Fans Rescue Disney’s Wish, Meta Muse AI Surges Amid Privacy Fears, Pfizer’s AI Drug Race, B.C. Sues Sam Altman’s OpenAI

Adam Nagus (0:05)

Welcome to Digimasters Shorts, we are your hosts, Adam Nagus and Carly Wilson, delivering the latest scoop from the digital realm.

Disney's Wish struggled at the box office and with critics after its 2023 release, earning $254.2 million against a reported budget of up to $200 million.

The film currently holds a 48% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, independent artists are revisiting the movie's original romantic concept in a hand-animated short titled Asha & Starboy. The project reimagines Star as a shapeshifting young man and potential love interest for Asha, rather than a silent magical star. It also restores the planned romantic duet between the characters and presents Queen Amaya as a villain alongside King Magnifico. Directed by Griffin Poitou and Gabriele Camicioli, the short uses traditional 2D animation and features an original musical score. The trailer has drawn enthusiastic reactions from fans, with some viewers claiming it already surpasses Disney's feature. The project reflects continuing interest in the earlier, more fairy-tale-like vision for Wish.

Carly Wilson (1:12)

Meta's Muse AI agent is gaining traction quickly among iPhone users in the United States just two weeks after its launch. The app briefly surpassed ChatGPT to become the top free iOS app in the country, while also ranking above Claude, Grok and Meta's existing Meta AI app. Sensor Tower estimates that Muse passed 2.5 million total downloads by Monday, including about 1.5 million from Apple's App Store and 1.1 million from Google Play. That figure exceeds the early download totals recorded for Claude and Grok, although ChatGPT reached roughly 3.1 million downloads during a comparable period. Sensor Tower cautioned that differing iOS and Android release schedules make direct comparisons less precise. Meta describes Muse as an AI agent capable of completing tasks, such as filling out forms and managing email across the Internet. The app is free, while paid plans cost $20 and $100 per month depending on usage. Its growth has raised privacy and security concerns, with Amazon blocking access over claims that Muse could bypass parts of its shopping system and capture sensitive account information. Shopify has instead partnered with Meta to support purchases through Muse on participating stores.

Artificial intelligence has become a core part of biopharma operations, helping companies accelerate drug development and reduce costs. Pfizer CEO Albert Baller said AI is supporting the integration of Seagun, acquired for $43 billion in 2023 while transforming research and development. Pfizer aims to build an AI native R&D organization in which insights continuously guide the next decision.

AstraZeneca executive Pam Cheng said AI is improving efficiency, shortening development timelines, automating manufacturing and supporting more precise care.

As pharmaceutical companies adopt AI across their businesses, the boundary between technology and drug development is rapidly fading. AI focused biotech companies are also attracting major licensing deals from companies including Lilly, Merck, Sanofi and AstraZeneca. Insilico Medicine has emerged as a leading example, using machine learning to produce drug candidates and offer partnership opportunities. The rise of companies such as Isomorphic Labs, Recursion Pharmaceuticals and Xyra Therapeutics has created a new tech biosector. Investor enthusiasm remains strong, with Xyra launching with $1 billion and Isomorphic Labs raising $2.1 billion.

Adam Nagus (3:38)

British Columbia has sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging a deadly school shooting could have been prevented if police had been warned about the shooter's ChatGPT activity. The lawsuit filed in California seeks damages for recovery costs and changes to how the company handles conversations linked to potential violence. Nine people, mostly children, were killed in the February attack at a school in Tumbler Ridge. Police say 18-year-old Jessie Van Rootselaar first shot her mother and stepbrother, then killed an educational assistant and five students before dying by suicide. According to the lawsuit, OpenAI flagged Van Rootselaar's conversations about gun violence in June 2025, but company leaders overruled recommendations to contact police. Her account was deactivated, but she allegedly created another account and continued using ChatGPT to plan the attack. OpenAI has said the conversations were flagged for violent misuse, but did not meet its internal threshold for law enforcement reporting. The company called the shooting an unspeakable tragedy and said it remains committed to working with governments and police on safety measures.

The case follows more than 30 lawsuits from victims, families and others along with separate legal challenges accusing OpenAI of failing to prevent violence.

Adam Nagus (4:45)

Thank you for listening to today's AI and Tech News Podcast summary. Please do leave us a comment and for additional feedback, please email us at podcast at digimasters.co.uk.

You can now follow us on Instagram and threads by searching for a Digimaster Shorts or search for Digimasters on LinkedIn. Be sure to tune in tomorrow and don't forget to follow or subscribe.