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OpenAI debuts GPT model with voice chat

Artificial intelligence firm OpenAI on Monday unveiled an advanced version of ChatGPT that can handle real-time voice and video chats with users. GPT-4o, which builds on the existing GPT-4, is designed to more naturally mimic human conversations, with the voice chatbot responding within an average of 320 milliseconds, the company said. During a live demo, the chatbot, which works in 50 languages, acted as a real-time English-to-Italian translator. Voice recognition and response is an especially competitive sector in the AI tech race: Google could announce a new virtual voice assistant Tuesday, while Apple is expected to debut a more conversational Siri in June.

US-China chip competition heats up

Countries led by the US and European Union have already pushed about $81 billion toward subsidizing semiconductor development in an escalating chip showdown with China. Globally, governments have set aside $380 billion for semiconductors; the West hopes to challenge China’s decadeslong industrial policy and dominate the future of AI development, Bloomberg reported. “There is no doubt we’ve passed the Rubicon in terms of the tech competition with China,” a senior tech adviser to the RAND Corporation said. The chip battle is heating up as the US and China will hold their first talks on AI risks on Tuesday, the same day Washington will reportedly announce hefty new tariffs on electric vehicles and semiconductors imported from China.

China makes inroads with Iraq oil

Five Chinese companies won bids to explore Iraq’s immense oil and gas fields, while not a single US firm got a contract. Washington initially had traction in Iraq’s oil fields after the 2003 Iraq war, but since 2009 Beijing has become the dominant force in the region: Iraq is now China’s third-largest source of oil. The shift to Beijing highlights Iraq’s reluctance in getting pulled into the US and Iran’s geopolitical conflict. Baghdad has moved to purge both countries’ influence from within its borders, but is still courting Beijing as an alternative to the US for foreign investment and security help, according to Turkish broadcaster TRT World.

More than 300,000 flee Rafah

More than 300,000 Palestinians have fled the town of Rafah in southern Gaza, the Israeli military said, as it appears poised to expand its military operation there. Aid groups say no place in the enclave can safely hold all the Palestinians being forced to flee, as costs for basic necessities rise: A tent sells for $1,000 and a typically $13 taxi ride from Rafah to the nearby safety zone is now $270, Bloomberg reported. Even as Washington escalates threats to avert Israel’s Rafah offensive — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned it could result in “anarchy” — several US government officials have resigned over the White House’s Israel policy, including a Pentagon intelligence officer who, in a rare public departure Monday, cited his “shame and guilt” over the US’ support for Israel.

Modi’s party skips Kashmir elections

The main city in India’s disputed Kashmir region voted in the country’s general elections Monday, in the first polls since the government revoked the majority-Muslim region’s semi-autonomy in 2019. It also marked the first time since 1996 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party — widely expected to win the election — did not field any candidates in Kashmir; voters there are “still angry” at the party’s decision to scrap its special status and the subsequent fierce security crackdown, Al Jazeera wrote. But the move was popular in other parts of the country for fulfilling a Hindu nationalist pledge. In March, Modi visited Kashmir for the first time in five years ahead of the elections in a rally surveilled by thousands of police and paramilitary security officers.

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GPS jamming causes havoc

Military GPS jamming is disrupting civilian life in large parts of eastern Europe and the Middle East. Due to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, almost 40 million people have had unreliable signals for at least half of the past six months, the Financial Times reported: In Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon, some citizens say takeaway, dating, and taxi apps have become unusable, and it has impacted aid efforts in Gaza. GPS jamming can conceal military activity or defend sites from attack, and short-range jammers can be bought for a few hundred dollars. European air traffic control reported a 2,000% increase in interference between 2018 and 2021, raising the risk of air safety incidents: The British defense secretary was on board one flight that was forced to turn back.

Tiny piece of woman’s brain mapped out

Researchers mapped out a cubic millimeter — 0.00006 cubic inches — of the human brain in previously unseen detail. The map depicts roughly 57,000 cells and 150 million connections between them. The brain fragment, taken from a woman undergoing a surgery to treat epilepsy, was cut into 5,000 slices, each 34 billionths of a meter across. It revealed new details such as neurons with up to 50 connections to each other, and pairs of cells that were near-perfect mirror images of each other. The tiny cube accounts for roughly one-millionth of the brain: “It’s a little bit humbling,” one scientist told Nature. “How are we ever going to really come to terms with all this complexity?”

Melinda French Gates stepping down

Philanthropist Melinda French Gates is resigning from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is among the world’s largest private charitable organizations. Gates, who founded the charity with her then-husband Bill Gates, is leaving with a $12.5 billion sum that she will use for future projects independent of the foundation; her departure suggests she is “about to channel more and more of her money into politics,” Puck’s Teddy Schleifer wrote. With an endowment of more than $50 billion, the foundation has worked to expand healthcare and education access across the developing world, but avoided political causes. However, the Gates’ children are reportedly more vocal about donating to Democratic candidates and causes, and Melinda Gates said last year she was invested in getting more women into government.

Paris 2024 promises to be fashionable

Step aside Nike and Adidas — this summer, indie fashion brands are having an Olympic-sized moment as countries clamor to make their athletes runway-ready in Paris. While the sportswear giants and more established labels are still producing most of the gear for the games, niche brands are capitalizing on the high-fashion fervor of the French host city, as well as new competitive events like breakdancing and skateboarding. Team France has hired an independent French designer to design athletes’ garments for the first time, and indie brands are also dressing Olympians from Nigeria and Canada. “You can’t just show up to the opening ceremony in a tracksuit anymore,” the founder of Irish label LW Pearl, which is designing Ireland’s formalwear, told Business of Fashion.

Spotify to cut songwriters’ royalties

Spotify will pay roughly $150 million less to songwriters next year despite upping its subscription fees, Billboard estimates. The music streaming service recently raised its US premium subscription rates from $9.99 to $10.99, which would normally translate into increased royalties for creators. But because it now includes audiobooks in its premium package, Spotify argued that it can pay musicians a discounted “bundle” rate, leading to cuts in their mechanical royalty payments. “It appears Spotify has returned to attacking the very songwriters who make its business possible,” said the National Music Publishers’ Association, adding that it was exploring “all options” to counter Spotify’s “cynical, and potentially, unlawful” move.

May 14:

• Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD unveils its new truck, the BYD Shark, in Mexico.
• The Cannes Film festival begins in the south of France.
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi files his election nomination papers from the town of Varanasi, his political constituency.

A Danish butter magnate’s vast coin collection will finally be auctioned, a century after his death. The 20,000-piece treasure trove — which a rare coin auction house called the “most valuable collection of world coins to ever come to market” — could fetch up to $72 million. In his will, Lars Emil Bruun stipulated the 100-year delay in selling the coins; he wanted to ensure Denmark would have a reserve of funds over fears of another World War I-like conflict, the Associated Press reported. The century-long wait has heightened the collection’s appeal: One numismatist called it “the best open secret ever,” while a coin expert said, “It’s like a fairytale.”

• Democrats are about to lose their mod squad.
• Russia replaces defense minister in surprise cabinet shakeup.
• As states take on AI, tech’s top lobbyist fights back.