October 25, 2025

analysis  
openai, apple and anthropic Updates

OpenAI is expanding its reach into everyday computing with the acquisition of Sky, a Mac AI startup founded by former Apple engineers. Sky's technology uses natural language to automate tasks across Mac applications, a capability OpenAI plans to integrate into ChatGPT to enhance its utility as an 'everything app.' This move aligns with a broader industry trend towards agentic AI, where systems can perform tasks autonomously, a direction also pursued by rivals like Anthropic and Google. Meanwhile, the economic impact of AI continues to grow, contributing significantly to GDP and driving investments in infrastructure like data centers and semiconductors, though concerns about widening wealth inequality persist. In the financial sector, AI is empowering retail investors to develop sophisticated trading strategies and move beyond traditional diversification, while specialized AI tax planning tools are emerging for financial advisors. The network infrastructure required to support AI's massive growth is also a key focus, with companies like Nokia anticipating sustained demand. The edge AI hardware market is also projected for substantial growth, reaching nearly $59 billion by 2030, driven by IoT devices and the need for local processing. In quantum computing, IBM is leveraging AMD's FPGA chips for error correction, a development that benefits AMD in its competition with Intel. As AI becomes more integrated, ethical considerations, including accountability, copyright, and the potential for misinformation, are becoming increasingly critical, with a focus on explainable AI to build trust.

Key Takeaways

  • OpenAI has acquired Sky, a Mac AI startup, to integrate natural language task automation into ChatGPT.
  • The acquisition of Sky, founded by former Apple engineers, signals OpenAI's interest in enhancing ChatGPT's functionality on personal computers.
  • Agentic AI is a growing focus for companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, aiming to automate tasks across applications.
  • AI is a significant economic driver, contributing over a third of recent real GDP growth through infrastructure investments.
  • Concerns exist that AI's economic benefits may disproportionately favor the wealthy, potentially increasing income inequality.
  • AI tools are enabling retail investors to automate complex trading strategies and seek higher returns.
  • New AI-powered tax planning tools are being launched for financial advisors by companies like Nitrogen and FP Alpha.
  • Nokia's CEO predicts sustained, massive growth in AI, driving demand for network infrastructure.
  • The edge AI hardware market is expected to reach $58.9 billion by 2030, fueled by IoT devices and local processing needs.
  • IBM is using AMD's FPGA chips for error correction in its quantum computing systems, boosting AMD's position against Intel.

OpenAI buys Mac AI startup Sky to automate computer tasks

OpenAI has acquired Software Applications Incorporated, the maker of Sky, an AI assistant for macOS. Sky uses natural language to automate tasks across different Mac applications. This move aims to bring agentic AI to everyday computing for Mac users, similar to efforts by rivals like Anthropic and Google. OpenAI plans to integrate Sky's capabilities into ChatGPT, enhancing its ability to automate workflows and assist users directly on their computers. The acquisition targets macOS users, who are often developers and creative professionals.

OpenAI acquires Sky AI interface for Mac computers

OpenAI has acquired Sky, a startup that developed a native AI interface for Mac computers. Sky allows users to interact with AI using natural language directly on their Mac, automating tasks within applications. This acquisition is part of OpenAI's strategy to make ChatGPT more integrated into daily computing tasks. The demo showed Sky adding calendar events and researching locations based on text messages. The goal is to make computers more intuitive and empowering for users.

OpenAI buys Sky AI for Mac, boosting ChatGPT and future hardware

OpenAI has acquired Software Applications Inc., the creators of Sky, an AI assistant for Mac computers. Founded by former Apple engineers, Sky uses natural language to complete tasks within Mac apps. This acquisition aligns with OpenAI's vision of transforming ChatGPT into an 'everything app' and potentially entering the AI hardware space. The integration of Sky into ChatGPT aims to improve how AI tools function on computers, especially for Mac users. OpenAI previously acquired Jony Ive's AI startup, signaling a strong interest in hardware development.

Splunk adds agentic AI for security and better system monitoring

Splunk is integrating agentic AI into its security and observability solutions to improve how businesses monitor their systems. The company is focusing on minimizing AI errors through guardrails and a human-in-the-loop approach, where humans can review AI decisions. Splunk believes many enterprises are ready for agentic AI but need more education on its benefits. In observability, agentic AI can help manage the complexity of numerous IT tools and provide better insights into system issues. This technology is seen as crucial for both cybersecurity and understanding system performance.

Nokia CEO: AI investments will continue due to massive growth

Nokia CEO Justin Hotard believes that investments in artificial intelligence will not slow down because AI represents a 'super cycle' with enormous long-term potential. He explained that current AI applications primarily focus on language, but many other areas like autonomous vehicles, VR/AR, and robotics are still in their early stages. Hotard, who previously led Intel's Data Center & AI Group, sees AI driving significant demand for network infrastructure. He compares the current AI trend to the early days of the internet, predicting sustained growth for many years.

AI boosts economy but may widen wealth gap

Artificial intelligence has significantly benefited the economy, contributing over a third of real GDP growth recently and preventing a potential recession. AI drives growth through massive investments in infrastructure like data centers and semiconductors, and by boosting stock prices of AI companies. This has increased wealth for investors, leading to higher consumer spending. While AI has not yet caused widespread job losses, younger workers may face challenges finding employment. However, the economic benefits of AI might disproportionately favor the wealthy, potentially worsening income inequality.

Semantic AI helps traders automate complex strategies

A new platform using semantic AI aims to help traders automate sophisticated strategies that were previously difficult to systematize. Many skilled traders develop unique edges based on intuition and market understanding, but struggle to translate these into code for automated trading. Traditional tools are either too simple or require extensive programming knowledge. This AI platform allows traders to describe their strategies in natural language, get validated backtests quickly, and deploy them for automated trading. This aims to overcome the barriers of time, emotional trading, and coding expertise.

AI tools help retail investors beat diversification trap

AI is empowering retail investors to move beyond traditional diversification strategies, which are seen as leading to mediocrity. Unlike the ultra-wealthy who concentrate capital in high-growth areas like AI, retail investors have been advised to spread their investments thinly. However, AI tools like ChatGPT now allow everyday investors to analyze global markets, model scenarios, and identify conviction trades, similar to what hedge funds do. Agentic AI can scale conviction by monitoring markets 24/7 and executing trades without human emotion. This shift allows retail investors to compete with institutions and seek exponential gains rather than just average returns.

IBM uses AMD chips for quantum computing error correction

IBM is using AMD's field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chips to help correct errors in its quantum computing systems. Quantum computing uses qubits that can generate large amounts of data quickly but are prone to errors. AMD's powerful processors are capable of correcting these mistakes, ensuring faster and more accurate results. IBM noted that these AMD chips were not excessively expensive. This adoption is a significant boost for AMD as it competes with rivals like Intel in the advanced computing market.

Nitrogen and FP Alpha launch AI tax planning tools for advisors

Fintech firms Nitrogen and FP Alpha have released new AI-powered tax planning tools for financial advisors. Nitrogen's AI Tax Center simplifies tax discussions with clients using AI-generated insights and a visual 1040 form. FP Alpha's NextGen Tax Insights analyzes client data to find tax savings opportunities, offering personalized, data-driven recommendations. These tools aim to help advisors provide more effective tax advice, especially as the year-end planning season approaches. Both companies are integrating AI across their product suites to enhance advisor workflows and client meetings.

Edge AI hardware market to reach $58.9 billion by 2030

The edge AI hardware market is expected to grow significantly, reaching $58.90 billion by 2030, up from $26.14 billion in 2025. This growth is driven by the increasing use of IoT devices that require real-time, local data processing for better privacy and security. Improvements in energy-efficient hardware and specialized processors are also fueling the market. CPUs are predicted to hold the largest market share due to their versatility. Robots are expected to see the second-highest growth rate as AI and edge computing converge. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to lead the market due to strong adoption of AI and IoT technologies.

Top 8 AI ethics trends for 2026

In 2026, AI ethics, accountability, and trust will be central themes as AI continues to reshape industries. Key trends include addressing copyright issues for AI-trained content, establishing legal guardrails for agentic AI, and understanding AI's impact on jobs. Determining responsibility when AI makes mistakes and developing global standards for AI regulation are also critical. Concerns about synthetic content, deepfakes, and misinformation will grow, leading organizations to implement stricter AI policies. Efforts to solve AI's 'black box' problem by promoting explainable AI will be essential for building trust and ensuring fairness.

Sources

AI acquisition OpenAI Sky AI macOS automation ChatGPT agentic AI Splunk security system monitoring Nokia AI investment economic growth wealth gap semantic AI trading strategies retail investors diversification IBM quantum computing error correction AMD chips FPGA Nitrogen FP Alpha tax planning financial advisors edge AI IoT AI hardware AI ethics AI regulation explainable AI