Artificial intelligence

Startup Odyssey unveils streaming AI-powered 3D video demo

Odyssey, a startup founded by self-driving technology pioneers Oliver Cameron and Jeff Hawke, has unveiled a new AI model capable of generating interactive, 3D-like video experiences in real time.

The system streams video frames every 40 milliseconds and lets users explore scenes with basic controls, much like moving around in a video game.

The model is powered by a newly developed ‘world model’ designed to predict what comes next in a virtual environment based on prior actions and context.

While the current demo, available online, still features blurred and unstable visuals, Odyssey claims it can maintain coherent video streams for over five minutes. Streaming performance reaches up to 30 frames per second using Nvidia H100 GPUs, costing $1–2 per user-hour.

Odyssey is positioning its platform as the future of interactive media, suggesting it could transform entertainment, education, advertising, and training.

Unlike some AI developers facing criticism for displacing creative workers, Odyssey pledges to work alongside artists and provide tools compatible with software like Unreal Engine, Blender, and After Effects.

To support development, the company built a 360-degree backpack-mounted camera to collect real-world footage, aiming to produce more realistic outputs than models trained solely on public datasets.

Backed by $27 million in funding and supported by Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull, Odyssey plans to significantly improve model stability and expand its action capabilities in the near future.

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ASEAN, the GCC, and China unite to advance digital innovation

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and China convened their inaugural trilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur with a shared vision to strengthen regional cooperation and integration.

The three parties committed to deepening economic ties through sustainable development, free trade, and enhanced collaboration across key sectors such as the digital and green economy, technology, and finance.

A major focus of the summit was boosting connectivity, notably through infrastructure development and expanded cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Key policy areas include the promotion of AI, the advancement of financial technology (fintech), and the development of digital skills to prepare their populations for the evolving digital economy.

They also expressed a shared interest in supporting clean energy innovation, highlighting the role of technology in driving sustainable and inclusive energy transitions.

These technology-focused policies aim to build resilient, future-ready economies by enhancing cross-border collaboration in emerging digital industries and strengthening regional capabilities in science, technology, and innovation.

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Google Photos new update adds AI editing

Google is marking the 10th anniversary of Google Photos by introducing a revamped, AI-powered photo editor aimed at making image enhancement simpler and faster.

The updated tool combines multiple effects with a single suggestion and offers editing tips when users tap on specific parts of a photo.

Instead of relying solely on manual controls, the interface now blends smart features like Reimagine and Auto frame with familiar options such as brightness and contrast. The new editor is being rolled out to Android users first, with iOS users set to receive it later in the year.

In addition, Google Photos now supports album sharing via QR codes. Instead of sharing links, users can generate a code that others nearby can scan or receive digitally, allowing them to view or add photos to shared albums.

With over 1.5 billion monthly users and more than nine trillion photos stored, Google Photos remains one of the world’s most widely used photo services.

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DeepSeek updates its R1 AI model

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has rolled out an updated version of its R1 reasoning model on the popular developer platform Hugging Face. The release was quietly announced via a WeChat post and marks a continuation of DeepSeek’s effort to challenge leading players in the AI field, including US-based OpenAI.

The new R1 model is a minor update, released under the permissive MIT license, allowing commercial use. However, the Hugging Face repository only includes the model’s configuration files and internal weights, with no public documentation describing the model’s capabilities.

https://twitter.com/deepseek_ai/status/1881318130334814301

These ‘weights’ — the parameters that determine how an AI model behaves — total a massive 685 billion, making the model too large to run on standard consumer hardware without special adaptations. DeepSeek gained attention earlier this year when the original R1 demonstrated competitive performance against leading models from OpenAI.

That advancement hasn’t gone unnoticed by international observers; US regulators have expressed concern over the potential national security risks posed by DeepSeek’s technologies. Despite the controversy, the company continues to make bold moves on the global AI stage.

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Chinese tech firms thrive amid US curbs

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has raised concerns that US export restrictions are accelerating the growth of Chinese AI firms, making them more competitive. In a recent interview, Huang highlighted that companies like Huawei — long blacklisted by the US — have become ‘formidable’ rivals.

The restrictions have hit Nvidia hard, with the company projecting an $8 billion revenue loss this quarter due to the limited access to the Chinese market, historically its largest for chips. The Biden administration’s AI diffusion rule, aimed at controlling the spread of advanced AI technologies, had already drawn criticism from Huang before being partially rolled back by the Trump administration in May.

Yet, Nvidia still faces tough restrictions, including a ban on selling even its downgraded H20 chip to China. The company was recently notified that it would need a special license to export the chip, leaving it with no viable alternative for the Chinese market.

Huang warned that efforts to keep cutting-edge AI tech out of China have largely backfired, as Chinese firms are finding workarounds and quickly catching up.

‘They’re doubling or quadrupling capabilities every year,’ he noted, stressing that the performance of Huawei’s latest AI chip now rivals Nvidia’s once-leading H200.

Despite Nvidia’s strong recent performance, Huang emphasised the long-term importance of re-engaging with China, home to the world’s largest community of AI researchers. He urged US policymakers to reconsider their approach, advocating for broader access to American AI technology to maintain leadership and influence in the global AI ecosystem.

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Google Drive adds AI video summaries

Google Drive is gaining a new AI-powered tool that allows Workspace users to summarise and interact with video content using Gemini, Google’s generative AI assistant.

Instead of manually skipping through videos, users can now click the ‘Ask Gemini’ button to get instant summaries, key highlights, or action items from uploaded recordings.

The tool builds on Gemini 2.5 Pro’s strong video analysis capabilities, which recently scored 84.8% on the VideoMME benchmark. Gemini’s side panel, already used for summarising documents and folders, can now handle natural language prompts like ‘Summarise this video’ or ‘List key points from this meeting’.

However, the feature only works in English and requires captions to be enabled by the Workspace admin.

Google is rolling out the feature across various Workspace plans, including Business Standard and Enterprise tiers, with access available through Drive’s overlay preview or a new browser tab.

Instead of switching between windows or scrubbing through videos, users can now save time by letting Gemini handle the heavy lifting.

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Copilot for Gaming now in testing on Xbox app for iOS and Android

Microsoft has begun rolling out the beta version of its new AI-powered tool, Copilot for Gaming, designed to enhance the gaming experience through personalised assistance. Available now in the Xbox app for iOS and Android, the feature lets users ask game-related questions and receive tailored responses based on their gaming history, achievements, and account data.

The AI assistant can provide tips to improve a gamer’s score, suggest games based on user preferences, and answer account-specific questions like subscription details or recent in-game milestones. It operates on a second screen to avoid disrupting gameplay and uses player activity and Bing search data to craft responses.

Initially available in English for players aged 18 and older, the beta spans over 50 countries, including the US, Canada, Brazil, Serbia, and Japan. Microsoft says more features are on the way, including personalised coaching and deeper in-game support, with plans to expand the rollout to additional regions in the future.

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Telegram partners with Musk’s xAI

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, is partnering with Telegram to bring its AI assistant, Grok, to the messaging platform’s more than one billion users.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced that Grok will be integrated into Telegram’s apps and distributed directly through the service.

Instead of a simple tech integration, the arrangement includes a significant financial deal. Telegram is set to receive $300 million in cash and equity from xAI, along with half of the revenue from any xAI subscriptions sold through the platform. The agreement is expected to last one year.

The move mirrors Meta’s recent rollout of AI features on WhatsApp, which drew criticism from users concerned about the changing nature of private messaging.

Analysts like Hanna Kahlert of Midia Research argue that users still prefer using social platforms to connect with friends, and that adding AI tools could erode trust and shift focus away from what made these apps popular in the first place.

The partnership also links two controversial tech figures. Durov was arrested in France in 2024 over allegations that Telegram failed to curb criminal activity, though he denies obstructing law enforcement.

Meanwhile, Musk has been pushing into AI development after falling out with OpenAI, and is using xAI to rival industry giants. In March, he valued xAI at $80 billion after acquiring X, formerly known as Twitter.

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The future of search: Personalised AI and the privacy crossroads

The rise of personalised AI is poised to radically reshape how we interact with technology, with search engines evolving into intelligent agents that not only retrieve information but also understand and act on our behalf. No longer just a list of links, search is merging into chatbots and AI agents that synthesise information from across the web to deliver tailored answers.

Google and OpenAI have already begun this shift, with services like AI Overview and ChatGPT Search leading a trend that analysts say could cut traditional search volume by 25% by 2026. That transformation is driven by the AI industry’s hunger for personal data.

To offer highly customised responses and assistance, AI systems require in-depth profiles of their users, encompassing everything from dietary preferences to political beliefs. The deeper the personalisation, the greater the privacy risks.

OpenAI, for example, envisions a ‘super assistant’ capable of managing nearly every aspect of your digital life, fed by detailed knowledge of your past interactions, habits, and preferences. Google and Meta are pursuing similar paths, with Mark Zuckerberg even imagining AI therapists and friends that recall your social context better than you do.

As these tools become more capable, they also grow more invasive. Wearable, always-on AI devices equipped with microphones and cameras are on the horizon, signalling an era of ambient data collection.

AI assistants won’t just help answer questions—they’ll book vacations, buy gifts, and even manage your calendar. But with these conveniences comes unprecedented access to our most intimate data, raising serious concerns over surveillance and manipulation.

Policymakers are struggling to keep up. Without a comprehensive federal privacy law, the US relies on a patchwork of state laws and limited federal oversight. Proposals to regulate data sharing, such as forcing Google to hand over user search histories to competitors like OpenAI and Meta, risk compounding the problem unless strict safeguards are enacted.

As AI becomes the new gatekeeper to the internet, regulators face a daunting task: enabling innovation while ensuring that the AI-powered future doesn’t come at the expense of our privacy.

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Salesforce turns to Google Cloud in AI race

Salesforce has entered a multibillion-dollar agreement with Google Cloud, committing to spend at least US$2.5 billion over the next seven years.

The deal enables Salesforce products—including customer-management tools, Agentforce AI assistants, and Data Cloud services—to run directly on Google’s infrastructure.

The partnership reflects a broader effort by both companies to strengthen their position in the growing generative AI market.

While Microsoft currently dominates this space by offering AI services to a significant portion of Fortune 500 firms, Salesforce and Google are seeking to expand their reach in AI-powered productivity and customer experience solutions.

By deepening integration with Google Cloud, Salesforce aims to give its enterprise customers access to more scalable and efficient AI services. The collaboration positions both firms to compete more aggressively with Microsoft, particularly in AI-driven business software and cloud solutions.

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