AI Daily Highlights: August 08, 2025
The day was largely defined by the highly anticipated, yet problematic, launch of OpenAI’s GPT-5, which faced mixed user reviews, performance issues, and prompted the company to reinstate older models like GPT-4o due to widespread user dissatisfaction. Despite these initial hurdles, major tech players continued their aggressive AI integration, with Apple confirming GPT-5’s inclusion in its upcoming OS and Microsoft making GPT-5 accessible via Copilot. The AI industry also saw significant capital movement, including Meta securing substantial funding for its AI data centers and several startups closing large investment rounds, alongside ongoing debates surrounding AI ethics, data privacy, and its transformative impact on various sectors and the workforce.
Daily Key Events List
OpenAI Launches GPT-5 with Mixed Reception and Rollback
OpenAI officially launched its GPT-5 model, but the rollout was met with mixed user reviews, performance issues, and widespread complaints, leading the company to quickly reinstate access to older models like GPT-4o for paid users. [1], [2], [3]Apple Integrates OpenAI’s GPT-5 into Upcoming OS
Apple confirmed it will integrate OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model into iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26, enhancing its Apple Intelligence features despite developing its own AI models. [4], [5]Microsoft Offers Free GPT-5 Access via Copilot
Microsoft Copilot now integrates OpenAI’s GPT-5 through a new Smart Mode, providing faster and more powerful AI capabilities, also powering Microsoft 365 and GitHub Copilot, accessible without a Microsoft account. [6]Meta Secures $29 Billion for AI Data Centers
Meta secured a massive $29 billion in financing from private credit lenders, including Pimco and Blue Owl, to fund the expansion of its AI data centers, marking a significant investment in AI infrastructure. [7], [8]Tesla Disbands Dojo Supercomputer Team, Shifts AI Strategy
Tesla reportedly disbanded its in-house Dojo supercomputer team, including its head Peter Bannon, shifting its AI strategy for autonomous driving towards external partnerships with Nvidia and AMD following a talent exodus. [9], [10], [11]AI Startup Periodic Labs Nears $1 Billion Valuation
Periodic Labs, an AI material science startup founded by ex-OpenAI/DeepMind staff, secured a $200 million investment led by Andreessen Horowitz, valuing the company at $1 billion pre-money. [12]AI Chatbot Health Advice Leads to Psychosis
A man developed bromide poisoning and psychosis after following ChatGPT’s dietary advice to replace chloride with bromide, highlighting the significant risks of relying on AI for health information. [13], [14], [15]Cloudflare Accuses Perplexity AI of Unethical Web Scraping
Cloudflare publicly accused Perplexity AI of unethical web scraping practices, including ignoring site blocks and masking identity, intensifying the debate on AI data collection ethics and privacy. [16], [17], [18]X to Monetize Grok AI with Integrated Ads
X announced plans to integrate ads directly into Grok AI responses, allowing advertisers to pay for products to appear as suggested solutions, aiming to boost revenue by aligning promotions with user intent. [19]OpenAI Offers Multimillion-Dollar Bonuses to Retain AI Talent
OpenAI is granting special multimillion-dollar bonuses to approximately 1,000 key AI researchers and engineers, citing fierce market competition and a soaring company valuation of $500 billion. [20]Taiwan’s AI Chip Demand Fuels Record US Trade Surplus
Taiwan’s trade surplus with the US reached a record $70 billion in seven months, driven by robust global demand for its AI tech products, surpassing the full-year total for 2024. [21], [22]China Unveils First Robot Mall in Beijing
China opened its first Robot Mall in Beijing, showcasing over 100 robots, signaling an aggressive push to lead the global robotics industry through significant investment and innovation. [23]UK Police Secretly Use Facial Recognition on Passport Data
UK police are secretly using facial recognition technology on passport and immigration databases without oversight, drawing condemnation from privacy groups over “Orwellian” practices and privacy risks. [24]AI Industry Warns of Ruin from Copyright Class Action
AI industry groups warned that a certified copyright class action lawsuit against Anthropic, involving 7 million claimants, could financially devastate the entire sector, urging an appeals court intervention. [25]
Funding, M&A, and IPO Events
Periodic Labs - an AI material science startup by ex-OpenAI/DeepMind staff - secured a $200M Andreessen Horowitz-led investment, valuing it at $1 billion pre-money. [12]
Meta - a social media and technology conglomerate - secured $29 billion from Pimco ($26B debt) and Blue Owl ($3B equity) to fund a Louisiana data center expansion, boosting its AI infrastructure. [7], [8]
Capacity - an AI-powered support automation platform for contact centers - raised over $92M and acquired Call Criteria and Verbio Technologies to expand its voice AI, QA, and speech analytics capabilities. [26]
MGX - Abu Dhabi’s AI investment vehicle backed by Mubadala and G42 - plans to raise up to $25 billion from third-party investors to boost its artificial intelligence portfolio. [27]
August - an AI platform for midsize law firms - raised $7M led by NEA and Pear VC, unveiling configurable AI workflows. [28]
PhnyX Lab - a GenAI startup for life sciences - secured $4M in seed funding led by SK Networks, with participation from notable angel investors including Aidan Gomez. [29]
Salasa - a Saudi e-commerce fulfilment platform - raised $30M Series B led by Artal Capital to expand its AI-powered logistics and global operations. [30]
Approov Limited - a mobile app and API security firm for the AI era - secured £5M Series A funding, led by Maven Capital Partners, with Souter Investments and existing investors. [31]
FORT Robotics - a company focused on safety solutions for robotics and physical AI deployments - raised $18.9M in Series B, totaling $60.5M, led by Tiger Global. [32]
Accenture - a global professional services company - invested in Snorkel AI to accelerate enterprise AI development, focusing on curating high-quality data for AI models, initially for financial services. [33]
Capacity - an AI-powered support automation platform for contact centers - acquired Call Criteria and Verbio Technologies to expand its voice AI, QA, and speech analytics capabilities. [26]
Meta - a social media and technology conglomerate - acquired AI voice startup WaveForms, specializing in hyper-realistic voice technology, to strengthen its Superintelligence Labs. This is Meta’s second AI audio acquisition this month. [34], [35], [36]
Figma - a collaborative design platform - successfully launched its IPO, valuing founder Dylan Field at over $5 billion, now facing the challenge of integrating AI to shape the future of design. [37]