OpenAI Adds Old Models Back - DTNSB 5081

Plus, AI assistance makes Endoscopists worse, and the Pebble Time 2 gets closer to reality.

Starring Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter.

TOM: This is the Daily Tech News for Wednesday, August 13, 2025. We tell you what you need to know, follow up on the context of those stories and help each other understand.

JENN: Today OpenAI backtracks on model selection and the new Pebble Time 2 gets closer to reality.

I’m Tom Merritt,

I’m Jenn Cutter

TOM: Let’s start with what you need to know with the big story.

[[BIG STORY]]
[[SOLO story of the day. Basic details, monitor commentary and sound when possible.]]

GPT-5 Set the Stage for Ad Monetization and the SuperApp – SemiAnalysis
ChatGPT's model picker is back, and it's complicated | TechCrunch
(17) Sam Altman on X
OpenAI rolls out Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts integration in ChatGPT

TOM: After some sustained grumbling from users, OpenAI has restored access to older models in ChatGPT and given users some more control over which version of ChatGPT5 they use.

OpenAI removed all previous models when it launched GPT-5, with the idea that its new router would be able to tell from your query which model was best. That's probably fine for most users, but some had very specific reasons for using other models, and others just didn't like change or having choice taken away.

At first, OpenAI restored the 4o model for paying users. It's listed in the dropdown under "legacy models." And OpenAI has now created a toggle in settings called "Show additional models." If you go in and turn it on, you get o3, 4.1, and 5 Thinking mini. If you pay $200-a-month for Pro, you can also get 4.5.

OpenAI also gives you the option to choose between Auto, Fast, and Thinking for GPT-5. Auto will use the router to choose the mode. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also said the company is working to make the personality warmer, without returning it to the sycophantic personality of 4o. He added, “One learning for us from the past few days is we really just need to get to a world with more per-user customization of model personality.”

OpenAI also rolled out support for Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts Connectors in the $200-a-month Pro service. Plus, Team, Enterprise, and Edu plans will get it in the coming weeks. That lets you connect those services so you can ask questions related to your docs or calendar, and ChatGPT can use the information it finds there to answer them. You could already add Gmail and Calendar to Deep Research, so if you did that, it's now on for the other services.

And finally, an interesting write-up from Doug O’Laughlin, Dylan Patel, Wei Zhou, and AJ Kourabi on SemiAnalysis proposes that the router in GPT-5 might set the stage for OpenAI to monetize free users in the future. You should read the full story, but the short version is that the router can tell when a query can be handled by a cheaper model like mini and save queries that could lead to referrals for the more expensive compute.

Instacart added a feature in January that lets agents check out products. Fidji Simo was CEO of Instacart when that was rolled out and is now head of product at OpenAI.

Jenn, what do you think of a free chatbot that makes its money off your purchases?

[[DISCUSS]]

JENN: DTNS is made possible by you the listener. Thanks to
Kevin Morgan
Paul Theisen
Ali Sanjabi
and John Murray III

[[BREAK]]
[[PAUSE]]

There’s more we need to know today, let’s get to the briefs.

[[BRIEFS]]

Get your new Pebble watch
Pebble Time 2 reboot's final design is here [Gallery]

JENN: If you missed it, Eric Migicovsky is bringing back the Pebble watch, e-paper screen and everything, and even got the rights to use the Pebble name. In an episode of his podcast Tick Talk, Migicovsky gave an update on the Pebble Time 2's final design. It will be available in black and silver, with a blue or red accent made of a polycarbonate stripe in between the stainless steel casing material, included to let the radios work better. There's also an RGB LED backlight to let you customize colors and let them change automatically throughout the day. And there will be a compass after all. You can preorder the Pebble Time 2 for $225, for shipping in December, though the final price and shipping date may yet change. There's also a survey coming for those who preordered the yet-to-ship Pebble 2 Duo to let them change their order to the Time 2.

Pony AI, Nearing Full-Year Robotaxi Goal, Eyes European Markets - Bloomberg

TOM: Pony AI says it has 200 robotaxis on the road and is on track to have 1,000 by the end of the year. When it reaches that 1,000-vehicle mark, it will be break-even. The Guangzhou, China-based company says it will also start exploring expansion to Europe at that point. It operates now in China, has a tie-up with Uber in Dubai, and is testing vehicles in South Korea.

Samsung now rolling out One UI 8 beta to last-gen Galaxy devices
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 is the world's first 500Hz OLED gaming monitor

JENN: A couple of Samsung notes. The One UI 8 beta, which has only been live on the S25 and Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, is now rolling out to devices from 2024 like the S24 and Fold and Flip 6. A stable release is planned for September. Samsung also released the Odyssey OLED G6, the first OLED gaming monitor capable of a 500Hz refresh rate. It's on sale now for $1,000.

Google posts an official look at the Pixel 10 Pro Fold | The Verge

TOM: Google continued its practice of leaking its own information ahead of the Made by Google event next Wednesday, August 20th. Google published a video teaser for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It's a video of a gray version of the phone opening.

Amazon to Offer Same-Day Grocery Deliveries in 3,300 Cities - Bloomberg

JENN: Amazon announced it will expand its same-day grocery delivery in the US to 2,300 cities by the end of the year, which is more than double its footprint now. The service is free for Prime members for orders larger than $25 and costs $12.00 an order for non-members. This follows positive earnings reports from other food delivery companies like Uber, DoorDash, and Instacart, showing that US customers are continuing to have food delivered.

Sam Altman, OpenAI will reportedly back a startup that takes on Musk’s Neuralink | TechCrunch
Apple says the App Store is 'fair and free of bias' in response to Musk's legal threats
OpenAI: Musk Loses Court Bid to Dismiss Harassment Claim - Bloomberg

TOM: There is a lot of news of rich tech people doing things to make each other mad. For instance, the Financial Times says that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is co-founding a brain-computer interface, or BCI, company called Merge Labs. There are a lot of BCI companies developing solid products, like Synchron, Precision Neuroscience, Emotiv, and more. There's also Elon Musk's Neuralink doing this, and Altman and Musk famously argue over social networks.

Meanwhile, Musk has still not filed his lawsuit against Apple for alleged mistreatment of xAi's Grok in the App Store. Apple actually responded, telling Bloomberg the App Store is "designed to be fair and free of bias."

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied Musk's request that she dismiss a harassment case brought against him by OpenAI. The judge also dismissed a few of Musk’s claims against OpenAI and Microsoft.

Analysis-Just in time? Manufacturers turn to AI to weather tariff storm

JENN: Despite uncertainty about tariffs, manufacturers' inventories have contracted according to numbers from the US Institute for Supply Management data. Analyst company McKinsey says that respondents relying on bigger inventory to cushion disruptions fell to 34% last year from 60% in 2022, and the 2025 data looks similar. "Just in time" inventory seems to be back. Reuters reports that many companies are using generative models to summarize news, process data, and recommend how much to buy and from whom. Tools recommend transfers between locations as well as when and where to buy.

Relying on AI in Colonoscopies May Erode Clinicians' Skills | MedPage Today

TOM: A study published by Polish scientists in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology found that Endoscopists who used decision support systems to identify precancerous growths found their identification rate dropped below their previous unassisted rate when they stopped using the systems. In a study of 1,400 non-assisted colonoscopies, the identification rate was 28.4% in the 3 months before the system was used and was 22.4% in the three months after they stopped using the system. The system did not significantly raise the detection rate when in use. More study is required as this study focused on one assistance system and carries a selection bias based on endoscopists willing to use the system in the first place.

Epic Games Brings Easy Anti-Cheat to Windows 11 on Arm - Thurrott.com

JENN: Epic Games' Easy AntiCheat system is now compatible with Windows 11 on Arm systems that use Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips. This will help companies bring over more games to run natively on Windows 11 on Arm, including Epic's own Fortnite. The Easy Anti-Cheat System now also supports Nintendo Switch 2.

[[PROMO]]

TOM: All next week is DTNS Experiment week! We're swapping out our normal DTNS show and trying out some new ideas. In previous years we launched shows like Behind the Data and The Tech Jawn. This year we have an exclusive Android Faithful reaction to the Pixel Event, Roger interviews Adam Sessler just to name a few. It all starts next week Monday Aug 11th on the feed.

[[BREAK]]
[[PAUSE]]

[[HELPING EACH OTHER UNDERSTAND]]

JENN: We end every episode of DTNS with some shared wisdom. We still don't know the details of the agreement for Nvidia and AMD to pay the US Government 15% of revenue from restricted chips sold to Chinese companies. Until we do, we can't really assess the legality. Tom speculated on ways it could be legal, and several of you have written in with ways it could not. One of the most informed responses we got was from Manny.

TOM: Manny points out that only Congress has the authority to levy taxes, so this cannot be a new tax, since there has been no Congressional action on it. Michael also writes:

"What little has been made public, has indicated that the tax or revenue share is a quid pro quo for the export license, managed by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). While they have fees for applying for export licenses, they are typically fixed and NVIDIA should be paying the same price as a competitor exporting the same or similar product to any country. BIS decisions are based on national security and the fees are for the time and legal billable hours to decide whether a given export constitutes a national security threat. The idea that BIS might restrict an export on whether a tax is paid is unprecedented."

He also adds:

"I think we can all agree that U.S. tech shouldn't be sold to rivals that threaten national security, but do we want a pay-for-play model for companies wanting to export tech?

I might be missing an obscure authority or legal argument, but I can't imagine a world in which we tax a company for something we don't believe is a national security threat, but will use those authorities to extract revenue from a company.

I hope this was helpful in explaining how unusual this arrangement is and is food for thought about this deal.”

[[DISCUSS]]

JENN: What are you thinking about? Got some insight into a story? Share it with us feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com

TOM: Thanks to Manny for contributing to today’s show. And thank YOU for being along for Daily Tech News Show. You can keep us in business by becoming a patron, atPatreon.com/dtns