Future of work

New OpenAI hire shares savvy interview strategies

Bas van Opheusden, who joined OpenAI as a technical staff member in July, has published a comprehensive eight-page guide for aspiring applicants, offering strategic advice spanning recruiter calls, coding interviews, compensation discussions and more.

He suggests treating recruiter conversations as strategic briefings, which are key for understanding the hiring manager’s priorities, team dynamics, role expectations, and organisational goals.

Van Opheusden recommends taking notes during calls, ideally using a dual-screen setup, and arranging windows so it appears you’re maintaining eye contact.

He also shared a standard error: arriving at coding interviews without remembering the exact role he’d applied for, underscoring the importance of clear preparation and role alignment.

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UK estate agents adopt AI tools to offset hiring challenges

UK property agents are increasingly leveraging AI and automation to tackle a growing skills shortage in the sector, according to an analysis by PropTech provider Reapit.

Reapit’s Property Outlook Report 2025 shows that although agencies continue hiring, most face recruitment difficulties: more than half receive fewer than five qualified applicants per vacancy. Growth in payrolled employees is minimal, and the slowest year-on-year rise since May 2021 reflects wider labour market tightness.

In response, agencies are turning to time-saving technologies. A majority report that automation is more cost-effective than expanding headcount, with nearly 80 percent citing increased productivity from these tools.

This shift towards PropTech and AI reflects deeper structural pressures in the UK real estate sector: high employment costs, slower workforce growth, and increasing demands for efficiency are reshaping the role of technology in agency operations.

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Candidates urged to balance AI support with integrity

Taylor Wessing has released guidance for early-career applicants on using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude and Bing Chat during the application process. The firm frames AI as a helpful ally, not a shortcut, and emphasises responsible and authentic use.

AI can assist with refining cover letters, improving structure, and articulating motivations. It can also support interview preparation through mock question practice and help candidates deepen their understanding of legal issues.

However, authenticity is paramount. Taylor Wessing encourages applicants to ensure their work reflects their voice. Using AI to complete online assessments is explicitly discouraged, as these are designed to evaluate natural ability and personal fit.

According to the firm, while AI can bolster readiness for training schemes, over-reliance or misuse may backfire. They advise transparency about any AI assistance and underscore the importance of integrity throughout the process.

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Cohere secures $500m funding to expand secure enterprise AI

Cohere has secured $500 million in new funding, lifting its valuation to $6.8 billion and reinforcing its position as a secure, enterprise-grade AI specialist.

The Toronto-based firm, which develops large language models tailored for business use, attracted backing from AMD, Nvidia, Salesforce, and other investors.

Its flagship multilingual model, Aya 23, supports 23 languages and is designed to help companies adopt AI without the risks linked to open-source tools, reflecting growing demand for privacy-conscious, compliant solutions.

The round marks renewed support from chipmakers AMD and Nvidia, who had previously invested in the company.

Salesforce Ventures’ involvement hints at potential integration with enterprise software platforms, while other backers include Radical Ventures, Inovia Capital, PSP Investments, and the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.

The company has also strengthened its leadership, appointing former Meta AI research head Joelle Pineau as Chief AI Scientist, Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger as Chief Product Officer, and ex-Uber executive Saroop Bharwani as Chief Technology Officer for Applied R&D.

Cohere intends to use the funding to advance agentic AI, systems capable of performing tasks autonomously, while focusing on security and ethical development.

With over $1.5 billion raised since its 2019 founding, the company targets adoption in regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance.

The investment comes amid a broader surge in AI spending, with industry leaders betting that secure, customisable AI will become essential for enterprise operations.

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ChatGPT gets local pricing in India

OpenAI has introduced local pricing for ChatGPT in India, allowing users to pay in rupees instead of US dollars. The shift follows the release of GPT-5, which supports 12 Indian languages and offers improved relevance for local users.

India is now the second-largest ChatGPT market outside the US. The Plus plan now costs $24 per month, while the Pro and Team plans are priced at $240 and $25 per seat, respectively.

OpenAI is also expected to launch a lower-cost option called ChatGPT Go, potentially priced at $5 to appeal to casual users. Competitors like Google and Perplexity AI have also responded by offering free access to students and telecom customers to boost adoption.

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Employees trust managers less when emails use AI

A new study has revealed that managers who use AI to write emails are often viewed as less sincere by their staff. Acceptance improved for emails focused on factual information, where employees were more forgiving of AI involvement.

Researchers found employees were more critical of AI use by their supervisors than when using it themselves, even if the level of assistance was the same.

Only 40 percent of respondents rated managers as sincere when their emails involved high AI input, compared to 83 percent for lighter use.

Professionals did consider AI-assisted emails efficient and polished, but trust declined when messages were relationship-driven or motivational.

Researchers highlighted that managers’ heavier reliance on AI may undermine trust, care, and authenticity perceptions.

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India pushes for safe AI use in financial sector

India’s central bank has proposed a national framework to guide the ethical and responsible use of AI in the financial sector.

The committee, set up by the Reserve Bank of India in December 2024, has made 26 recommendations across six focus areas, including infrastructure, governance, and assurance.

It advised establishing a digital backbone to support homegrown AI models and forming a multi-stakeholder body to evaluate risks.

A dedicated fund to boost domestic AI development tailored for finance was also proposed, alongside audit guidelines and policy frameworks.

The committee recommended integrating AI into platforms such as UPI while preserving public trust and ensuring security.

Led by IIT Bombay’s Pushpak Bhattacharyya, the panel noted the need to balance innovation with risk mitigation in regulatory design.

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How Anthropic trains and tests Claude for safe use

Anthropic has outlined a multi-layered safety plan for Claude, aiming to keep it useful while preventing misuse. Its Safeguards team blends policy experts, engineers, and threat analysts to anticipate and counter risks.

The Usage Policy establishes clear guidelines for sensitive areas, including elections, finance, and child safety. Guided by the Unified Harm Framework, the team assesses potential physical, psychological, and societal harms, utilizing external experts for stress tests.

During the 2024 US elections, a TurboVote banner was added after detecting outdated voting info, ensuring users saw only accurate, non-partisan updates.

Safety is built into development, with guardrails to block illegal or malicious requests. Partnerships like ThroughLine help Claude handle sensitive topics, such as mental health, with care rather than avoidance or refusal.

Before launch, Claude undergoes safety, risk, and bias evaluations with government and industry partners. Once live, classifiers scan for violations in real time, while analysts track patterns of coordinated misuse.

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Google backs workforce and AI education in Oklahoma with a $9 billion investment

Google has announced a $9 billion investment in Oklahoma over the next two years to expand cloud and AI infrastructure.

The funds will support a new data centre campus in Stillwater and an expansion of the existing facility in Pryor, forming part of a broader $1 billion commitment to American education and competitiveness.

The announcement was made alongside Governor Kevin Stitt, Alphabet and Google executives, and community leaders.

Alongside the infrastructure projects, Google funds education and workforce initiatives with the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University through the Google AI for Education Accelerator.

Students will gain no-cost access to Career Certificates and AI training courses, helping them acquire critical AI and job-ready skills instead of relying on standard curricula.

Additional funding will support ALLIANCE’s electrical training to expand Oklahoma’s electrical workforce by 135%, creating the talent needed to power AI-driven energy infrastructure.

Google described the investment as part of an ‘extraordinary time for American innovation’ and a step towards maintaining US leadership in AI.

The move also addresses national security concerns, ensuring the country has the infrastructure and expertise to compete with domestic rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as international competitors such as China’s DeepSeek.

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Automation boosts accounting’s popularity among potential career-changers

A recent survey by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) finds that two in five people would consider a career in accountancy if AI could handle routine tasks. The research suggests automation may improve the profession’s appeal by shifting the focus from admin to strategic support.

Among current accountants, four in five agree that AI tools have made their roles easier by lightening administrative burdens, while 80% say it enables more problem-solving and advisory work. AI will enhance efficiency and accuracy, and allow finance professionals to concentrate on impactful tasks.

The survey reveals 42% of those who have worked in accounting say AI tools have been genuinely valuable; this rises to 55% for 25- to 34-year-olds. Most also support upskilling, with nearly 80% interested in developing AI and machine learning skills as part of workplace training.

Claire Bennison of AAT stresses that AI is not here to replace accountants but to empower them. She argues that building an AI-savvy workforce is essential in meeting skills shortages and modernising the finance profession.

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