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Meta names Shengjia Zhao as chief scientist of AI superintelligence unit
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• Meta has appointed Shengjia Zhao, a former OpenAI researcher and co‑creator of ChatGPT, GPT‑4, and the o‑series models, as Chief Scientist of its new Superintelligence Labs. Zhao will report directly to CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang.

• Zhao will define the lab’s scientific direction as Meta ramps up its hiring efforts to attract top AI talent, including researchers from OpenAI and DeepMind.

• This appointment is part of Meta’s multibillion‑dollar AI initiative and underscores its aggressive strategy to compete with OpenAI and Google.

OpenAI’s most capable AI model, GPT-5, may be coming in August
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• OpenAI is preparing to launch GPT‑5 in early August 2025. The new model is expected to combine GPT capabilities with o‑series reasoning strength for enhanced performance.

• Industry speculation suggests GPT‑5 will be released in full, mini, and nano variants. Some versions may even be open-weight or free to promote wider use.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that GPT‑5 is imminent and described it as a system that “integrates a lot of our technology.”

Mistral’s new “environmental audit” shows how much AI is hurting the planet
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• Mistral AI released an environmental report revealing that their Mistral Large 2 model generated 20.4 kilotons of CO₂ equivalent and used 281,000 cubic meters of water over 18 months.

• The majority of emissions (85%) and water use (91%) came during training and usage phases, not from infrastructure or packaging.

• The report stresses the need to choose locations with renewable energy and cooler climates for training to minimize environmental damage and calls for standardization in AI industry sustainability.

Robot, know thyself: New vision-based system teaches machines to understand their bodies
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• MIT researchers introduced Neural Jacobian Fields (NJF), a vision-based system that allows both soft and rigid robots to understand their own bodies using just a single external camera.

• The robots learn to control their own motion by watching themselves, eliminating the need for built-in sensors or pre-programmed physical models.

• This breakthrough enables simpler and cheaper robot designs, as the system provides flexibility without compromising learning and adaptability.

S&P 500 sets 5 all-time highs in one trading week
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• The S&P 500 rose by 0.4% to a record close of 6,388.64, marking its fifth straight record day.

• The Nasdaq Composite also closed at an all-time high, climbing about 0.3–0.4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5%, nearing its own record.

• The rally was driven by positive earnings reports and optimism over potential trade agreements, with stocks like Deckers Outdoor surging after strong sales results.