eBay is introducing a new AI-powered feature to help sellers respond to buyer questions, continuing its AI strategy to streamline selling. Over 10 million sellers have used these tools to create over 200 million listings, with about 500,000 AI-assisted listings generated daily.
The company has launched several AI tools over the past two years, including generative video, listing assistants, bulk upload features and photo background enhancements.
Executives see AI as a way to increase seller retention, expand inventory, and drive buyer traffic, particularly in a competitive market where Amazon, Etsy, and Poshmark offer similar capabilities.
While adoption is optional, eBay tests features with its seller community, making adjustments based on feedback to ensure tone and presentation feel authentic. The company views AI as essential to maintaining its place at the forefront of online marketplaces.
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OpenAI has rolled out GPT-5 as the default AI model powering ChatGPT, bringing new features designed to boost productivity for personal and business users.
The new model seamlessly switches between quick search and in-depth reasoning, allowing more fluid and intelligent responses. Users can prompt ChatGPT to ‘think hard’ to trigger the deeper reasoning mode.
ChatGPT Plus users now benefit from double the previous message limit, with 160 messages allowed every three hours. Meanwhile, Team and Pro plan subscribers enjoy unlimited GPT-5 access unless accounts are misused.
Free users have a limit of 10 messages every five hours and one daily ‘Thinking’ mode message. Older GPT models such as GPT-4.1 and GPT-3 have been discontinued but remain accessible via web settings for paying customers.
All built-in tools are automatically enabled according to user needs, removing the need to toggle features like web search, image generation, or data analysis on and off. OpenAI also revealed plans to support third-party plugins to expand ChatGPT’s development capabilities further.
The new voice mode now follows instructions more accurately and will be available to all users.
Overall, GPT-5 marks a significant leap forward, improving reasoning, creativity, and alignment with user intent. OpenAI aims to make ChatGPT an even more powerful assistant by integrating enhanced capabilities and streamlining the user experience.
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GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke has announced his decision to step down later in the year to pursue new entrepreneurial ventures.
Instead of appointing a new CEO, Microsoft will integrate GitHub more closely into its CoreAI division. Since Microsoft acquired GitHub in 2018, the platform has operated chiefly independently, but with this change, leadership will report directly to several Microsoft executives.
Under Dohmke’s leadership since 2021, GitHub’s user base more than doubled to over 150 million developers, supporting over one billion repositories and forks.
The platform has become essential to Microsoft’s AI and developer strategy, especially with growing competition from Google, Replit, and others in the AI coding market.
GitHub recently launched advanced AI tools like Copilot, which suggest code and automate programming tasks, helping developers work more efficiently.
Microsoft’s investment in AI is shaping the future of coding, with GitHub playing a central role by providing direct access to developers worldwide.
Dohmke will remain with Microsoft until the end of the year to assist with the transition, emphasising GitHub’s importance to Microsoft’s broader ambitions in AI and cloud computing.
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Small language models are emerging as a serious challenger to large, general-purpose AI in translation, offering faster turnaround, lower costs, and greater accuracy for specific industries and language pairs.
Straker, an ASX-listed language technology firm, claims its Tiri model family can outperform larger systems by focusing on domain-specific understanding and terminology rather than broad coverage.
Tiri delivers higher contextual accuracy by training on carefully curated translation memories and sector-specific data, cutting the need for expensive human post-editing. The models also consume less computing power, benefiting finance, healthcare, and law industries.
Straker integrates human feedback directly into its workflows to ensure ongoing improvements and maintain client trust.
The company is expanding its technology into enterprise automation by integrating with the AI workflow platform n8n.
It adds Straker’s Verify tool to a network of over 230,000 users, allowing automated translation checks, real-time quality scores, and seamless escalation to human linguists. Further integrations with platforms like Microsoft Teams are planned.
Straker recently reported record profitability and secured a price target upgrade from broker Ord Minnett. The firm believes the future of AI translation lies not in scale but in specialised models that deliver translations that are both fluent and accurate in context.
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Microsoft has launched Copilot 3D, an AI-powered tool that transforms 2D images into realistic 3D models without requiring specialist skills. Available through Copilot Labs, it aims to make 3D creation faster, more accessible, and more intuitive for global users signed in with a Microsoft account.
The tool supports only image-to-3D conversion, with no text-to-3D capability. Users can upload images up to 10 MB, generate a model, and download it in GLB format. Microsoft states uploaded images are used solely for model generation and are not retained for training or personalisation.
Copilot 3D is designed for applications that range from prototyping and creative exploration to interactive learning, thereby reducing the steep learning curve associated with conventional 3D programs. It can be used on PCs or mobile browsers; however, Microsoft recommends a desktop experience for optimal results.
Tech rivals are also advancing similar tools. Apple’s Matrix3D model can build 3D scenes from images, while Meta’s 3D Gen AI system creates 3D assets from text or applies textures to existing models. Nvidia’s NeRF technology generates realistic 3D scenes from multiple 2D images.
The release underscores growing competition in AI-driven 3D design, as companies race to make advanced modelling tools more accessible to everyday creators.
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The University of Western Australia has ordered a mass password reset for all staff and students after detecting unauthorised access to stored password data.
The incident was contained over the weekend by the university’s IT and security teams, who then moved to recovery and investigation. Australian authorities have been notified.
While no other systems are currently believed to have been compromised, access to UWA services remains locked until credentials are changed.
The university has not confirmed if its central access management system was targeted.
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In mid-2025, the debate over AI in programming mirrors historic resistance to earlier breakthroughs in computing. Critics say current AI coding tools often slow developers and create overconfidence, while supporters argue they will eventually transform software creation.
The Register compares this moment to the 1950s, when Grace Hopper faced opposition to high-level programming languages. Similar scepticism greeted technologies such as C, Java, and intermediate representation, which later became integral to modern computing.
Current AI tools face limits in resources, business models, and capability. Yet, as past trends show, these constraints may fade as hardware, training, and developer practices improve. Advocates believe AI will shift human effort toward design and problem definition rather than manual coding.
For now, adoption remains a mixed blessing, with performance issues and unrealistic expectations. But history suggests that removing barriers between ideas and results catalyses lasting change.
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Tesla has applied for a licence to supply electricity to homes and businesses across Britain, challenging the dominance of major energy firms. Ofgem could take up to nine months to decide, with operations potentially starting next year.
Known for electric vehicles, Tesla also runs solar and battery storage divisions, with more than 250,000 EVs and tens of thousands of home batteries already sold in the UK. The company’s experience in Texas, where it rewards customers for feeding surplus power to the grid, could inform its UK plans.
The move comes as Tesla’s European car sales decline sharply, with July registrations falling almost 60% in the UK and over 55% in Germany. Increased competition from Chinese manufacturer BYD has added to the pressure.
Tesla has faced public criticism linked to Elon Musk’s political positions, yet the energy push signals a strategic shift towards broader utility services in its key markets.
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Firms such as Wix.com, Shutterstock, and Adobe have been labelled high risk by Bank of America, with stock declines far outpacing the broader market. The shift stems from fears that AI will replace services like graphic design and data analysis, delivering them faster and cheaper.
Some analysts say the impact, once expected over five years, may unfold in just two.
The disruption is not limited to creative industries. Gartner saw a record share drop after cutting its revenue forecast, with some attributing the slump to cheaper AI-powered alternatives.
Meanwhile, major tech firms, including Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon, are expected to invest around $350 billion this year, nearly 50% more than last year, to expand AI infrastructure.
Despite the pressure, certain businesses are adapting successfully. Duolingo has doubled its share price over the past year by integrating AI into its language-learning tools, though questions remain over the long-term sustainability of such gains.
As the gap between AI-powered growth and industry decline widens, markets are bracing for further upheaval.
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Tesla has disbanded its Dojo supercomputer team, with team leader Peter Bannon departing amid a shift in AI strategy. Resources are being reallocated to other company data centres and computing projects.
The supercomputer was initially intended to process large volumes of vehicle data and video to train its autonomous‑driving systems. The team had recently lost around 20 members to the start‑up DensityAI.
Tesla plans to rely more on external partners for compute and chip supply. Strategic collaborations with Nvidia, AMD and Samsung Electronics are being pursued to bolster capacity.
The company focuses on integrating AI, including robotics and self‑driving technologies, across its business. A recent $16.5 billion agreement with Samsung aims to support services like robotaxi, humanoid robots and data‑centre operations.
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