OpenAI Retires GPT-4o, Apple Acquires Q.ai for $2B, Google Launches Project Genie, and Waymo Under Investigation
This Week in AI Newsletter: 1/29/2026
OpenAI announced it will retire GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini from ChatGPT on February 13, saying only 0.1% of users still choose GPT-4o daily. More here.
Apple acquired Israeli AI startup Q.ai for nearly $2 billion—its second-largest acquisition ever after Beats—specializing in audio AI that interprets whispered speech and enhances audio in noisy environments. More here.
Google DeepMind launched Project Genie, an experimental prototype that lets users create and explore infinite interactive worlds using text prompts and images, powered by Genie 3. More here.
A Waymo robotaxi struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, causing minor injuries, with the NHTSA and NTSB both opening investigations. More here.
The acting head of CISA reportedly uploaded sensitive government files marked "For Official Use Only" into a public version of ChatGPT last summer, triggering security alerts and a federal damage assessment. More here.
Tesla disclosed a $2 billion investment in xAI as part of its recent financing round, claiming the investment will "enhance Tesla's ability to deploy AI products into the physical world at scale." More here.
Google Maps is getting Gemini integration for walking directions, turning the AI into a personal tour guide that answers questions like "What neighborhood am I in?" while navigating. More here.
Cloudflare released Moltworker, enabling the popular Moltbot (formerly Clawdbot) AI agent to run on Cloudflare's infrastructure instead of dedicated Mac mini hardware. More here.
A Rest of World feature explores how Chinese patients are turning to DeepSeek as a virtual doctor, with one kidney transplant patient reducing her medication at the bot's suggestion. More here.
Trump's Transportation Department is using Google's Gemini to write regulations, with officials saying they don't need "perfect" or even "very good" rules. More here.