In today’s Digest, we look at ChatGPT adding a PayPal wallet and OpenAI hitting a $500bn valuation. We also cover Musk launching an AI encyclopedia as well as StarHub and Mediacorp teaming up to enhance the viewing experience for customers in Singapore.

ChatGPT adds PayPal wallet; OpenAI hits $500bn valuation

PayPal announced plans to integrate its payment services directly into ChatGPT by 2026, leveraging OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) and the platform’s “Instant Checkout” feature. The move will allow users to make purchases through PayPal within the ChatGPT interface, streamlining the shopping experience with AI-powered agents. Customers will be able to use their PayPal wallets for transactions, with the company ensuring buyer and seller protections, dispute resolution, and support for card payments via a dedicated API.

Beginning next year, merchants using PayPal will also see their products surface within ChatGPT across categories such as fashion, beauty, electronics, and home improvement. No additional integration work will be required from sellers, as PayPal will manage backend routing and payment processing. 

Meanwhile,  OpenAI and Microsoft have finalised an agreement that restructures the AI company into a public benefit corporation, positioning it for a potential public listing. The deal values OpenAI at USD$500bn (£370bn) and allows Microsoft to keep a 27% stake, worth approximately USD$135bn (£99.9bn) in the newly formed OpenAI Group PBC. Control of the entity will remain with the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation.

Musk launches AI encyclopedia 

Elon Musk has launched Grokipedia, a new AI-powered online encyclopedia developed by his AIfirm, xAI. Announced on X, Musk described the site as a corrective to what he perceives as ideological bias on Wikipedia, pledging to “purge out the propaganda.” The launch follows increasing criticism of Wikipedia from Musk and his political allies in recent months. 

The platform debuted with over 800,000 machine-generated entries and experienced a brief outage  due to high traffic. 

Musk assured his challenge to Wikipedia would be a huge improvement for users. Ironically, many sources have noted that Grokipedia appears to be taking information for some of its articles directly from Wikipedia. 

StarHub and Mediacorp team up for Singapore viewers

Mediacorp and StarHub have announced a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing entertainment offerings for viewers in Singapore. Effective next month, StarHub TV+ content packages will be available on Mediacorp’s digital streaming platform, mewatch, marking a significant collaboration between two of the country’s leading media providers. The initiative is designed to leverage both companies’ strengths in scale and innovation to deliver a richer and more flexible viewing experience.

The expanded content lineup will include premium live sports such as the Premier League, FA Cup, and NBA, alongside a diverse selection of Asian channels including KBS World, TVB, Zee, and Astro. International favorites like AXN, BBC, and Nickelodeon will also be part of the offering. Mediacorp has indicated that viewers will be able to choose from flexible micro packages and free subscription options, catering to varied household preferences and budgets. Pricing details are expected to be disclosed closer to the launch date.

According to StarHub’s chief executive, Nikhil Eapen, the “partnership brings audiences the widest and most exciting mix of content – from global sporting spectacles to local favourites – in simple and flexible ways”.