AI News Highlights from 8th of July, 2025

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🚀 Headlines & Launches

Grok 4 Launches This Week – Livestream Confirmed xAI will unveil Grok 4 during a livestream on Wednesday at 8 PM PT. Early leaks suggest state-of-the-art benchmarks—this could be one of the most significant model launches of the year. 🔗 https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1942325820170907915.html

Apple’s Head of AI Models Jumps Ship to Meta Ruoming Pang is leaving Apple to join Meta Superintelligence Labs, the AI division now led by Alexandr Wang. Meta continues its aggressive recruiting spree with big pay packages and major talent grabs. 🔗 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-07/apple-loses-its-top-ai-models-executive-to-meta-s-hiring-spree

ChatGPT Tests a “Study Together” Mode Some users spotted a new feature that flips the script—ChatGPT now asks you questions instead of giving answers. Called "Study Together," it appears to be an experimental mode for active learning. 🔗 https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/1lswn88/new_study_together_option_in_chatgpt/

🔍 Deep Dives & Analysis

Why Anthropic Is Deprecating Claude 3 Opus API Deprecating Claude 3 Opus wasn't just a technical decision—it reflects the economics and operational strain of reduced-scale inference. This analysis explores the tradeoffs for labs and researchers. 🔗 https://x.com/tessera_antra/status/1941563920587817203

Inside the $40K-a-Year “Alpha School” Hype Despite its reputation as a fully autonomous, AI-powered school, the Austin-based Alpha School still leans on intensive teacher support and structured incentives. The real value? Freeing up time—potentially adding years of opportunity to a student’s life. 🔗 https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-alpha-school

🛠️ Engineering & Research

Microjax: 150 Lines of Autograd in JAX Style A minimalist autograd engine inspired by Micrograd but with a functional twist. It’s educational, tiny, and useful for understanding the mechanics of JAX. 🔗 https://github.com/joelburget/microjax

Chain of Recursive Thoughts (CoRT) Improves Code Tasks This method makes models evaluate their own responses, iterate, and refine them. Tested with Mistral 3.1 24B, it improves programming task performance significantly. 🔗 https://github.com/PhialsBasement/Chain-of-Recursive-Thoughts

BitNet b1.58 Enables Efficient CPU Inference at 1.58 Bits Microsoft’s new inference framework for the BitNet model achieves ultra-efficient inference with lossless performance—all on CPUs. 🔗 https://github.com/microsoft/BitNet

🧠 Miscellaneous

Are We Nearing a Robotics ‘ChatGPT Moment’? The robotics field is maturing fast. Open-source VLA models let solo developers achieve what once took whole teams. This article argues we’re entering a surreal new phase—robots in our daily lives. 🔗 https://paritoshmohan.substack.com/p/the-chatgpt-moment-in-robotics-and

Replit Adds Dynamic Intelligence to Its AI Agent New features include Extended Thinking, High Power Model access, and Web Search. Each can be toggled on demand to give the Replit Agent enhanced problem-solving depth. 🔗 https://blog.replit.com/dynamic-intelligence

Huawei Faces Accusations of Model “Upcycling” from Alibaba A whistleblower claims Huawei’s Pangu model was built by recycling Alibaba’s Qwen via model fingerprinting. Evidence is debated, and the situation has stirred up new tensions in China’s AI scene. 🔗 https://www.computerworld.com/article/4018098/chinas-ai-unity-fractures-as-huawei-faces-model-theft-allegations-from-the-alibaba-camp.html

⚡ Quick Links

• CoreWeave Will Buy Core Scientific in $9B Stock Deal 🔗 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/07/coreweave-to-acquire-core-scientific-in-9-billion-all-stock-deal.html

• Generative Game Engine Debuts with GTA-Like AI Demos 🔗 https://blog.dynamicslab.ai/

• Cursor Walks Back Pricing Changes After Backlash 🔗 https://cursor.com/blog/june-2025-pricing

• Google Launches AI Tools for Mental Health and Long-Term Research 🔗 https://blog.google/technology/health/new-mental-health-ai-tools-research-treatment/