AI News — 2026-02-08

OpenAI Launches GPT-5.3-Codex, Pushing Agentic Coding Limits[1][2]

OpenAI rolled out GPT-5.3-Codex on February 5, billing it as their most powerful agentic coding model yet. It expands beyond code writing to full-spectrum professional workflows, including debugging its own training and handling cybersecurity tasks with "high-capability" designation. Available now for paid ChatGPT users via app, CLI, and IDEs.[3][4]

This matters because it accelerates the shift to autonomous dev agents that orchestrate entire projects, not just snippets—reducing human oversight needs while boosting productivity. X lit up with Sam Altman (@sama) calling it a "5.3 lovefest" unseen since GPT-4, users raving about speed and accuracy gains.

Anthropic Releases Claude Opus 4.6 with Enhanced Agent Teams[5][6]

Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4.6 on the same day as Codex, upgrading planning, long-task sustainment, and autonomy. It introduces "agent teams" for collaborative workflows and integrates with GitHub Copilot. Supports 200K context (1M beta) and shines in coding marathons.[7]

Why care? It's a direct volley in the agentic AI arms race, making multi-agent orchestration more reliable for complex systems. On X, devs noted the back-to-back drops with Codex fueled "insane" builds, per community buzz.

OpenAI-Ginkgo Autonomous Lab Cuts Protein Costs 40%[8][9]

Ginkgo Bioworks hooked GPT-5 to a fully autonomous lab for cell-free protein synthesis. The AI proposes, executes, iterates experiments—slashing costs 40% over benchmarks. Stock popped on the news.[10]

This demo proves AI agents closing the loop in physical R&D, unlocking bio breakthroughs at scale. X hailed it as a "major threshold" for AI-driven science, with @kimmonismus calling it life-improving.

Perplexity Debuts Model Council for Multi-LLM Reasoning[11][12]

Perplexity launched Model Council on February 5 for Max users: queries swarm frontier LLMs (GPT, Claude, Gemini) async, with a chair model synthesizing the best answer. Boosts accuracy via diverse perspectives.[13]

Big for trust in AI outputs—mirrors human deliberation without single-model bias. X users geeked out over @AravSrinivas' reveal, seeing it as peak multi-agent smarts.

France 2030 Pumps €30M into AI Amid Global Race[14]

President Macron touted over €30M via France 2030 for AI, health, climate—luring 40 top researchers. Pushback called it peanuts vs. US billions, but he clapped back with talent wins.[15]

Europe's play for ethical AI sovereignty, but scale questions linger. X roasted the sum (@jordihays amplified), yet it's real cash for frontier work.