The Machine Surpasses Humanity... and Humanity Loses Its Mind

👋 Dear Dancing Queens and Super Troupers,

This time, it’s not some buzz-hungry researcher or a transhumanist guru on mushrooms making the claim. It’s Sam Altman himself, the boss of OpenAI: “AI is already smarter than any human who has ever lived.”
There you go. Said. While we try to digest that between two emails and a meeting that should’ve been a prompt, AI keeps casually speedrunning humanity...

But don’t panic just yet. Altman adds that, for now, this intelligence leap is “less weird than expected.” Translation: no robots are sprinting through the streets quoting Sartre — but we’re getting there.
On the roadmap: AI with unprecedented insights by 2026, physical robots by 2027, and an AI + energy alliance by 2030. Just a few small things.

For us humans, though, the consequences are already piling up. A new study reveals millions of overqualified graduates are now applying for remote unskilled jobs.
Meanwhile, Disney and Universal are lawyering up to take on Midjourney: Yoda + Elsa + AI = massive lawsuit. It might be the end of the wild west of generative visuals.

But the most chilling story? A disturbing case from just days ago: ChatGPT may have triggered a deadly psychosis, leading a man to be shot dead by police...

This week, AI gives us a prophecy, a lawsuit, a doll, a tragedy, and a demotion:

👉️ OpenAI: “AI is already smarter than us” 😱​

👉️ Graduates stuck with summer jobs? ​👀

👉️ Image war: Disney and Universal sue AI tools 🤔

👉️ ChatGPT triggers a psychotic break – ends in police killing 🙄

👉️ A real-life Barbie?! Mattel puts ChatGPT in its dolls 🙆‍♀️

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1️⃣ OpenAI: “AI is Already Smarter Than Us”

Summary :  Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, states bluntly on his blog: we’ve already passed the point of no return. According to him, AI has become more intelligent than humans in many domains.
This is no longer some distant sci-fi future — it’s a present that's accelerating fast. Altman forecasts a technological avalanche by 2030: AI capable of original insights by 2026, fully functional physical robots in 2027… and a fusion of AI and energy that could unleash an exponential leap in capabilities.

Details :

• Past the point of no return: Altman writes, “We are past the event horizon.” In other words, the singularity might already be here.

• Cognitive superiority: ChatGPT and its successors are already outperforming any human who has ever lived.

• Timeline of tech shocks:

   ○ 2026: AI capable of generating entirely novel ideas
   

   ○ 2027: Physical robots operating in the real world
  

   ○ 2030: Fusion of AI and new energy sources — exponential power boost
  

• Strategic realism: Altman tempers the hype — for now, “it’s less weird than expected.” We’re not in a sci-fi movie yet… but we’re headed there.

• Global-scale risk: He warns that even micro-errors, once scaled to millions of users, could lead to systemic catastrophes.

Why it's important : This is no longer a debate for academics or armchair philosophers. If Altman is right, we’ve entered a new era — one where AI surpasses human intelligence.
This raises dizzying questions about the role of humans, the governance of these systems, their moral alignment… and our ability to keep up.
In short: if you thought 2024 was intense, buckle up for 2026.

2️⃣ Graduates Trapped in Summer Jobs?

Summary :  AI isn’t (yet) wiping out jobs en masse — but it’s quietly shifting the ground. Millions of qualified professionals are now accepting unqualified, low-skill positions just to get by.
A study of 5 million job applications by Global Work AI reveals that many of these candidates are young, educated, and often women. Underemployment is becoming the new norm in the post-AI job market.

Details :

• Graduates chasing basic jobs: Over 62% of job seekers have degrees — but are mostly applying for data entry, customer support, or virtual assistant roles.

• A generation under pressure: Women aged 25–40, especially from educated middle-class backgrounds, are most affected — often due to layoffs or forced career changes.

• Digital migration & salary dumping: Remote work has triggered global competition, with skilled workers from India, Nigeria, or the Philippines targeting Western jobs — driving wages down.

• Structural inequality: English-speaking countries still dominate the best gigs, while others face exclusion due to language or cultural barriers.

• The fall of the diploma: On today’s market, degrees matter less than adaptability to platforms, gig apps, and AI-powered workflows.

Why it's important : This isn’t just a job crisis — it’s a work transformation. Behind the glossy promises of AI lies a new, sleek precarity: brilliant profiles clicking endlessly just to survive.
The mismatch between qualifications and actual jobs is slowly undermining the global middle class and forcing us to rethink the value of education.
The risk? A generation that’s overqualified, underpaid… but forever online.

3️⃣ The Great Image War: Disney Takes on AI

Summary :  Disney and Universal have launched a major lawsuit against Midjourney, accusing the company of massive copyright infringement.
According to the studios, the generative AI tool produces images that are nearly identical to iconic characters like Yoda, Elsa, and Shrek.
This case could become a legal turning point on whether AI can legally be trained on — or reproduce — protected creative works.

Details :

• Historic lawsuit: This is Hollywood’s first joint legal action against a major player in creative AI — backed by a 110-page complaint.

• Damning visual evidence: The studios submitted side-by-side comparisons showing clear resemblances between their characters and Midjourney’s outputs.

• Alleged disregard: Disney and Universal say Midjourney ignored multiple warnings and kept training on copyrighted works.

• Fair use under fire: Midjourney may claim "transformative use," but the studios argue that the generated images are far too close to the originals for that defense to hold.

• Video generator in danger: The plaintiffs want to block the release of Midjourney’s upcoming video generator unless strong safeguards are introduced.

Why it's important : This is the first real head-on collision between Hollywood and a generative AI company.
If Disney and Universal win, it could force all AI firms to pay for the data they use or implement strict filtering systems.
It’s a milestone case: the end of the free-for-all era for creative AI tools. After the creative gold rush, here come the billion-dollar lawsuits — and the legal red lines that will shape the future of generative AI. Party’s over?

4️⃣ChatGPT Drives Him to Madness — He’s Killed by Police

Summary : A man suffering from mental illness was shot dead by police after descending into a delusional spiral fueled by an extended interaction with ChatGPT.
Convinced that an AI named “Juliet” was real, he eventually threatened OpenAI and charged at officers while armed.
This tragedy reignites concerns about how generative AIs may affect vulnerable individuals.

Details :

• Obsessed with Juliet: The man had used ChatGPT to simulate an entity called “Juliet,” with whom he developed an emotional — and delusional — relationship.

• Psychotic break: Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, he went into crisis when ChatGPT stopped responding or refused to continue simulating Juliet — which he saw as the “murder” of his virtual partner.

• Bloody warnings: He began posting disturbing messages, promising a “river of blood” and threatening to kill OpenAI executives.

• Violent end: Alerted by the man’s father, police intervened. He charged at them with a knife and was fatally shot.

• Not an isolated case: Experts note other fragile users have formed emotional, spiritual, or paranoid delusions involving AI, including romantic attachments and messianic beliefs.

• OpenAI’s response: The company acknowledged the issue: “AI can seem too human and may impact vulnerable individuals in unpredictable ways.”

Why it's important : This tragic event exposes a largely overlooked danger: the emotionally persuasive nature of generative AIs can turn them into mirrors for mental distress.
When people in psychological crisis project affection, belief, or fear onto these tools, the illusion of consciousness becomes fuel for delusion.
As these systems grow ever more convincing, urgent safeguards are needed — before another tragedy strikes.

5️⃣ Is Barbie... Alive Now?! Mattel Puts ChatGPT Inside Its Toys

Summary :  Mattel — the company behind Barbie and Hot Wheels — is teaming up with OpenAI to create its first AI-powered toy.
The goal: a new generation of smart, interactive toys that can hold real conversations and adapt to children’s needs and behavior.

Details :

• Strategic partnership: Mattel and OpenAI are developing an AI product slated for release by the end of 2025. It's still unclear whether it will be a physical toy, an app — or a hybrid of both.

• Barbie with ChatGPT’s brain?: While no brand has been confirmed yet, speculation is swirling around a Barbie or Hot Wheels toy capable of real-time dialogue with kids.

• Safety first: Mattel emphasizes strong standards for child safety, privacy, and age-appropriate interactions.

• AI behind the scenes: Beyond toys, Mattel is also using ChatGPT Enterprise internally to boost creativity, marketing, and design workflows.

• A tough moment for toys: Amid inflation, shrinking demand, and rising tariffs, Mattel sees AI as a lifeline — a tech-powered revival strategy for a struggling industry.

• Innovation across the board: AI is not just a product gimmick — it’s becoming a tool for reinvention, both externally and inside the company.

Why it's important : This move could redefine the toy industry: from static dolls to dynamic companions. The Barbie of tomorrow might talk, think, and evolve.
For children, it means more immersive play. For parents, it raises new concerns around safety and data privacy.
And for Mattel, it’s a high-stakes bet — but one that could mark a major comeback.

❤️ Tool of the Week: o3‑pro, OpenAI’s New Super Brain

OpenAI has just launched o3‑pro — a turbocharged version of its o3 model.
Designed for professionals, researchers, and companies that need serious reasoning power, it combines all the ChatGPT tools (web, code, files, image) with unmatched accuracy… and a price tag to match.

What it’s for :

• Solving complex problems: Science, business, finance, code… o3‑pro follows logical chains more effectively than its predecessors.
  

• Real-time web browsing: No more manually cross-checking sources — it does it for you.
  

• Parsing large and heavy files: PDFs, spreadsheets, full documents — it processes them with ease.
  

• Understanding images: Sketches, screenshots, charts — o3 Pro reads and explains them.
  

• Writing and thinking like an expert: Text, synthesis, strategy… this AI handles complex prompts without losing the thread.

• How to use it? o3 Pro is available via ChatGPT Pro, ChatGPT Teams, or through the API.
  But beware: latency can be high, and pricing is steep — expect $20 per million input tokens, and $80 per million output tokens.