The Scoop: GPT-5 Launches Amidst Intel CEO Controversy

August 8, 2025 Luna Ray 154 Views

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

GPT-5 is here. Now what?

At long last, OpenAI has released GPT-5. The new system abandons the distinction between OpenAI’s flagship models and its series of reasoning models, automatically routing user queries to a fast non-reasoning model or a slower reasoning version. It is now available to everyone through the ChatGPT web interface—though nonpaying users may need to wait a few days to gain full access.

GPT-5 will furnish a more pleasant and seamless user experience. That’s not nothing, but it falls far short of the transformative AI future that Sam Altman has spent much of the past year discussing. Read the complete story.

—Grace Huckins

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most intriguing stories about technology.

Donald Trump has called on Intel’s CEO to resign. He claims Lip-Bu Tan is “conflicted” by his business ties to China. (FT) + Tan was already at odds with some of his board members before the intervention. (WSJ) + But the CEO claims he’s got the full backing of his board presently. (Bloomberg)
Wildfires are raging across the western US. Strong winds are rapidly spreading them across parched land. (WP) + The fires have a devastating effect on human health. (The Guardian) + How AI can help spot wildfires. (MIT Technology Review)
Meta’s AI superintelligence team is growing. The new TBD Lab is currently working on the newest version of its Llama model. (WSJ) + Meta has also been busy acquiring an AI audio firm. (The Information) + Elsewhere, Tesla has disbanded its supercomputer team. (Bloomberg)
A man suffered psychosis after ChatGPT suggested he take sodium bromide. The 60-year-old ended up with bromism. (Ars Technica) + He’d been taking it for three months before he went to the ER. (The Independent) + AI companies have stopped warning you that their chatbots aren’t doctors. (MIT Technology Review)
Meet Silicon Valley’s AI Rationalists. The group’s influence has spread through tech giants and AI pioneers alike. (NYT) + Inside effective altruism, where the far future counts a lot more than the present. (MIT Technology Review)
An CBP agent wore Meta smart glasses during an immigration raid. Signaling that law enforcement is interested in this technology. (404 Media)
The US military has a new use for Tesla Cybertrucks, namely, aiming missiles at them. (The Verge) + It wants to learn how to destroy them if enemies start deploying them. (The Register)
South Korea will decide whether to let Google Maps operate. The decades-old debate could be laid to rest next week. (The Guardian) + The country has previously rejected Google’s requests on security grounds. (Reuters)
Instagram’s new location-sharing feature is here. It’s a bid to make the app more participatory and social. (Insider) + It also looks a whole lot like Snap’s map. (Fast Company)
These headphones could help you to focus. Startup Neurable wants to track your brain activity to prevent you from getting distracted. (Vox) + A new AI translation system for headphones clones multiple voices simultaneously. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“I don’t think we should think of them as the ‘new Google’ yet.”

—Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s CEO, questions the hype surrounding AI agents’ capabilities, according to reports.

One more thing

The arrhythmia of our current age. Arrhythmia means the heart beats, but not in proper time—a critical rhythm of life suddenly going rogue and unpredictable. It’s frightening to experience, but could it also serve as a metaphor for our times? Perhaps this uncertainty reflects broader life in the 2020s. Maybe you feel it too—that the world seems to skip more than a beat or two as challenges emerge and many issues unfold. The anxiety resulting from such circumstances has been hard on our spirits—both literally and metaphorically. Read more about this perspective.

—David Ewing Duncan