🗞 Microsoft-OpenAI Tensions, Perplexity's Browser Revolution, and Copyright Office Shakeup

🔎 The Latest on the AI Frontier:

• Microsoft-OpenAI Partnership: Tough Negotiations Over Future Terms

• Perplexity's Comet Browser: Evolving From Traditional Browsing to Autonomous Web Agent

• Copyright Leadership Shakeup: Trump Administration Fires Top US Copyright Official

• European Defense Tech Investment: American VC Launches $22M Fund

• ChatGPT Infrastructure Upgrade: OpenAI's Quiet Enhancements for Professional Users

• US-China Trade Relations: 90-Day Tariff Reduction Agreement Announced

• Other news you might find interesting

🤝 Microsoft and OpenAI reported to be in "tough negotiation" over their partnership terms

• According to the Financial Times, Microsoft is a key holdout needed to approve OpenAI's corporate restructuring, which would convert its business arm into a for-profit public benefit corporation while keeping the nonprofit board in control.

• The companies are reportedly renegotiating their broader contract, with Microsoft offering to surrender some equity in exchange for access to OpenAI technology developed after the current 2030 cutoff.

• Sources told the FT that negotiations are complicated by the increasingly competitive relationship between the two companies as OpenAI's enterprise business grows and it pursues its ambitious Stargate infrastructure project.

🌐 Perplexity's upcoming Comet browser evolves beyond traditional browsing to become a full autonomous web agent

• Internal logs reveal Comet will reportedly support direct posting to X (Twitter), allowing users to type requests in the prompt bar and have the browser navigate to platforms, log in via headless sessions, and post content on their behalf.

• This functionality positions Perplexity ahead of competitors like Google's Project Mariner (still in early prototype stage) and The Browser Company's "Dia," making Comet potentially the first true AI-native browser operating more like a web agent than a passive interface.

• With a reported mid-May release date, Comet's capabilities could extend beyond social media to email platforms and document editors, streamlining digital workflows for professionals and content creators.

⚖️ Trump administration fires top US copyright official days after terminating Librarian of Congress

• Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, was abruptly terminated via email from the White House on Saturday, stating her position was "terminated effective immediately."

• The firing comes just two days after President Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who was the first woman and first African American to hold the position, as part of what's described as an "ongoing purge" of officials perceived to oppose Trump's agenda.

• Perlmutter's office recently released a significant report on whether AI companies can use copyrighted materials to train their systems, taking a position based on "the centrality of human creativity" in works that warrant copyright protection.

💼 American VC Eric Slesinger bets on European defense tech with new $22M fund

• Former CIA officer Slesinger launched 201 Ventures to focus exclusively on seed-stage European defense tech startups, identifying a market gap while most American VCs chase AI or US-based defense investments.

• European defense tech startups raised 24% more capital in 2024 than 2023, reaching $5.2 billion and surpassing AI funding, with the NATO Innovation Fund becoming a significant backer of ventures like 201.

• With eight investments to date, including surveillance tower developer Delian Alliance Industries and maritime drone maker Polar Mist, Slesinger focuses on technologies addressing "gray zone competition" that he believes will continue in Europe for decades.

📄 OpenAI quietly develops new infrastructure to transform ChatGPT into a more powerful tool for professional environments

• Backend discoveries suggest ChatGPT will soon receive expanded connector capabilities, allowing it to query and operate within third-party platforms more seamlessly, potentially enabling agent-based automation workflows across multiple services.

• The platform may soon support direct downloads of generated PDFs—similar to Grok's document handling feature—benefiting users in education and corporate reporting contexts by eliminating additional formatting steps.

• A potential credit system for usage management is reportedly being developed, initially targeted at enterprise environments for budget allocation across teams, which could evolve into a more flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model rather than fixed-tier plans.

🤝 US and China announce major breakthrough with 90-day tariff reduction agreement

• Both countries have agreed to slash reciprocal tariffs from 125% down to just 10% for a 90-day period, though the additional 20% tariff on Chinese goods related to China's role in the US fentanyl crisis will remain, bringing the total to 30%.

• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the agreement following weekend negotiations in Geneva, stating "We want more balanced trade, and I think both sides are committed to achieving that. Neither side wants a decoupling."

• The temporary tariff ceasefire is particularly good news for tech companies like Apple and Google that rely on Chinese manufacturing, though many US firms have already begun shifting production to countries like India, Brazil, and Vietnam to avoid the hefty tariffs.

More news you might find interesting:

• OpenAI introduces first "deep research connector" for ChatGPT with GitHub integration

• Google plans significant Gemini updates ahead of the upcoming Google I/O event.

• AI tool "Track" helps police bypass facial recognition bans with alternative surveillance methods.

• Tech executives urge Trump administration to revise Biden-era AI chip export controls to maintain US global leadership.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman extends olive branch to Elon Musk, suggesting collaboration on artificial general intelligence.

• Pope Leo XIV reveals AI's influence on his papal name selection during first formal address.

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