The Walt Disney Company has struck a “landmark” three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI in which the studio will become the first major content partner for the Sora AI video generator. The deal will make more than 200 characters available from the Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars vaults. The companies announced that fan-inspired social videos are expected by early 2026, some of which will stream on Disney+. The Hollywood giant will also become an OpenAI customer, “using its APIs to build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+, and deploying ChatGPT for its employees.” In addition, Disney is planning a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI. Continue reading Disney Strikes Licensing Deal with OpenAI, Invests $1 Billion

Adobe launched its popular creative and productivity apps Photoshop, Adobe Express and Acrobat for ChatGPT this week, enabling users to edit images, animate elements and modify PDFs by simply asking the chatbot. “Now hundreds of millions of people can edit with Photoshop simply by using their own words, right inside a platform that’s already part of their day-to-day,” said Adobe President of Digital Media David Wadhwani. Photoshop, Express and Acrobat for ChatGPT are currently free for ChatGPT users, available via desktop, web and iOS. Adobe Express for ChatGPT has Android support, which is coming soon for Acrobat and Photoshop. Continue reading Adobe Integrates Photoshop, Acrobat, Express with ChatGPT

Roughly 20 percent of U.S. teens surveyed say they were on TikTok and YouTube “almost constantly” in 2025, with YouTube distinguishing itself for use “by nearly all teens,” according to a new Pew Research study. Ninety percent of teens surveyed say they’ve used YouTube, followed by TikTok and Instagram, with at least 60 percent claiming usage, with Snapchat landing at about 55 percent. Chatbot use is at about 64 percent among respondents, with about 30 percent of teens saying they use companionable AI answer engines daily, led by OpenAI’s ChatGPT (59 percent). Continue reading Pew Research: 30 Percent of U.S. Teens Use Chatbots Daily

Perplexity AI has launched its Comet browser for mobile, taking on Google in the Android ecosystem. Perplexity says it will soon release an iOS app as well. The AI-powered Comet browser debuted in July on a limited basis for Mac and Windows desktops, followed by a wider release in October. The Comet browser uses Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine to answer questions, either typed or posed conversationally, and lets users mention specific tabs or can focus on open tabs. It can also agentically complete tasks. Perplexity hasn’t disclosed Comet usage figures, but says manufacturers are already requesting to include Comet on-device. Continue reading Perplexity’s AI-Powered Comet Browser Now Live on Android

OpenAI is live with a retail companion it calls “shopping research” that helps consumers find viable purchase options based on detailed requirement parameters. Trained on a version of GPT‑5 mini, it can query on a virtually unlimited list of discovery constraints, sourcing only from “reliable retailers.” “Results are organic and based on publicly available retail sites,” OpenAI says, indicating there are no advertiser-boosted entries — not yet, anyway. Available on iOS, Android and the Web for logged-in ChatGPT users on the Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, OpenAI is making nearly unlimited usage available to all plans through the holidays. Continue reading OpenAI Continues Push into Retail with ‘Shopping Research’

Google announced the availability of Gemini 3 for select subscribers, with a broader release planned for the coming weeks. The tech giant’s latest AI model will be available via the Gemini app, AI Mode and AI Overviews search tools, and Google’s enterprise products. The model arrives nearly eight months after the launch of Gemini 2.5 as the company looks to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to CEO Sundar Pichai, Gemini 3 is the company’s “most intelligent model, that combines all of Gemini’s capabilities together so you can bring any idea to life.” Pichai also announced the Google Antigravity agent platform, that enables developers to code “at a higher, task-oriented level.” Continue reading Google Making AI Search and Coding Smarter with Gemini 3

OpenAI is piloting a new group chat experience designed for socialization and work collaboration with ChatGPT, taking aim at Slack and Microsoft Teams. “Whether you’re organizing a group dinner or drafting an outline with coworkers,” OpenAI wants to make ChatGPT the place you do it. Group chats are beginning to roll out on mobile and web for logged-in users on ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan. OpenAI says the pilot is “a small first step toward shared experiences in ChatGPT.” The company plans to collect early user feedback to inform further development. Continue reading OpenAI Pilots ChatGPT Group Chat in Select Foreign Markets

Microsoft and Google are making big investments in European AI infrastructure, with the Seattle-based software giant spending more than $10 billion to build a data hub in Portugal, and Alphabet investing $6.35 billion on new construction and expansion of an existing complex in Germany. The moves are the latest in U.S. tech’s push for a global AI footprint. Microsoft is working with Nvidia, the UK startup Nscale and data center building specialist Start Campus. Google is bringing green initiatives to its project in Deutschland, which it estimates will bring 9,000 jobs and nearly $1.2 billion to German GDP. Continue reading Microsoft, Google Spending Heavily on European Data Hubs

SoftBank has cashed out of Nvidia, liquidating its stock holdings for $5.83 billion that it will reportedly use to fund what CNBC describes as “its ‘all in’ bet on ChatGPT maker OpenAI.” The sell-off was disclosed in SoftBank’s most recent earnings statement, which indicated 32.1 million Nvidia shares were sold in October. The Japanese conglomerate also said it sold part of its T-Mobile holdings for $9.17 billion. “Through those options and tools we make sure that we are ready for funding in a very safe manner,” SoftBank CFO Yoshimitsu Goto said at an investor presentation. SoftBank announced a four-to-one stock split yesterday, while Nvidia shares were down 1.7 percent on the sell-off news. Continue reading SoftBank Sells Off Nvidia Shares to Pursue OpenAI, Robotics

Amazon announced yesterday that its Prime Video service is introducing location-based interactive video advertisements in the U.S., allowing local businesses to reach target audiences in specific areas. The ad unit, Interactive Video Ads (IVA), will help advertisers customize national TV commercials with location-specific content such as local pricing and nearest business details based on state data and ZIP codes. The new format, expected to intensify the growing competition between streaming services and broadcasters, is part of a larger effort to bring more small businesses and local buyers to CTV. It also arrives as major streamers, including Prime Video, are pursuing new models such as pause ads. Continue reading Location-Based Interactive Video Ads Coming to Prime Video

Spotify passed 700 million monthly active users in Q3, with subscribers hitting 281 million, a 12 percent increase over the same period in 2024. Total revenue was $4.9 billion, up 12 percent year-over-year, while net income surged 200 percent to $1 billion, attributed to price hikes, subscriber growth and strict cost management. The Swedish company surpassed analyst expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue from premium subscriptions grew 9 percent in Q3. Advertising revenue for the period was down 6 percent, however, to about $515 million. Spotify recently integrated with ChatGPT so that users can get podcast and music recommendations from the popular chatbot. Continue reading Spotify’s Profits Surge 200 Percent for Q3, Topping $1 Billion

Amazon’s generative AI voice assistant Alexa+ is coming to the Amazon Music mobile app for iOS and Android for customers across all subscription tiers in Alexa+ Early Access. Alexa+ was announced in February at Amazon’s Devices & Services event, and began rolling out in early access in the spring. It is reported to now have more than a million users. Customers were able to get early access by registering for it on the Amazon website or purchasing a compatible product. Adding generative AI to Amazon Music is seen as a competitive move following Spotify’s October integration with OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT. Continue reading Alexa+ for iOS and Android Now Available for Amazon Music

OpenAI has entered into a $38 billion cloud computing deal with AWS in a deal set to extend at least seven years, the hyperscaler says. The Monday news propelled Amazon stock to an all-time high of $254 per share, up 4 percent at close. After initially working exclusively with investor Microsoft for cloud services, OpenAI has negotiated expansively to meet increased demand. This year, the startup has signed with Oracle, Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom for storage and processing power as well as funding for data center construction plans of its own, here and abroad. The strategic alliance with AWS marks OpenAI’s first such arrangement with Amazon. Continue reading OpenAI Sets $38 Billion AWS Deal for Training and Inference

Amazon Q3 revenue was up 13 percent to $180.2 billion in the third quarter, compared with $158.9 billion in 2024. The AWS group that includes AI saw sales increase 20 percent year-over-year to $33 billion. The company reported that gross profit increased 38 percent to $21.2 billion for the quarter, due largely to consumer spending online and the demand for cloud computing. Amazon is the dominant player in the cloud space with about 30 percent of global share. However, investors have been cautious about AWS, which accounted for 65 percent of the company’s total operating income in Q3. Since 2022, competition has heated up with OpenAI’s ChatGPT signing on with Microsoft Azure. Continue reading AWS, Cloud and AI Help Drive Impressive Quarter for Amazon

Apple had its first $100 billion quarter thanks to the new iPhone 17 series and a strong performance by services, up 15 percent from 2024. Revenue for fiscal Q4, ended September 27, totaled $102.5 billion, up 8 percent year-over-year. Profit surged 86 percent to $27.5 billion (due mainly to a 2024 tax hit). Q4 results capped a record fiscal year with revenue of $416 billion. Sales of the iPhone 17s brought in $49 billion for the three months. The company sold 100 million more units than last year during the same period despite “supply constraints” on some 2025 models. Design changes drove iPhone sales up 6 percent from Q4 of last year. Continue reading Apple Reports a Strong Quarter Propelled by iPhone 17 Sales