This week: Meta lets you deepfake anybody, then pulls the plug; Microsoft thinks Claude and ChatGPT are a bit pricey; OpenAI’s GPT-Live is here to listen; Anthropic signs 20 year crypto data center lease; and Meta’s deepfake detector can’t detect MetaAI’s own watermarked deepfakes. Slop me!
Tilly Norwood, AI ‘actor’ denounced by actors union, to star in feature film
(NBC News, 6 July 2026)
“Tilly Norwood creator Particle6 Productions said the movie will be a comedy-drama called ‘Misaligned.'”
Anthropic Releases Paper About Claude’s Mental ‘Workspace.’ Don’t Read It Uncritically
(Gizmodo, 6 July 2026)
“Anthropic’s paper and supplementary materials hint at consciousness, perhaps a bit hastily.”
Meta releases Muse Image and Muse Video, allowing users to generate AI deepfakes of anyone with a public Instagram account (see update on 10 July below)
(Meta blog, 7 July 2026)
“If you have a public account, other Instagram users may be able to create new reels, posts or stories that reuse part or all of your published photos, videos or reels in features like remix, sequence, templates and stickers. In addition, people may be able to create content with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta. Depending on the settings of the other user, this means your reused content may be discoverable in search engine results.”
Claude and ChatGPT Are Getting Too Expensive, Even for Microsoft
(Gizmodo, 7 July 2026)
“The tech giant is reportedly using its own AI models for some AI prompts in its Excel and Outlook software.”
Bitcoin Miner’s Pivot to Data Centers Pays Off as Anthropic Signs 20-Year Lease
(Gizmodo, 7 July 2026)
“Crypto enthusiasts have found a more lucrative use for their data centers.“
OpenAI releases GPT-Live, a new generation of voice models for natural human-AI interaction
(8 July 2026)
“GPT‑Live is built on a full-duplex architecture, meaning it can listen and speak at the same time. During conversations, GPT‑Live can show it’s paying attention with phrases like ‘mhmm’ or ‘yeah”, engage in quick back-and-forth, or just stay quiet when you need a moment to think. The result is a voice experience that is refreshingly easy to talk to.“
Scientists Used AI to Find Hidden Earthquake Signals Along the San Andreas Fault
(Gizmodo, 10 July 2026)
“Scientists used to think so-called ‘slow slip events’ were ‘theoretically impossible.’ Now these subtle tectonic shifts could be the key to predicting future earthquakes.”
Meta Removes Muse Image AI Feature After Backlash: “Missed The Mark”
(Deadline, 10 July 2026)
Days after rolling out its Muse Image AI feature on social media, Meta has heard the overwhelming backlash from users. On Friday, the tech behemoth announced that the feature is “no longer available” on Instagram, admitting they “missed the mark” amid privacy concerns and the automatic opt-in for users.
Meta AI image detector fails to identify some of its own cropped AI images, Reuters analysis finds
(Reuters, 10 July 2026)
“Meta previews AI detection tool alongside new image-generation model. Reuters finds tool misses 55% of cropped AI images generated by Muse Image. Experts say watermark-based detection has limitations.”