Another week has passed, bringing with it a host of remarkable developments in the world of technology. As is often the case, the spotlight continues to shine on the field of artificial intelligence, where innovation seems to know no bounds. In recent weeks, the tech community has been focused with discussions surrounding Google Nano Banana, which has undeniably made a significant impact. However, this week, the focus has shifted dramatically to OpenAI's latest endeavor, Sora 2, which has captured the attention and imagination of tech enthusiasts and industry experts worldwide.

Earlier this week, OpenAI and Nvidia announced a partnership to build AI data centers with more than 10 gigawatts of capacity. Nvidia alone plans to invest up to $100 billion in the effort that could consume as much power as the entire city of New York.

The projects, which are tied to Donald Trump’s Stargate initiative could add another 7 gigawatts of demand, roughly more than the peak power demand in Switzerland or Portugal. OpenAI already operates a massive data center in Abilene, Texas, with Oracle, drawing enough power to supply half a million homes.

The scale of this shift has experts sounding alarms, with University of Chicago professor Andrew Chien warning that computing could consume 10–12% of global electricity by 2030. Sam Altman, however, frames it as foundational: “Everything starts with compute. Compute infrastructure will be the basis for the economy of the future.”

But behind the ambition lies an uncomfortable truth. The AI industry is already falling short of its climate goals. Data centers strain local water supplies, push grids to their limits, and increase carbon emissions. Unless AI is going to move eventually for nuclear energy, the environmental cost will only grow.

The Western Balkans Digital Summit (WBDS) 2025 is set to take place on 1–2 October at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje, Macedonia. Co-organised by the Ministry for Digital Transformation of North Macedonia and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the summit will bring together governments, businesses, academia, and international partners to accelerate the region’s digital transformation.

This year’s program will run across two stages, so Main and Technology Stage, with the focus on three priority themes: 1. Digital wallets, secure, user-friendly access to public and private services. 2. Interoperability: connecting systems and registries for seamless regional e-services. 3. Cybersecurity: protecting personal data and critical infrastructure. The Technology Stage will dive deeper into topics like artificial intelligence, 5G and optical infrastructure, digital skills, and opportunities for regional companies to access the EU’s single digital market.

More than 800 participants and speakers are expected, including senior representatives from Western Balkan economies, the European Commission, RCC, ITU, and leading private sector voices. This year’s Summit will also spotlight ongoing efforts, supported by RCC, to reduce roaming costs between the Western Balkans and the EU, paving the way towards a “roam like at home” future.

Launched in 2018, WBDS has become the region’s flagship platform for digital cooperation. Over the years, it has driven progress on roaming, interoperability, digital skills, and e-services, as part of the Digital Agenda within the Common Regional Market (CRM) Action Plan, co-funded by the European Union.

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OpenAI just unveiled Sora 2, its new video generation model that now creates audio alongside video. Think dialogue, background sound, and effects all synced up in one go. They also launched a new iOS app, simply called Sora, where you can generate clips, edit them, and even drop yourself or your friends into scenes with a new “Cameo” feature. OpenAI says Cameos are opt-in only, with verification to stop misuse.

An API is on the way too, which will let developers bring Sora 2 into their own editing tools. That’s where things get interesting. The model’s physics and realism have taken a big step forward. Sora 2 can now render real rebounds, waves in water, or complex routines like gymnastics. It’s a big leap toward making AI video not just look real but also behave real.

The rollout starts with ChatGPT users in the U.S. and Canada, with wider access promised soon. Everyone gets the base model free with limits, while Pro subscribers unlock Sora 2 Pro for higher-quality output. Plus users don’t get anything extra beyond the free tier.

OpenAI is pitching this as the “GPT-3.5 moment” for video, basically more advanced, more controllable, and more usable than the first Sora. The question is whether Sora 2 can catch up to rivals like Runway and Luma, who’ve been moving faster with sharper models and audio baked in for months.

“It’s very clear that AI is going to change literally every job.” said CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillon. He noted that while some roles will shrink or disappear, new ones will also emerge as technology reshapes the company’s workforce.

Executives have already been mapping which job types are likely to grow, decline, or stay the same as AI adoption deepens. McMillon framed Walmart’s goal as making sure “everybody makes it to the other side,” signaling that training and support will be part of the transition. Walmart says it has a track record of adapting during big shifts, and this moment is no different. “With AI, we’re not waiting around. We’re leaning in to make it work for our customers, associates, and partners”.

Walmart is one of the world’s largest private employers. Its approach to AI, both in cutting tasks and creating new ones, will likely set the tone for how automation reshapes retail and frontline work globally.

Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI, has unveiled the first product from her new startup Thinking Machines Lab. It’s called Tinker, an API designed to make fine-tuning large language models simple and accessible. Instead of wrestling with complex infrastructure like distributed training and scaling, developers can focus on shaping models for their own use cases.

Why this matters? Well, most open-weight models are powerful but generic. Fine-tuning is how you get a model that’s actually useful for a specific domain, for example legal, healthcare, customer support, or creative work. Today, that process is messy, expensive, and hard to reproduce. Tinker aims to lower the barrier, giving anyone the ability to adapt AI systems without building an in-house research team.

This launch also reflects Murati’s broader vision: more openness and user control in AI. Backed by $2B in funding at a $12B valuation, Tinker is less about competing with OpenAI and more about enabling everyone else to build tailored AI products. If it delivers, it could spark a wave of specialized AI tools that go far beyond the standard chatbot experience.

This week, I want to give a special shoutout to the 3GO Podcast by Valon Canhasi, which just marked its 50th episode and is now entering its fourth year. The podcast has become a meaningful platform for entrepreneurs from Kosovo and the diaspora to share their stories, challenges, and lessons learned.

The milestone also lined up nicely with International Podcast Day, celebrated on Tuesday, making it the perfect moment to recognize the impact of 3GO and the voices it continues to highlight.

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