Lead story: ⚛ GPT-5 is coming

OpenAI is set to release GPT-5 next month. Reports suggest it will be a unified package rather than a typical version upgrade.

OpenAI describes it as a system that incorporates several distinct models, each triggered by the nature of the query. It might use Deep Research for a research task, and 4o-level intelligence to copyedit your email. Effectively, it’s a UX upgrade. That may sound underwhelming, but don’t forget, a UX upgrade drove the ChatGPT boom itself. GPT-3, the model behind the chatbot, had been available for two years before the craze began. What changed was the interface: wrapping the model in a conversational chatbot made it intuitive, playful, and useful to a mass audience.

GPT-5’s new unified interface may have the same effect. Being able to shift between agentic tools and chat may make it feel more collegial, as if you have someone you can bounce ideas off or delegate tasks to. [The Verge]

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Key signals, quick scan

A 30-second scan of four secondary signals that hint at where the curve is bending.

• 📦 $1 billion of Nvidia chips evaded sanctions and were smuggled into China since May, suggesting attempts to stymie the trade in advanced chips have been largely ineffectual. Chinese middlemen are flipping GPU racks at around 50% above US prices – highlighting the value of bleeding-edge compute. [FT]

• 🦾 ServiceNow is saving $100 million a year in staffing costs as generative AI agents now reduce time spent on support tickets by 50%. It isn’t the only company to do so; in an internal memo, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella acknowledged the “enigma” of laying off thousands of staff as the firm thrives financially. [Axios] [Geekwire]

• 💥 Generative AI is a transformative dynamo and a revolutionary microscope to society, a new paper from the Federal Reserve claims – but not a burn-fast-and-burn-out lightbulb. The general-purpose nature of the tech, like a dynamo, coupled with its function as an Invention of a Method of Invention (IMI), like a microscope, enhances and automates scientific discovery and research workflows. [Federal Reserve]

• 📈 Google’s AI systems processed a quadrillion tokens (1,000,000,000,000,000) in June, more than double the volume (480 trillion) in May. [X/Demis Hassabis]

Future focus

A pulse-check on the ideas shaping our long-term trajectory.

• 🧵 A breakthrough in biofabrication could edge us closer to a plastic alternative. Scientists have developed a simple, scalable method to grow bacterial cellulose sheets with aligned nano-fibers, finally rivaling plastic’s tensile strength. Strong, flexible, transparent – and compostable. [Nature]

• 💸 Copper-doped β-NaMnO₂ could drive battery costs lower than today’s sodium-ion cells. Until recently, though, it barely survived 30 charge cycles — compared to 100–500 for typical sodium-ion chemistries. A Tokyo University breakthrough just pushed that to 150 with zero capacity loss. Still early, but a big leap for cheap, scalable chemistry. [Robotics and Automation News]

• UBTECH’s Walker S2 has become the world’s first humanoid robot capable of autonomously swapping its batteries. This means it can operate 24/7, offering a major advancement for continuous autonomous operation in factories and customer service roles. [LiveScience]

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