Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed his government and Sberbank, the country’s largest bank, to strengthen collaboration with China in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) according to an order published on the Kremlin’s website on 1 January.

Geoffrey Hinton, widely regarded as the 'godfather of AI', has voiced strong opposition to OpenAI’s move to transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit company, as per a recent report by Business Insider.

AI chatbots are showing signs of early dementia-like cognitive impairment, according to a recent study published in The BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical journal. Researchers tested leading chatbots, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a tool designed to spot early signs of dementia in humans.

The research argues the potentially "lucrative yet troubling" marketplace emerging for "digital signals of intent" could, in the near future, influence everything from buying movie tickets to voting for political candidates.

Here is a glimpse into ten of the most pivotal AI terms that have not only defined discussions in technology, policy, and everyday life this year but are also transforming industries and society at large.

Since the Ukraine-Russia war which began in 2022, Ukrainian drone operators have collected over 2 million hours of video, equivalent to 228 years of footage, to support AI-driven decision-making in combat, according to a recent report by Reuters.

Suchir Balaji, a former researcher at OpenAI known for his firm stance against the AI giant's policies, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on November 26, 2024. The 26-year-old’s death was ruled a suicide by the San Francisco Police Department, with no indications of foul play.

xAI, the AI company created by Elon Musk, has announced that its new Grok-2 AI chatbot is now free for all users on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

OpenAI has officially launched Sora, its text-to-video AI model, in a recent livestream, marking the latest in its 12-day “Ship-mas” series of product announcements.

Discussions about future plans involving AI in journalism remain largely irrelevant at this stage.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has recently shared his perspective on the future of artificial intelligence (AI), stating that while AI will soon match human capabilities, its impact may not be as significant as many expect.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced on Wednesday plans to invest $10 billion in building its largest data centre to date, a state-of-the-art facility in Richland Parish, Louisiana. The hyperscale data centre will support the processing demands of artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.

Meta has announced plans to explore nuclear energy as part of its efforts to power artificial intelligence advancements and support its environmental objectives. The company revealed on Tuesday that it will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to identify developers capable of building 1 to 4 gigawatts of new nuclear power capacity reactors in the United States.

Amazon has introduced Nova, a collection of advanced AI models designed for tasks like analysing text, generating images, and creating videos. These models, announced at the AWS conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, aim to help businesses reduce costs, speed up processes, and customise AI for their specific needs, says Amazon in an official blog post.

Two peer-reviewed studies, one published in November 2024 and one in October 2023, shed light on how interacting with AI chatbots can help people manage stress, express emotions, and even improve their overall emotional health.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is suing a former intern for 8 million yuan (about $1.1 million), accusing him of deliberately disrupting its artificial intelligence (AI) training operations. The lawsuit, filed in Beijing's Haidian District People's Court, has sparked widespread interest in China owing to its unique nature.

Nvidia has introduced a new generative AI model, Fugatto, capable of generating and transforming audio, music, and voices based on text and audio prompts. The technology targets industries such as music production, film, and video games, offering advanced tools for creating and modifying audio content, as per an official blog post by Nvidia.

Nvidia reported quarterly sales of $35.1 billion, some $2 billion more than market expectations.

The Manhattan Project was a large-scale collaboration between the US government and the private sector during World War Two that produced the first atomic bombs.

Nvidia’s highly anticipated Blackwell AI chips are reportedly facing overheating issues, raising concerns about potential delays for customers relying on the technology. According to a report by global news platform The Information, the overheating occurs when the chips are installed in server racks designed to hold up to 72 units.