Imagine a horse stumbling on a rock. It regains momentum, then hits bumpier terrain and slows to a walk. Back on steady ground, the horse picks up its pace to catch up with the herd. How is the horse able to transition between these different gaits? Researchers at Brown University's Carney Institute for Brain Science have developed an artificial neural network that shows how a four-legged creature may generate multiple distinct patterns in gait. Their research provides new insights into how the brain may process complex behaviors.

A research team from Fraunhofer HNFIZ has published a newly developed evaluation model that classifies the technical capabilities of humanoids into five levels. Applications can also be classified based on the required robot capabilities. The model makes humanoids comparable, facilitates finding the right humanoid for a specific application, and highlights open issues in technology development.

A bird banking in a crosswind doesn't rely on spinning blades. Its wings flex, twist and respond instantly to its environment. Engineers at Rutgers University have taken a major step toward building bird-like drones that move the same way, flapping their wings like real birds, using electricity-driven materials instead of conventional electromagnetic motors to power them.

When a nuclear plant reaches the end of its life or is damaged, it must be decommissioned. This process can take more than 20 years and includes decontamination, dismantling, and handling radioactive materials so the site can be reused. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, almost half of the 423 nuclear power reactors in operation today are expected to enter decommissioning by 2050.

A collaborative research group has developed a bio-inspired robotic system based on insect behavior which can locate odor sources both indoors and outdoors with consistent accuracy, even if one of its two sensors fails. The team includes Assistant Professor Shigaki Shunsuke of the National Institute of Informatics (NII), Professor Kurabayashi Daisuke of the School of Engineering at Science Tokyo, and Associate Professor Owaki Dai of the Graduate School of Engineering at Tohoku University.

We are deploying machines that operate twenty four hours a day without human intervention while settling their economic output through spreadsheets, phone calls, and quarterly reconciliation meetings.

The End of ChatGPT as We Know It?

Computerworld predicts that a major makeover underway at ChatGPT could leave today’s version looking like a quaint relic.

One of the primary beneficiaries of that rework, according to Computerworld: Writers.

Essentially, the plan is to combine the current version of ChatGPT with ‘ChatGPT Atlas’ – an AI Web browser currently only available for Mac users – and ‘Codex,’ an AI tool for computer coders.

Observes writer Gnyana Swain: “The superapp is being designed around agentic AI, systems capable of autonomously executing multi-step tasks such as writing and debugging software, analyzing data, and completing complex workflows.

“That positions it less as a consumer chatbot and more as an AI-powered work environment aimed at developers and enterprise knowledge workers.”

Works for me.

In other news and analysis on AI writing:

*ChatGPT’s Maker on Track to Nearly Double Employee Headcount this Year: OpenAI’s workforce is expected to double to about 8,000 employees by the close of 2026 as it makes a major sales push into the enterprise, according to Semafor.

Wildly popular among consumers, OpenAI is simultaneously smarting from upstart competitor Anthropic, which has made significant inroads into the enterprise market.

*Slash and Burn: Elon Musk Rebuilding ChatGPT-Competitor xAI from the Ground Up: Completely disenchanted with the performance of xAI – which makes Grok, a key competitor to ChatGPT – CEO Elon Musk has decided to rip it up and start over.

Observes writer Victor Tangermann: “Musk reportedly ordered higher-ups from Tesla and SpaceX — the latter of which xAI was folded into earlier this year — to conduct audits and weed out anybody deemed to be underperforming.”

*Get AI to Create Your Next PowerPoint Presentation, Free: AI document generation service provider Templafy has launched a new AI agent that will auto-create a PowerPoint for you, gratis.

The promise: Throw your ideas to the AI PowerPoint Generator and in a few minutes, you’ll have a fully configured presentation, ready-to-rock.

Observes Christian Lund, co-founder, Templafy: “Through this initiative, we can show professionals what best-in-class, AI presentation creation looks like.”

*Free ‘AI for Writers Summit’ Slated for May 7: The Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute is hosting a free virtual meeting for writers who are looking for the latest on AI and writing.

A number of key experts in AI marketing will be speaking.

But also scheduled is Jen Leonard, founder, Creative Lawyers.

*New Service Smokes-Out AI Fake News: NewsGuard is offering a new service that identifies fake, often inaccurate news sites pretending to feature reporting by humans.

Categorizing the sites as ‘AI Content Farms,’ NewsGuard says it has already identified 3,000+ of these news posers – a number it says is growing at a rate of 300-500 additional fake news sites each month.

NewsGuard protects “clients across industries from being exploited by disrupting the business model behind AI Content Farms that abuse tech and advertising platforms to attract clicks and ad revenue or spread propaganda,” according to Dimitris Dimitriadis, director of research & development, NewsGuard.

*Hire an AI to Answer Your Phone – Without the Hassle: 800.com is out with a new service offering turnkey AI receptionists, which ideally answer your phone, respond to customer questions, capture leads and even make appointments.

Each agent is trained on your business’ specific knowledge base, including services, pricing, policies and FAQs.

One caveat: So far, no one on the planet has made the ‘perfect’ AI agent. Before going live with any AI agent, test, test and test.

*Mark Zuckerberg Abandons The Metaverse for AI: While there are any number of naysayers who say AI is all hat and no cattle, Mark Zuckerberg is not among them.

Just a few years ago, Zuckerberg literally changed the name of his parent company from Facebook to Meta, firmly believing the future was in virtual reality.

But these days, funding for Zuckerberg’s ‘Metaverse’ is on “life support,” according to lead writer Eli Tan.

Instead, observes Tan: “Meta has gone all in on artificial intelligence.”

*Now Available: An AI Engine Trained Solely on Your Business Data: ChatGPT competitor Mistral is rolling out a new AI model that can be trained solely on your company’s data.

Observes lead writer Anna Heim: “Several companies in the enterprise AI space already claim to offer similar capabilities, but most focus on fine-tuning existing models or layering proprietary data.

“Mistral, by contrast, says it is enabling companies to train models from scratch.”

*AI Agents: More Fun Than a Barrel of Credit Collectors?: Writer Cade Metz warns that while autonomous AI agents are all the rage, maybe giving them access to your credit card is not something Einstein would do.

Metz leads off this excellent piece recounting the story of a founder of a tiny tech start-up – Sebastian Heyneman — who instructed his highly independent, highly resourceful and highly creative AI agent to snag him a speaking spot at the highly prestigious World Economic Forum in Davos.

Thoroughly impressed with himself, Heyneman said nighty-night to the AI agent and settled in for a well-deserved sleep.

Observes Metz: “When Mr. Heyneman woke up, he was in a pickle. Going against his original instructions, the bot had agreed to pay 24,000 Swiss francs — or about $31,000 — for a corporate sponsorship,” in exchange for the opportunity to speak.

Or, as a man once wiser than me once said: “Oops.”

Share a Link:  Please consider sharing a link to https://RobotWritersAI.com from your blog, social media post, publication or emails. More links leading to RobotWritersAI.com helps everyone interested in AI-generated writing.

–Joe Dysart is editor of RobotWritersAI.com and a tech journalist with 20+ years experience. His work has appeared in 150+ publications, including The New York Times and the Financial Times of London.

The post ChatGPT’s No-Kidding Makeover appeared first on Robot Writers AI.

We just wrapped up another exhausting, inspiring, and chaotic Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and I’ve been standardizing my thoughts on what we saw. If you came looking for incremental updates to your favorite glass slab, you were probably disappointed. […]

The post MWC 2026: The Year the Smartphone Mutated into an AI Agent appeared first on TechSpective.

AI Infra Summit is the largest AI infrastructure gathering, co-ordinating every layer of the AI tech stack. Attend to bear witness to industry-defining tech announcements, like NVIDIA’s Rubin CPX in 2025, and to be the first to get annual benchmarking data on AI infra’s biggest players. Key Benefits: Technical Insights: Sessions covering efficiency and performance […]

AI Infra Summit is the largest AI infrastructure gathering, co-ordinating every layer of the AI tech stack. Attend to bear witness to industry-defining tech announcements, like NVIDIA’s Rubin CPX in 2025, and to be the first to get annual benchmarking data on AI infra’s biggest players. Key Benefits: Technical Insights: Sessions covering efficiency and performance […]

AI Infra Summit is the largest AI infrastructure gathering, co-ordinating every layer of the AI tech stack. Attend to bear witness to industry-defining tech announcements, like NVIDIA’s Rubin CPX in 2025, and to be the first to get annual benchmarking data on AI infra’s biggest players. Key Benefits: Technical Insights: Sessions covering efficiency and performance […]

Scientists have developed a network of mechanical motors that mimic the molecular machinery underpinning human muscle contraction. The University of Bristol-led findings, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface this week, could open new possibilities for artificial muscles in robotics.

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a core technology in robotics that allows a machine to build a map of an unknown environment while simultaneously determining its own position within that map. This capability is essential for robots operating in places where GPS is unavailable, such as indoors, deep underground, or within complex warehouse layouts. […]

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a core technology in robotics that allows a machine to build a map of an unknown environment while simultaneously determining its own position within that map. This capability is essential for robots operating in places where GPS is unavailable, such as indoors, deep underground, or within complex warehouse layouts. […]

Claire chatted to Krystal Mattich from Brain Corp about trustworthy autonomous robots in public spaces.

Krystal Mattich leads global data governance, system security, and privacy compliance for Brain Corp: the world’s leading autonomy platform for commercial robotics. As Senior Director of Security, Privacy, and Risk, she is the architect of the privacy-first infrastructure that powers over 40,000 BrainOS®-enabled robots across retail, airports, education and logistics. Krystal played a central role in launching Brain Corp’s public-facing Trust Center, reinforcing the company’s commitment to data transparency, GDPR compliance, and responsible AI.