The Race in AI Features and the Ethics of Virtual Companionship

Our 217th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!
Recorded on 07/17/2025

Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and guest co-host Jon Krohn.
Feel free to email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekinai.com and/or hello@gladstone.ai

Check out Jon's workshop on Agentic AI Engineering, and find his consultancy here.

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In this episode:

• OpenAI's new ChatGPT agent: The episode begins with a detailed discussion on OpenAI's latest ChatGPT agent, which can control entire computers and perform a wide range of tasks, showcasing powerful performance benchmarks and potential applications in business and research.
• Major business moves in the AI space: Significant shifts include Google's acquisition of Windsurf's top talent after OpenAI's deal fell through, Cognition's acquisition of Windsurf, and several notable hires by Meta from OpenAI and Apple, highlighting intense competition in the AI industry.
• AI's ethical and societal impacts: The hosts discuss serious concerns like the rise of non-consensual explicit AI-generated images, ICE's use of facial recognition for large databases, and regulations aimed at controlling AI's potential misuse.
• Video game actors strike ends: The episode concludes with news that SAG-AFTRA's year-long strike for video game voice actors has ended after reaching an agreement on AI rights and wage increases, reflecting the broader impact of AI on the job market.

Timestamps + Links:

• (00:00:10) Intro / Banter
• (00:02:49) News Preview

Tools & Apps

• (00:03:29) OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Agent can control an entire computer and do tasks for you
• (00:07:11) Alibaba-backed Moonshot releases new Kimi AI model that beats ChatGPT, Claude in coding — and it costs less
• (00:09:36) Amazon targets vibe-coding chaos with new 'Kiro' AI software development tool – GeekWire
• (00:12:33) Anthropic tightens usage limits for Claude Code – without telling users
• (00:15:51) Mistral's Le Chat chatbot gets a productivity push with new ‘deep research' mode | TechCrunch
• (00:17:46) I spent 24 hours flirting with Elon Musk’s AI girlfriend
• (00:21:32) Uber is close to completing its quest to become the ultimate robotaxi app | The Verge

Applications & Business

• (00:24:02) OpenAI’s Windsurf deal is off — and Windsurf’s CEO is going to Google | The Verge
• (00:28:09) Cognition, maker of the AI coding agent Devin, acquires Windsurf | TechCrunch
• (00:28:46) Anthropic hired back two of its employees — just two weeks after they left for a competitor. | The Verge
• (00:28:46) Another High-Profile OpenAI Researcher Departs for Meta | WIRED
• (00:28:46) Meta Hires Two Key Apple (AAPL) AI Experts After Poaching Their Boss - Bloomberg
• (00:31:31) Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab is worth $12B in seed round | TechCrunch
• (00:33:20) Lovable becomes a unicorn with $200M Series A just 8 months after launch | TechCrunch
• (00:34:55) SpaceX commits $2 billion to xAI as Musk steps up AI ambitions: Report | World News - Business Standard

Research & Advancements

• (00:35:59) A former OpenAI engineer describes what it’s really like to work there | TechCrunch
• (00:38:23) Reasoning or Memorization? Unreliable Results of Reinforcement Learning Due to Data Contamination

Policy & Safety

• (00:42:14) Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, xAI granted up to $200 million from DoD
• (00:43:08) California State Senator Scott Wiener Pushes Bill to Regulate AI Companies - Bloomberg
• (00:43:58) AI 'Nudify' Websites Are Raking in Millions of Dollars | WIRED
• (00:45:55) Inside ICE’s Supercharged Facial Recognition App of 200 Million Images

Synthetic Media & Art

• (00:48:47) Video game actors' strike officially ends after AI deal