π GPT-4.5 Drops, Humanoid Robots at Work, Internet via Light
Good morning. Itβs Friday, February 28. Today we are covering:
OpenAI announces GPT-4.5, warns it's not a frontier AI model
Humanoid Robots Finally Get Real Jobs
Google's Taara Hopes to Usher in a New Era of Internet Powered by Light
Microsoft hangs up on Skype: service to shut down May 5, 2025
Meta Reveals Next Generation Aria Glasses for Research and Experimentation
Letβs dive in
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OpenAI announces GPT-4.5, warns it's not a frontier AI model
By Tom Warren via The Verge
OpenAI launches GPT-4.5 as a research preview for ChatGPT Pro users, emphasizing improved writing, pattern recognition, and problem-solving but clarifying it is not a frontier model.
GPT-4.5 enhances efficiency over GPT-4 by 10x, reduces hallucinations compared to GPT-4o, and is designed to feel more natural and intuitive in conversations.
Rollout plan includes Plus and Team users next week, followed by Enterprise and Edu users, with availability in Microsoftβs Azure AI Foundry alongside models from Stability, Cohere, and Microsoft.
π: GPT-4.5 is ready! good news: it is the first model that feels like talking to a thoughtful person to me. i have had several moments where i've sat back in my chair and been astonished at getting actually good advice from an AI. - Sam Altman (@sama)
Humanoid Robots Finally Get Real Jobs
By Christopher Mims via Wall Street Journal
Agility Robotics' humanoid robots, "Digit," are now performing warehouse tasks in Flowery Branch, Georgia, moving and sorting products like Spanx shapewear.
These robots serve as direct replacements for human workers in manual labor roles and act as a flexible link between traditional automation systems in warehouses and factories.
The deployment of humanoid robots marks a major step in the ongoing evolution of automation, influencing industries such as e-commerce, manufacturing, and agriculture.
π: Science fiction has long been full of robots that look like we do, but in the real world humanoid machines have been a nonstarter. Thatβs changing. - Pamela Falk Correspondent United Nations (@PamelaFalk)
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Google's Taara Hopes to Usher in a New Era of Internet Powered by Light
By Steven Levy via WIRED
Alphabetβs X division is advancing Taara, a project using laser-based "light bridges" to deliver high-speed internet without fiber-optic cables, promising faster and cheaper connectivity than satellite alternatives like Starlink.
Taaraβs new silicon photonic chip aims to replace bulky optical equipment with solid-state technology, potentially revolutionizing 6G and beyond by shifting wireless communication from congested radio waves to light-based transmission.
The technology is already operational in over a dozen countries, enabling cost-effective broadband in remote areas, with applications ranging from disaster recovery to autonomous vehicles and next-gen mesh networks.
π: Taara, the Alphabet X project that's internet fiber without the cable (it's a laser beam) has now developed a chip that could make the technology cheaper and maybe ubiquitous. Taara will soon spin out of Alphabet with outside funding. - Steven Levy (@StevenLevy)
Microsoft hangs up on Skype: service to shut down May 5, 2025
By Paul Sawers via TechCrunch
Microsoft is shutting down Skype on May 5, 2025, after 23 years, to focus entirely on Teams; users have 10 weeks to migrate their data or export it.
Skype's decline was marked by Microsoftβs gradual shift toward Teams, including the end of Skype for Business in 2021 and the removal of Skype credit and phone number sales in 2024.
Teams Free will replace Skype, but lacks key features like PSTN phone calling, which Microsoft is phasing out due to shifting consumer trends.
π: RIP Skype. Microsoft is officially shutting down Skype in May, and replacing it with Microsoft Teams. I spoke to Microsoft about why it's retiring Skype and how it's phasing out its phone calling features. - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
Meta Reveals Next Generation Aria Glasses for Research and Experimentation
By Scott Hayden via Road to VR
Meta unveiled Aria Gen 2, its next-generation research-focused smart glasses, featuring upgraded machine perception sensors, including eye-tracking cameras, a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor for heart rate monitoring, and a contact microphone to isolate the wearerβs voice.
The AI-powered glasses offer on-device speech recognition, hand and eye-tracking, and SLAM tracking, enabling users to map and navigate indoor spaces without GPS, with early collaborations including BMW, Carnegie Mellon, and Envision for accessibility applications.
Meta positions Aria Gen 2 as a stepping stone toward commercial AR glasses, competing with Apple, Samsung, and Google, with a long-term goal of replacing smartphones before 2030.
π: New drop from Meta, Aria Gen 2, Next evolution of the meta ray bans, currently being made available for researchers to start exploring new work in machine perception, contextual AI, robotics and more Canβt wait for these to reach consumers - Nick St. Pierre (@nickfloats)
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