AI This Week

Google is studying “Project Suncatcher,” an initiative to move data center workloads off Earth and into orbit. The concept taps abundant solar power and the cold of space to run and cool AI-scale compute. It also promises new capacity as demand for training and inference surges. The plan raises hard questions: launch cost, serviceability, orbital debris, latency, and regulation. It draws clear comparisons to earlier radical infrastructure bets, such as underwater server farms and satellite networks. The idea signals how far cloud providers may go to meet AI’s hunger for energy and chips.

Nvidia and Deutsche Telekom are launching a one-billion-euro industrial artificial intelligence hub in Germany, a significant move in the global AI race. The project represents Europe's latest bid to make up lost ground against the United States and China. Based in Munich and set to go live in early 2026, the center will offer companies access to powerful AI for processes from design to robotics, all operating on secure IT infrastructure. A key focus is "data sovereignty," keeping sensitive industrial data secure on the continent. German industrial giants SAP and Siemens are also partners, aiming to enhance their own AI capabilities and client services.

In a stunning breakthrough, artificial intelligence has uncovered 303 new geoglyphs hidden in southern Peru's desert, doubling the number of known Nazca Lines. An international team from Japan's Yamagata University and IBM accomplished the feat in just six months, completing work that once took years in a fraction of the time. The ancient figures, dating from 200 B.C. to 650 A.D., depict felines, fish, and human forms. The AI system identified the patterns by analyzing vast amounts of satellite and drone imagery, spotting lines nearly invisible to the human eye. Archaeologists later confirmed each finding on the ground. This technology is accelerating archaeological discovery worldwide.

Four of the world's wealthiest technology companies are dramatically increasing their AI spending. Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon are pouring billions more into building data centers, stating they cannot keep up with the intense demand for AI computing power. This spending spree, with capital expenditures from the four totaling over $360 billion in the last year, is sparking fears of a dangerous tech bubble. While the Federal Reserve chair distinguishes the situation from the dot-com boom because these companies are profitable, investors remain cautious. Following its announcement to raise spending to at least $70 billion, Meta's stock fell 11 percent. The companies, however, point to massive future sales contracts as justification.

OpenAI is laying the groundwork for a historic initial public offering, a move that could value the ChatGPT creator at up to $1 trillion. People familiar with the matter report that while discussions are preliminary, a potential listing could occur as soon as late 2026. An IPO would open new avenues for raising capital, helping to finance CEO Sam Altman’s ambitious plans for AI infrastructure and support major acquisitions. This preparation follows a complex corporate restructuring and comes as the company faces mounting losses despite a projected $20 billion revenue run rate. CEO Sam Altman has publicly called an IPO the company's "most likely path."

OpenAI is offering its ChatGPT Go plan free for one year to all users in India, beginning November 4 for a limited promotional period. This move focuses on solidifying the company's standing in one of its largest markets. Existing Go subscribers will also receive the complimentary 12-month access. India presents an immense opportunity with its vast internet and smartphone user base. However, making money from ChatGPT's paid services has proven difficult, despite millions of downloads. ChatGPT Go offers ten times the usage of the free version for generating responses, creating images, and improving memory for personalized interactions. This robust offering arrives as rivals like Perplexity and Google also vie for India's large user base. OpenAI plans further India-specific announcements at its upcoming DevDay Exchange in Bengaluru.

PayPal and OpenAI announced a new partnership that integrates the payment firm's wallet directly into ChatGPT, allowing users to purchase products from within the popular AI tool. News of the deal sent PayPal’s stock surging 13% in premarket trading. The company also raised its annual financial forecast and declared its first-ever dividend in its 27-year history, signaling strong confidence in its cash generation and long-term financial health. The collaboration connects PayPal’s global merchant network to ChatGPT. This positions the company in the new market of AI shopping agents that autonomously research, compare, and buy products for people.

OpenAI is making waves as it enters the $2.8 billion AI-driven music industry, aiming to challenge competitors like Suno and Google. With innovative tools and significant resources, OpenAI steps into a field buzzing with potential, where technology redefines how music is created and consumed. OpenAI’s involvement could reshape industry dynamics, focusing on competition and creativity across platforms. OpenAI plans to rival established players and push boundaries in automated music generation, highlighting the growing intersection of artificial intelligence with artistic expression.

Reddit filed a lawsuit in New York, accusing four companies of harvesting its content for AI training. The complaint names Perplexity AI, SerpApi, Oxylabs, and AWMProxy. Reddit says the firms dodged its ban on bots by pulling Reddit text from Google results, then selling data to OpenAI and Meta. It seeks damages and a permanent injunction. The case lands amid a broader fight over data scraping. Reddit recently sued Anthropic over repeated visits after saying it stopped. LinkedIn sued ProAPIs for using robotic accounts. Legal hurdles loom: the defendants sit outside New York, and X lost a similar case last year. Oxylabs responded, “no company should claim ownership of public data that does not belong to them.”

Snapchat has introduced its AI-powered "Imagine Lens" to U.S. users for free, marking a shift from its previous availability limited to premium subscribers. The Lens allows people to create custom images by typing prompts, enabling transformations like turning a selfie into a painting or imagining fantastical visuals. The feature leverages generative AI technology, aligning with industry trends that see social platforms integrating AI tools into user experiences. Snapchat now aims to balance creativity and accessibility by offering limited free use to non-paying members. While promoting seamless visual content creation remains key, the move may also enhance competition with other tech giants increasingly investing in consumer-focused AI tools. Positioned within Snapchat's Lens Carousel, this rollout demonstrates the platform’s broader AI ambitions.