OpenAI has launched a new series of multimodal models dubbed GPT-4.1 that represent what the company says is a leap in small model performance, including longer context windows and improvements in coding and instruction following. Geared to developers and available exclusively via API (not through ChatGPT), the 4.1 series comes in three variations: in addition to the flagship GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1 mini and GPT‑4.1 nano, OpenAI’s first nano model. Unlike Web-connected models (which have “retrieval-augmented generation,” or RAG) and can access up-to-date information, they are static knowledge models. Read more

Netflix is testing a new recommendation engine that uses OpenAI technology to suggest viewing options based on input that goes beyond the usual parameters of cast and genre. The system is being introduced gradually and is already available in Australia and New Zealand where subscribers must opt-in to try it out, reports say, noting it allows input of more nuanced parameters, including mood, to populate search results. The partnership underscores OpenAI’s efforts to have its technology applied practically and commercially as it seeks to transition from a non-profit to a for-profit public benefit business structure. Read more

A new open-source code reasoning model called DeepCoder-14B-Preview has hit the market. Built atop DeepSeek-R1 and Qwen2.5 using reinforcement learning (RL), it aims to provide more flexibility by combining high-performance code generation with reasoning capabilities for real-world applications. Its performance is said to be comparable to OpenAI’s o3-mini, “but with a smaller footprint,” say its developers, the research-driven AI companies Together AI and Agentica. “We democratize the recipe for training a small model into a strong competitive coder,” explains Together AI. Read more

Popular website hosting platform WordPress.com has launched an AI website builder that can facilitate creation of a relatively simple website in just a few minutes. Free to anyone who registers for an account, the tool uses a chat-style interface, making website building “as simple as having a conversation,” according to the company, which says the new feature “takes your input and instantly creates a fully designed, content-ready WordPress website, complete with text, layouts, and images.” At the moment, the tool is not able to create a complex site that requires e-commerce or other integrations. Read more

Among the many tech advancements unveiled at Google Cloud Next include a major generative media upgrade to Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s managed AI development platform. The new Vertex AI Media Studio lets enterprise users generate complete videos from scratch using text prompts. Lyria, Google’s text-to-music model is now available on Vertex in private preview. Both are subject to an “allowlist.” Chirp 3 now creates custom voices with just 10 seconds of audio input, while Imagen 3 has gained improved abilities for reconstructing missing or damaged portions of an image. Read more