Listen to today’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-nqwUyvLDEvs7bV985k-gQ
AI Daily Podcast 10/29/2025
Today’s podcast episode was created from the following stories:
OpenAI’s New Agreement With Microsoft Gives the AI Startup More Freedom on Its Quest to Raise Billions
Source: Business Insider
By Steven Tweedie and Brent D. Griffiths | Oct 28, 2025
OpenAI completed a major recapitalization that leaves its nonprofit foundation in control and paves the way to attract more outside funding. A new definitive agreement with Microsoft gives OpenAI more flexibility to partner elsewhere, introduces independent verification for any future AGI declaration, extends Microsoft’s IP rights through 2032, and removes Microsoft’s right of first refusal on compute as OpenAI commits an additional $250B to Azure. Microsoft now holds roughly 27% of OpenAI Group PBC at a $135B valuation, clearing a key hurdle for OpenAI’s long-term financing and dealmaking.
Adobe Now Lets You Generate Soundtracks and Speech in Firefly
Source: Wired
By Jacob Roach | Oct 28, 2025
Adobe rolled out new Firefly features—Generate Soundtrack and Generate Speech—plus a browser-based multi-track video editor and AI assistants coming to Photoshop and Express. Firefly now supports custom models (trainable with as few as 6–12 images) and debuts Image Model 5 with layered editing, while speech leverages Adobe and ElevenLabs models across 15 languages. The updates aim to speed creative workflows and bring more “agentic” assistance directly into Adobe’s core apps.
Chegg lays off hundreds, replaces CEO, all because of AI
Source: Gizmodo
By Mike Pearl | Oct 28, 2025
Chegg is cutting 388 roles (about 45% of its workforce) and bringing back former CEO Dan Rosensweig as the company reels from AI-driven competition and reduced Google traffic. After losing the advantage of its massive Q&A database to tools like ChatGPT and AI Overviews, Chegg explored going private but will remain public while restructuring. The move underscores how generative AI is reshaping study habits—and business models—across the education sector.
Anthropic bringt KI-Assistent Claude als Excel-Add-in
Source: Heise
By Moritz Förster | Oct 28, 2025
Anthropic launched a beta “Claude for Excel” add-in that reads, explains, and edits spreadsheets with full change transparency—targeting finance users with tasks like formula debugging, DCFs, and comps. Powered by Sonnet 4.5, the tool comes alongside new enterprise connectors (LSEG, Moody’s, Aiera, Egnyte, and more) and finance-focused agent skills. Early access is available via waitlist for Max, Enterprise, and Teams customers, signaling deeper AI workflows inside core productivity apps.
PayPal spikes 11% on a new payments partnership with OpenAI
Source: Business Insider
By Samuel O’Brient | Oct 28, 2025
PayPal will become the first wallet integrated into ChatGPT, enabling users to make purchases directly in the chatbot—news that sent PayPal shares up double digits. The partnership positions PayPal at the center of agentic commerce as ChatGPT expands shopping with platforms like Shopify and retailers like Walmart. For OpenAI, it’s another step toward native transactions that streamline the path from chat to checkout.
BUTTER-BENCH: Evaluating LLM Controlled Robots for Practical Intelligence
Source: arXiv
By Unknown | Date not provided
New research finds that state-of-the-art LLMs still struggle as high-level “orchestrators” for embodied tasks: on a household “pass the butter” benchmark, the best model scored 40% versus 95% for humans. The study highlights persistent gaps in spatial reasoning and long-horizon planning, and raises new safety and security questions when LLMs control real-world devices. It’s a reality check on physical AI, even as robotics demos accelerate.
