GPT-4.5 and AI Glasses

OpenAI has unveiled GPT-4.5, internally often called ‘Orion’, marking the ultimate iteration under its traditional scaling paradigm. CEO Sam Altman described it as the primary model that “looks like talking to a thoughtful person.” Unlike OpenAI’s reasoning models, it adheres to a standard LLM architecture. It supports text-based multimodal inputs but lacks voice, video, and screen-sharing features.

Originally intended as GPT-5, Orion underperformed against expectations, prompting a rebranding. The model improves emotional intelligence and reduces hallucinations but lacks chain-of-thought reasoning, leaving it behind competitors like Anthropic’s Claude 3.7.

With API pricing at $75/$180 per million tokens, the model has sparked debate over its cost-to-value ratio. Its computational demands render it prohibitively expensive—as much as 30 times costlier than GPT-4o. Access also stays limited to ChatGPT Pro subscribers ($200/month) and API users as a consequence of GPU shortages, delaying its rollout to lower-tier plans.

Meta is reportedly plotting a $200 billion AI data center project, eyeing Louisiana, Wyoming, and Texas for the buildout, in accordance with The Information. Executives have met with developers and toured potential sites, though Meta dismissed the claims, calling them speculative and reaffirming that its disclosed capital expenditures remain unchanged.

The alleged scale dwarfs even probably the most aggressive AI infrastructure bets. Microsoft is pouring $80 billion into data centers next 12 months, while Amazon is ready to exceed $75 billion. Meta itself has already allocated $65 billion for AI expansion in 2024. Read more.

Meta has introduced Aria Gen 2, a research-focused headset designed to advance AI, robotics, and machine perception. And not using a display, it prioritizes sensor-driven spatial intelligence, featuring upgraded RGB and eye-tracking cameras, spatial microphones, and Meta’s custom silicon for real-time AI processing. Recent additions include a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor for heart rate monitoring and a contact microphone for precise voice isolation.

Designed for on-device AI tasks, Aria Gen 2 runs hand and eye tracking, speech recognition, and SLAM-based navigation, making it a proving ground for future AR intelligence. Read more.