Openai Introduces Project Mode, Revolutionizing Organization In Chatgpt, Rivals Align Against Openai In An Escalating Ai Power Struggle, Openai Cofounder Declares “Peak Data” In Ai, Calls For Government-Led Safety Measures, Gen Z And Millennials Signal A Potential Mass Resignation In 2025
Welcome to Hashtag Trending, I’m your host Jim Love. Let’s get into it.
OpenAI has launched “Project Mode” as part of its “12 Days of Innovation,” giving ChatGPT users a powerful way to organize and manage their conversations and tasks.
Project Mode acts as a smart folder system, allowing users to group conversations, upload files, and set custom instructions tailored to specific projects. These enhancements integrate seamlessly with existing features like conversation search and the Canvas tool, enabling users to interact with their data in creative ways.
During the live demonstration, OpenAI staff showcased practical uses for Project Mode again starting with a Christmas theme, organizing a Secret Santa gift exchange, complete with automated random assignments and custom festive templates. The second example showed a an example of managing home maintenance logs, keeping all of the items together to manage your home. This included reminders of when maintenance need to be done, the example being changing a filter in your fridge, but also showed how you could get instructions on how to change the filter.
One of the questions that I’ve had recently is how AI can be used to manage projects or at least assist with managing projects in a corporate setting. This addition of projects adds some interesting capabilities.
Of course, they also focused on how this can help developers, using an example of a personalized website templates with built-in tools for collaboration and iteration.
On a humorous demonstrating the website was a little, shall we say, unconventional. His website had a “hire me” button on it and at least one “f bomb” in the demo. I’m not sure whether he will need the “hire me” button on that website after all.
On our Saturday show we noted that OpenAI has really focused on trying to not just promise what they are going to implement, but on actually delivering. They have had some “blips” particularly with Sora where their servers were swamped and another time when their systems went down, but overall they have actually delivered most of the items they have talked about, or at least a substantial amount, as opposed to others where there have been big announcements, but delivery is somewhere in 2025. They’ve also had the courage to do live demos, even if that meant showing the reality of their system with some delays and even a minor issue. Rather than being embarassing, I think people might find this refreshing.
As if to emphasize that point, they started a gradual rollout an during a live demo, making Project Mode available to some users and promising expanded access soon. This move highlights OpenAI’s focus on enhancing productivity and personalization, blending conversational AI with practical tools.
Projects in ChatGPT could shift how users think about organizing their data—turning scattered chats into structured, interactive workspaces.
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OpenAI has certainly been at the forefront with their 12 days of innovation and an insane number of new features launched. But if the company is establishing itself as the leader, it alsoseems to be in everyone’s crosshairs, as rivals, regulators, and tech titans align against the AI leader. At the center of this struggle is a growing feud between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Tesla and xAI founder Elon Musk.
Musk has filed lawsuits accusing OpenAI of betraying its nonprofit origins, claiming it has created a “for-profit monopoly” with backing from Microsoft. He has also alleged that OpenAI overcompensates employees to undercut competition. A recent analysis of H-1B visa filings found that both OpenAI and Musk’s xAI pay well above industry averages for AI roles. In one case, an OpenAI employee earned over three times the standard wage for their role, while an xAI employee received double.
Adding to the tension, Musk’s influence in Washington under incoming President Donald Trump has also raised concerns. Musk holds a key advisory role and could theoretically shape regulations or contracts to benefit his own ventures, such as xAI. However, Sam Altman has expressed confidence that Musk will not abuse this power, stating, “It would be profoundly un-American to use political power to hurt your competitors and advantage your own businesses.” Musk has similarly claimed he would act in the national interest, though skeptics, including yours truly, remain unconvinced. Whether its the lawsuit against OpenAI, or other lawsuits against companies for not advertising with X/Twitter or just booting people from the X platform, Musk has shown that he will attack anyone he regards as an enemy.
But Musk has an unlikely ally. Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has been frequently in conflict with Musk, even to the point of once challenging Musk to a cage match, has joined the fray, urging California’s attorney general to block OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit entity. Meta claims the move exploits nonprofit advantages for private gain. Despite their rivalry, Musk and Zuckerberg appear united in challenging OpenAI’s financial restructuring.
With competitors like xAI leveraging vast datasets from Tesla and Starlink, and Meta investing \$37 billion into AI infrastructure this year, OpenAI faces significant external pressure. Coupled with its internal restructuring challenges, the company must navigate lawsuits, regulatory scrutiny, and intense market competition to maintain its leadership in the AI race.
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Ilya Sutskever, cofounder and former chief scientist of OpenAI, has warned that the AI industry is reaching “peak data,” calling for a fundamental rethink of how AI systems are developed and governed. Speaking at the NeurIPS conference in Vancouver, Sutskever, now founder of Safe Superintelligence Inc., said that AI safety and governance will require a “top-down government structure.”
Sutskever declared that pre-training—the process of teaching AI models using vast amounts of text data—has reached its limits. He compared data availability to fossil fuels, calling it a finite resource. Future advancements, he said, will need to rely on more efficient use of existing data and innovative approaches to model scaling, akin to the evolutionary leap in brain development among human ancestors.
Looking ahead, Sutskever predicted AI systems will become increasingly “agentic,” performing tasks and reasoning autonomously. Unlike current AI, which depends on pattern-matching, these systems will process information step-by-step, enabling them to handle limited data without confusion. However, he cautioned that their reasoning could lead to greater unpredictability, much like how advanced chess AIs outthink human players.
When asked about incentives to ensure humanity benefits from AI, Sutskever admitted he didn’t have a clear answer but stressed the need for a “top-down government structure.” He acknowledged that such questions demand deeper reflection, emphasizing the unpredictable trajectory of AI’s future.
Sutskever’s insights reflect the shifting priorities in AI—balancing innovation with safety as systems become smarter, more autonomous, and potentially harder to control.
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And finally, a new report suggests that 2025 could see a wave of resignations from Gen Z and Millennials, as dissatisfaction with wages and workplace conditions mounts. According to a survey by background screening platform Checkr, more than half of Gen Z workers and nearly half of Millennials would leave their jobs if they don’t receive raises in the coming year.
Unlike baby boomers, who often prioritized job security and long-term loyalty, younger generations see employment as transactional. Experts say stagnant wages in the face of rising corporate profits have fueled this mindset. Financial literacy instructor Alex Beene noted that Gen Z workers, in particular, are early in their careers and more willing to take risks, especially as the cost of living continues to rise. More than that, they are willing to be quite brash about it as we saw in the example of the OpenAI worker demoing his personal website in a huge world wide product rollout, with a “hire me” button on his site. I feel old, but I was always told that if you are looking for a job, never announce it at work. Times change.
The survey also revealed lower levels of workplace happiness among younger generations, with only 25 percent of Gen Z and 42 percent of Millennials expressing satisfaction in their jobs—far behind the 50 percent reported by Gen X and baby boomers. A financial expert Kevin Thompson explained, “Gone are the days of staying with one company for life. Competition for talent is fierce, and younger workers know their worth.”
An HR consultant Bryan Driscoll added that this shift isn’t just about money. “Younger workers are demanding respect for their work, which often translates to higher wages, better benefits, and meaningful growth opportunities.” But with the privilege to leave limited to some, Driscoll noted that even those who can’t afford to quit may feel compelled to, due to burnout and disillusionment with the system.
Companies that fail to address these concerns risk high turnover, increased recruitment costs, and talent shortages. The question facing businesses in 2025 is no longer whether they can afford to improve pay and conditions—but whether they can afford not to.
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That’s our show for today. You can find links in our show notes at technewsday.com or .ca, take your pick. You can reach me with comments, questions or tips at editorial@technewsday.ca. I’m your host Jim Love. Have a Marvelous Monday!
