OpenAI’s next image model — likely GPT-Image 2 — is already being tested under stealth names on the Arena leaderboards, and the results are impressive. Today we break down the mystery models (Masking Tape Alpha, Gaffer Tape Alpha, Packing Tape Alpha), compare OpenAI’s new image generation head-to-head with Nano Banana 2, and explain why the upcoming “Spud” update isn’t just another image model — it’s the image capability of a new autoregressive multimodal thinking model that could change everything.
Plus: Milla Jovovich open-sourced an AI memory system called Mem Place, a mysterious video model called “Happy Horse” just dethroned Seedance 2.0 on the leaderboards, Pixverse dropped their cinematic C1 model, and Galileo Zero introduces a “world critic” for AI video quality control.