OpenAI in Your Browser: What You Need to Know

This Week in Tech: OpenAI's Operator and More

Welcome to this week’s tech news recap. We’ll be examining OpenAI’s innovative new AI agent, Operator, and its capabilities. We’ll also cover the current status of TikTok, the potential resurgence of Tumblr, and other significant developments.

OpenAI's Operator: A New AI Agent

OpenAI has initiated a research preview of Operator, a versatile AI agent designed to autonomously execute tasks. These tasks include booking travel arrangements, securing restaurant reservations, and completing online purchases.

Upon activation, Operator displays a dedicated web browser window, showcasing its actions and providing textual explanations of its processes. This feature is initially available to users in the U.S. who subscribe to ChatGPT’s Pro plan at a cost of $200 monthly.

Industry Disputes and Infrastructure

A public disagreement is unfolding between Elon Musk and Sam Altman regarding the Stargate project. This large-scale infrastructure initiative aims to secure up to $500 billion in investment from sources like SoftBank and MGX, a Middle East AI fund, to support OpenAI’s AI computing needs.

Musk has voiced concerns about the financial viability of Stargate. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge his potential bias, as he is currently involved in legal proceedings with OpenAI.

Security Vulnerabilities in Subaru Vehicles

Hackers have reportedly discovered a method to remotely unlock, start, and track millions of Subaru vehicles. Security researchers identified vulnerabilities within a Subaru web portal, enabling unauthorized control of car functions and access to driver location data.

Subaru has addressed these vulnerabilities following the researchers’ report. This highlights the importance of proactive security measures in connected vehicle technology.

This is TechCrunch’s Week in Review, a summary of the most important tech news. Subscribe to receive this recap directly in your inbox every Saturday. Sign up here.

Tech News Highlights

Samsung Unpacked Recap: This week saw Samsung’s annual Unpacked event, unveiling the Galaxy S25 series, enhancements to Gemini Live, and advancements in smart home technology. A comprehensive recap of all announcements is available. Read more

Perplexity Assistant Launch: The AI-powered search engine startup, Perplexity, has introduced Perplexity Assistant. This assistant leverages reasoning, search capabilities, and application integration to aid users with everyday tasks. It is currently available for Android devices and supports “multi-app actions.” Read more

MrBeast and TikTok: YouTube personality MrBeast is exploring potential bids for TikTok’s U.S. operations. While he hasn’t committed to a specific offer, his celebrity status is attracting interest from multiple bidders. Read more

Fitbit Settlement: Fitbit has reached a settlement with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission regarding a defect that caused burns to some users. The company will pay a $12.25 million penalty related to issues with the Ionic smartwatch. Read more

Tumblr's Revival: Tumblr has launched Tumblr TV, a GIF discovery feature that has expanded to include short-form videos, aiming to compete with TikTok. It prompts a nostalgic question: are the GIFs from 2012 still accessible? Read more

Small but Powerful AI Models: A team at Hugging Face has released SmolVLM-256M and SmolVLM-500M, claiming they are the smallest AI models capable of analyzing images, videos, and text. Read more

Power-Over-Skin Technology: Researchers at Carnegie Mellon have developed Power-Over-Skin, a technology that enables electrical currents to travel through human skin. This could power devices like blood sugar monitors, pacemakers, and wearable technology. Read more

Stripe Layoffs: Fintech company Stripe is reducing its workforce by 300 employees, as reported by a leaked memo. Despite these layoffs, Stripe intends to continue hiring in 2025, aiming for a 17% increase in its overall headcount. Read more

Meta's Edits App: Meta has announced Edits, a new video editing application, following the removal of ByteDance’s CapCut from app stores due to the U.S. TikTok ban. Read more

Dewey: A TikTok Backup Solution: With TikTok’s future uncertain, Dewey offers a service to save your favorite TikToks, ensuring access even if the platform becomes unavailable again. Read more