This week: OpenAI killed Sora because it costs too much to run. GPT-5.4 launched in three variants. Anthropic is reportedly eyeing an IPO. A new benchmark scored every frontier model under 1% on tasks humans solve easily. Duke released a 45-page AI strategy blueprint. And a phrase circulating on LinkedIn might be the most important insight of the month.
OpenAI Killed Sora. The Reason: Math.
OpenAI quietly discontinued the Sora public API on March 24, giving developers 30 days notice. The reason was not safety, regulation, or competition. It was cost. Video generation at scale is too expensive to sustain as a public API product. This is the first time a frontier AI lab has retreated from a major capability purely because the economics don't work.
Durham / Triangle Roundup: Duke Goes All-In, Pryon Raises $100M
Duke released a 45-page AI strategy blueprint. The university's AI steering committee recommended creating an Office of AI Strategy, a university-wide Data Commons, a dedicated Data Corps team, and new AI credentialing programs. Pryon closed a $100M Series B. CEO Igor Jablokov, who built precursors to both Siri and Alexa while working in RTP, continues to position the Triangle as an AI origin story.