Trending in Tech: All Things DeepSeek and OpenAI’s Rebranding

Feb 7

Emerging Tech Roundup — February 7, 2025

The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.

This week in tech: VR is helping astronauts stay grounded in space, AI chatbots are now taking pizza orders, DeepSeek users in the States could face prison time under new law, ChatGPT’s agent can now do deep research, the Beatles won a Grammy thanks to AI, Hero’s AI productivity app takes on Google’s Calendar, and OpenAI’s rebranded logo.

How VR is Helping Astronauts Stay Grounded in Space: Life Inside the ISS

(ZDNET, January 29)

Astronaut Andreas Mogensen is using an HTC Vive Focus 3 headset aboard the ISS to counteract the psychological and physical challenges of space travel. Developed in partnership with Nord-Space Aps, the VR device allows him to experience nature scenes and virtually bike through Copenhagen, enhancing both mental well-being and exercise routines. This experiment is part of a broader effort to support astronauts’ emotional health as they spend extended periods in space, isolated from Earth’s natural comforts.

Your Pizza Guy Is Now AI

(Wired, January 30)

California pizza chain Pizza My Heart has introduced an AI chatbot named Jimmy the Surfer to take orders via text, offering an alternative to delivery apps and phone calls. Developed by Palona AI, the technology aims to ease store workload, enhance customer interactions, and build brand loyalty. Palona AI — which recently secured $10 million in funding — is also deploying its AI solutions for businesses like Wyze and MindZero, adapting to various platforms from website chat windows to Instagram DMs.

DeepSeek Users in US Could Face Million-Dollar Fine and Prison Time Under New Law

(The Independent, February 5)

A newly proposed U.S. law seeks to ban the use of Chinese AI apps like DeepSeek, imposing fines and potential jail time of up to 20 years for violations. The bill would prohibit the importation of AI technology or intellectual property from China, aiming to curb its influence in the U.S. economy. While DeepSeek isn’t named directly, the proposal comes just one week after the Chinese chatbot became the most popular AI app in the US, causing US tech stocks to plummet.

ChatGPT’s Agent Can Now Do Deep Research for You

(The Verge, February 2)

OpenAI introduced “deep research” for ChatGPT, an autonomous feature that plans multi-step research, backtracks as needed, and provides a sidebar summary with citations. Users can input text, images, and files like PDFs or spreadsheets with responses taking 5 to 30 minutes, and future updates promising embedded images and charts. However, OpenAI warns of limitations including hallucinations, difficulty distinguishing authoritative sources, and uncertainty in confidence ratings.

The Beatles Won a Grammy Last Night, Thanks to AI

(Tech Crunch, February 3)

The Beatles’ AI-assisted track “Now and Then” won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance, marking a historic first for AI-enhanced music. Rather than generating artificial vocals, Paul McCartney used AI-driven noise reduction to clean up John Lennon's old piano demo, similar to technology used in video calls. The band had attempted this restoration in the ’90s but only succeeded in 2022 after leveraging new audio isolation techniques from the Get Back documentary.

Hero’s All-in-One, AI Productivity App Takes on Google’s Calendar and Others

(Tech Crunch, February 3)

Former Meta employees developed “Hero”, an AI-powered iOS productivity app that combines notes, scheduling, and to-dos in one place. Their goal was to create a tool that saves time rather than wastes it, drawing from their experience working on Facebook Stories and AI projects. The startup has raised $4 million in seed funding from notable investors, including founders of Instacart and Dropbox, Adobe’s Chief Strategy Officer, Meta’s VP of Messenger, and The Chainsmokers.

Here’s OpenAI’s New Logo

(The Verge, February 4)

OpenAI has undergone a full rebrand, introducing a new typeface, logo, and color palette with subtle refinements to its iconic “blossom” symbol. The redesign aimed to create a more organic and human identity. While the original logo was crafted by Sam Altman and Ilya Sutskever, the updated version features cleaner lines and a slightly larger center space.