This Week in AI

AI To Write 90% of Code Within Months, Says Anthropic’s CEO

What happens when AI goes from assisting developers to handling most of the coding itself?

According to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, that shift is already underway. He predicts that within six months, AI will generate 90% of software code – and within a year, it could write nearly all of it.

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, Amodei explained that while developers will still define system design, AI is on track to handle most programming tasks across industries. And it’s not just a theory – Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan revealed that in their Winter 2025 batch, 25% of startups already use AI for 95% of their code.

The rise of AI-generated code is shifting the balance between automation and human expertise. Whether this shift will impact jobs remains to be seen. 

First AI-Created Music Album Hits Spotify

What if your favorite singer wasn’t human? Spanish artist Pedro Sandoval has released the country’s first AI-created album, certified by Spotify, featuring two entirely AI-generated singers, ZKY-18 and Dirty Marilyn.

Developed over three years, these AI voices sound nearly indistinguishable from human singers. While AI has been used in music production for years, this marks one of the first times AI-generated artists have received official recognition on a major streaming platform.

Sandoval, known for his AI-driven visual art, sees AI as a tool to expand creative possibilities rather than replace human musicians. The album was launched in Madrid at an event attended by figures from the music and tech industries.

Baidu Launches Ernie 4.5 and X1 to Compete With DeepSeek

China’s AI race is heating up. Baidu has launched two new AI models—Ernie 4.5, its latest foundational model, and Ernie X1, a reasoning-focused model designed to rival DeepSeek R1.

Baidu claims Ernie X1 matches DeepSeek R1’s performance but at half the cost, making it a strong competitor in China’s growing AI market. Both models come with multimodal capabilities, allowing them to process text, video, images, and audio. 

Ernie 4.5 is being marketed for its “high EQ,” meaning it can interpret memes and satire, while Ernie X1 is designed for complex reasoning and problem-solving.

While Baidu was an early entrant in China’s AI race, it has struggled to gain mass adoption. With DeepSeek gaining momentum for its affordable, high-performance models, Baidu’s latest release is an attempt to reassert its position in the AI race. 

The company is already looking ahead, with plans to release Ernie 5 later this year with even more advanced capabilities.

Lawyers Using AI Work 140% Faster with Fewer Errors

A new study from the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan found that AI tools can significantly enhance both the speed and quality of legal work.

In an experiment with 127 law students completing six legal assignments, those using AI-assisted tools completed tasks up to 140% faster while improving accuracy by up to 28%.

The study compared OpenAI's o1-preview (a reasoning model) and Vincent AI (a legal-specific RAG model) against traditional methods. OpenAI’s o1-preview improved the depth and complexity of legal analysis, increasing work quality by 10% to 28%. 

Meanwhile, Vincent AI, which retrieves legal texts using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), increased productivity by 38% to 115%.

However, AI tools struggled with accuracy in legal research and had little impact on transactional work like drafting non-disclosure agreements – once again highlighting the importance of human oversight to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Hollywood Stars Fight AI's Use of Copyrighted Content

More than 400 Hollywood figures – including Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, and Paul McCartney – have signed an open letter urging the Trump administration to uphold copyright protections amid growing concerns over AI companies using copyrighted works without permission.

The letter, submitted as part of the US AI Action Plan, directly opposes recent proposals by OpenAI and Google, which argue that training AI on copyrighted materials falls under fair use. Hollywood creatives claim this would undermine the entertainment industry, which generates over $229 billion in annual wages and supports 2.3 million jobs.

The dispute extends beyond Hollywood, affecting publishers, musicians, and other intellectual property owners. The letter argues that AI companies should negotiate licenses, just as other industries do. 

With AI shaping the future of content creation, the debate over copyright protections will likely intensify in the months ahead.

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