Tag: OpenAI

United States – OpenAI has debuted its first TV commercial at the Super Bowl event, with its ad done alongside Accenture Song, and aims to introduce everyday people to the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI), marking a milestone in AI’s journey into mainstream consciousness.

As the world approaches the Intelligence Age, OpenAI remains committed to ensuring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. Their products, including ChatGPT, already empower millions to tackle daily tasks, enhance productivity, and solve complex problems. 

This Super Bowl ad serves as an invitation for people from all walks of life to consider how AI can enrich their personal and professional lives.

In terms of the creative process, while AI played a role in the ad’s creative journey, human professionals spearheaded the project’s execution. Accenture Song’s team collaborated with OpenAI’s Sora team to explore innovative ideas during pre-visualisation. However, the final product remains a testament to human craftsmanship, featuring a unique visual style crafted through 2D hand animation and 3D procedural rendering (Houdini).

For Accenture Song, the creative goal was simplicity—cutting through the noise to deliver OpenAI’s vision for the Intelligence Age in a direct, visually compelling manner. Sora served as an experimental tool for rapid ideation, allowing creatives to explore a variety of concepts before refining their final approach.

‘The Intelligence Age’ uses a pointillism-inspired animation style, drawing from OpenAI’s core brand identity and the ChatGPT interface. Throughout the ad, a single data point—referred to as ‘The Point’—transforms into moving iconography, illustrating key moments of human progress leading up to AI’s emergence. This visual metaphor reflects OpenAI’s foundational philosophy: every idea, breakthrough, and innovation begins with a single observation, a single point.

Meanwhile, ‘The Point’ is not just a symbol—it underpins OpenAI’s identity system, influencing its typeface, iconography, and design language. It also appears in the ChatGPT interface, making it a familiar visual cue for users. In the ad, ‘The Point’ serves as a reminder that AI, like all human advancements, is a tool born from curiosity, research, and discovery.

Through ‘The Intelligence Age,’ OpenAI hopes to spark curiosity and inspire individuals to explore the new possibilities AI can bring into their lives. The Super Bowl ad is not just a commercial—it’s an invitation to be part of a defining moment in technological history.

Singapore – SenseTime Group Inc., the prominent Chinese AI software firm, is reportedly scaling down its office space in Singapore as it navigates rising competition and cost pressures in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reported that SenseTime is relocating from a prime downtown office to a smaller space in a more affordable neighborhood. The company is said to be vacating its roughly 11,000-square-foot (1,022-square-meter) office in Frasers Tower for a less central location.

The firm is downsizing as rivals like ByteDance expand overseas amid China’s economic slowdown. In stark contrast, one of its major competitors, OpenAI—the creator of ChatGPT—announced plans just a few months ago to establish an office in Singapore, with further expansion in the Asia-Pacific region on the horizon.

According to Bloomberg, the move highlights SenseTime’s struggle to remain competitive after losing Alibaba as a key backer in 2023. It also reflects a cooling trend in Singapore’s prime office market, which has relied on the expansion of Chinese tech firms in recent years.

As of now, the company’s representatives in Singapore have not issued any statements regarding the reports.

It is worth noting that SenseTime was among the first in China to win approval for generative AI services last year. However, in December 2024, Reuters reported that the company underwent a “major organisational restructuring” to accelerate its shift towards generative AI technologies. The report also highlighted that SenseTime has struggled to keep pace with competitors in the generative AI boom, with its shares plummeting 61% from their issue price three years ago.

Singapore – OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has revealed plans to open an office in Singapore later this year. This will be the company’s fourth international office and its second in Asia, following Japan. 

The Singapore office will act as a regional hub aimed at fostering collaboration and strengthening ties with local and regional governments, businesses, and institutions. OpenAI will also collaborate with AI Singapore, the city-state’s national AI initiative, on generative AI models tailored to the cultures and languages of Southeast Asia. 

During Singapore Tech Week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighted the country’s strong history in technology leadership and its role in advancing AI to address societal challenges and boost economic growth. 

He expressed enthusiasm about partnering with the government and the country’s growing AI community as the company expands in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to OpenAI’s careers page, they are opening jobs for its sales, customer success, technical success, and security teams for the Singapore team.

It’s worth noting that this follows a slew of publisher partnerships OpenAI has, including the Associated Press, Axel Springer, The Atlantic, Dotdash Meredith, Financial Times, LeMonde, NewsCorp, Prisa Media, TIME, Vox Media, Conde Nast, and most recently HEARST.

Earlier this year, Grab and OpenAI has announced a partnership, as both companies will design and deliver enhanced experiences for Grab users, partners and employees using state-of-the-art AI capabilities.

Hong Kong – Ruder Finn, an integrated marketing and communications agency, has appointed Zack Kass, former head of go-to-market at OpenAI, to chair its global AI advisory council.

The council is newly established in the agency, tasked to develop and implement AI strategies for Ruder Finn’s clients. With Kass at the helm, the council will report to Kathy Bloomgarden, chief executive officer of Ruder Finn while operating under the leadership of CTO & Head of AI Tejas Totade and David Ko, managing director of Ruder Finn Interactive Asia.

With 14 years of experience in the field of AI, Kass is expected to bring practical applications for AI to his work.

“At Ruder Finn, we believe that a company’s approach to AI – how quickly they learn, integrate, and embrace its potential – will be a key factor in their future success,” Bloomgarden said. 

“Zack’s global perspective and deep understanding of AI will be invaluable as we empower our teams and clients around the world to leverage these transformative technologies,” Bloomgarden added.

“The future of communications is inextricably linked with AI, leading to abundant possibilities. We’re on the cusp of unlocking unprecedented creativity, efficiency, and impact in how we connect and communicate. This partnership with Ruder Finn is about empowering businesses to navigate this exciting frontier and leverage AI for meaningful and lasting success,” Kass said.

“Our firm is setting a new standard in the industry by integrating advanced AI capabilities directly into our client offerings. By transforming traditional PR with AI-driven insights and efficiencies, we’re not just enhancing campaign outcomes—we’re positioning ourselves as leaders in AI-powered communications,” Elan Shou, Ruder Finn Asia-Pacific managing director, said.

While still in the process of finalizing the new council’s list of members, Ruder Finn will announce additional members representing other regions and expertise. 

Singapore – Global artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI has announced a partnership with global media company Condé Nast which will allow OpenAI to display content from top publication brands like Vogue, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Wired, Bon Appétit, amongst, within the company’s products, including ChatGPT and its SearchGPT prototype.

With the introduction of OpenAI’s SearchGPT prototype, the company is testing new search features that make finding information and reliable content sources faster and more intuitive. 

Moreover, OpenAI will be combining its conversational models with information from the web to give users timely answers with clear and relevant sources. SearchGPT offers direct links to news stories, enabling users to easily explore more in-depth content directly from the source.

OpenAI also notes that they are collaborating with their news partners to collect feedback and insights on the design and performance of SearchGPT, ensuring that these integrations enhance user experiences and inform future updates to ChatGPT.

Brad Lightcap, COO at OpenAI, said, “We’re committed to working with Condé Nast and other news publishers to ensure that as AI plays a larger role in news discovery and delivery, it maintains accuracy, integrity, and respect for quality reporting.”

Condé Nast joins a growing list of publishers including Associated Press, Axel Springer, The Atlantic, Dotdash Meredith, Financial Times, LeMonde, NewsCorp, Prisa Media, TIME, Vox Media and others, in OpenAI’s mission to integrate journalism more deeply with AI services.

New York, USA – OpenAI has announced a multi-year partnership with global media company TIME to bring TIME’s journalism to OpenAI’s products, including ChatGPT. The new partnership furthers TIME’s commitment to expanding global access to accurate and trusted information. 

Through this collaboration, OpenAI will gain access to current and historic content from TIME’s extensive archives from the last 101 years to enhance its products and display in response to user inquiries—featuring a citation and link back to the original source on Time.com.

The partnership will also enable TIME to gain access to OpenAI’s technology to develop new products for its audiences, along with the opportunity to provide vital feedback and share practical applications to refine and enhance the delivery of journalism in ChatGPT and other OpenAI products and shape the future of news experiences.

Mark Howard, chief operating officer at TIME, said, “Throughout our 101-year history, TIME has embraced innovation to ensure that the delivery of our trusted journalism evolves alongside technology. This partnership with OpenAI advances our mission to expand access to trusted information globally as we continue to embrace innovative new ways of bringing TIME’s journalism to audiences globally.”

Meanwhile, Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer of OpenAI, commented, “We’re partnering with TIME to make it easier for people to access news content through our AI tools, and to support reputable journalism by providing proper attribution to original sources.”

This partnership follows a slew of partnerships OpenAI had including with the Financial Times, Reddit, News Corp, and more recently with Grab.

Singapore – Grab and OpenAI has announced a partnership, as both companies will design and deliver enhanced experiences for Grab users, partners and employees using state-of-the-art AI capabilities. This marks the first time a partnership like this has happened in Southeast Asia.

This partnership uniquely combines the development of AI tools for Grab users and partners with an initial pilot deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise for Grab employees. Moreover, Grab will access OpenAI’s technical and strategic expertise to partner on solutions tailored to the specific needs of users in Southeast Asia.

In terms of accessibility, Grab will leverage the use of state-of-the-art text and voice capabilities to make Grab’s services more accessible to all users, particularly the visually impaired or elderly who may otherwise find it challenging to navigate the on-screen app interface.

Moreover, Grab will explore using AI technology to build customer support chatbots that can better understand user problems and help resolve them faster.

Lastly, Grab will seek to leverage OpenAI’s vision capabilities to enhance its map-making efforts through greater automation and higher-quality data extraction from visual images. This means GrabMaps can be updated even faster, delivering a better experience to consumers and driver-partners.

Philipp Kandal, chief product officer at Grab said, “We’ve been a pioneer of AI adoption in the region, and believe that generative AI has a lot of potential to further transform the way we solve problems for our partners and users. We’re excited to work with OpenAI as a partner to help accelerate the exploration and use of this technology within Grab. Our goal with any new technology has always been to use it to solve real problems, at scale. Equipped with the latest tools, we look forward to building novel and delightful experiences for our customers while improving the way that every Grabber works.”

In addition to developing advanced AI solutions for its users and partners, Grab also intends to deploy ChatGPT Enterprise among select employees through an initial pilot, complementing existing efforts to drive wider use of AI tools across its employee base to boost productivity. 

Meanwhile, Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer at OpenAI commented, “We’re excited to work with Grab and together explore how advanced AI can benefit Grab users, partners, and employees across Southeast Asia.”

This partnership follows a slew of partnerships OpenAI had including with the Financial Times, Reddit, and News Corp.

USA – OpenAI and News Corp, the American mass media and publishing company, have announced a multi-year agreement allowing OpenAI to display content from News Corp mastheads to help users make informed choices based on reliable information and news sources. 

Through this collaboration, OpenAI will receive access to current and archived content from News Corp’s major news and information publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, Investor’s Business Daily, FN, and New York Post; The Times, The Sunday Times, and The Sun; The Australian, news.com.au, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail, The Advertiser, and Herald Sun; and others.

In addition to providing content, News Corp will share journalistic expertise to help ensure the highest journalism standards are present across OpenAI’s offering. 

OpenAI also emphasised that the partnership does not include access to content from any of News Corp’s other businesses. 

Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp, said, “We believe an historic agreement will set new standards for veracity, for virtue, and for value in the digital age. We are delighted to have found principled partners in Sam Altman and his trusty, talented team who understand the commercial and social significance of journalists and journalism. This landmark accord is not an end, but the beginning of a beautiful friendship in which we are jointly committed to creating and delivering insight and integrity instantaneously.”

Commenting on the deal, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, also shared, “Our partnership with News Corp is a proud moment for journalism and technology. We greatly value News Corp’s history as a leader in reporting breaking news around the world and are excited to enhance our users’ access to its high-quality reporting. Together, we are setting the foundation for a future where AI deeply respects, enhances, and upholds the standards of world-class journalism.”

Tokyo , Japan – AI research organisation OpenAI has announced the establishment of a new office in Tokyo, Japan. This marks the first time OpenAI has opened an office in the Asian region. Moreover, it is also announced that they are releasing a GPT-4 custom model optimised for the Japanese language.

In a blog post by the company, it said that they are committed to collaborating with the Japanese government, local businesses, and research institutions in order to develop safe AI tools that serve Japan’s unique needs and to unlock new opportunities.

“We’re excited to be in Japan which has a rich history of people and technology coming together to do more. We believe AI will accelerate work by empowering people to be more creative and productive, while also delivering broad value to current and new industries that have yet to be imagined,” Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said.

As part of its Japan office opening, it has appointed Tadao Nagasaki as president of OpenAI Japan. In this new role, Nagasaki will lead the company’s commercial and market engagement efforts and help build its local team that will advance global affairs, go-to-market, communications, operations and other functions in serving Japan. 

“Our new local presence also gets us closer to leading businesses like Daikin, Rakuten, and TOYOTA Connected who are using ChatGPT Enterprise to automate complex business processes, assist in data analysis, and optimize internal reporting. ChatGPT also helps accelerate the efforts of local governments, such as Yokosuka City, which is leveraging the technology to improve the efficiency of public services in Japan,” the company said.

Singapore – The National Library Board has teamed up with LePub APAC to launch an innovative project called ‘Playbrary’ that turns books into games with the aim of reviving reading. 

In this game-changing initiative, books are literally transformed into interactive text adventure games, blending the timeless charm of storytelling with the engagement of digital gameplay. 

Through cutting-edge AI technology, Playbrary transforms conventional books into captivating text-based adventure games. Staying true to the book’s original storyline, these games offer dynamic interaction, enabling players to shape the narrative’s direction. Beyond adapting to player choices, the AI enriches the experience by generating vivid images to complement the text, resulting in a fully immersive and multisensory experience.

Playbrary is in partnership with OpenAI, integrating it seamlessly with ChatGPT and allowing users to engage with these literary adventures directly through the platform. 

Furthermore, Playbrary offers a free prompt generator, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the fusion of reading and gaming. Once kids ‘play’ a story, they can borrow the original from the National  Library Board, Singapore’s catalogue of books and eBooks. 

The Playbrary was born out of the challenge libraries globally face, which is keeping books relevant in an age dominated by digital distractions. More than just a digital library, Playbrary is an interactive journey through literature, where stories are not merely read but experienced. 

Moreover, beyond just entertainment, the initiative will also serve as an accessible educational tool for many. By gamifying the reading process, it presents a novel solution to the dwindling interest in traditional reading among younger generations. 

The National Library Board’s initiative hopes to solve the issue of younger generations losing interest in traditional reading.

Playbrary has the ability to turn any book in the public domain into a game since AI has read all of them already. With this, more than 1,000 classic books will be playable at launch, and LePub APAC is also inviting authors and publishers to add their books to Playbrary. 

Ng Cher Pong, chief executive officer of the National Library Board Singapore, said, “This is part of NLB’s ongoing efforts to make generative AI accessible to all. Our partnership with LePub APAC opens new, innovative ways for more people to read and learn. Through the gamification experience of Playbrary, we hope to encourage more Singaporeans to read these classics after playing the game. We also invite like-minded partners onboard to explore emerging technologies that inspire new ways of interaction with NLB’s resources, such as through GenAI.” 

Meanwhile, Cyril Louis, executive creative director at LePub APAC, shared, “As Playbrary begins its journey, it stands as a testament to Singapore’s innovative spirit and a potential beacon for the future of libraries in the digital age. Playbrary celebrates books through the lens of technology, inviting a new generation to rediscover the magic of stories in a format that resonates with their digital-first lifestyle. Once they’ve ‘played’ a story on Playbrary, many kids will be curious to read the original.” 

Hanh Kanssen, managing director at LePub APAC, also added, “Playbrary is an exciting project for LePub, which not only helps to rekindle a love for reading in young adults but is also a great educational resource. I am very proud of our great creative team behind this creation, who helped to make this project happen at the speed of light so that people all over the world can discover the joy of reading.”