According to sources cited by Cailian Press, Microsoft's $1.3 billion investment in OpenAI has avoided a formal investigation by the European Union because it is not considered an acquisition and Microsoft does not control the direction of OpenAI's development.

Microsoft (MSFT.O) plans to announce a $1.5 billion investment plan in artificial intelligence company G42 on Tuesday, as reported by The New York Times.

OpenAI has announced the opening of a new Tokyo hub and plans to develop a GPT-4 model optimized for the Japanese language. This marks the company's first office in Asia and fourth globally. OpenAI's expansion efforts have been strategic, with the U.K. and EU being major hubs for AI talent and regulation, respectively. The new Japanese business will be led by Tadao Nagasaki, who has experience in the enterprise segment from his time at Amazon Web Services. The GPT-4 model will provide enhanced understanding of the nuances within the Japanese language and improved performance.

OpenAI announced the launch of its first office in Asia, OpenAI Japan, as well as a new custom model optimized for Japanese language, GPT-4.

Cathie Wood's Ark Investment Management announced that it holds shares in OpenAI, but did not disclose how it invested in OpenAI. In an email to clients on Thursday, Ark stated, "As of April 10, 2024, the ARK Venture Fund has invested in OpenAI," and "OpenAI is at the forefront of the explosion of artificial intelligence capabilities." It is reported that this closed Ark fund, launched in September 2022, invests in public and private companies, including Musk's SpaceX, Epic Games Inc., Freenome Holdings Inc., and Relation Therapeutics.

OpenAI announced on its official website that GPT now has full functionality equivalent to plugins. The GPT store has a search function where users can search for the name or other details of the plugins they use. On April 9th, the ChatGPT plugin beta test will end. Previously, users have not been able to create new conversations with plugins since March 19, 2024.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple design director Jony Ive are collaborating to develop a personal device driven by AI and seeking $1 billion in financing. They are negotiating with investors, including SoftBank's Masayoshi Son, OpenAI investor Thrive Capital, and Emerson Collective. The device aims to challenge the traditional smartphone experience and explore new AI-based interaction methods, potentially with support from OpenAI's technology.

On April 6th, Polygon modular blockchain project Avail announced its participation in the AI Game Alliance launched by NIM Network. The strategic partnership between the two parties will focus on creating specialized DA solutions for artificial intelligence games. Previously, decentralized data sharing protocol OceanProtocol, on-chain competition platform JokeRace, and Web3 social simulation game Today have joined the alliance.

Google is considering charging for AI-based searches, which would be a major change for its business model. Google is considering various options, including adding certain AI-based search features to its premium subscription service.

OpenAI stated it will allow users to use ChatGPT without registration.