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Why is Altman cosying up to Musk but distancing Nadella?; Why GenAI boosts productivity but lowers worker motivation; AI tool of the week: How to get tasks done using Genspark Super Agent; How credible are the cyberattack claims against India by Pakistan-linked hacktivists?; The giants of Silicon Valley are having a midlife crisis over AI; and more...
Elon Musk and Sam Altman have made no bones of their dislike for each other ever since Musk left OpenAI—a company he co-founded with Altman and others in 2015—due to differences over its original mission objectives, including safety and open-source.
Their differences have only sharpened in the recent past. In February, a group of investors led by Musk reportedly offered to buy the non-profit arm of OpenAI for $97.4 billion. Following the bid, Musk said, “It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was.” The offer by Musk led to a public rebuke by Altman on X, the social media platform owned by Musk.
Altman wrote, “No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” Musk acquired Twitter in a $44 billion deal in late 2022, but estimates suggest the company has been heavily devalued since then.
Image courtesy: Mint Sam Altman has called for a truce with xAI CEO Elon Musk (AFP)
The matter only escalated when Musk once again took a jibe at Altman, referring to him as ‘Scam Altman’.
Now, it appears that Altman wants to bury the hatchet. When Musk quoted a 10 May tweet from Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham that read, “Few have done more than Sam Altman to defeat Trump”, Altman responded, “we (Musk and Altman) were both wrong, or at least i certainly was but that was from 2016 and this was from 2022… Anyway, see you next week, let’s be friends…agi too important to let a lil feud get in the way”.
Altman has good reason to call for a truce. Musk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Altman has aligned with the US government's priorities through his involvement in Project Stargate, a $500 billion initiative to build national AI infrastructure. You may read more about this here.
OpenAI, Microsoft partnership under pressure: OpenAI and Microsoft, which has reportedly invested more than $13 billion in the ChatGPT maker, have been battling over the former’s decision to roll back part of its restructuring plan, leaving overall control of the organisation in the hands of its non-profit arm. The company's rollback followed a flurry of criticism over its plans from former employees, experts in the field, and even a lawsuit from Musk. But Microsoft wants to ensure that OpenAI's new structure protects its investment.
In this context, OpenAI and Microsoft are reportedly revising their partnership terms to allow OpenAI to pursue a future public listing while maintaining Microsoft’s access to its AI technology, according to a Financial Times report on 11 May. Among other things, OpenAI is reportedly seeking to reduce Microsoft’s revenue share from 20% to 10% by 2030—the year it projects $174 billion in revenue.
Tensions have grown as OpenAI explores partnerships with competitors on Project Stargate and targets overlapping enterprise clients. Disagreements have also emerged around intellectual property, with Microsoft pushing for guaranteed access to OpenAI’s technology beyond the expiration of their current agreement in 2030.
Image courtesy: Mint File - Sam Altman, left, appears onstage with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at OpenAI's first developer conference, on 6 November 2023, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Barbara Ortutay, File)
As part of the talks, Microsoft has offered to relinquish part of its equity stake in OpenAI’s for-profit arm in exchange for continued access to AI models developed beyond 2030. Microsoft, which has invested $13.75 billion, remains a significant stakeholder and is seeking assurances that its investment will be protected under any new structure.
Meanwhile, OpenAI's plans to restructure have won public backing from another big investor, SoftBank. The Japanese conglomerate’s endorsement is significant, as its $30 billion investment, part of a $40 billion funding round closed in end-March, was tied to this structural shift. However, if OpenAI fails to complete the restructuring into a for-profit entity by 31 December, SoftBank has indicated it may cut its commitment to $20 billion.
You may read the full story here.
GenAI boosts productivity but lowers worker motivation: study
New research, involving four online experimental studies, reveals a double-edged effect of human-generative AI (Gen AI) collaboration.
On the one hand, AI significantly boosts performance: tasks completed with generative AI were longer, more analytical, and more emotionally intelligent. On the other hand, this productivity comes at a psychological cost.
For instance, AI-assisted performance reviews showed improved tone and clarity, while AI-drafted emails were warmer and more empathetic. The researchers, as an example, evaluated whether participants collaborating with ChatGPT produced Facebook posts of superior quality on two criteria: how engaging and informative the posts were. The results revealed that posts from human-GenAI collaboration received higher scores on quality than those from participants working independently.
But this productivity comes at a psychological cost. When individuals collaborate with AI, their sense of autonomy can decline, especially if they feel AI outputs are driving decisions more than their own input. This perception of being overruled or sidelined by AI can undermine motivation and engagement. The study showed a 11% drop in motivation and a 20% increase in boredom.
The reason? GenAI often handles the most cognitively demanding aspects of work, leaving users with less stimulating, more passive roles. This reduces their sense of control—a key driver of intrinsic motivation. However, while solo work helps restore autonomy, it often feels less engaging in comparison.
These findings highlight a key tension in hybrid workflows: GenAI may elevate output but risks making human contributors feel disconnected and uninspired when not using it. As AI becomes a routine tool, designing workflows that preserve human agency and interest will be essential for sustaining long-term engagement. The study by researchers from Zhejiang University in China can be accessed here.
What can companies do to address the situation? The answer isn’t to ditch generative AI, say the researchers, but to rethink how it’s integrated into daily work.
They suggest that to protect intrinsic motivation while still benefiting from AI’s strengths, companies can adopt a few key strategies.
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Blend AI with human input—use AI to draft outlines or spark ideas, but leave room for people to refine and personalize the output. This keeps critical thinking and creativity in play.
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Follow AI-assisted tasks with independent work that offers more autonomy—such as project design or strategy planning—to re-engage workers.
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Be transparent about how AI is used. When employees understand that AI supports rather than replaces their contributions, they’re more likely to feel ownership and pride.
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Structure the workday to rotate between AI-powered and solo tasks. This balance helps maintain both engagement and productivity. For example, starting the day with deep thinking and ending with AI-assisted tasks like editing.
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Train employees to use AI mindfully.
Teaching prompt writing, content evaluation, and when to rely on human judgment empowers workers to partner with AI, and not lean on it passively. These steps can help organizations preserve motivation, creativity, and control as AI becomes a regular part of the workplace.
AI Tool of the Week
by AI&Beyond, with Jaspreet Bindra and Anuj Magazine
AI Unlocked: How to get end-to-end tasks done using Genspark Super Agent.
What is Genspark Super Agent and what problem does it solve?
Genspark Super Agent is a general-purpose AI that can automate complex, multi-step tasks-going beyond simple chat or content generation.
Think of it like having a digital colleague who not only understands your request but also rolls up their sleeves to deliver the outcome. Imagine delegating work to someone who researches, analyzes, creates, and even communicates on your behalf.
While most AI tools today stop at helping you brainstorm or draft content, Genspark goes much further. It uses a combination of language models, connects with over 80 built-in tools, and can handle real-world actions such as making a phone call, building a report, or creating presentation slides so you’re not stuck doing the legwork AI usually leaves behind.
It’s for anyone who wants to get actual work done, not just get AI-generated suggestions.
How to access: https://genspark.ai/
Genspark Super Agent can help you with:
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Workflow automation: Automate multi-step workflows (e.g., research>analysis>presentation).
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Voice actions: Make real phone calls to book meetings or collect info.
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Media generation: Generate multimedia (slides, videos, summaries).
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Context awareness: Keep context across tasks and explain its reasoning.
Example:
You are a business professional preparing for an important client meeting. You need a market analysis report and a polished presentation summarizing trends, competition, and growth opportunities—all ready to go.
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Go to https://www.genspark.ai/
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Click 'Super Agent' from the left menu
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Prompt: "Research the electric vehicle market in 2025, focusing on key players, market size, and technological trends. Create a detailed report and a 10-slide presentation summarizing the findings with charts and visuals."
(This task may take several minutes to complete)
Agents in action:
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Deep Research agent: Gathers and synthesizes market data.
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Data Analysis agent: Extracts trends and insights.
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Slides agent: Designs a 10-slide presentation with visuals.
What makes Genspark special?
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Real-world execution: It can take actual actions like making phone calls, generating reports, or creating presentations, giving you tangible outcomes.
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Transparent thinking: Genspark shows which tools or models it used and why.
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Free credits available: You can try it right away without technical know-how or setup.
Note: The tools and analysis featured in this section demonstrated clear value based on our internal testing. Our recommendations are entirely independent and not influenced by the tool creators.
How credible were the cyberattack claims against India by Pakistan-linked hackers?
Even as the ceasefire declared on 10 May has eased ground tensions between India and Pakistan on the back of India’s Operation Sindoor, the disinformation campaigns continue, and so do claims of successful cyberattacks against India by Pakistan-linked actors. But the claims may not hold much water, say security firms.
Pakistan-linked hacker groups have claimed over 100 cyberattacks on Indian government, education, and infrastructure websites so far in May. However, a detailed analysis by security firm CloudSEK reveals that many of these claims were "exaggerated or entirely fabricated". The so-called data breaches often involved outdated or publicly available information, while most distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) and defacement attempts "caused negligible disruption—some lasting barely five minutes", the security firm said.
Image courtesy: Mint
Meanwhile, while the cyber noise from the hacker groups remains mostly superficial, action from advanced persistent threats (APTs)—sophisticated, sustained cyberattacks by hackers when they establish an undetected presence in a network—underscore the real risks lurking behind the digital smoke screen, according to security firms.
For instance, APT36, also known as Transparent Tribe or Mythic Leopard, is a Pakistan-linked cyber espionage group active since at least 2013. It primarily targets Indian military, government, and defence-related sectors, often using spear-phishing emails laced with malware disguised as official documents—such as fake Indian Army recruitment forms or covid-19 advisories. You may read the full story here.
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