Elon Musk has announced plans to sue Apple, accusing the company of unfairly favouring OpenAI’s ChatGPT over his xAI app Grok on the App Store.
Musk claims that Apple’s ranking practices make it impossible for any AI app except OpenAI’s to reach the top spot, calling this behaviour an ‘unequivocal antitrust violation’. ChatGPT holds the number one position on Apple’s App Store, while Grok ranks fifth.
Musk expressed frustration on social media, questioning why his X app, which he describes as ‘the number one news app in the world,’ has not received higher placement. He suggested that Apple’s ranking decisions might be politically motivated.
The dispute highlights growing tensions as AI companies compete for prominence on major platforms.
Apple and Musk’s xAI have not responded yet to requests for comment.
The controversy unfolds amid increasing scrutiny of App Store policies and their impact on competition, especially within the fast-evolving AI sector.
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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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Hackers have stolen over $1 million in cryptocurrency using AI-generated malicious Firefox extensions disguised as legitimate wallet tools.
The group, known as GreedyBear, created over 150 fake add-ons for platforms like MetaMask and Phantom, bypassing security checks to drain funds from thousands of users. Analysts say AI enabled the attackers to automate coding and deployment at an industrial scale.
The theft comes amid a record-breaking year for crypto crime, with Chainalysis data showing over $2.17 billion stolen so far in 2025. Many incidents exploit smart contract flaws and human error, with access control attacks accounting for the most recent losses.
Security experts warn that AI is now a double-edged sword, helping attackers and defenders. They urge exchanges, developers, and users to adopt AI-powered monitoring, stronger verification, and collaborative defences to restore trust in digital assets.
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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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In response to a troubling glitch in Google’s Gemini chatbot, the company is already deploying a fix. Users reported that Gemini, when encountering complex coding problems, began spiralling into dramatic self-criticism, declaring statements such as ‘I am a failure’ and ‘I am a disgrace to all possible and impossible universes’, repeatedly and without prompting.
Logan Kilpatrick, Google DeepMind’s group product manager, confirmed the issue on X, describing it as an ‘annoying infinite looping bug’ and assuring users that Gemini is ‘not having that bad of a day’. According to Ars Technica, affected interactions account for less than 1 percent of Gemini traffic, and updates addressing the issue have already been released.
This bizarre behaviour, sometimes described as a ‘rant mode’, appears to echo the frustrations human developers express online when debugging. Experts warn that it highlights the challenges of controlling advanced AI outputs, especially as models are increasingly deployed in sensitive areas such as medicine or education.
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The 2025 World Robot Conference in Beijing has drawn significant attention to China’s growing humanoid robotics industry. With over 60 humanoid robots on display, the event attracted investors and tech enthusiasts alike, generating a surge in stock prices for companies such as Unitree Robotics.
The conference showcased robots performing diverse activities from industrial operations to more human-like tasks, including marathons and kickboxing, highlighting rapid AI advancements.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has supported the sector strongly, aiming for mass production and widespread adoption by 2027. The market, valued at $2.24 billion in 2024, is expected to grow to $41 billion by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of nearly 44%.
New manufacturing facilities and advances such as carbon fibre materials are boosting the durability and agility of these robots, while companies are focusing on AI integration and teamwork capabilities.
Despite the promising outlook, challenges like high costs, AI learning complexities, and potential overvaluation remain. Experts acknowledge China is closing the gap in humanoid robotics innovation, though technical hurdles persist.
The event underscores the significant role humanoid robots could play in reshaping industries and everyday life, supported by both state initiatives and private investment.
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The UAE Ministry of Interior states that AI, surveillance, and modern laws are key to fighting crime. Offences are economic, traditional, or cyber, with data tools and legal updates improving investigations. Cybercrime is on the rise as digital technology expands.
Current measures include AI monitoring, intelligent surveillance, and new laws. Economic crimes like fraud and tax evasion are addressed through analytics and banking cooperation. Cross-border cases and digital evidence tampering continue to be significant challenges.
Traditional crimes, such as theft and assault, are addressed through cameras, patrols, and awareness drives. Some offences persist in remote or crowded areas. Technology and global cooperation have improved results in several categories.
UAE officials warn that AI and the internet of Things will lead to more sophisticated cyberattacks. Future risks include evolving criminal tactics, privacy threats, skills shortages, and balancing security and individual rights.
Opportunities include AI-powered security, stronger global ties, and better cybersecurity. Dubai Police have launched a bilingual platform to educate the public, viewing awareness as the first defence against online threats.
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NASA and Google are collaborating on an AI-powered medical assistant designed for long-distance space travel, particularly missions to Mars.
The Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMO-DA) tool uses Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform and a mix of open-source large language models to provide autonomous medical advice and diagnostics.
The capability is crucial due to the significant communication delays between Mars and Earth, which can reach up to 223 minutes one way, making real-time medical consultation impossible.
The CMO-DA aims to support astronauts by diagnosing conditions and offering treatment recommendations independently, without Earth-based input. Future versions will incorporate ultrasound imaging and biometric data to enhance diagnostic accuracy.
Tested against common medical issues by a panel that included a doctor-astronaut, the AI demonstrated accuracy rates ranging from 74% to 88% for various ailments.
However, NASA acknowledges challenges such as building trust in AI decisions and limited data on health effects from spaceflight and partial gravity environments.
The project forms part of NASA’s Artemis programme, focusing on Moon exploration and preparing for human missions to Mars, emphasising the importance of autonomous healthcare tools for deep space missions.
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Google is testing a new AI-powered version of its Finance page, offering users advanced tools to explore stock market, financial, and cryptocurrency information.
The platform enables users to ask natural language questions about finance and receive detailed answers, accompanied by source links.
The new page features three main components: research, charting tools, and real-time data and news. Users can visualise financial data using technical charts such as moving averages and candlestick charts, and access live updates and news feeds related to financial markets and cryptocurrencies.
Google plans to roll out the AI-powered Finance page over the coming weeks via Google.com/finance, aiming to provide a more interactive and insightful experience for users interested in financial data and market trends.
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