A Chrome browser extension posing as an AI assistant has stolen OpenAI credentials from more than 10,000 users. Cybersecurity platform Obsidian identified the malicious software, known as H-Chat Assistant, which secretly harvested API keys and transmitted user data to hacker-controlled servers.
The extension, initially called ChatGPT Extension, appeared to function normally after users provided their OpenAI API keys. Analysts discovered that the theft occurred when users deleted chats or logged out, triggering the transmission of credentials via hardcoded Telegram bot credentials.
At least 459 unique API keys were exfiltrated to a Telegram channel months before they were discovered in January 2025.
Researchers believe the malicious activity began in July 2024 and continued undetected for months. Following disclosure to OpenAI on 13 January, the company revoked compromised API keys, though the extension reportedly remained available in the Chrome Web Store.
Security analysts identified 16 related extensions sharing the identical developer fingerprints, suggesting a coordinated campaign by a single threat actor.
LayerX Security consultant Natalie Zargarov warned that whilst current download numbers remain relatively low, AI-focused browser extensions could rapidly surge in popularity.
The malicious extensions exploit vulnerabilities in web-based authentication processes, creating, as researchers describe, a ‘materially expanded browser attack surface’ through deep integration with authenticated web applications.
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NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Amazon are in talks to invest up to $60 billion in OpenAI, valuing the company at around $730 billion. The talks highlight intensifying competition among technology giants to secure strategic positions in the rapidly expanding AI sector.
NVIDIA is said to be considering the largest commitment, potentially investing as much as $30 billion, while Microsoft may add less than $10 billion despite its long-standing partnership with OpenAI.
Amazon could contribute more than $10 billion, strengthening its cloud and infrastructure ties with the company as demand for large-scale AI computing continues to rise.
OpenAI and NVIDIA are advancing plans to deploy large-scale data centre capacity, with a multi-year rollout starting in late 2026. The project aims to deliver large-scale high-performance computing, supporting OpenAI’s push towards artificial general intelligence and global expansion.
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Worldcoin jumped 40% after reports that OpenAI is developing a biometric social platform to verify users and eliminate bots. The proposed network would reportedly integrate AI tools while relying on biometric identification to ensure proof of personhood.
Sources cited by Forbes claim the project aims to create a humans-only platform, differentiating itself from existing social networks, including X. Development is said to be led by a small internal team, with work reportedly underway since early 2025.
Biometric verification could involve Apple’s Face ID or the World Orb scanner, a device linked to the World project co-founded by OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.
The report sparked a sharp rally in Worldcoin, though part of the gains later reversed amid wider market weakness. Despite the brief surge, Worldcoin has remained sharply lower over the past year amid weak market sentiment and ongoing privacy concerns.
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SoftBank is in discussions to invest an additional $30 billion in OpenAI, as the Japanese conglomerate deepens its commitment to the AI pioneer. The potential funding round could reach $100 billion, valuing OpenAI at approximately $830 billion.
Chief Executive Masayoshi Son has taken an aggressive approach in the AI race, following a $41 billion investment last year that secured an 11 percent stake. OpenAI is facing increasing operational costs to train and maintain its AI models while competing with Alphabet’s Google.
Both SoftBank and OpenAI are also investors in Stargate, a $500 billion project to build AI data centres critical to US efforts to maintain a technological edge over China. The ambitious plan highlights the strategic importance of AI infrastructure in the global market.
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Advertising is set to be introduced within the free ChatGPT service, signalling a shift in how the platform will be monetised as its user base continues to expand rapidly. The move reflects OpenAI’s plans to turn widespread adoption into a sustainable revenue stream.
The company confirmed that ad testing will begin in the coming weeks, with sponsored content shown at the bottom of relevant ChatGPT responses. OpenAI said advertisements will be clearly labelled and separated from organic answers.
ChatGPT now serves more than 800 million users globally, most of whom currently access the service at no cost. Despite the high valuation, the company has continued to operate at a loss while expanding its infrastructure and AI capabilities.
Advertising represents OpenAI’s latest effort to diversify income beyond paid subscriptions and enterprise services. Sponsored recommendations will be shown only when products or services are deemed relevant to the user’s ongoing conversation.
The shift places OpenAI closer to traditional digital platform business models, raising broader questions about how commercial incentives may shape conversational AI systems as they become central gateways to online information.
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OpenAI has launched the Education for Countries programme, a new global initiative designed to support governments in modernising education systems and preparing workforces for an AI-driven economy.
The programme responds to a widening gap between rapid advances in AI capabilities and people’s ability to use them effectively in everyday learning and work.
Education systems are positioned at the centre of closing that gap, as research suggests a significant share of core workplace skills will change by the end of the decade.
By integrating AI tools, training and research into schools and universities, national education frameworks can evolve alongside technological change and better equip students for future labour markets.
The programme combines access to tools such as ChatGPT Edu and advanced language models with large-scale research on learning outcomes, tailored national training schemes and internationally recognised certifications.
A global network of governments, universities and education leaders will also share best practices and shape responsible approaches to AI use in classrooms.
Initial partners include Estonia, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Arab Emirates. Early national rollouts, particularly in Estonia, already involve tens of thousands of students and educators, with further countries expected to join later in 2026.
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The AI firm, OpenAI, plans to introduce advertising within ChatGPT for logged-in adult users, marking a structural shift in how brands engage audiences through conversational interfaces.
Ads would be clearly labelled and positioned alongside responses, aiming to replace interruption-driven formats with context-aware brand suggestions delivered during moments of active user intent.
Industry executives describe conversational AI advertising as a shift from exposure to earned presence, in which brands must provide clarity or utility to justify inclusion.
Experts warn that trust remains fragile, as AI recommendations carry the weight of personal consultation, and undisclosed commercial influence could prompt rapid user disengagement instead of passive ad avoidance.
Regulators and marketers alike highlight risks linked to dark patterns, algorithmic framing and subtle manipulation within AI-mediated conversations.
As conversational systems begin to shape discovery and decision-making, media planning is expected to shift toward intent-led engagement, authority-building, and transparency, reshaping digital advertising economics beyond search rankings and impression-based buying.
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New safeguards are being introduced as ChatGPT uses age prediction to identify accounts that may belong to under-18s. Extra protections limit exposure to harmful content while still allowing adults full access.
The age prediction model analyses behavioural and account-level signals, including usage patterns, activity times, account age, and stated age information. OpenAI says these indicators help estimate whether an account belongs to a minor, enabling the platform to apply age-appropriate safeguards.
When an account is flagged as potentially under 18, ChatGPT limits access to graphic violence, sexual role play, viral challenges, self-harm, and unhealthy body image content. The safeguards reflect research on teen development, including differences in risk perception and impulse control.
ChatGPT users who are incorrectly classified can restore full access by confirming their age through a selfie check using Persona, a secure identity verification service. Account holders can review safeguards and begin the verification process at any time via the settings menu.
Parental controls allow further customisation, including quiet hours, feature restrictions, and notifications for signs of distress. OpenAI says the system will continue to evolve, with EU-specific deployment planned in the coming weeks to meet regional regulatory requirements.
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The Gates Foundation and OpenAI have launched a joint healthcare initiative, Horizon1000, to expand the use of AI across primary care systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The partnership includes a $50 million commitment in funding, technology, and technical support to equip 1,000 clinics with AI tools by 2028.
Horizon1000’s Operations will begin in Rwanda, where local authorities will work with the two organisations to deploy AI systems in frontline healthcare settings. The initiative reflects the Foundation’s long-standing aim to ensure that new technologies reach lower-income regions without long delays.
Bill Gates said the project responds to a critical shortage of healthcare workers, which threatens to undermine decades of progress in global health. Sub-Saharan Africa currently faces a shortfall of nearly six million medical professionals, limiting the capacity of overstretched clinics to deliver consistent care.
Low-quality healthcare contributes to between six and eight million deaths annually in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. Rwanda, the first pilot country, has only one healthcare worker per 1,000 people, far below the WHO’s recommended level.
AI tools under Horizon1000 are intended to support, rather than replace, health workers by assisting with clinical guidance, administration, and patient interactions. The Gates Foundation said it will continue working with regional governments and innovators to scale the programme.
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ServiceNow has announced a multi-year agreement positioning OpenAI as a preferred intelligence capability across its enterprise platform, extending access to frontier AI models for organisations running tens of billions of workflows each year.
The partnership reflects a broader shift towards operational AI embedded directly within business systems instead of experimental deployments.
By integrating OpenAI models such as GPT-5.2 into the ServiceNow AI Platform, enterprises can embed reasoning and automation into secure workflows spanning IT, finance, human resources, and customer operations.
AI tools are designed to analyse context, recommend actions, and execute tasks within existing governance frameworks instead of functioning as standalone assistants.
Executives from both companies emphasised that the collaboration aims to deliver measurable outcomes at scale.
ServiceNow highlighted its role in coordinating complex enterprise environments, while OpenAI stressed the importance of deploying agentic AI capable of handling work end to end within permissioned infrastructures.
Looking ahead, the partnership plans to expand towards multimodal and voice-based interactions, enabling employees to communicate with AI systems through speech, text, and visual inputs.
The initiative strengthens OpenAI’s enterprise footprint while reinforcing ServiceNow’s ambition to act as a central control layer for AI-driven business operations.
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