EP 182 : OpenAI's Io Trademark Drama, ElevenLabs Voice AI, Reddit's Bot War & AI Mental Health Tech

Welcome to AI Brief, Episode 182! In today's essential AI update, we delve into the latest pivotal movements in the artificial intelligence landscape.

First, get the full story on OpenAI's 'io' hardware partnership with Jony Ive, which has been scrubbed from the internet due to a trademark clash. We'll explore the allegations from Google X spinoff iyO, claiming "suspicious meetings" and an "eerily similar concept" to their AI-powered earbuds, which allow interaction with devices "without the use of physical interfaces". Despite promotional material removal, OpenAI maintains the acquisition is "on track," calling the complaint "utterly baseless". This situation raises questions about AI innovation versus imitation in the hardware space.

Next, we highlight ElevenLabs' new voice assistant, 11ai, an experimental alpha release that connects to tools via Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) to "execute tasks rather than just answer questions". Discover how this conversational AI leverages ElevenLabs’ "strongest speech models" for integrations with platforms like Perplexity, Linear, Slack, and Notion, offering "5,000+ voice options" and voice cloning.

We then examine Reddit's reported negotiations with Sam Altman’s Tools For Humanity to integrate the iris-scanning World ID Orb system. Learn how this could provide "proof of humanity" while preserving user anonymity, a critical move against the "flood of AI accounts" and the "Dead Internet" theory.

Plus, we explore groundbreaking AI innovations in mental health, including Sanmai Technologies' AI-powered ultrasound helmet designed to alleviate conditions like epilepsy, depression, and chronic pain by performing "ultrasounds on your brain in precise spots". This non-invasive approach, backed by Reid Hoffman, aims to make brain treatment more accessible and features an AI companion to guide users. We'll also touch on the Laude Institute, a new nonprofit helping academics bring their AI research to market.

Finally, we cover other key AI headlines, including Disney's talks to license IP with companies like OpenAI, DeepSeek's alleged work with the Chinese government, Google's Magenta RealTime music AI, Meta's acquisition talks with Runway, Softbank's "Crystal Land" AI megahub pitch, and Microsoft's new Mu small language model for Windows Copilot + PCs. We wrap up with a quick look at today's trending AI tools, like Deepgram Voice Agent API, Kimi-Researcher, and Docyt for automating bookkeeping.