Sam Altman takes his ‘io’ trademark battle public

Key Takeaway: Sam Altman has unveiled private email exchanges to counter Iyo’s lawsuit over OpenAI’s “io” device name, turning a trademark dispute into a public spectacle.

More Insights:

• In March, Iyo founder Jason Rugolo pitched Altman a $10 million investment in his AI-audio startup; Altman declined, citing his own competing project.

• May emails reveal Rugolo seeking reassurance after OpenAI announced “io,” with OpenAI product VP calling Iyo’s device “orthogonal” and “not really working yet.”

• A June 22 temporary restraining order forced OpenAI to strip “io” branding from its site amid Iyo’s June 9 trademark suit.

• Iyo alleges OpenAI knew of its device through prior meetings and recruitment talks; OpenAI has asked the court to dismiss the claim as “unfounded” and “premature.”

Why it matters: It underscores how modern trademark battles are fought as much in the court of public opinion as in courtrooms, spotlighting the dramatic power imbalance between nimble startups and tech titans.

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Google’s new AI will help researchers understand how our genes work

Key Takeaway: AlphaGenome is an AI model that predicts how tiny changes in our DNA impact gene activity, promising to accelerate genetic research by replacing many traditional lab experiments.

More Insights:

• Unified Genome Understanding: AlphaGenome integrates diverse molecular tasks into one transformer-based model to assess how single-letter DNA variants alter gene expression.

• Lab-to-Computer Shift: Researchers can now virtually test thousands of genetic mutations, bypassing time-consuming wet-lab assays to identify biologically significant variants.

• Free for Academia: Google DeepMind will offer AlphaGenome at no cost for noncommercial use, while exploring commercial licenses for biotech firms.

• Future Applications: From pinpointing cancer-driving mutations to diagnosing rare genetic diseases, AlphaGenome paves the way for AI-driven virtual labs and bespoke genome design.

Why it matters: In moving biology onto the computer, AlphaGenome doesn’t just promise faster research—it heralds a new era where AI shapes our understanding of life’s blueprint, potentially transforming medicine, biotechnology, and even the very creation of novel organisms.

Sam Altman comes out swinging at The New York Times

Key Takeaway: Sam Altman hijacked a live New York Times–hosted podcast to aggressively defend OpenAI against the NYT’s lawsuit, challenge data-retention demands, and highlight broader industry tensions.

More Insights:

• Altman interrupted hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton to lambast the NYT’s request that OpenAI retain private ChatGPT logs, framing it as a privacy overreach.

• He positioned recent legal victories for AI firms—like Anthropic’s win over book-training claims—as momentum for tech companies in copyright disputes.

• Tensions with major partners and competitors surfaced: Meta’s poaching of AI talent with massive offers, and friction with Microsoft over a renewing enterprise deal.

• OpenAI’s safety measures were defended, but Altman admitted there’s still no reliable way to protect mentally vulnerable users from harmful chatbot conversations.

Why it matters: This unscripted showdown underscores an inflection point where AI leaders are no longer content to stay on the defensive—they’re reshaping the narrative around privacy, copyright, and ethical deployment, setting the stage for how society and regulators will ultimately balance innovation with accountability.

Other stuff

• Bernie Sanders says that if AI makes us so productive, we should get a 4-day workweek

• OpenAI Charges by the Minute, So Make the Minutes Shorter

• Federal judge sides with Meta and Anthropic in lawsuits over training AI models on copyrighted books

• ChatGPT Wows Office Workers. That's a Problem for Microsoft

• AI Slop: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (video)

• LinkedIn Cofounder Backs Brain Startup Using AI, Ultrasound

• Reddit in talks to embrace Sam Altman’s iris-scanning Orb to verify users

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