News/AI Models
Adobe integrates Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash into Firefly and Express
Adobe has integrated Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Image model into its Firefly and Express platforms, expanding its roster of AI partners beyond its own in-house models. The addition gives users access to enhanced text-to-image generation capabilities with improved context understanding, consistency, and performance compared to Adobe's existing Firefly models. What you should know: Adobe is positioning itself as a multi-model AI platform rather than restricting users to proprietary technology alone. Gemini 2.5 Flash Image joins models from OpenAI, Black Forest Labs, Runway, Pika, Ideogram, Lume AI, and Moonvalley in Adobe's ecosystem. The integration allows users to generate stylized graphics in...
read Aug 27, 2025Google’s Pixel 10 Pro weaves AI throughout Android
Google's latest flagship smartphone represents a significant shift in how artificial intelligence integrates with mobile devices. Unlike previous generations where AI features felt like add-ons requiring separate apps, the Pixel 10 Pro weaves machine learning capabilities throughout the core user experience. This comprehensive review examines how Google has evolved from prompt-based AI interactions to contextually aware assistance that anticipates user needs. The device showcases what happens when a company controls both hardware design and software development, creating opportunities for deeper AI integration that third-party manufacturers struggle to match. Hardware foundations for AI processing The Pixel 10 Pro's physical design reflects...
read Aug 27, 2025Job alert: Open-source LiteLLM raises $1.6M, now hiring founding engineer
LiteLLM, an open-source LLM Gateway with 27,000+ GitHub stars, is seeking a founding backend engineer to help scale their platform that allows companies to call 100+ LLM APIs in OpenAI format. The Y Combinator-backed startup has raised $1.6M in seed funding and serves enterprise clients including NASA, Adobe, and Rocket Money who need unified access to multiple AI models. What you should know: LiteLLM provides both a Python SDK and FastAPI server that standardizes calls across major AI providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Bedrock, Azure, and VertexAI. The role offers $160K-$220K salary plus 0.50%-3.00% equity for candidates with 1+ years of...
read Aug 27, 2025Sleeping with one AI open: Sleep.ai raises $5.5M to scale intelligence platform
Sleep.ai has raised $5.5 million in venture funding to scale its AI-powered sleep intelligence platform, marking a strategic shift from research to commercialization under a unified brand. The funding positions the company to capitalize on growing consumer demand for sleep health solutions, leveraging what it claims is the industry's largest dataset of over 800 million hours of proprietary sleep data. What you should know: The round was led by Treasure Coast Ventures, a venture capital firm, with participation from Nurture Ventures, Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York, Supermoon Capital, and other investors. Sleep.ai, formerly SleepScore Labs, will...
read Aug 27, 2025Anthropic settles $1T copyright lawsuit over AI training data
Anthropic has reached a preliminary settlement in a high-profile copyright lawsuit brought by book authors, avoiding what could have been more than $1 trillion in damages that threatened the company's survival. The settlement, expected to be finalized September 3, resolves a class action case where authors alleged Anthropic illegally used their works to train AI models by downloading them from "shadow libraries" like LibGen. The big picture: While a California judge ruled in June that Anthropic's use of the books constituted "fair use," he found that the company's method of acquiring works through piracy sites was illegal, leaving Anthropic vulnerable...
read Aug 25, 2025AI and VR converge to reshape graphics at Vancouver’s Siggraph 2025
Siggraph 2025 in Vancouver showcased how artificial intelligence and extended reality (XR) are converging to reshape the graphics industry, with major announcements from Nvidia, Meta, and Arm demonstrating the future of neural rendering and immersive computing. The conference highlighted a fundamental shift toward AI-accelerated graphics processing, with new hardware and software solutions designed to make high-fidelity rendering more accessible and efficient across platforms. What you should know: Nvidia unveiled new Blackwell-powered RTX PRO servers and workstation GPUs specifically designed for professional AI and rendering workloads. The RTX PRO 6000 servers deliver 4x improvements in real-time rendering FPS and 6x better...
read Aug 25, 2025Professor wins $546K NSF grant to develop AI robotics for disabled patients
University of Rhode Island assistant professor Reza Abiri has received a $546,848 National Science Foundation CAREER Award to develop AI-driven robotics systems for people with spinal cord injuries and stroke survivors. The five-year project aims to create brain-machine interfaces that can interpret minimal human movements—like head nods or eye movements—and translate them into complex robotic actions, potentially restoring significant independence for individuals with physical disabilities. How it works: Abiri's system combines human movement detection with artificial intelligence to create intuitive robotic assistance. The technology captures small movements like head turns or eye movements and uses AI to understand the person's...
read Aug 25, 2025TikTok cuts hundreds of UK moderators as AI takes over content screening
TikTok is laying off hundreds more content moderators from its London-based team as part of an expanded push toward AI-powered content moderation. The move affects a significant portion of the platform's 2,500-person UK moderation team and follows similar cuts across other regions, reflecting the broader industry shift away from human moderators toward automated systems. What you should know: This represents TikTok's most significant moderation team reduction in the UK to date, though exact numbers remain undisclosed.• Over 85% of content removed from TikTok for violating guidelines is already identified and taken down by AI, according to the company.• The layoffs...
read Aug 25, 2025xAI open-sources Grok 2.5 with limits on AI model training
xAI has released Grok 2.5 as an open-source model, allowing developers to download, run, and modify the AI system through Hugging Face, a popular platform for sharing AI models. CEO Elon Musk announced that the upcoming Grok 3 will also go open source within six months, marking a significant shift toward accessibility that contrasts sharply with OpenAI's more restrictive approach to model distribution. What you should know: The open-source release comes with specific limitations designed to protect xAI's competitive interests. Users can download and tweak Grok 2.5's source code, but xAI's license prohibits using it to train, create, or improve...
read Aug 25, 2025Montana restaurant begs customers to stop using Google AI for (its fake) daily specials
A Montana restaurant is pleading with customers to stop using Google's AI Overviews to check their daily specials after the AI repeatedly fabricated non-existent deals and menu items. Stefanina's Wentzville has been flooded with angry customers demanding discounts the restaurant never offered, highlighting how AI hallucinations can directly harm small businesses. What happened: Google's AI Overviews has been generating false information about Stefanina's Wentzville, creating fake specials and menu items that don't exist.• The AI told customers the restaurant was offering "a large pizza for the price of a small one," among other fabricated deals.• Restaurant owner Eva Gannon said...
read Aug 22, 2025Student’s AI model accidentally reconstructs real 1834 London protests through adjacent historical data
A computer science student at Muhlenberg College accidentally discovered his AI model trained on Victorian-era texts could accurately reference real historical events from 1834 London, including protests related to Lord Palmerston's actions. Hayk Grigorian's TimeCapsuleLLM reconstructed these historical connections from scattered references across thousands of documents without being explicitly taught about these specific events, demonstrating how AI models can synthesize factual information from ambient patterns in training data. What you should know: Grigorian has been developing TimeCapsuleLLM over the past month, training it exclusively on texts from 1800-1875 London to capture an authentic Victorian voice. When prompted with "It was...
read Aug 22, 2025AI cameras target Somerset, UK’s deadly A361 bypass after 6 deaths
Somerset authorities will trial artificial intelligence cameras at the A361 Frome Bypass, a dangerous stretch of road where six people have died in the last five years, including four fatalities in 2023 and 2024 alone. The AI-powered traffic enforcement system represents a technological approach to addressing persistent road safety challenges at one of the county's most hazardous driving locations. How the AI cameras work: The intelligent traffic monitoring system can detect multiple dangerous driving behaviors that traditional speed cameras cannot capture.• AI cameras identify illegal mobile phone use while driving, careless driving patterns, and failure to wear seatbelts.• Drivers caught...
read Aug 22, 2025Youbooks slashes AI book writing platform from $540 to $49 lifetime deal
Youbooks, an AI-powered book writing platform, is offering lifetime subscriptions for $49, down from the regular price of $540. The tool leverages multiple AI models including ChatGPT, Llama, Gemini, and Claude to help users generate complete nonfiction books in weeks rather than months, targeting content creators, publishers, consultants, and educators seeking to rapidly produce professional written materials. How it works: Users provide writing style examples and prompts, while Youbooks generates comprehensive manuscripts using real-time research and multiple AI models. The platform can store up to 100 source documents and 100 style examples, allowing users to work on multiple projects simultaneously...
read Aug 22, 2025Arrive AI sensors help delivery drivers skip empty mailbox stops, achieve truck space efficiency
Arrive AI has integrated time-of-flight (TOF) sensors into its patented Arrive Points™ smart mailboxes to optimize package delivery efficiency through real-time data collection. The technology addresses a major industry bottleneck by allowing couriers to know in advance which mailboxes contain packages and how much truck space is needed, eliminating wasted stops and reducing operational costs. How it works: The TOF sensors capture low-resolution data that edge AI analyzes to detect patterns in package delivery and retrieval. Couriers will receive advance information about which Arrive Points contain outgoing packages, eliminating the need to physically check empty mailboxes at strip malls and...
read Aug 22, 2025Meta partners with Midjourney to enhance AI image generation on Facebook, WhatsApp
Meta is partnering with Midjourney to license its "aesthetic technology" for use in Meta's AI models and products, the company's new chief AI officer Alexandr Wang announced on Friday. The collaboration involves technical cooperation between research teams and represents Meta's continued push to enhance AI-generated imagery across its platforms, from Facebook posts to WhatsApp chats. What you should know: The partnership goes beyond simply integrating Midjourney's existing tools into Meta's services. Wang described it as a "technical collaboration between our research teams," suggesting deeper integration of Midjourney's image generation capabilities into Meta's AI infrastructure. Neither company disclosed specific terms of...
read Aug 22, 2025Pennsylvania’s Allegheny College launches 28 microcredentials bridging liberal arts, career skills
Allegheny College has launched a comprehensive microcredential program featuring 28 digital badges across disciplines including AI engineering, cybersecurity risk analysis, and game design. The initiative positions the Pennsylvania liberal arts institution to better prepare graduates for high-demand careers by validating specific skill sets that employers and graduate schools actively seek in today's competitive job market. What you should know: Microcredentials are digital badges that verify acquired skills and competencies, designed to help job seekers stand out in algorithmically-parsed applicant pools on platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn. Each microcredential requires completion of typically three credit-bearing courses specifically packaged to highlight particular...
read Aug 22, 2025Too school for cool: Runway AI’s entertaining video models accidentally learned physics, now train robots
Runway's AI video models have evolved beyond creating special effects to accidentally learning the laws of physics through video training data. The company's technology now attracts robotics firms seeking realistic simulations for machine training, marking an unexpected shift from entertainment applications to real-world physics modeling. What you should know: Runway's Gen-4 model demonstrates an emerging ability to simulate complex physical phenomena without being explicitly programmed for physics. The models predict realistic movement of light, water, and other physical elements by analyzing patterns in massive video datasets. "The more we put compute and data behind scaling those models, the more capable...
read Aug 22, 2025AI expands “Wizard of Oz” for Sphere’s 160K-square-foot immersive experience
The Sphere in Las Vegas is preparing to debut an AI-enhanced version of "The Wizard of Oz" that expands the 1939 classic to fit its massive 160,000-square-foot screen. The production promises a full sensory experience with remastered audio, added characters, and environmental effects like wind machines, sparking debate about using AI to modify cinematic classics. What you should know: The Sphere team used AI trained specifically on "The Wizard of Oz" footage and original materials to create this expanded version.• The team combed through archives at the Academy and Warner Bros., studying shot lists, sketches, and notebooks from the 1939...
read Aug 22, 2025A face only AI could love: Can a synthetic visage solve facial recognition’s privacy problem?
Researchers are exploring the use of synthetic faces—computer-generated images that don't belong to real people—to train facial recognition AI systems, potentially solving major privacy concerns while maintaining fairness across demographic groups. This approach could eliminate the need for scraping millions of real photos from the internet without consent, addressing both ethical data collection issues and the risk of identity theft or surveillance overreach. The big picture: Facial recognition technology has achieved near-perfect accuracy rates of 99.9 percent across different skin tones, ages, and genders, but this success came at the cost of individual privacy through massive data collection from real...
read Aug 22, 2025SoundHound AI trades cheaper than Palantir despite tripling revenue growth
SoundHound AI and Palantir Technologies present compelling but different investment opportunities in the AI sector, with SoundHound trading at a significantly cheaper valuation despite faster growth rates. The growth trajectories: Both companies are capitalizing on AI adoption but in different market segments and scales.• SoundHound AI more than tripled its revenue to $43 million in Q2 2025, targeting the conversational AI market projected to reach $61 billion by 2032.• Palantir's revenue grew 48% to just over $1 billion in Q2, driven by its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) adoption across commercial and government sectors.• SoundHound raised its 2025 revenue guidance to...
read Aug 21, 2025Microsoft brings AI-powered Copilot to NFL sidelines for real-time coaching
Microsoft has extended its NFL partnership to integrate AI-powered features into the familiar sideline Surface tablets, introducing GitHub Copilot-based play filtering and Microsoft 365 Copilot dashboards for game analysis. The multiyear deal transforms the existing Surface tablet infrastructure into an AI-driven coaching tool that could fundamentally change how teams make strategic decisions during games. What you should know: The enhanced system connects every NFL team's sideline viewing setup to more than 2,500 Surface Copilot Plus PCs, complete with prominent "Copilot" branding. A GitHub Copilot-based feature filters plays and makes strategy recommendations based on current game situations. Microsoft 365 Copilot powers...
read Aug 21, 2025Delphi scales AI chatbots to 100M vectors using Pinecone database
Delphi, a San Francisco AI startup that creates personalized "Digital Minds" chatbots, has successfully scaled its platform using Pinecone's managed vector database to handle over 100 million stored vectors across 12,000+ namespaces. The partnership enabled Delphi to overcome critical scaling challenges that were threatening its ability to maintain real-time conversational performance as creators uploaded increasing amounts of content to train their AI personas. The scaling challenge: Delphi's Digital Minds were drowning in data as creators uploaded podcasts, PDFs, and social media content to train their personalized chatbots. Open-source vector stores buckled under the company's needs, with indexes ballooning in size...
read Aug 21, 2025Chan Zuckerberg Initiative launches rBio AI model for virtual cellular biology simulations
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative launched rBio on Thursday, the first AI model trained to reason about cellular biology using virtual simulations rather than expensive laboratory experiments. This breakthrough could dramatically accelerate biomedical research by allowing scientists to test biological hypotheses computationally before committing resources to costly lab work, potentially flipping the traditional paradigm where 90% of biology research happens experimentally. The big picture: rBio addresses a fundamental challenge in applying AI to biological research by creating the first conversational AI system that can answer complex biological questions in plain English while being grounded in rigorous scientific data. Traditional biological foundation...
read Aug 21, 2025Dapper AI: MIT startup creates smart clothing that adjusts temperature
Ministry of Supply, an MIT-connected apparel company, is integrating artificial intelligence across both its smart clothing products and business operations. Founded by Gihan Amarasiriwardena, the company demonstrates how AI can transform traditional retail through advanced garment technology and intelligent business processes, offering a glimpse into the future of connected wearables. What you should know: Ministry of Supply creates performance apparel that combines style with AI-powered functionality and sustainable manufacturing practices. The company produces machine-washable clothing from recycled and low-carbon materials using energy-saving manufacturing models. All products undergo rigorous performance durability tests and are "backed by science," according to Amarasiriwardena. AI...
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