Marissa Mayer raised $8 million for her new AI startup. OpenAI raised $11 billion. That gap tells the real story—and so does the $20 million she burned at Sunshine, which managed just 1,000 downloads across multiple products over seven years.
Astra AI just won Slovenia's Startup of the Year. The numbers look great: 170,000 users, expansion into Germany, rave reviews. But their claimed 50 billion monthly tokens raises a question no one's asking: can a €24/month subscription cover those API bills?
Zhipu AI's GLM-4.7 benchmark chart excludes its strongest competitor. The data table tells a different story. But the real signal isn't the missing bar—it's a €30 annual subscription designed to snap into tools Western labs built.
Explore the benefits and limitations of AI assistants. They're here to streamline tasks, not to replace human connections.
New research brings a collective sigh of relief: most people aren't falling in love with their AI chatbots. A study by OpenAI and MIT Media Lab reveals that emotional bonding with AI remains rare, even among the most dedicated users.
The study tracked how people interact with ChatGPT and measured the emotional impact. They watched real-world usage and ran controlled tests with 1,000 participants over four weeks. The results paint a clear picture of human-AI boundaries.
Most users treat ChatGPT like a helpful tool, not a friend. Even power users rarely get emotional. But there's a catch – a small group of voice chat enthusiasts forms stronger bonds. They're more likely to call ChatGPT their friend.
Voice interactions produce mixed results. Brief chats boost mood, but long sessions backfire. Surprisingly, people show more emotion when typing than talking.
Personal conversations reveal an odd pattern. Users feel lonelier but less dependent on the AI. It's like confiding in a smart speaker – temporarily satisfying but ultimately hollow. The research flags risk factors. People who see AI as a potential friend face greater risks. So do those who form attachments easily. Heavy daily use also raises red flags.
OpenAI isn't taking chances. They're updating their specs to be clearer about what ChatGPT can and can't do. The goal? Keep AI helpful without letting it become a crutch.
The study needs context. It focused on English-speaking Americans and relied partly on self-reporting. Scientists know people aren't always honest about their tech habits – especially with themselves.
Why this matters:
Read on, my dear:
Astra AI just won Slovenia's Startup of the Year. The numbers look great: 170,000 users, expansion into Germany, rave reviews. But their claimed 50 billion monthly tokens raises a question no one's asking: can a €24/month subscription cover those API bills?
Zhipu AI's GLM-4.7 benchmark chart excludes its strongest competitor. The data table tells a different story. But the real signal isn't the missing bar—it's a €30 annual subscription designed to snap into tools Western labs built.
Apple buried RDMA over Thunderbolt in a beta update. Now four Mac Studios can run trillion-parameter AI models at conversational speed. The cost: $50,000. Equivalent NVIDIA hardware: $780,000. No press release. No keynote. Just a checkbox in recovery mode.
Cursor just paid a premium for a code review startup to fix what it calls the new bottleneck in software development. But a July 2025 study using Cursor's own tools found AI made experienced developers 19% slower. The math gets uncomfortable from there.
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