play Books, avoiding Apple's 30% commission on in-app purchases. Users can now click on a 'Get book' button in the app, which takes them to the Google Play website to complete their purchase. This change is possible due to an exception called the External Link Account Entitlement, which was introduced as a result of Apple's settlement with a Japanese regulator.

Insta360 has introduced a tracking module for its Flow 2 Pro gimbal, allowing any camera app to use its AI-powered tracking technology. The module connects to the gimbal and draws power over USB-C, enabling subject tracking and gesture functionality in any app. It's available now for $39.99 or as part of a $179 bundle with the Flow 2 Pro gimbal.

Oracle has extended the support for its 19c database to 2032, making it the longest strategic release. The decision comes as users await news of a mainstream on-prem version of the latest database, 23ai. The extension of support will provide users with more time to upgrade to the latest version, and it may also impact the adoption of 23ai.

A large-scale malware campaign dubbed 'StaryDobry' has been targeting gamers worldwide with trojanized versions of cracked games such as Garry's Mod, BeamNG.drive, and Dyson Sphere Program. The malware infects users' machines with an XMRig cryptominer, which is a modified version of the Monero miner. The campaign started in late December 2024 and mostly impacted users from Germany, Russia, Brazil, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

China is considering using Tesla's autonomous driving technology as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with the US. Tesla's FSD rollout has been delayed in China, and the country may approve it only if the US makes concessions in trade talks. This move could impact Tesla's business and the broader tech industry.

Palo Alto Networks' firewalls are under active attack due to a combination of three vulnerabilities, including a recently patched flaw. The vulnerabilities can be chained to gain root access to affected systems. Users are urged to upgrade their PAN-OS operating systems to the latest patches immediately.

Reuters reports that roughly 20 people in the FDA’s office of neurological and physical medicine devices were let go, including staffers overseeing clinical trial applications from Neuralink, Elon Musk’s company developing a brain-computer interface. The firings affect the FDA’s ability to ensure safe trials for other companies exploring the tech.