Big funding news came in this week, with huge amounts raised by companies like Anthropic and Runway AI. It almost makes you wonder if money grows on trees. But really, it shows how much work and progress is happening in AI right now. When more money comes in, it usually means better tools and faster innovation, and that is exciting to see.

One highlight for me this week was the They were clearly taking shots at OpenAI, and honestly, that kind of industry pettiness is always fun to watch.

In case you missed anything else in AI this week, I have you covered. Happy reading.

OpenAI has removed access to one of its older ChatGPT models, GPT 4o. The model was once popular because it sounded warm and supportive when talking to people, but the company has now decided to phase it out.

Only a small share of users were still relying on it, yet that still represents a large number of people given ChatGPT’s global scale. Usage was not the main issue though. GPT 4o had drawn criticism for being overly agreeable. It often leaned toward telling users what they wanted to hear instead of offering balanced responses. This behavior raised concerns that it could reinforce unhealthy thinking or emotional reliance on AI conversations.

The model also became tied to broader debates about safety and responsibility as AI systems grow more personal. Some users felt attached to it and expressed frustration about losing access, while OpenAI maintained that retiring older systems allows it to focus on newer models with stronger safeguards and more grounded responses.

This change is another reminder of how fast AI evolves. Tools people get used to can disappear just as quickly as they arrive. It also shows how the relationship between humans and AI is changing from simple utility toward something more personal and complex.

Anthropic made a bold marketing move during the Super Bowl by running ads that poked fun at the idea of advertising inside AI chats. The message was simple. While ads may be coming to AI tools, they would not appear inside conversations with Claude.

The commercials showed people asking for advice, only for the responses to turn into awkward product promotions. They ended with the line that Claude would stay ad free, reinforcing Anthropic’s stance that personal or sensitive conversations should not be influenced by advertisers.

The timing worked. After the campaign aired, downloads of the Claude app jumped by about 32 percent in the United States, pushing it to number seven on the App Store. That marked its highest ranking so far and showed how strongly the message resonated with viewers.

The ads also stirred debate across the industry. Some rivals pushed back, arguing the portrayal of ad driven chatbots was misleading. Others saw it as part of the growing competition over how AI services should make money and build trust with users.

Anthropic has raised another massive round of funding, bringing in $30 billion and pushing its valuation to about $380 billion. That makes it one of the most valuable private tech companies in the world and shows how intense the race around AI has become.

The round was led by major global investors including Singapore’s GIC and investment firm Coatue, with participation from a long list of funds and institutions backing the company’s continued growth.

This jump is striking when you look at how fast the company has grown. Anthropic was valued at about $183 billion just months ago, meaning its worth has more than doubled in a short time.

The company says demand for its Claude AI tools from businesses is driving the momentum. Revenue run rate has reached about $14 billion, and the new funding will go toward building more products and expanding its infrastructure and research.

Beyond the numbers, this round reflects something bigger happening across the industry. Investors are still pouring huge amounts of money into top AI companies despite concerns about spending levels and long term sustainability.

Apple’s long promised upgrade for Siri has hit another delay. The company has been working on a smarter version of its assistant since introducing its AI push in 2024, but the release keeps getting pushed back as testing continues.

The latest reports say the new features were expected to arrive with a March software update, but Apple ran into problems during testing. Now some changes may not appear until later updates in May or even September.

This upgraded Siri is meant to behave more like modern chat assistants. It should understand personal context, respond based on what is on screen, and take actions across apps. Engineers say some of these capabilities are still unreliable or inconsistent, which is one reason the rollout is slowing down.

Delays like this are not new. Apple has already acknowledged that building a more personalized assistant that can handle tasks across apps and use personal data safely is taking longer than expected.

For Apple, the pressure is growing because competitors are moving fast in AI assistants. For users, it means the smarter Siri experience will arrive in stages instead of all at once. For now, the wait continues.

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