Token quotas and turf wars

By the Orchestra editors · 4 min read

TL;DR

OpenAI merges Chat and Work into a single token-based quota, ending flat-rate prompting for heavy users
Intel drops 30% in a day as AI capex crowds out consumer chip demand
Australian Defence signals full-speed AI adoption after 60 internal interviews
Artists in Albanese's own seat rally against the government's AI copyright proposal

AI · Worldwide

OpenAI kills all-you-can-prompt pricing with unified token quota

Starting in December, ChatGPT's Chat and Work modes merge into one interface and Plus, Pro and Business plans will share a common token-based quota. Heavier models burn quota faster while simple chats stay free, effectively downgrading the experience for power users on cheaper tiers.

Microsoft offers 60,000 staff voluntary severance, shields AI teams

Roughly a quarter of Microsoft's workforce can take voluntary exit packages in the company's second such programme this year. Headcount has held flat at about 223,000 since 2022 even as AI infrastructure spend heads toward US$170 billion for 2026.

Chip stocks hammered as AI boom saps consumer demand

Intel shares fell 30% in a single session, its worst day on record, after forecasting revenue more than US$1 billion below expectations. Weakening PC demand and ballooning AI infrastructure costs are rattling investors across the semiconductor sector.

Australian Tech

Defence declares 'absolute acceleration' on AI adoption

The Department of Defence ran 60 internal interviews in 12 weeks to map AI use cases and says it is moving to accelerate adoption across the organisation. The push signals growing demand for cleared AI talent and sovereign compute.

Artists in Albanese's seat unite against AI scraping proposal

Creatives in the PM's electorate of Grayndler, home to more than 3,000 cultural businesses, are organising against the federal government's plan to let AI companies scrape Australian online content. The backlash adds political pressure ahead of the next election.

ARTEX AI hacking framework spreads to new China-linked group

The open-source ARTEX framework, which uses AI to automate offensive cyber operations, has been adopted by a second China-linked threat actor. It has now been tied to both espionage and financially motivated campaigns targeting organisations including Australian entities.