Creator of Free Adobe Suite Strikes Again, Reverse Engineers Microsoft Office

image via Futurism
image via Futurism

“We were shocked by how well they actually worked internally, so decided to open source them,” ArtCraft co-founder Michael Caffrey told Futurism. “Adobe has been notoriously scummy in the past, and when using it we were shocked that this wasn’t an alternative, it was better.” Now, ArtCraft developer Brandon Thomas has thrown down the gauntlet once more by announcing open-source clones of Microsoft’s widely used Office suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/creator-free-adobe-suite-microsoft-office

Epic Games reportedly pivoting to “AI first” game development model

image via Ars Technica
image via Ars Technica

“We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration,” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney wrote on social media shortly after the Bloomberg story was posted. “The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal.”

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/report-epic-games-goes-all-in-on-ai-for-disney-collaboration

Getty Images is going private after failed Shutterstock merger

image via The Verge
image via The Verge

Getty Images intends to file for bankruptcy and go private as part of a restructuring agreement after its plans to merge with rival stock platform Shutterstock fell through earlier this year. On Monday, Getty announced it had secured $533 million from the Getty family and Charles Koch’s investment firm to cut its debt and take the company private, outlining plans to undergo a prepackaged Chapter 11 process “in the coming weeks.”

https://www.theverge.com/business/1009893/getty-images-bankruptcy-private-plans-agreement

‘Things may get ugly’: Meta’s new AI Muse is about to make the internet more annoying

image via bbc.com
image via bbc.com

"There's going to be a huge escalation of the problems we're already having with bots," says Calli Schroeder, director of the AI and Human Rights Program at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (Epic) in the US. "What happens if bots send 600 inquiries to a website a day, when normal humans might only send two?" says Shroeder. "Businesses and individuals are going to have a lot to deal with."

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260930-metas-new-ai-is-about-to-break-the-internet

Big Tech is cutewashing its AI agents

image via Fast Company
image via Fast Company

We are firmly in the era of the anthropomorphic AI mascot, and according to multiple researchers and designers I spoke with, the trend makes perfect sense. In moments when tech companies want to encourage mass market adoption of an unfamiliar service, they’ve historically turned to friendly, approachable design.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91620091/big-tech-is-cutewashing-its-ai-agents

Pinterest’s AI now turns beauty Pins into action plans

image via TechCrunch
image via TechCrunch

“Beauty Guides,” which are powered by the company’s visual intelligence and generative AI technology, Pinterest Intelligence, will translate Pins into terms and phrases used by stylists and nail artists that everyday users may not know, like “balayage,” “root melt,” or “almond nails.” The feature is a small but practical way to introduce AI into users’ everyday lives, as it slots into something that people are already doing: bringing a photo of their inspiration to the salon. That’s useful to a large extent, but having the right terminology at hand while you discuss what parts of the look you want to edit or change can be useful as well.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/06/pinterests-ai-now-turns-beauty-pins-into-action-plans

OpenAI is sticking more ads in ChatGPT

image via The Verge
image via The Verge

The company first brought ads to ChatGPT in February. Until now, ChatGPT’s ads only showed a company’s name, logo, and a link to its product in a “sponsored” section beneath your chat. OpenAI’s visual ad format will similarly remain separate from the image you generate and will “not influence the answers ChatGPT provides.” Ads won’t appear if you subscribe to ChatGPT’s Plus, Pro, or Enterprise plans.

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1004655/openai-chatgpt-visual-ads