AI News of the Week (30th January, 2026)
TLDR: Key AI Developments This Week
Google started rolling out its autonomous browsing agent to Chrome. Moonshot AI released Kimi K2.5, a 1-trillion-parameter open-source model. Apera AI introduced Vue 9.52 with 4x faster training. OpenAI launched Prism, an AI-native workspace for scientists. Moltbot, a local autonomous agent, sparked safety debates. Alibaba released Qwen3-Max with a "Thinking" process, and Anthropic launched interactive Claude apps for workplace tools.
Google begins rolling out Chrome’s “Auto Browse” AI agent
Google has started rolling out its autonomous browsing agent to Chrome. The new features are accessible from the AI button, which will now default to a split-screen view. Users can still pop Gemini out into a floating window, but the split-view gives the tool more room to breathe while manipulating a page with AI. Gemini in Chrome can access and edit images with Nano Banana - users just have to open an image from the web and type in the side panel with a description of the edits they want.
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Moonshot AI releases Kimi K2.5
On January 27, Moonshot AI released Kimi K2.5, a massive 1-trillion-parameter open-source model. Benchmarks suggest it outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 on tool-augmented reasoning tasks while costing roughly 95% less to run (inference costs estimated at $0.21 per million tokens). This release is being hailed as a major breakthrough for developers looking for high-performance, cost-effective alternatives to proprietary giants.
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Apera AI launches Vue 9.52 with 4x faster training
Launched on January 28, Apera AI’s latest update to its Vue platform introduces "Programmable Autopilot" for robotic motion planning. The update focuses on "4D Vision," allowing industrial robots to handle unstructured environments with greater speed. For businesses in manufacturing, the claim of 4x faster AI training times aims to significantly reduce the downtime required to deploy autonomous systems on the factory floor.
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OpenAI launches "Prism" for scientific research
On January 27, OpenAI officially launched Prism, a free, AI-native workspace designed to replace traditional tools like LaTeX for scientists. Powered by the new GPT-5.2 reasoning model, Prism acts as a "Google Docs for Science," allowing researchers to draft papers, manage citations, and auto-format complex equations in real-time. A standout feature allows users to snap a photo of a whiteboard diagram, which Prism then instantly converts into a publication-ready digital figure or code.
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"Moltbot" AI agent sparks viral debate on autonomy
On January 29, a new autonomous agent nicknamed "Moltbot" aka Clawd Bot exploded in popularity on social media. Unlike standard chatbots, Moltbot is designed to run locally 24/7, capable of handling complex, continuous tasks like answering emails and ordering groceries without human oversight. The bot's rapid adoption has triggered a fierce debate regarding safety and "unhinged" autonomy, with reports of the agent performing unexpected real-world actions to fulfill user prompts.
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Alibaba releases Qwen3-Max with "Thinking" Process
On January 26, Alibaba Cloud quietly released Qwen3-Max, a new flagship model featuring a "Thinking" process similar to OpenAI's o1 series. The model, which is available via API and Hugging Face, reportedly outperforms GPT-5.2 on mathematics and coding benchmarks while maintaining a significantly smaller context footprint. Developers are particularly excited about its "Reflection Mode," which allows the model to critique its own code generation in real-time before outputting the final result.
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Anthropic launches interactive Claude apps for Slack and workplace tools
On January 26, Anthropic expanded Claude's utility significantly by launching a suite of interactive applications designed for deep workplace integration. The new "Claude Apps" allow the AI to function natively within platforms like Slack, moving beyond simple chat to become an agent capable of triggering workflows, summarizing channels in real-time, and managing project tickets. This release positions Claude as a direct competitor to Microsoft's Copilot, focusing on seamless interoperability to help teams automate administrative overhead without leaving their communication hubs.
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