AI/News
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How Cosmos Reason helps AI understand and act in the real world
Cosmos Reason represents a significant advancement in physical AI, offering multimodal reasoning capabilities that bridge the gap between perception and decision-making in real-world contexts. This new world foundation model (WFM) combines video understanding with chain-of-thought reasoning, enabling it to understand physical common sense and make embodied decisions—capabilities that could transform how robots and autonomous vehicles learn to navigate and interact with their environments. The big picture: Cosmos Reason is designed not just to see but to reason about physical reality, processing both video and text inputs to generate thoughtful responses about real-world situations. The model demonstrates strong physical common-sense reasoning,...
read May 20, 2025LLMs like GPT-4 can outperform humans in online debates when given personal data, study finds
New research reveals that large language models (LLMs) outperform humans in persuasive online debates, especially when they can leverage personal data to tailor arguments. This breakthrough, detailed in Nature Human Behavior, demonstrates AI's growing capacity to change minds at scale—creating both promising applications for countering misinformation and concerning implications for digital influence campaigns that could reshape public opinion through personalized persuasion. The big picture: Researchers found OpenAI's GPT-4 was significantly more persuasive than humans in debates, particularly when given access to personal information about debate opponents. The multi-university study involved 900 US participants who provided personal details like age, gender,...
read May 20, 2025How an accidental AI experiment resulted in a working Apple Watch app
A casual AI experiment led to a functional Apple Watch app in a single evening, highlighting how generative AI can rapidly transform ideas into working prototypes. This accidental development shows the growing capability of AI to assist in software development, while still demonstrating the crucial role human expertise plays in refining AI-generated code for production-ready applications. The big picture: A simple query to Claude unexpectedly resulted in functional code for a ChatGPT client for Apple Watch, which later evolved into a published app called WristGPT. Key technical components: The AI-generated application incorporated several advanced technologies into a compact wearable experience....
read May 20, 2025AI model offers breakthrough in early detection of postpartum depression
A new machine learning model shows promise in identifying parents at high risk for postpartum depression, potentially enabling targeted preventive care for those most vulnerable to this widespread condition. This predictive technology represents a significant step forward in maternal mental health care, addressing a condition that affects 17% of birthing parents globally and often goes undetected until symptoms become severe. The big picture: Researchers have developed an AI tool that can identify individuals with a high likelihood of developing postpartum depression, allowing healthcare providers to focus limited mental health resources where they're most needed. The model identified a high-risk group...
read May 20, 2025Microsoft unveils multi-agent AI system to power enterprise workflows
Microsoft is expanding its enterprise AI capabilities with a robust set of multi-agent systems that enable collaborative problem-solving across business platforms. Announced at Build 2025, these enhancements to Copilot Studio tackle key limitations that have previously hindered broader enterprise adoption of AI agents by providing managed infrastructure with built-in governance frameworks. The updates represent Microsoft's most substantial effort yet to transform how businesses leverage AI for complex workflows, with a focus on practical application, security, and cross-platform integration. The big picture: Microsoft's new multi-agent system enables Copilot Studio agents to collaborate with Microsoft 365, Azure AI Agents Service, and Azure...
read May 20, 2025Salem schools pilot AI to detect weapons, smoke, and other threats in real time
AI weapons detection arrives at Salem High School in 2025, introducing a less intrusive security approach than traditional metal detectors. This system represents a growing trend of schools implementing advanced surveillance technology to enhance safety while maintaining a welcoming educational environment. The AI-powered system, which continuously monitors existing camera feeds for weapons and suspicious activity, offers a glimpse into how artificial intelligence is transforming school security protocols across America. The big picture: Salem City Schools is piloting a new AI-powered weapons detection system at Salem High School that monitors existing security cameras for potential threats. The system automatically notifies designated...
read May 20, 2025University of Michigan offers free Google AI and career courses to all students
The University of Michigan has expanded its digital skills offerings through a new partnership with Google, providing free access to career certificates and AI courses for more than 66,000 students across its three campuses. This collaboration represents a significant investment in preparing students for a technology-driven job market, equipping them with in-demand skills while still in college—a strategic advantage as employers increasingly prioritize digital capabilities in new hires. The big picture: University of Michigan students now have free access to Google Career Certificates and AI training courses across all three campuses in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint. The partnership between...
read May 20, 2025AI perceptions diverge between experts and public, survey finds
Public opinion and AI expert perspectives on artificial intelligence reveal significant divergences in outlook, particularly around employment impacts and risk assessment. The new Pew Research Center report highlights how demographic factors influence AI perceptions within the expert community, with notable gender-based differences in enthusiasm and concern. This opinion gap underscores the importance of diverse representation in AI development, especially as both groups express shared worries about misinformation and limited personal control over the technology's growing presence in daily life. The big picture: Both AI experts and the general public feel they lack control over artificial intelligence's role in their lives,...
read May 20, 2025AI reshapes reality: How it impacts personal freedom
Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving beyond a tool for productivity into a force that fundamentally reshapes human freedom across multiple dimensions. As sophisticated multimodal AI assistants and hyper-realistic generative technologies proliferated throughout late 2024 and early 2025, they've created both new opportunities for human liberation and potential constraints on cognitive autonomy. Understanding how AI impacts freedom—defined not just politically but as the authentic ability to self-determine our lives—has become crucial for ensuring these technologies enhance rather than diminish our humanity. 1. The 4×4 dimensions of human freedom Freedom operates across interconnected external arenas: micro (personal choices), meso (community interactions), macro...
read May 20, 2025AI voice scams target US officials at federal, state level to steal data
The FBI is warning about sophisticated smishing campaigns targeting current and former government officials that use AI-generated voices and social engineering techniques to steal sensitive information. This escalation represents a concerning evolution in government-targeted scams, as cybercriminals impersonate senior officials to establish trust before directing victims to malicious links that compromise personal accounts. The big picture: Since April, cybercriminals have been targeting U.S. federal and state employees with texts and AI-generated voice messages that impersonate senior officials to establish rapport and ultimately gain access to sensitive information. Once scammers compromise one account, they use the stolen information to target additional...
read May 20, 2025Startup Raindrop launches observability platform to get handle on stealth AI errors
Raindrop emerges as a specialized AI observability platform at a critical moment when enterprises struggle to monitor their generative AI applications effectively. The company's platform addresses the unique challenges of AI system failures, which often occur silently without traditional error messages. This solution comes as McKinsey research reveals only 27% of enterprises review all AI outputs before releasing them to users, highlighting a significant monitoring gap in production AI environments that Raindrop aims to fill. The big picture: Raindrop positions itself as the first observability platform specifically built for AI in production, helping companies detect, analyze and address AI failures...
read May 20, 2025European fintech rebounds as VC funding recovers from 4-year slump
European venture capital investment in fintech is surging back to life after a three-year slump, with 2025 already reaching €6.3 billion—more than 70% of last year's total—according to PitchBook data. This resurgence reflects a fundamental shift in the European fintech landscape, where companies are now being built with resilience as a priority, operating in a more stable environment with normalized valuations and clearer regulatory frameworks. The revival signals not just recovery but transformation, as artificial intelligence and crypto regulation reshape the future of financial technology across the continent. The big picture: Europe's fintech sector is experiencing its strongest investment momentum...
read May 20, 2025Apple execs claim internal AI chatbot matches ChatGPT. We’ll see.
Apple is racing to evolve Siri into a competitive AI chatbot, with internal testing indicating substantial progress in recent months. According to Bloomberg, Apple executives now believe their in-house chatbot technology is "on par with recent versions of ChatGPT" following significant advancements over the past six months. This represents a strategic shift from earlier skepticism about chatbot value expressed by AI chief John Giannandrea, and highlights the intensifying competition in consumer-facing generative AI as Apple works to prevent falling further behind rivals. The big picture: Apple executives are now actively pushing to transform Siri into a ChatGPT competitor despite earlier...
read May 20, 2025Microsoft brings Musk’s Grok AI to Azure at Build 2025
Microsoft's latest move to integrate Elon Musk's Grok AI models into its Azure cloud platform signals a strategic expansion of its AI ecosystem, despite the controversial history of Musk's chatbot. This partnership comes amid Microsoft's ongoing investment in OpenAI and highlights the company's ambition to position Azure as the central marketplace for AI development, regardless of the source or reputation of the models it hosts. The big picture: Microsoft announced at its Build conference that Grok 3 and Grok 3 mini models from Musk's xAI will be available as first-party offerings directly hosted and billed through Microsoft Azure. Elon Musk...
read May 20, 2025OpenAI offers $250K prize for AI-driven archaeological breakthroughs
OpenAI's new competition aims to uncover hidden archaeological sites in the Amazon rainforest through artificial intelligence, challenging conventional archaeological paradigms that have historically neglected this vast ecosystem. This initiative not only democratizes archaeological research by making it accessible to anyone with internet access but also validates indigenous oral traditions that have long claimed the Amazon was home to advanced civilizations. By harnessing AI to analyze diverse data sources from satellite imagery to colonial diaries, OpenAI is creating a digital treasure hunt with significant implications for our understanding of human history. The big picture: OpenAI has launched the "OpenAI to Z...
read May 20, 2025AI-powered street cameras halted by police over accuracy concerns
New Orleans police have conducted a secretive real-time facial recognition program using a private camera network to identify and arrest suspects—potentially violating a city ordinance designed to limit and regulate such technology. This unauthorized surveillance operation represents a significant escalation in police facial recognition use, raising serious concerns about civil liberties and proper oversight of AI-powered law enforcement tools. The big picture: New Orleans police secretly used a network of over 200 private cameras to automatically identify suspects in real time, bypassing required oversight processes and potentially violating a 2022 city ordinance. The Washington Post investigation revealed that when cameras...
read May 20, 2025Where to, Shark Tank? AI funding boom leaves non-AI startups on the outside looking in
AI-focused venture funding is creating a stark divide in the startup landscape, with intelligent software companies commandeering nearly half of all enterprise investments while non-AI startups struggle to attract capital. This growing concentration of resources threatens to create a barren "no man's land" for companies outside the AI boom, potentially leaving many promising ventures without the necessary funding to survive in an already challenging exit environment. The big picture: AI-focused funds now dominate venture capital, capturing 40% of all U.S. venture capital raised last year, quadrupling from just 10% in 2021, according to Silicon Valley Bank's latest "State of enterprise...
read May 20, 2025Microsoft adopts Anthropic’s MCP for safer AI agent rollouts
Microsoft's strategic embrace of Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP) marks a significant milestone in the governance of AI agents across enterprise platforms. By implementing MCP across its product ecosystem while simultaneously enhancing its security framework, Microsoft is creating infrastructure for safer AI agent deployment at scale—addressing key vulnerabilities that have previously hindered widespread adoption of autonomous AI systems in enterprise environments. The big picture: Microsoft has joined the MCP Steering Committee alongside GitHub and announced comprehensive support for the protocol across its major platforms, including Windows 11, Copilot Studio, Azure, and Semantic Kernel. The company is positioning Windows 11 as...
read May 20, 2025AI expands creative horizons with 4 new directions including audio and XR
Artificial intelligence continues to evolve beyond text-based applications into new creative domains, opening fresh possibilities for businesses and creators. A recent panel at an Imagination in Action event revealed how AI researchers and companies are expanding neural network technologies into audio processing, gaming analysis, extended reality, and biomimicry. These emerging directions highlight how AI is becoming increasingly multisensory and adaptive, requiring enterprises to understand both technological capabilities and the changing expectations of AI-native generations. 1. Mining the audio world Audio represents a largely untapped frontier for AI development compared to text-based systems. While text has been the primary focus of...
read May 20, 2025Outlook inbox gains free Copilot AI upgrades including summarization
Microsoft's Build 2025 conference showcases significant upgrades to Copilot, positioning AI tools as central to productivity enhancement across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. These improvements focus on making email management, meeting preparation, and collaborative workflows more efficient with AI assistance. The expanded availability of previously announced features signals Microsoft's commitment to integrating AI capabilities more deeply into everyday work processes, potentially transforming how users interact with familiar productivity applications. The big picture: Microsoft is enhancing its Copilot AI companion with new features across Outlook, Pages, and Microsoft 365 to streamline workflows and boost productivity. Key Outlook improvements: Copilot in Outlook now...
read May 20, 2025Data center future trends unveiled at Eaton’s seaside conference
Eaton's Solutions By The Sea Data Center Conference highlights the critical intersection of generative AI, energy production, and data center evolution. The conference showcases how infrastructure providers are preparing for AI's intense energy demands while addressing sustainability concerns. Understanding these developments is crucial as data centers rapidly transform to accommodate AI workloads that require significantly more power, cooling capacity, and innovative rack designs. The big picture: Eaton's conference focused on how generative AI is transforming data center infrastructure requirements and energy management strategies across the industry. Sessions covered critical topics including chip evolution impacts on rack design, handling volatile GenAI...
read May 20, 2025Qualcomm targets data centers with new Nvidia-compatible processors
Qualcomm's entry into the data center AI processor market signals a significant strategic pivot for the mobile chip giant, as it positions itself to compete in Nvidia's GPU-dominated territory. By designing CPUs specifically compatible with Nvidia's GPUs and software ecosystem, Qualcomm is acknowledging Nvidia's market leadership while carving out its own complementary role in the AI infrastructure landscape. This diversification effort represents the company's latest attempt to expand beyond its smartphone chip stronghold under CEO Cristiano Amon's leadership. The big picture: Qualcomm announced plans to launch data center processors designed to connect with Nvidia's GPUs, marking the company's re-entry into...
read May 20, 2025Wolters Kluwer accelerates cloud and AI adoption under new CEO
Wolters Kluwer, a nearly two-century-old information solutions company, has transformed from traditional publishing roots into a technology-driven enterprise that leverages artificial intelligence across half its product portfolio. Under new CIO Mark Sherwood's leadership, the company continues evolving its cloud strategy, AI integration, and cybersecurity approach to serve professionals across healthcare, legal, tax, and finance sectors—demonstrating how legacy organizations can successfully navigate digital transformation while maintaining industry expertise. The big picture: Mark Sherwood joined Wolters Kluwer as CIO in December 2024, bringing extensive tech experience from Microsoft, Nuance Communications, Symantec and Cisco to accelerate the company's ongoing technology transformation. Despite its...
read May 20, 2025Google I/O 2025: 5 key AI announcements to watch for
Google's upcoming I/O developer conference marks a significant shift in focus, centering predominantly on artificial intelligence rather than Android announcements—which the company unveiled separately last week. This strategic pivot reflects the intensifying AI race between Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta, positioning the May 20-21 event as a showcase for Google's latest AI innovations while also offering glimpses into its extended reality ambitions. The big picture: Google's I/O 2025 keynote will prioritize AI developments, particularly Gemini, continuing a trend established over the past two years. The opening keynote begins May 20th at 10AM PT/1PM ET and can be streamed from Google's...
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