As industries struggle to fill 50 million job vacancies globally, Hexagon has unveiled AEON — a humanoid robot developed in collaboration with NVIDIA — to tackle labour shortages in manufacturing, logistics and beyond.
AEON can perform complex tasks like reality capture, asset inspection and machine operation, thanks to its integration with NVIDIA’s full-stack robotics platform.
By simulating skills using NVIDIA Isaac Sim and training in Isaac Lab, AEON drastically reduced its development time, mastering locomotion in weeks instead of months.
The robot is built using NVIDIA’s trio of AI systems, combining simulation with onboard intelligence powered by Jetson Orin and IGX Thor for real-time navigation and safe collaboration.
AEON will be deployed in factories and warehouses, scanning environments to build high-fidelity digital twins through Hexagon’s cloud-based Reality Cloud Studio and NVIDIA Omniverse.
Hexagon believes AEON can bring digital twins into mainstream use, streamlining industrial workflows through advanced sensor fusion and simulation-first AI. The company is also leveraging synthetic motion data to accelerate robot learning, pushing the boundaries of physical AI for real-world applications.
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OpenAI has officially enabled support for Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) in ChatGPT, allowing businesses to connect their internal tools directly to the chatbot through Deep Research.
The development enables employees to retrieve company data from previously siloed systems, offering real-time access to documents and search results via custom-built MCP servers.
Adopting MCP — an open industry protocol recently embraced by OpenAI, Google and Microsoft — opens new possibilities and presents security risks.
OpenAI advises users to avoid third-party MCP servers unless hosted by the official service provider, warning that unverified connections may carry prompt injections or hidden malicious directives. Users are urged to report suspicious activity and avoid exposing sensitive data during integration.
To connect tools, developers must set up an MCP server and create a tailored connector within ChatGPT, complete with detailed instructions. The feature is now live for ChatGPT Enterprise, Team and Edu users, who can share the connector across their workspace as a trusted data source.
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According to Bloomberg News, Elon Musk’s AI venture, xAI, is reportedly in talks to raise an additional $4.3 billion through equity investment. However, this would be in addition to the $5 billion debt sale already underway, with commitments due by Tuesday.
Since founding in 2023, xAI has secured $14 billion through previous equity fundraising rounds. The report noted that the new capital injection is needed, partly because the company has spent most of the funding already raised.
Running large-scale AI systems like xAI’s Grok chatbot is expensive, requiring high-end hardware, vast computational resources, and top-tier AI talent in an increasingly competitive market. To help offset costs, xAI may also receive a $650 million rebate from one of its manufacturing partners.
The company acquired the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) earlier this year and was valued at around $80 billion at the end of Q1 2025—up from $51 billion at the close of 2024.
xAI’s funding push comes amid aggressive moves by rivals. In March, OpenAI—Musk’s former company—announced plans to raise $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation, led by SoftBank.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but left the board in 2018, previously made a $97.4 billion takeover offer for the company. That bid was rejected, and Musk has since taken legal action to block OpenAI’s transition from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.
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The US Senate has passed the GENIUS Act, the first bill to establish a federal framework for regulating dollar-backed stablecoins. Passed with cross-party support in a 68–30 vote, the legislation marks a major win for the crypto industry, which has long sought clearer oversight.
The bill still requires approval from the House and a signature from President Trump. It would mandate that stablecoin issuers hold reserves in cash or US Treasuries, undergo audits, and disclose their holdings.
While it bans members of Congress and their families from profiting, the same restriction does not apply to Trump and his family — a point of contention among Democrats.
Circle and other crypto firms welcomed the move. Meanwhile, major players like Bank of America, Amazon, and Walmart are exploring their stablecoin offerings. Trump has also backed a new coin, USD1, through his startup World Liberty Financial.
If the legislation becomes law, it could transform payments by encouraging new issuers, reducing reliance on traditional card networks, and expanding global access to digital dollars. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent believes the market could surpass $2 trillion by 2028.
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Meta has reportedly attempted to lure top talent from OpenAI with signing bonuses exceeding $100 million, according to OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by his brother, Jack Altman, he revealed that Meta has offered extremely high compensation to key OpenAI staff, yet none have accepted the offers.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is said to be directly involved in recruiting for a new ‘superintelligence’ team as part of the latest AI push.
The tech giant recently announced a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI and brought Scale’s CEO, Alexandr Wang, on board. Altman believes Meta sees ChatGPT not only as competition for Google but as a potential rival to Facebook regarding user attention.
Altman questioned whether such high-compensation strategies foster the right environment, suggesting that culture cannot be built on upfront financial incentives alone.
He stressed that OpenAI prefers aligning rewards with its mission instead of offering massive pay packets. In his view, sustainable innovation stems from purpose, not payouts.
While recognising Meta’s persistence in the AI race, Altman suggested that the company will likely try again if the current effort fails. He highlighted a cultural difference, saying OpenAI has built a team focused on consistent innovation — something he believes Meta still struggles to understand.
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OpenAI has officially launched image creation capabilities for WhatsApp users, expanding access to its AI visual tools via the verified number +1-800-ChatGPT. Using natural language prompts, the feature enables users to generate or edit images directly within their chats.
Previously limited to the web and mobile versions of ChatGPT, the image generation tool—powered by DALL-E—is now available globally on WhatsApp, free of charge. OpenAI announced the rollout via X, encouraging users to connect their accounts for enhanced functionality.
To get started, users should save +1-800-ChatGPT (+1-800-242-8478) to their contacts, send ‘Hi’ via WhatsApp, and follow the instructions to link their OpenAI account.
Once verified, they can prompt the AI with creative requests such as ‘design a futuristic skyline’ or ‘show a dog surfing on Mars’ and receive bespoke visuals in return.
The move further integrates generative AI into everyday messaging, making powerful image-creation tools more accessible to a broad user base.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is preparing to introduce in-app advertising. With over two billion active users, Meta plans to monetise the platform more aggressively—signalling a notable shift in WhatsApp’s strategy.
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Microsoft has announced that it will begin deleting saved passwords from its Authenticator app in six weeks, urging users to shift to more secure passkeys. The company confirmed that by August 2025, saved passwords will no longer be accessible, marking a decisive move away from traditional logins.
Users can transition their credentials to Microsoft Edge or adopt passkeys, which are less vulnerable to phishing and breaches. Despite growing risks, Google is making similar recommendations as most users still rely on passwords or outdated two-factor authentication.
The changes reflect a broader industry push to phase out passwords entirely, citing their inherent insecurity and the surge in credential-based attacks. Microsoft also warned that attackers are intensifying efforts to exploit passwords before their relevance fades.
Authenticator will continue supporting passkeys, but users must keep it enabled as their passkey provider. Microsoft’s message is clear: act now to secure your accounts before password support disappears.
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T-Mobile is expanding its support for emergency response teams by combining 5G, AI and drone technologies to boost disaster recovery operations. Its T-Priority service, launched last year, offers dedicated network slices to ensure fast, low-latency data access during crises.
US first responders in disaster-hit regions like Southern California and North Carolina have already used the system to operate body cams, traffic monitoring tools and mapping systems. T-Mobile deployed hundreds of 5G routers and hotspot devices to aid efforts during the Palisades wildfire and Hurricanes.
AI and drone technologies are key in reconnaissance, damage assessment and real-time communication. T-Mobile’s self-organising network adapts to changing conditions using live data, ensuring stable connectivity throughout emergency operations.
Public-private collaboration is central to the initiative, with T-Mobile working alongside FEMA, the Department of Defense and local emergency centres. The company has also signed a major deal to provide New York City with a dedicated public safety network.
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Gmail users are being urged to upgrade their security as online scams continue to rise sharply, with cyber criminals stealing over £12 billion in the past year alone. Google is warning that simple passwords leave people vulnerable to phishing and account takeovers.
To combat the threat, users are encouraged to switch to passkeys or use ‘Sign in with Google’, both of which offer stronger protections through fingerprint, face ID or PIN verification. Over 60% of Baby Boomers and Gen X users still rely on weak passwords, increasing their exposure to attacks.
Despite the availability of secure alternatives, only 30% of users reportedly use them daily. Gen Z is leading the shift by adopting newer tools, bypassing outdated security habits altogether.
Google recommends adding 2-Step Verification for those unwilling to leave passwords behind. With scams growing more sophisticated, extra security measures are no longer optional, they are essential.
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JPMorgan Chase has filed a trademark application in the US for ‘JPMD’, a name set to cover a wide range of cryptocurrency-related financial services. The new trademark covers digital asset trading, payments, transfers, custody, brokerage, and real-time token transactions.
The move indicates the banking giant may be preparing to deepen its involvement in blockchain-powered financial infrastructure.
The filing follows recent developments in JPMorgan’s blockchain division, Kinexys. It successfully tested a transaction involving tokenised US Treasuries (OUSG) via Ondo Finance, with Chainlink’s CRE facilitating asset movement.
Despite CEO Jamie Dimon’s ongoing scepticism toward Bitcoin, the bank appears to be adapting to the digital asset economy. Dimon stated he would allow clients to access Bitcoin, though JPMorgan would not provide custody services for the asset.
With BTC currently hovering around $107,000, the bank’s strategic branding and blockchain experimentation suggest a growing, if cautious, embrace of crypto services in traditional finance.
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