#244 - GPT-5.5 Instant, Grok 4.3, OpenAI vs Musk

Our 244th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 05/08/2026Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and Jeremie HarrisFeel free to email us your questions and feedback at andreyvkurenkov@gmail.com and/or&nbsp;hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode:OpenAI released GPT-5.5 Instant as ChatGPT’s new default model, showing large benchmark gains and crossing a “high” cyber-risk threshold under its preparedness framework, while bio-safety results were mixed.OpenAI investigated and patched ChatGPT’s “goblin” obsession, attributing it to reinforcement-learning rewards that over-amplified playful creature metaphors in a nerdy persona that later bled across versions.Major industry moves included xAI’s Grok 4.3 price cuts and voice tools, Mistral’s unified Medium 3.5 model and Work mode, and Anthropic’s managed-agent upgrades alongside a surprise SpaceX compute deal and reports of a much higher Anthropic valuation.Key policy and security developments covered the Musk–OpenAI trial details, Pentagon AI deployments on classified networks, expanded U.S. government pre-release model reviews, and reports of NSA testing Anthropic’s Mythos on Microsoft software.Timestamps:(00:00:10) Intro / Banter(00:01:14) News Preview(00:01:39) Response to listener commentsTools &amp; Apps(00:10:40) OpenAI releases GPT-5.5 Instant, a new default model for ChatGPT | TechCrunch(00:15:23) ChatGPT Became So Obsessed With Goblins That OpenAI Had to Intervene(00:24:14) xAI launches Grok 4.3 at an aggressively low price and a new, fast, powerful voice cloning suite | VentureBeat(00:30:49) Mistral's new flagship Medium 3.5 folds chat, reasoning, and code into one model(00:36:28) Anthropic updates Claude Managed Agents with three new features - 9to5Mac(00:40:42) ElevenLabs Revamps AI Music Platform as Fan-Focused ServiceApplications &amp; Business(00:41:57) A diary, a threat, and a $30 billion stake: What the Musk vs OpenAI trial has actually shown in its first week - The Times of India(00:52:28) Anthropic, SpaceX Sign Deal to Boost AI Computing Power for Claude Software - Bloomberg(00:58:48) Anthropic in talks with investors to raise funds at $900 billion valuation, higher than OpenAI(00:59:37) Anthropic and OpenAI are both launching joint ventures for enterprise AI services | TechCrunch(01:03:15) Anthropic and FIS Are Building an AI Agent to Help Banks Police Financial Crimes(01:04:02) <