TechCheck

Google is announcing its more powerful Gemini 2.0 model, which will power its AI search tool “Overviews.” It means the company is now getting new capabilities like reasoning into the hands of more than a billion users, in contrast to OpenAI’s 12 days of Ship-Mas, where it released a full version of its model to a far smaller group of users. 

Generative AI has developed so quickly in the past two years, massive breakthroughs seemed more a question of “when” rather than “if.” But in recent weeks, Silicon Valley has become increasingly concerned that advancements are slowing. One early indication is the lack of progress between models released by the biggest players in the space. OpenAI is reportedly facing a significantly smaller increase in quality for its next model GPT-5, while Anthropic has delayed the release of its most powerful model Opus, according to wording that was removed from its website. Even at tech giant Google, its upcoming version of Gemini is reportedly not living up to internal expectations. If progress is plateauing, it would call into question a core assumption that Silicon Valley has treated as religion: scaling laws. The idea is that adding more computing power and more data guarantees better models to an infinite degree. But those recent developments suggest they may be more theory than law. The key problem could be that AI companies are running out of data to train models on, hitting what experts call the “data wall.” Instead, they’re turning to synthetic data, or AI-generated data. CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa explores whether AI progress is slowing, and what it means for the industry.

President-elect Trump has selected venture capitalist David Sacks as his pick for White House AI & Crypto Czar, a role that involves two of the most important emerging technologies. It’s also a signal of the growing influence that Silicon Valley is wielding over the new administration, as the impact of tech elites like Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen also expand. 

The new frontier emerging in AI is 3D world-generating models, where you input text, an image or a video and generate a modifiable 3D world. Plus, OpenAI launched two new updates today -- a better version of one of its models and a $200 per month pro tier.  

Spotify is now jumping on the AI hype train, teaming up with Google to use their viral AI podcast tool for the 2024 Wrapped, helping users generate customized content about their listening habits this year. It could be what Google needs to supercharge the feature’s reach with more consumers. 

Shares of Intel are extending yesterday’s drop after popping initially on the news of Pat Gelsinger’s retirement. It could be because investors are digging further into the chip giant’s issues, and finding the challenges run deeper than who’s at the helm – instead reaching the board, which lacks technical expertise more than other semiconductor peers. 

Google’s latest move after losing its antitrust case over search is subpoenaing AI rivals, trying to rebuff the Justice Department’s efforts to force a breakoff of Chrome and more. The strategy involves convincing the court that the emergence of AI-powered search competition needs to be taken into account. Plus, Amazon’s Prime Video will stream the NFL match up on Black Friday, and the game already looks like a success, selling out of ad inventory months earlier than last year. 

Nvidia is showing off a new AI audio generator tool they’re calling Fugatto, capable of creating never-before heard sounds through text and audio prompts. While Nvidia says it doesn’t have immediate plans to release the tool, the product is an example of Nvidia’s moonshot projects that has helped cement its dominance through shifting technological trends like gaming and crypto over decades

Apple CEO Tim Cook is visiting China for at least the third time this year as he looks to shore up relations ahead of a potential trade battle under President-elect Trump. It comes as Chinese tech giant Huawei makes smartphone tech breakthroughs to rival Apple and Google, while America’s chip revival under Intel hits more snags. 

Elon Musk is emerging as a new wild card for big tech in Trump’s second administration. His empire of companies and ventures compete with megacaps on numerous levels, particularly Google, whose Waymo, Gemini and YouTube frequently go up against Musk’s Tesla, xAI and X.