Need to Know News - July 18th, 2025
In this week's Need to Know News edition:
🤖 OpenAI releases ChatGPT Agent...watch it build entire PowerPoints, analyze competitors, and handle complex tasks while you sleep (it's already beating Wall Street analysts at their own game).
🤖 How Delta's new "super analyst" AI works 24/7 to pinpoint the absolute highest price you'll pay for a ticket...
🤖 Google's AI upgrade will cold-call businesses FOR you...no more awkward phone tag or "please hold"...
And a whole lot more!
OpenAI Introduces ChatGPT Agent
ChatGPT is no longer just a chatbot. It's now an agent that can actively work for you. It uses its own virtual computer to handle complex, multi-step tasks all on its own. You can give it a goal, like "analyze my top three competitors and create a slide deck," and it will browse websites, run analysis, and deliver an editable presentation.
It's a powerful combination of a web browser, a code terminal, and data analysis tools. And you're always in the driver's seat. ChatGPT will ask for permission before taking big actions, and you can jump in to take over at any time.
This new agent is already crushing benchmarks, significantly outperforming previous models and even humans on complex tasks like data science and investment banking analysis.
Delta Is Using AI to Find the Highest Price You'll Pay for a Ticket
Delta Air Lines has a new plan to make more money: using AI to charge you the highest possible price for a ticket. The airline's president said the company likes what it sees from the new system "a lot" and is moving forward quickly.
After a successful test, Delta plans to have AI set prices for 20% of its tickets by the end of this year. The system creates a unique price for you, for a specific flight, at a specific time. The AI, from a company called Fetcherr, acts like a "super analyst" that works 24/7 to determine how much you are willing to spend.
🚀 Missing One of These 5 Essential 'Copy Blocks' Could Cost You A Fortune!
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More Advanced AI Capabilities Are Coming to Google Search
A new Google feature lets the AI call local businesses on your behalf to check prices and appointment times for things like pet grooming. It then gathers all the options for you.
But the biggest upgrades are for paid subscribers. If you have Google AI Pro or AI Ultra, you now get access to Gemini 2.5 Pro for complex questions. You also get "Deep Search," which acts like a research assistant. It can sift through tons of information and write a comprehensive, cited report in minutes, which is perfect for big projects or life decisions.
Netflix CEO: AI Will Make Movies "Better, Not Just Cheaper"
According to co-CEO Ted Sarandos, AI is giving creators powerful new tools. He says this is about "real people doing real work with better tools."
As proof, he shared how the team on an Argentine series, El Eternauta, used AI to create a complex visual effects shot of a collapsing building. The result was amazing, and it was completed ten times faster than normal. This allowed a show with a smaller budget to have incredible Hollywood-level effects.
The Secret to AI Profits? A New Boss Called the CAIO
Struggling to get a return on your AI investment? A new IBM study says the answer might be hiring a Chief AI Officer (CAIO). The role is exploding. 26% of companies now have a CAIO, up from just 11% last year.
These leaders are in charge of the entire AI strategy, from vision to execution. The results are impressive. Organizations with a CAIO get a 10% higher ROI on AI spending and are 24% more innovative. They also hold the purse strings, with 61% controlling the AI budget.
Mistral's Chatbot Gets a "Deep Research" Mode to Rival Google and OpenAI
Mistral's Le Chat chatbot just got a major upgrade to compete with the industry giants. It now features a "deep research" mode that can plan and synthesize information for you. But its biggest advantage is for businesses. Le Chat can connect to a company's private data on their own premises, not in the cloud.
This is a huge deal for customers in banking or defense with sensitive data. The update also adds multilingual reasoning and better image editing, positioning Le Chat as a serious full-stack contender.
Why Robinhood's CEO Turned Down a Billion-Dollar Valuation for His New AI
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev's new AI startup, Harmonic AI, just raised $100 million. But he intentionally chose a lower $875 million valuation, saying, "You never want to take the highest offer." Why? Because his company is building a totally different kind of AI.
Instead of language, Harmonic's model, Aristotle, uses pure math and logic. This means it can't "hallucinate," and every single answer is verifiably correct. It's designed for critical jobs in finance and aerospace where there's absolutely no room for error, and it's already crushing math benchmarks.
Adobe Firefly Adds AI Sound Effects and Virtual Avatars
Adobe's Firefly AI released another upgrade this week for video creators. You can now generate custom, commercially safe sound effects simply by describing them or even using your voice. Another new feature turns your scripts into videos led by a digital avatar with just a few clicks..
A majority of teachers (61%) say AI gives them better insights into student learning, while 57% report it helps improve their grading and feedback. Plus, nearly 60% agree AI makes learning more accessible for students with disabilities.
New AI Codes Better Than ChatGPT and Costs 100x Less
A new AI from China is taking on ChatGPT, and it's winning on coding and price. Kimi K2, from Alibaba-backed Moonshot, claims to outperform both OpenAI's and Anthropic's models at writing computer code. This is huge for businesses looking to save on staff. But the price is the real story. Kimi K2 is free to use in its app, and for developers, it's a bargain. For example, Anthropic's Claude costs 100 times more for input
Thanks for reading.
Until next time!
The AI Marketers
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