Here are the top trending news from the world of technology. News that every tech news must be enthusiast about.
1)
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Pro, a $200 month subscription plan
OpenAI has officially launched a new subscription plan for its AI chatbot ChatGPT. But the more important news is that the new subscription plan is immensely costly. ChatGPT Pro will cost you whooping $200 per month. At this hefty price, you’ll get unlimited access to OpenAI’s several advanced models including o1 reasoning model, o1 Pro Mode and GPT-4o. You will also get an access to OpenAI’s advanced voice mode, which allows for more human like conversation. It will be interesting to see how people react to ChatGPT Pro, especially it is significantly than its ChatGPT plan, which charges only $20 per month.
2)
Elon Musk’s xAI secures $6B in funding
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has successfully secured $6 billion in a new funding round, according to company’s new regulatory filings. The company reportedly targeted a valuation of $50 Bn, which is a significant increase from its previous valuation of $24 billion earlier this year. Although the names of the investors are still not known, prominent firms like Valor Equity Partners, Sequoia Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz were some of the likely participants. The new capital infusion will help xAI to expand its supercomputer facility in Memphis, which is expected to play a critical role in achieving Musk’s vision to develop advanced artificial general intelligence (AGI) systems.
3)
Microsoft tests Copilot Vision in Edge
Microsoft has begun testing its new Copilot Vision feature in the Edge browser. This feature will be currently available only to limited number of Copilot Pro subscribers in the US. Once activated, Copilot Vision observes the webpage and can read text and interpret images, facilitating a collaborative and interactive browsing experience. However, this feature will be completely optional, with users having to manually enable it for each session. The feature is also causing major privacy concerns, since Copilot Vision can see what users view on the webpage. To assuage these concerns, Microsoft has assured that it won’t capture any personal data or content beyond what is necessary for interaction.
4)
Threads is testing expanded analytics feature
Threads has expanded its analytics feature by adding some new essential feature. Currently under testing phase, the new feature will provide specific statistics for each post. This includes metrics such as views, interactions and follower insights. This is unlike the previous aggregated insights that only offered a general overview of post-performance. The introduction of these detailed analytics is expected to not only assist individual users in optimizing their content strategies but also attract more brands to the platform.