Welcome again to Week in Evaluation. This week we’re OpenAI doubtlessly charging $20,000 a month for a specialised AI agent, the surprising return of early-internet darling Digg, an organization genetically engineering mice to have mammoth-like fur, and extra! Let’s do that.
OpenAI may cost as much as $20,000 monthly for specialised AI “brokers.” In line with a report from The Data, OpenAI intends to launch a number of “agent” merchandise tailor-made for various purposes. One of many rumored brokers, said to be priced at $20,000 a month, will probably be aimed toward supporting “PhD-level analysis.” The jaw-dropping determine is indicative of how a lot money OpenAI wants proper now: The corporate misplaced roughly $5 billion final 12 months after paying for prices associated to working its providers and different bills.
Scale AI is being investigated by the U.S. Division of Labor for compliance with the Honest Labor Requirements Act, which regulates unpaid wages, misclassification of staff as contractors, and unlawful retaliation in opposition to staff. The investigation has been energetic since at the least August 2024 and continues to be ongoing, according to a source familiar with the matter. A spokesperson for Scale AI informed TechCrunch that the investigation was initiated throughout the earlier presidential administration and that the startup felt its work was misunderstood by regulators then.
A federal choose denied Elon Musk’s movement for an injunction that will have halted OpenAI’s planned transition into a for-profit company, citing inadequate proof. Nonetheless, U.S. District Court docket Choose Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated the court docket is ready to carry an expedited trial based mostly on the declare that OpenAI’s conversion plan is illegal. It’s the most recent flip in Musk’s lawsuit, which accuses OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of abandoning its unique nonprofit mission.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a publication to your inbox each Saturday? Sign up here.
Information
Welcome again, Digg: One of many net’s early information aggregators is again below the possession of its unique founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Rose informed TechCrunch that the revived Digg gained’t be like “your old-school boards.” Read more
Google, take a look at my display screen: Google unveiled a brand new Gemini function referred to as “Screenshare” at Cell World Congress 2025 that may let customers share what’s on their cellphone’s display screen with the AI chatbot and ask questions on what it sees in actual time. Read more
An “AI cellphone” for lower than $1K: Deutsche Telekom introduced that it’s constructing an “AI Cellphone,” a low-cost handset created in shut collaboration with Perplexity. DT plans to unveil the system within the second half of the 12 months, and it’ll begin promoting it in 2026 for lower than $1,000. Read more
It’sa me, synthetic intelligence! UCSD analysis org Hao AI Lab threw AI fashions right into a Tremendous Mario Bros. emulator to benchmark efficiency. Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 carried out one of the best, whereas OpenAI’s GPT-4o struggled. Read more
Volkswagen’s most cost-effective EV ever: Volkswagen this week revealed the ultra-cheap EV referred to as the ID EVERY1. In line with a supply acquainted with the brand new mannequin, the small four-door hatchback would be the first to roll out with software program and structure from Rivian. Read more
Going ghost mode: Getting ghosted isn’t enjoyable — particularly should you’re a founder in search of capital from buyers. TechCrunch spoke to a number of VCs about why they ghost and the way founders could make a extra significant impression. Read more
ChatGPT can straight edit your code: The latest model of the macOS ChatGPT app can straight edit code in supported developer instruments. ChatGPT Plus, Professional, and Staff subscribers can use the function now, and the corporate plans to roll it out to extra customers subsequent week. Read more
A cool use case for AI: Wildlife researchers use digicam traps to review animal populations, however it may possibly take weeks to sift by means of all that knowledge. Now Google has open sourced SpeciesNet, an AI mannequin that may establish animal species by analyzing photographs from digicam traps. Read more
A brand new strategy to watch YouTube ad-free: YouTube Lite is a brand new subscription tier that lets customers watch most movies ad-free for $7.99 monthly. Nonetheless, it gained’t have Premium options like downloads, background play, or the flexibility to observe music movies ad-free. Read more
All hail the woolly mouse: Colossal Biosciences, which is making an attempt to resurrect the woolly mammoth by 2028, has made an cute inroad by genetically engineering mice to have mammoth-like fur. These are the cutest issues I’ve ever seen. I can’t advocate watching the video sufficient. Read more
Evaluation
Why is Sign such a success within the Netherlands? Privateness-focused messaging app Sign has been flying excessive within the Dutch app shops this previous month, typically sitting on the high as essentially the most downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout all classes. Whereas it’s troublesome to pinpoint one particular purpose as to why, Bits of Freedom senior coverage adviser Rejo Zenger will not be stunned. Latest developments within the U.S. have seen the large platform suppliers align with the brand new Trump administration, and Europe’s reliance on expertise from large non-public U.S. firms has develop into a focus in that debate. Read more