GPT-5 is Here!!

This is a subtle reminder that it’s the 2nd Saturday in August already! The year is running by quickly. Take this as a nudge to do everything you said you were going to accomplish this year. Just like OpenAI, they launched GPT-5 at the best time possible. Did you miss it? We brought all the news for you. Enjoy!

OpenAI has just launched GPT-5, its most powerful AI yet, and it is now the default for everyone using ChatGPT, even free users. This new version is faster, smarter, and better at understanding and solving problems, whether you are writing, coding, or looking for answers in areas like health, science, or math. It works in a new way that can either respond quickly or take extra time to think more deeply, depending on what you ask.

For coding, GPT-5 is a big step up. It can create full apps, games, and website designs from a single prompt and is better at making them look polished. It is also more reliable, with far fewer mistakes than before, and it is more honest when it does not know something. You can now choose different “personalities” for ChatGPT, adjust its tone, and change how it looks. It also connects more smoothly with tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Microsoft Copilot. The update is already rolling out to free, Plus, Pro, and Team accounts, with Enterprise and Education versions coming soon. Pro users get access to GPT-5 Pro, which can handle even more complex thinking. Developers can use it through the API in different sizes and have new options to control how it reasons and responds. Microsoft has already built GPT-5 into its apps, from Word and Excel to GitHub Copilot.

OpenAI says GPT-5 is designed to be more than just an upgrade. It is meant to feel like a truly helpful assistant, one that can chat casually, tackle tough problems, and adapt to your needs with better speed, accuracy, and flexibility.

Google has officially taken its AI coding assistant, Jules, out of beta and made it available to everyone. Originally announced in December 2024 and shown off at Google I/O in May, it is now officially live.

Jules is an “asynchronous” coding helper, meaning it works in the background so you don’t have to babysit it. It connects with GitHub, copies your code into a secure Google Cloud environment, and handles tasks like fixing bugs, updating code, or running tests while you get on with other things. During its testing phase, developers submitted thousands of tasks. Over 140,000 improvements were shared publicly, and their feedback helped Google clean up the design, squash bugs, and add new features like reusing previous setups, integrating GitHub Issues, and multimodal support (so Jules can show visual output).

Jules runs on Google’s advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro model now, giving it the reasoning power to plan and carry out complex code changes. There’s a free version that lets you run up to 15 tasks per day with 3 running at once. For more heavy use, Google offers AI Pro and Ultra subscription plans, unlocking significantly higher task limits.

Google reassured users that private code stays private, it won’t be used to train AI models, and clarified how it handles public repo data.

Roku just introduced Howdy, a brand-new ad‑free streaming service that costs just $2.99 a month, cheaper than a latte. It launched on August 5, 2025, in the U.S. and gives you access to about 10,000 hours of movies and TV shows.

Howdy’s lineup includes titles from big names like Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, FilmRise, and select Roku Originals. You can watch movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Blind Side, plus shows such as Weeds and Kids in the Hall, and it’s all ad‑free. Roku’s CEO, Anthony Wood, says Howdy isn’t trying to compete with Netflix or Disney+. It’s meant to complement, not replace, those services, offering a simple, affordable option for anyone who just wants to relax with something familiar and uninterrupted.

Even more, Howdy is not a limited-time deal. The $2.99 rate is here to stay and won’t sneakily jump higher later. At the same time, Roku keeps it flexible, no contracts, no hidden costs, and cancel anytime. Roku will start offering Howdy on its own devices and Roku TVs, and plans to expand to mobile and other platforms soon.

Some reviewers point out that while the price is amazing, Howdy doesn’t include the latest blockbusters or high-end features like HDR or Dolby Atmos  . And one note from the markets: Roku stock saw a slight rise after the launch, signaling cautious optimism from investors.

Bottom line: At under $3 a month, Howdy is a budget-friendly way to add some comfort-watching to your viewing mix without ads, perfect for those cozy nights when you just want something familiar.

Meta has just acquired WaveForms AI, a young startup that specializes in AI that can detect and mimic emotions in speech. Although Meta didn’t share the price, it’s part of a broader push to supercharge its new AI unit, Superintelligence Labs, and it’s their second major audio-focused buy in just one month, following the acquisition of PlayAI.

WaveForms got started only about eight months ago and already raised $40 million, giving it a pre-money valuation of about $160 million  . The company was co-founded by Alexis Conneau, who previously worked at Meta and OpenAI on audio research, and Coralie Lemaitre, a former Google ad strategist. Both are now joining Meta. WaveForms was all about solving what they called the “Speech Turing Test”, making AI speech so natural you can’t tell it apart from a human, and developing what they called “Emotional General Intelligence,” meaning speech that understands and expresses emotion realistically.   

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