In this newsletter:

• Disney invests $1B in OpenAI, licenses characters for Sora videos
• Runway launches GWM-1 world model and adds native audio
• OpenAI releases GPT-5.2 for professional and agentic workflows

Plus, you’ll find new AI tools and this week’s top AI news headlines!

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🎬 Disney Invests $1B in OpenAI, Licenses Characters for Sora Videos

Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing agreement allowing Sora to generate user-created videos featuring Disney characters, with AI-generated content streaming on Disney+.

What's new:

• Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI equity with warrants to purchase additional equity
• Three-year exclusive licensing agreement starting early 2026
• Over 200 characters available from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars properties
• Includes Mickey Mouse, Ariel, Cinderella, Iron Man, Darth Vader, Yoda, and characters from Frozen, Toy Story, and Moana
• Covers costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic environments
• Does not include talent likenesses or voices, only animated and illustrated versions
• ChatGPT Images can generate still images from the same Disney IP
• Curated Sora-generated videos will stream on Disney+
• Disney becomes a major OpenAI customer using APIs to build Disney+ products and tools
• Disney is deploying ChatGPT for employee use
• Bob Iger confirmed "exclusivity at the beginning of the three-year agreement."
• Days earlier, Disney sent Google a cease-and-desist over Veo and Nano Banana allegedly infringing Disney copyrights "on a massive scale."

Why it matters:

Disney is betting $1 billion that user-generated AI content will attract audiences rather than alienate them, despite concerns about "AI slop" flooding platforms. The deal positions Disney+ as a distribution channel for fan-created AI videos.

The timing is notable given Disney recently sued Midjourney and sent cease-and-desist letters to Google over unauthorized AI-generated Disney content. By licensing characters to OpenAI, Disney shifts from fighting AI generators to monetizing them, essentially saying, "if you can't beat them, charge them $1 billion and take equity."

However, the deal raises questions about creative labor. Disney profits from user-generated content featuring its characters while artists who created those characters see no additional compensation. Iger stressed the deal "does not represent a threat to creators."

👀 Read about Disney's OpenAI deal!

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🎥 Runway Launches GWM-1 World Model and Adds Native Audio

Runway released its first world model, GWM-1, alongside a major Gen 4.5 update that adds native audio and multi-shot video generation capabilities.

What's new:

• GWM-1 world model creates simulations through frame-by-frame prediction with an understanding of physics and geometry
• Three specialized versions: GWM-Worlds for interactive environments, GWM-Robotics for robot training, GWM-Avatars for realistic human simulations
• GWM-Worlds generates interactive scenes at 24 fps and 720p resolution, where users explore, and the model generates the surroundings
• GWM-Robotics uses synthetic data to test how robots respond to changing weather, obstacles, and policy violations
• Gen 4.5 now generates one-minute videos with character consistency, native dialogue, and background audio
• Multi-shot generation with complex camera angles across any video length
• Can edit existing audio and add dialogues to videos
• Gen 4.5 update available to all paid plan users
• GWM-Robotics available through the SDK for robotics firms and enterprises
• Runway pitched GWM-1 as more "general" than Google's Genie-3

Why it matters:

Runway is positioning world models as the foundation for training AI agents in physical environments without needing real-world data for every scenario. By creating simulations that understand physics and geometry, companies can test robots in synthetic conditions that would be expensive or dangerous to replicate physically.

The native audio addition to Gen 4.5 puts Runway in direct competition with Kling's all-in-one video suite released this month, signaling the industry shift from prototype tools to production-ready platforms. However, the company acknowledged GWM-Worlds, Robotics, and Avatars are currently separate models that will eventually merge into one unified system, suggesting the technology is still fragmented rather than the seamless "general-purpose" solution being marketed.

👀 Read about Runway's world model launch!

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🤖 OpenAI Releases GPT-5.2 for Professional and Agentic Workflows

OpenAI released GPT-5.2, positioning it as a direct competitor to Gemini 3 for general-purpose professional tasks with improved accuracy and reduced hallucinations.

What's new:

• GPT-5.2 series includes Instant, Thinking, and Pro models
• Thinking model "hallucinates less" than GPT-5.1 predecessor
• Designed specifically for AI agent workflows
• Pre-release testers included Notion, Box, Shopify, Harvey, Zoom, and Databricks
• Companies received access a couple of weeks before the public launch
• OpenAI CEO Fidji Simo said the model was "many, many months" in development

Key capabilities:

• Creating spreadsheets and building presentations
• Writing code with better accuracy
• Perceiving and understanding images
• Understanding long contexts
• Using tools effectively
• Handling complex, multi-step projects

Early feedback:

• A senior immunology researcher reported GPT-5.2 Pro produced "sharper questions and stronger explanations" than other frontier models
• The model generated the most important unanswered questions about the immune system with better reasoning

Why it matters:

The timing reveals OpenAI's strategy shift, just days after declaring "code red" over losing market share to Gemini 3, the company rushes out GPT-5.2 with explicit claims of being better for "everyday professional use." This positions the launch as defensive rather than visionary, responding to competitive pressure instead of leading innovation.

By giving enterprise partners like Notion and Shopify early access, OpenAI signals its B2B pivot as consumer growth stalls. The heavy emphasis on reducing hallucinations suggests that the company is finally acknowledging that accuracy problems are blocking enterprise adoption more than missing features. If professionals won't trust AI agents with real work due to confidently wrong outputs, no amount of new capabilities matters.

👀 Read about GPT-5.2 launch!

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My Latest LinkedIn & X/Twitter Posts:

• How to unify all your work in one smart platform (view post)
• How to save 20+ hours a month with AI (view post)
• How teams collaborate with AI in one shared workspace (view post)
• How to use ChatGPT to write viral hooks on LinkedIn (view post)
• How to scale UGC ads without creators or delays (view post)
• 12 ChatGPT prompts for critical thinking (view post)
• How to ship working apps without manual debugging (view post)
• When to use ChatGPT vs Perplexity vs Grok vs Gemini (view post)
• Step-by-step guide to build powerful AI agents (view post)
• Learn how to build AI agents in 3 easy levels (view post)
• 10 free Stanford University courses to learn AI basics (view post)
• 10 ChatGPT prompts to save 10+ hours per week (view post)
• Top 11 OpenAI prompt beginner to advanced levels courses (view post)
• How to optimize LinkedIn with ChatGPT analysis (view post)
• How to run your entire workflow from one place (view post)
• How to create high-end ads without filming anything (view post)
• How to replace a $40k/month dev team with AI (view post)

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New AI Tools to Boost Your Productivity:

• ​video2ppt: Converts videos into editable PPT & PDF.
• ​merchantfloor.com: Writes blog posts automatically.
• ​agendahero: Turn text into calendar events.
• ​SpeakerSplit: Splits multi‑speaker audio into separate tracks.
• ​BeatViz AI: All-in-one AI music and video generator.
• ​GenRank: Tracks brand mentions in AI answers and search.
• ​Lessie AI: Finds and connects with people (influencers, leads, talent).
• ​Search Visibility AI: Tracks brand mentions in AI search.
• ​Surmado: AI marketing to audit SEO and test AI visibility.
• ​Raccoon AI: Builds slides, analyzes data, and writes code.
• ​JoinEve AI: Finds leads and manages follow-ups from the inbox.
• ​Jobesta: Creates CVs, cover letters, and tracks jobs.
• ​Diagrimo: Turns text into shareable diagrams.
• ​Dynal AI: Writes LinkedIn posts from any input.
• ​BrowseWiki: Saves and chats with web content.
• ​GetRecall AI: Summarizes and organizes notes and content.
• ​SEOForge AI: Drives traffic from AI and search engines.
• ​Specifys AI: Converts ideas into product specs.
• ​VidForge AI: Generates videos from text prompts.

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This Week's Top AI News Headlines:

• Google Expands Gemini AI Integration in Chrome to iPhone and iPad, Letting Users Summarize and Query Pages Without Leaving the Browser (View Article)
• Amazon Pulls AI-Powered Video Recaps from Prime Video After Fallout Errors Misstate Plot and Trigger Viewer Backlash (View Article)
• Google Debuts Disco Browser With GenTabs, an AI Tool that Builds Custom Web Apps From Prompts Using Gemini Models (View Article)
• OpenAI Plans “Adult Mode” for ChatGPT in Early 2026, Tied to New Age Prediction Model Designed To Restrict Access for Teens (View Article)
• Disney Accuses Google of “Massive” Copyright Infringement for Using Star Wars, Marvel Characters in AI Models Without Permission (View Article)
• Opera’s Neon AI Browser Now Available for $19.90/Month With Built-In Agents for Travel, Design, and Web Research Tasks (View Article)
• Google Unveils Deep Research Agent Powered by Gemini 3 Pro to Tackle Complex Tasks, Launching Same Day as OpenAI’s GPT‑5.2 Release (View Article)
• Adobe Reports Record $23.8B Revenue in 2025 as Generative AI Powers Growth, With Firefly Tools and Ecosystem Deals Driving One‑Third of ARR (View Article)
• Google’s AI Try‑On Tool Now Works with Just a Selfie, Using Gemini‑Powered Model to Generate Full‑Body Virtual Fits for Shopping (View Article)
• Robotics Startup 1X To Ship 10,000 Neo Humanoids to EQT’s Industrial Clients, Marking Shift from Home Companion Bots to Factory and Warehouse Deployment (View Article)

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Have a wonderful week!

Andrew Bolis

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