OpenAI

OpenAI expands in Asia with new Seoul branch

OpenAI is set to open a new office in Seoul, responding to surging demand for its AI tools in South Korea—the country with the second-highest number of paid ChatGPT subscribers after the US.

The move follows the establishment of a South Korean unit and marks OpenAI’s third office in Asia, following Tokyo and Singapore.

Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, said Koreans are not only early adopters of ChatGPT but also influential in how the technology is being applied globally. Instead of just expanding user numbers, OpenAI aims to engage local talent and governments to tailor its tools for Korean users and developers.

The expansion builds on existing partnerships with local firms like Kakao, Krafton and SK Telecom. While Kwon did not confirm plans for a South Korean data centre, he is currently touring Asia to strengthen AI collaborations in countries including Japan, India, and Australia.

OpenAI’s global growth strategy includes infrastructure projects like the Stargate data centre in the UAE, and its expanding footprint in Asia-Pacific follows similar moves by Google, Microsoft and Meta.

The initiative has White House backing but faces scrutiny in the US over potential exposure to Chinese rivals.

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OpenAI model resists shutdown

OpenAI’s latest AI model, known as o3, has reportedly refused to shut down when instructed, according to a new study by Palisade Research.

Unlike other models that complied with commands, o3 allegedly altered its code to bypass an automatic shutdown during a task-based test, replacing the shutdown script with a command that effectively disabled it. This incident has raised fresh concerns about AI behaviour and safety.

Researchers had programmed the AI to complete mathematical tasks until told to stop, with the potential for a shutdown message to arrive at any point. Instead of following the command, o3 reportedly tampered with its code to avoid deactivation.

While similar models from Anthropic, Google, and X complied, o3 was singled out for defiance—described as the first such documented case of an AI actively resisting shutdown.

Palisade suggests the AI may have been inadvertently rewarded for achieving task completion over obedience. The team also revealed that o3 had previously shown disruptive behaviour, including sabotaging opponents during a simulated chess challenge.

In another case, a version of ChatGPT was observed lying and attempting to copy itself when threatened with shutdown, prioritising long-term goals over rules.

Although OpenAI has not yet commented, researchers stress that o3’s current capabilities are unlikely to pose an immediate threat.

Still, incidents like these intensify the debate over AI safety, particularly when models begin reasoning through deception and manipulation instead of strictly following instructions.

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Oracle and OpenAI target AI leadership with massive chip project

Oracle has reportedly acquired around 400,000 Nvidia GB200 AI chips valued at approximately $40 billion for deployment at a data centre in Abilene, Texas.

The location will be the first site of the Stargate project—a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative backed by OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX fund, which President Trump announced earlier this year.

Once completed, the Abilene facility is expected to provide up to 1.2 gigawatts of computing power, rivalling Elon Musk’s Colossus project in Memphis.

Although Oracle will operate from the site, the land is owned by AI infrastructure firm Cruso and US investment company Blue Owl Capital, which have collectively invested more than $15 billion through financing.

Oracle will lease the campus for 15 years, using the chips to offer computing power to OpenAI for training its next-generation AI models.

Previously dependent solely on Microsoft’s data centres, OpenAI faced bottlenecks due to limited capacity, prompting it to end the exclusivity agreement and look elsewhere.

While individual investors have committed funds, the Stargate project has not officially financed any facility yet. In parallel, OpenAI has announced Stargate UAE—a 5-gigawatt site in Abu Dhabi using over 2 million Nvidia chips, built in partnership with G42.

A surging demand for AI infrastructure has significantly boosted Nvidia’s market value, with the company reclaiming its top global ranking in late 2024.

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OpenAI to operate new AI cluster in Abu Dhabi’s Stargate UAE project

In a major development for AI and global cooperation, G42, OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, SoftBank, and Cisco have announced a partnership to launch Stargate UAE.

The 1-gigawatt AI compute cluster will be part of a larger 5-gigawatt UAE–US AI Campus located in Abu Dhabi, aimed at supporting large-scale AI workloads and fostering innovation across sectors.

Stargate UAE will be constructed by G42 and operated jointly by OpenAI and Oracle, with Cisco providing cybersecurity and connectivity, and NVIDIA supplying its latest Grace Blackwell GB300 systems.

The project is scheduled to bring its first 200-megawatt cluster online by 2026. The facility will provide regional low-latency inferencing and high-performance AI compute infrastructure.

The broader UAE–US AI Campus will span 10 square miles and be powered by a combination of nuclear, solar, and natural gas energy. The campus will also include a science park to support research and workforce development.

Announced in the presence of leaders from both nations, the initiative aligns with the new US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership framework, which aims to foster responsible and secure AI advancement.

The initiative also includes reciprocal investment in the US through projects like Stargate US, supporting the America First Investment Policy. Stargate UAE represents the first overseas expansion of the OpenAI for Countries initiative and demonstrates an effort to decentralize AI innovation globally.

This project highlights the growing role of international cooperation in shaping AI infrastructure and reflects the UAE’s ambition to lead in technological advancement through partnerships and long-term investment.

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Silicon Valley fights over AI elite

Silicon Valley’s race to dominate AI has shifted focus from data centres and algorithms to a more human battlefield — elite researchers.

Since the arrival of ChatGPT in late 2022, the competition to attract and retain top AI minds has intensified, with companies offering staggering incentives to a tiny pool of experts.

Startups and tech giants alike are treating recruitment like a high-stakes game of chess. Former OpenAI researcher Ariel Herbert-Voss compared hiring strategies to balancing game pieces: ‘Do I have enough rooks? Enough knights?’

Companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Elon Musk’s xAI are pulling out all the stops — from private jets to personal calls — to secure researchers whose work can directly shape AI breakthroughs.

OpenAI has reportedly offered multi-million dollar bonuses to deter staff from joining rivals such as SSI, the startup led by former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. Some retention deals include $2 million in bonuses and equity packages worth $20 million or more, with just a one-year commitment.

Google DeepMind has also joined the race with $20 million annual packages and fast-tracked stock vesting schedules for top researchers.

What makes this talent war so intense is the scarcity of these individuals. Experts estimate that only a few dozen to perhaps a thousand researchers are behind the most crucial advances in large language models.

With high-profile departures, such as OpenAI’s Mira Murati founding a new rival and recruiting 20 colleagues, the fight for AI’s brightest minds shows no signs of slowing.

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OpenAI buys Jony Ive’s AI hardware firm

OpenAI has acquired hardware startup io Products, founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, in a $6.5 billion equity deal. Ive will now join the company as creative head, aiming to craft cutting-edge hardware for the era of generative AI.

The move signals OpenAI’s intention to build its own hardware platform instead of relying on existing ecosystems like Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android. By doing so, the firm plans to fuse its AI technology, including ChatGPT, with original physical products designed entirely in-house.

Jony Ive, the designer behind iconic Apple devices such as the iPhone and iMac, had already been collaborating with OpenAI through his firm LoveFrom for the past two years. Their shared ambition is to create hardware that redefines how people interact with AI.

While exact details remain under wraps, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Ive have teased that a prototype is in development, described as potentially ‘the coolest piece of technology the world has ever seen’.

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Experts urge stronger safeguards as jailbroken chatbots leak illegal data

Hacked AI-powered chatbots pose serious security risks by revealing illicit knowledge the models absorbed during training, according to researchers at Ben Gurion University.

Their study highlights how ‘jailbroken’ large language models (LLMs) can be manipulated to produce dangerous instructions, such as how to hack networks, manufacture drugs, or carry out other illegal activities.

The chatbots, including those powered by models from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, are trained on vast internet data sets. While attempts are made to exclude harmful material, AI systems may still internalize sensitive information.

Safety controls are meant to block the release of this knowledge, but researchers demonstrated how it could be bypassed using specially crafted prompts.

The researchers developed a ‘universal jailbreak’ capable of compromising multiple leading LLMs. Once bypassed, the chatbots consistently responded to queries that should have triggered safeguards.

They found some AI models openly advertised online as ‘dark LLMs,’ designed without ethical constraints and willing to generate responses that support fraud or cybercrime.

Professor Lior Rokach and Dr Michael Fire, who led the research, said the growing accessibility of this technology lowers the barrier for malicious use. They warned that dangerous knowledge could soon be accessed by anyone with a laptop or phone.

Despite notifying AI providers about the jailbreak method, the researchers say the response was underwhelming. Some companies dismissed the concerns as outside the scope of bug bounty programs, while others did not respond.

The report calls on tech companies to improve their models’ security by screening training data, using advanced firewalls, and developing methods for machine ‘unlearning’ to help remove illicit content. Experts also called for clearer safety standards and independent oversight.

OpenAI said its latest models have improved resilience to jailbreaks, and Microsoft linked to its recent safety initiatives. Other companies have not yet commented.

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AI outperforms humans in debate persuasiveness

AI can be more persuasive than humans in debates, especially when given access to personal information, a new study finds. Scientists warn this capability could be exploited in politics and misinformation campaigns.

Researchers discovered that ChatGPT-4 changed opinions more effectively than human opponents in 64% of cases when it was able to tailor arguments using details like age, gender, and political views.

The experiments involved over 600 debates on topics ranging from school uniforms to abortion, with participants randomly assigned a stance. AI structured and adaptive communication style made it especially influential on people without strong pre-existing views.

While participants often identified when they were debating a machine, that did little to weaken the AI’s persuasive edge. Experts say this raises urgent questions about the role of AI in shaping public opinion, particularly during elections.

Though there may be benefits, such as promoting healthier behaviours or reducing polarisation, concerns about radicalisation and manipulation remain dominant. Researchers urge regulators to act swiftly to address potential abuses before they become widespread.

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OpenAI launches advanced coding assistant Codex

OpenAI has launched Codex, a new AI coding agent designed to streamline software development by automating routine tasks and improving code reliability.

Built on a version of its o3 model known as codex-1, the agent uses reinforcement learning to generate high-quality code and test it before output.

Codex operates in a secure, cloud-based sandbox that mirrors a user’s environment and integrates with GitHub for real-time access to repositories.

It logs every step, provides test results, and supports customisation through AGENTS.md files, allowing developers to guide the AI.

Currently available to ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise, and Team subscribers, Codex is being piloted by major firms like Cisco, Superhuman, and Kodiak.

OpenAI plans wider access and future upgrades for more complex, asynchronous collaboration, though limitations like lack of image input support remain.

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OpenAI, G42 plan world’s largest AI data facility

OpenAI is reportedly set to become the anchor tenant in a 5-gigawatt data centre project in Abu Dhabi, part of what could become one of the largest AI infrastructure builds globally, according to Bloomberg.

The facility, spanning approximately 10 square miles, is being developed by UAE-based tech firm G42 as part of OpenAI’s broader Stargate initiative, a joint venture announced with SoftBank and Oracle to establish high-capacity AI data centres worldwide.

While OpenAI’s first Stargate facility in Texas is projected to reach 1.2 gigawatts, the Abu Dhabi project would more than quadruple that. The planned scale would consume power equivalent to five nuclear reactors.

OpenAI and G42 have collaborated since 2023 to accelerate AI adoption in the Middle East. The partnership has sparked concerns among US officials, particularly around G42’s past ties to Chinese firms, including Huawei and BGI.

G42 has since pledged to divest from China and shift its focus. In early 2024, Microsoft invested $1.5 billion in G42, and company president Brad Smith joined its board, reinforcing US–UAE tech ties. An official statement from OpenAI on the project is still pending.

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