Last Week in AI #341 - Musk loses to OpenAI, Google's IO updates, OpenAI solves Erdős

· Source: Last Week in AI · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation, Robotics & Autonomous Systems · Depth: Intermediate, long

Summary

A federal jury on May 18, 2026, rejected Elon Musk's \$150 billion lawsuit against OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Greg Brockman, citing statutes of limitations. This verdict clears the path for OpenAI's potential fall 2026 IPO, with the company currently valued at \$852 billion and targeting \$1 trillion, despite reporting \$30 billion in annualized revenue but significant cash burn. Concurrently, Google I/O 2026 unveiled extensive AI updates, including the Gemini 3.5 Flash model, the 24/7 Gemini Spark agent, and the multimodal Gemini Omni for video generation. In AI research, OpenAI disproved an 80-year-old Erdős problem, while Google DeepMind's AlphaProof Nexus solved other complex math problems for hundreds of dollars. Policy-wise, the Take It Down Act, effective May 19, 2026, mandates platforms remove AI deepfakes within 48 hours, though concerns about censorship persist. SpaceX, filing for a \$1.75–\$2 trillion IPO, plans to acquire AI coding startup Cursor for \$60 billion, amidst xAI's reported \$6.4 billion operating loss in 2025 and talent drain. Pope Leo XIV also issued an encyclical on May 25, 2026, warning about AI dangers and calling for regulation.

Key takeaway

For AI Product Managers evaluating competitive landscapes, recognize that Google's Gemini 3.5 Flash and Spark agents significantly enhance its ecosystem, while OpenAI's IPO signals aggressive market expansion. You should prioritize integrating robust content provenance tools like C2PA and SynthID into your products given new deepfake legislation. Be aware of the rapid advancements in AI-driven mathematics and the increasing regulatory scrutiny on AI ethics and job displacement.

Key insights

AI is rapidly advancing in capabilities and market presence, driving significant legal, ethical, and competitive shifts.

Principles

Method

Google DeepMind's AlphaProof Nexus combines Gemini 3.1 Pro with Lean formal verification, using compiler error messages for iterative proof attempts.

In practice

Topics

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Executive, Director of AI/ML, AI Product Manager, Investor

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Last Week in AI.