September 30, 2025 News
Periodic Labs Emerges with $300M to Build Autonomous AI Scientists for Materials Discovery
Periodic Labs, founded by former OpenAI and Google DeepMind researchers, launched with $300 million in seed funding from major tech investors including Bezos, Schmidt, and Nvidia. The startup aims to automate scientific discovery by building autonomous laboratories where AI-controlled robots conduct physical experiments to discover new materials, starting with superconductors. The company seeks to generate fresh training data from real-world experiments as internet-based data sources for AI models become exhausted.
Skynet Chance (+0.04%): Autonomous AI systems conducting unsupervised physical experiments with self-improvement capabilities introduces incremental risks around loss of experimental control and unintended consequences in material synthesis. However, the domain-specific nature and physical constraints of materials science limit immediate existential risk compared to general-purpose AI systems.
Skynet Date (-1 days): The development of autonomous, self-improving AI systems operating in physical environments represents modest acceleration toward more capable and independent AI agents. The narrow focus on materials science and the physical safety constraints of laboratory environments somewhat limit the immediate timeline impact.
AGI Progress (+0.04%): This represents significant progress toward AGI by demonstrating AI systems capable of autonomous hypothesis generation, physical experimentation, and iterative learning across real-world scientific domains. The integration of physical world interaction with self-improvement loops addresses a key limitation in current AI systems that primarily operate in digital environments.
AGI Date (-1 days): The massive $300 million seed funding and assembly of top-tier researchers from OpenAI and DeepMind significantly accelerates development of autonomous AI agents capable of real-world scientific discovery. The explicit goal of generating new training data from physical experiments addresses the data exhaustion problem that currently limits AI progress, potentially accelerating the broader field.
OpenAI Launches Sora 2 Video Generator with TikTok-Style Social Platform
OpenAI released Sora 2, an advanced audio and video generation model with improved physics simulation, alongside a new social app called Sora. The platform features a "cameos" function allowing users to insert their own likeness into AI-generated videos and share them on a TikTok-style feed. The app raises significant safety concerns regarding non-consensual content and misuse of personal likenesses.
Skynet Chance (+0.04%): The ease of creating realistic deepfake content with personal likenesses and distributing it on a social platform increases risks of manipulation, identity theft, and erosion of trust in digital media. While not directly about AI control issues, it demonstrates deployment of potentially harmful AI capabilities without robust safety mechanisms in place.
Skynet Date (+0 days): This commercial release of a content generation tool doesn't significantly affect the timeline toward AI control or existential risk scenarios. It represents application of existing AI capabilities rather than fundamental advances in autonomous AI systems.
AGI Progress (+0.03%): Sora 2's improved physics understanding and ability to generate coherent, realistic video content demonstrates meaningful progress in multimodal AI systems that better model physical world dynamics. The ability to maintain consistency across complex physical interactions shows advancement toward more capable, world-modeling AI systems.
AGI Date (+0 days): The rapid commercialization and scaling of multimodal generation capabilities suggests accelerated deployment timelines for advanced AI systems. OpenAI's ability to quickly move from research to consumer-facing social platforms indicates faster translation of AI capabilities into deployed products.
Character.AI CEO to Discuss Human-Like AI Companions and Ethical Challenges at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
Karandeep Anand, CEO of Character.AI, will speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 about the company's conversational AI platform that has reached 20 million monthly active users. The discussion will cover breakthroughs in lifelike dialogue, ethical concerns surrounding AI companions, ongoing legal challenges, and the company's approach to innovation under regulatory scrutiny.
Skynet Chance (+0.04%): The proliferation of highly engaging AI companions with 20 million users raises concerns about dependency, manipulation potential, and the advancement of increasingly persuasive AI systems that could eventually be misused. However, the focus on addressing legal challenges and regulatory pressure suggests some oversight mechanisms are emerging.
Skynet Date (+0 days): The mass adoption of human-like AI companions (20 million monthly users) and expansion into new modalities like video generation indicates rapid deployment of increasingly sophisticated AI systems. The ongoing legal challenges may provide minor friction but appear not to significantly slow development.
AGI Progress (+0.03%): Character.AI's success in creating lifelike dialogue systems with widespread adoption demonstrates significant progress in natural language understanding and generation, key components toward AGI. The expansion into multimodal capabilities (video generation) represents advancement toward more general AI systems.
AGI Date (+0 days): The platform's rapid scaling to 20 million users and expansion into multiple modalities (video generation, monetization) demonstrates accelerated commercial deployment of advanced conversational AI. This commercial success likely fuels further investment and development in human-like AI capabilities, accelerating the pace toward more general systems.