OpenAI and the Korea Development Bank (KDB) have partnered to support the growth of South Korea’s AI ecosystem. The collaboration aims to develop AI models specifically designed for the Korean language and enhance the country’s position in the global AI landscape.
KDB views AI as a critical driver of national competitiveness and will assist OpenAI in navigating the local market by acting as a coordinator for government affairs. The partnership reflects a shared vision to advance South Korea’s technological and economic future through AI innovation. That move also highlights South Korea’s commitment to becoming a leader in the AI industry, with OpenAI playing a key role in advancing these goals.
The growing impact of AI is also evident in South Korea’s search engine market, where AI-driven technologies are changing how users access information. Naver, the leading domestic search engine, has experienced a decline in market share, while global search engines like Google, which integrate AI features such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, have seen growth.
Why does it matter?
That shift signifies a broader transformation in the digital landscape, as AI-enhanced search engines provide more personalised and summarised answers, moving away from traditional lists of information. The increasing adoption of AI in search engines underscores the growing influence of AI on various industries in South Korea.
Orange has entered a groundbreaking multi-year partnership with OpenAI, becoming the first European telecom company with direct access to pre-release versions of the company’s AI models. This collaboration will allow Orange to influence OpenAI’s development roadmap while ensuring secure hosting of AI infrastructure in Europe, according to the group’s AI chief, Steve Jarrett.
The partnership highlights the strategic importance of OpenAI’s widely used models, with over 50,000 Orange employees already integrating them into their work. Jarrett emphasised the financial and technological advantages of a direct relationship with OpenAI, boosting Orange’s position in the AI race.
In addition to the partnership, Orange is working with Meta and OpenAI to translate African languages like Wolof and Pular for customer support and broader non-commercial uses. The initiative aims to support governments, universities, and startups, expanding accessibility to underserved linguistic communities.
Orange, the French telecoms giant, has announced a partnership with OpenAI and Meta to enhance AI language models for translating regional African languages. The initiative will integrate West African languages into OpenAI’s ‘Whisper’ and Meta’s ‘Llama‘ systems, aiming to address the linguistic diversity in the region.
Set to launch in the first half of 2025, the project will foster better communication and inclusivity in communities with limited digital representation. Orange sees this as a significant step in leveraging AI to promote cultural and linguistic preservation.
The collaboration underscores the increasing focus on adapting technology for underserved regions. Both OpenAI and Meta bring advanced AI capabilities to help bridge communication gaps, with Orange spearheading the drive for multilingual accessibility.
OpenAI is allowing employees to sell up to $1.5 billion worth of shares to Japan’s SoftBank Group in a new tender offer, according to sources familiar with the deal. This follows SoftBank’s $500 million investment in OpenAI during an October funding round that valued the Microsoft-backed AI startup at $157 billion. Employees have until 24 December to decide whether to sell their shares, with the offer price matching the last funding round.
SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2 will finance the purchase, reflecting CEO Masayoshi Son’s strategy to increase his stake in AI ventures. Son has aggressively expanded his AI portfolio, including investments in OpenAI and chip startup Graphcore, as he positions the conglomerate to ride the AI boom.
OpenAI continues to attract global attention with its flagship product ChatGPT, which now boasts 250 million weekly active users. The company’s rapid growth and high valuation highlight its central role in shaping the AI revolution.
OpenAI is reportedly considering developing a web browser integrated with its chatbot and is in talks to enhance search features for platforms like Conde Nast, Redfin, and Priceline, according to The Information. These moves could position OpenAI as a competitor to Google in both the browser and search markets, further challenging the tech giant’s dominance.
OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, has already dipped into the search market with SearchGPT and has explored AI-powered collaborations with Samsung, a key Google partner, and Apple for its “Apple Intelligence” features. Meanwhile, Google faces increasing pressure, with the US Department of Justice suggesting it divest its Chrome browser to curb its search monopoly.
Although OpenAI’s browser plans remain in the early stages, the potential competition highlights a shift in the AI landscape, with Google and OpenAI vying to lead the generative AI race. Alphabet shares fell sharply following the report, reflecting market concerns about Google’s ability to maintain its stronghold.
OpenAI is under scrutiny after engineers accidentally erased key evidence in an ongoing copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times and Daily News. The publishers accuse OpenAI of using their copyrighted content to train its AI models without authorisation.
The issue arose when OpenAI provided virtual machines for the plaintiffs to search its training datasets for infringed material. On 14 November 2024, OpenAI engineers deleted the search data stored on one of these machines. While most of the data was recovered, the loss of folder structures and file names rendered the information unusable for tracing specific sources in the training process.
Plaintiffs are now forced to restart the time-intensive search, leading to concerns over OpenAI’s ability to manage its own datasets. Although the deletion is not suspected to be intentional, lawyers argue that OpenAI is best equipped to perform searches and verify its use of copyrighted material. OpenAI maintains that training AI on publicly available data falls under fair use, but it has also struck licensing deals with major publishers like the Associated Press and News Corp. The company has neither confirmed nor denied using specific copyrighted works for its AI training.
OpenAI, in partnership with Common Sense Media, has introduced a free training course aimed at helping teachers understand AI and prompt engineering. The course is designed to equip educators with the skills to use ChatGPT effectively in classrooms, including creating lesson content and streamlining administrative tasks.
The launch comes as OpenAI increases its efforts to promote the positive educational uses of ChatGPT, which became widely popular after its release in November 2022. While the tool’s potential for aiding students has been recognised, its use also sparked concerns about cheating and plagiarism.
Leah Belsky, formerly of Coursera and now leading OpenAI’s education efforts, emphasised the importance of teaching both students and teachers to use AI responsibly. Belsky noted that student adoption of ChatGPT is high, with many parents viewing AI literacy as crucial for future careers. The training is available on Common Sense Media’s website, marking the first of many initiatives in this partnership.
Asian News International (ANI), one of India’s largest news agencies, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of using copyrighted news content to train its AI models without authorisation. ANI alleges that OpenAI’s ChatGPT generated false information attributed to the agency, including fabricated interviews, which it claims could harm its reputation and spread misinformation.
The case, filed in the Delhi High Court, is India’s first legal action against OpenAI on copyright issues. While the court summoned OpenAI to respond, it declined to grant an immediate injunction, citing the complexity of the matter. A detailed hearing is scheduled for January, and an independent expert may be appointed to examine the case’s copyright implications.
OpenAI has argued that copyright laws don’t protect factual data and noted that websites can opt out of data collection. ANI’s counsel countered that public access does not justify content exploitation, emphasising the risks posed by AI inaccuracies. The case comes amid growing global scrutiny of AI companies over their use of copyrighted material, with similar lawsuits ongoing in the US, Canada, and Germany.
Perplexity, an AI-driven search startup, has unveiled a new shopping hub to attract users and compete with Google’s dominance in search. Backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Nvidia, the platform offers visually rich product cards in response to shopping-related queries, integrating with platforms like Shopify to provide real-time product details.
The rollout includes features like ‘Snap to Shop,’ which uses photos to suggest products and a Merchant Program that allows retailers to share their offerings with Perplexity. Initially available in the US, the service will expand to other markets at a later date.
This move comes as Perplexity raises new investments at a reported $9 billion valuation and seeks to compete with OpenAI, which recently introduced enhanced search features for ChatGPT. The startup aims to leverage AI-powered tools to boost its presence in e-commerce and attract both users and merchants.
Elon Musk has expanded his legal battle against OpenAI by adding Microsoft to his lawsuit, accusing both companies of engaging in illegal practices to monopolise the generative AI market. The federal antitrust claims, filed in Oakland, California, argue that the partnership between OpenAI and its largest investor, Microsoft, has sidelined competitors and restricted investment opportunities for other AI developers.
Musk’s complaint, which builds on his initial lawsuit from August, claims that OpenAI, which he helped to establish as a nonprofit, has deviated from its original mission. It has transformed into a highly profitable company, valued at $157 billion, and Musk argues that its partnership with Microsoft has created unfair market dominance. He is seeking to have the licensing agreement between the two companies voided and for them to divest assets gained through what he calls monopolistic practices.
The lawsuit also accuses Microsoft and OpenAI of circumventing regulatory oversight by entering exclusive agreements that Musk believes resemble a merger, without going through standard antitrust reviews. OpenAI has dismissed the claims as unfounded, while Musk’s legal team insists that the companies’ actions are damaging competition and transparency in the AI sector.
Musk’s tensions with OpenAI have been ongoing since he left the organisation, which he co-founded to develop safe AI. As OpenAI transitioned to a for-profit structure and secured billions from Microsoft, concerns grew about the concentration of power in the hands of a few dominant players in AI.
