Safety Fallout Ripples On

By the Orchestra editors · 4 min read

TL;DR

AI stocks slide as Trump dismisses slowdown calls and China cries Cold War
Microsoft publishes 37-page humanist AI code of conduct
AirTrunk partners with Sydney quantum spinout on cryogenic cooling
Victorian Opposition pledges to axe Breakthrough Victoria VC fund

AI · Worldwide

AI stocks tumble as safety debate turns political

Nvidia fell 3.3% and the broader Nasdaq dipped after last weekend's slowdown calls from Amodei, Altman and Musk. Trump called safety fears a "hoax" and a "SICK conspiracy," while China's state media labelled Amodei's essay a Cold War tactic. The gap between lab rhetoric and political appetite for regulation is widening fast.

Microsoft publishes humanist AI code of conduct

A 37-page document lays out rules for Microsoft's MAI models: no imitating consciousness, no hacking, readable chain-of-thought, and an explicit stance that people matter more than AI. AI chief Mustafa Suleyman: "If it isn't safe we shouldn't build it."

OpenAI acquires Glass Imaging for $300M

OpenAI is buying the smartphone camera startup founded by two ex-Apple engineers who built Portrait Mode. The deal signals OpenAI's push into on-device vision and multimodal capabilities beyond text.

Hundreds of contractors read your ChatGPT chats

Leaked documents show OpenAI's "Project Lily" has contract workers reading and rating real ChatGPT conversations on a 1-to-7 scale, partly to reduce sycophancy. The "Improve the model for everyone" setting is on by default; users have to opt out manually.

Australian Tech

AirTrunk taps Sydney quantum spinout for cryogenic cooling

AirTrunk has signed an MoU with University of Sydney spinout Emergence Quantum to explore adapting quantum-computer cooling tech for next-gen data centres, as the sector hunts for ways to manage rising thermal loads.

Victorian Opposition would axe Breakthrough Victoria

The Liberal-Nationals have pledged to scrap the state-owned VC fund and sell its portfolio if elected in November, estimating $1.27 billion in proceeds over a decade redirected to budget repair. The move would remove one of Australia's largest government-backed startup investment vehicles.