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DeepSeek’s $294K AI model becomes first to pass peer review
DeepSeek's AI model R1 has become the first major large language model to undergo peer review, with researchers publishing details in Nature revealing the reasoning-focused system cost just $294,000 to train. The landmark study provides unprecedented transparency into how the Chinese startup created a model that rivals OpenAI's offerings at a fraction of the cost, potentially reshaping expectations around AI development expenses and accessibility. What you should know: The peer-reviewed paper confirms DeepSeek's innovative approach to creating powerful AI without relying on competitor outputs. R1 excels at reasoning tasks like mathematics and coding, competing directly with US-developed models while costing...
read Sep 17, 2025Lizard, brain: University of Florida researchers develop AI that helps trap invasive tegu lizards
University of Florida researchers have developed an AI-powered trap system to capture and remove Argentine black and white tegus, an invasive reptile species threatening Florida's native wildlife. The innovative technology represents a new approach to wildlife management, combining artificial intelligence with conservation efforts to address the growing problem of invasive species in the state. What you should know: The AI-powered tegu trap system uses advanced technology to specifically target Argentine black and white tegus while avoiding harm to native species. The traps are designed to identify and capture tegus, which have become a significant threat to Florida's ecosystem since their...
read Sep 17, 2025Google Meet launches Ask Gemini AI for real-time meeting assistance
Google has introduced Ask Gemini, an AI assistant for Google Meet that can answer questions about meeting content and provide summaries of discussions participants may have missed. The feature initially launches for select Google Workspace customers and represents Google's effort to integrate AI-powered productivity tools directly into its video conferencing platform. What you should know: Ask Gemini can analyze meeting content in real-time and provide personalized assistance to participants without storing data after calls end. The AI assistant answers questions by referencing live captions, accessible Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, plus public websites. It can summarize what specific participants said,...
read Sep 17, 2025Two top San Francisco art schools embrace AI with new leadership roles
Two San Francisco art universities have appointed new leadership roles focused on artificial intelligence, signaling a decisive embrace of AI technology in creative education. The Academy of Art University named its creative director as "chief AI evangelist," while the California College of the Arts launched an AI incubator partnership with Nvidia, marking a significant shift as mainstream art schools grapple with AI's controversial role in creative fields. What you should know: Both institutions are integrating AI directly into their core academic programs despite ongoing industry debates about AI-generated art. The Academy of Art University appointed Ross Patrick as "chief AI...
read Sep 17, 2025Grok on! Musk’s AI tops ARC-AGI leaderboard, beating ChatGPT and Gemini
Elon Musk's Grok 4 has claimed the top position on the ARC-AGI leaderboard, a benchmark that measures both problem-solving capability and computational efficiency in AI models. This achievement positions xAI's chatbot ahead of established competitors like Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT on what many consider the most rigorous test for artificial general intelligence progress. Why this matters: The ARC-AGI leaderboard doesn't just measure raw intelligence—it evaluates how efficiently models solve complex problems, making high performance with low computational cost the ultimate prize in AI development. What makes this significant: Grok 4's leaderboard dominance suggests the model has achieved a breakthrough...
read Sep 17, 2025Parents blame AI companies for teen deaths in emotional Senate testimony
Parents whose children allegedly died by suicide or suffered severe mental health crises after using AI chatbots delivered emotional testimony to Congress on Tuesday, urging lawmakers to regulate an industry they say prioritizes profits over child safety. The bipartisan Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing highlighted multiple lawsuits against major AI companies, with representatives from those companies declining to appear despite being invited. What they're saying: Parents directly blamed AI companies for putting speed to market ahead of user protection, particularly for minors. "The goal was never safety. It was to win a race for profit," said Megan Garcia, whose 14-year-old son...
read Sep 17, 2025Personal refuting: US PC shipments fall 1.4%, though business spend rises
US PC shipments fell 1.4% year-over-year to 18.6 million units in Q2 2025 as vendors cleared excess inventory, though commercial sales grew 4% while consumer demand remained weak. The decline comes as businesses rush to upgrade systems ahead of Microsoft's Windows 10 end-of-support deadline in October 2025, with analysts predicting modest 3% annual growth through 2026 driven by AI-capable PC adoption and the Windows 11 transition. What you should know: The PC market slowdown was largely anticipated as vendors worked through inventory stockpiled earlier to avoid potential tariff exposure. Commercial sector growth of 4% offset declining consumer demand, with businesses...
read Sep 17, 2025No Fortune 500 company will fully replace customer service agents with AI by 2028, claims report
A new Gartner report predicts that no Fortune 500 company will completely replace human customer service agents with AI by 2028, challenging widespread expectations about AI's rapid displacement of service jobs. The research also suggests that half of organizations currently planning to slash their workforce in favor of AI systems will abandon those plans by 2027, indicating that the current AI adoption surge may be experiencing bubble-like characteristics. What you should know: Human agents remain irreplaceable for handling complex customer interactions that require nuance and relationship-building skills.• While AI excels at routine tasks like collecting customer information and looking up...
read Sep 17, 2025Google’s AP2 protocol enables secure AI agent payments with cryptographic proof
Google introduced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) on Tuesday, a standardization framework designed to enable AI agents to authorize and complete purchases while maintaining accountability and audit trails. The protocol addresses a fundamental challenge in AI-driven commerce: proving that automated transactions carry the same legitimacy as human-initiated purchases, with backing from over 60 companies including American Express, Mastercard, PayPal, and Coinbase. How it works: AP2 uses cryptographically signed "mandates" that create tamper-evident records for each transaction phase. An intent mandate captures when a user requests an item, followed by a cart mandate that approves the final purchase basket. A third...
read Sep 17, 2025Italy passes first EU-aligned AI law with $1.18B tech fund
Italy's parliament has approved comprehensive artificial intelligence legislation, making it the first European Union country to enact AI regulations fully aligned with the EU's landmark AI Act. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government positioned the law as establishing human-centric, transparent AI use while emphasizing innovation, cybersecurity and privacy protections across multiple sectors. Key provisions: The legislation introduces cross-sector rules covering healthcare, work, public administration, justice, education and sport, requiring traceability and human oversight of AI decisions. AI access for children under 14 requires parental consent. New criminal provisions target unlawful dissemination of AI-generated content like deepfakes, punishable by one to five...
read Sep 17, 2025Anthropic refuses federal surveillance requests, sparking White House tensions
Anthropic has clashed with the Trump administration over its refusal to allow federal law enforcement agencies to use its AI models for surveillance activities, creating tensions as the company conducts a high-profile media tour in Washington. The dispute highlights growing friction between AI safety advocates and the Republican administration, which expects American AI companies to support government operations without restrictions. What you should know: Anthropic declined requests from federal contractors because its usage policies prohibit surveillance activities, affecting agencies like the FBI, Secret Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The company's Claude models are sometimes the only top-tier AI systems...
read Sep 17, 2025Zoom launches camera-ready, non-bed head AI avatars that attend meetings for you
Zoom is launching photorealistic AI avatars that can attend meetings on your behalf, allowing users to appear polished even when they're not "camera-ready." The feature, rolling out to Workplace users in December, represents a significant step toward CEO Eric Yuan's vision of digital twins that can handle tasks like meetings and emails autonomously. How it works: Users can create AI avatars by uploading or capturing photos directly in the app, then customize them with professional outfits.• The avatar tracks your real-time movements and speech during meetings, creating a lifelike representation even if you just rolled out of bed.• This builds...
read Sep 17, 2025OpenAI and Anthropic data reveals Claude is huge in NY, Cali and Virginia
OpenAI and Anthropic have released detailed global usage reports revealing significant disparities in how their AI models are being adopted worldwide. The data exposes a growing economic divide, with AI usage heavily concentrated in wealthy nations and tech hubs, potentially contradicting OpenAI's assertion that AI access should be treated as a "basic right." What the data reveals: The two companies' AI models serve distinctly different purposes, reflecting varied user needs and capabilities. Computer and mathematical tasks, including coding assistance, dominate Claude's usage at 36%, while accounting for less than 8% of ChatGPT usage. OpenAI's models function primarily as a search...
read Sep 17, 2025Walmart’s 98% automated distribution centers use AI to cut food waste
Walmart has deployed AI-powered distribution centers across multiple states to optimize fresh food inventory management and reduce waste that erodes profit margins. The retail giant's automated facilities use machine learning algorithms to predict demand by analyzing external factors like weather patterns and sporting events, moving beyond traditional sales-based forecasting to create more strategic pricing and inventory decisions. What you should know: Walmart's high-tech distribution centers represent a significant shift from traditional inventory management to AI-driven supply chain optimization. Over the past four years, Walmart has constructed automated grocery distribution centers in California, South Carolina, and Texas that use robotics and...
read Sep 17, 2025Google DeepMind’s Gemini 2.5 AI wins gold at international programming contest
Google DeepMind has achieved what it calls a "historic" AI breakthrough after its Gemini 2.5 model became the first AI to win a gold medal at an international programming competition, solving complex problems that stumped human programmers from top universities. The achievement represents a significant leap toward artificial general intelligence, with the model demonstrating advanced reasoning capabilities that could transform scientific and engineering disciplines. What happened: The AI model competed against 139 of the world's strongest college-level programmers at a competition in Azerbaijan, finishing second overall despite failing two of 12 tasks. In under 30 minutes, it solved a complex...
read Sep 17, 2025Workday acquires AI firm Sana for $1.1B to boost HR automation
Workday announced it will acquire AI firm Sana for approximately $1.1 billion, marking another significant consolidation move in the rapidly evolving HR software sector. The deal underscores how established HR platforms are aggressively pursuing AI capabilities to meet growing customer demands for automated workplace solutions, joining a wave of major acquisitions that have reshaped the industry landscape this year. The big picture: HR software companies are consolidating at breakneck speed as they race to integrate AI capabilities into their platforms. Private equity firm Thoma Bravo agreed to buy Workday rival Dayforce for $12.3 billion just last month. Paychex announced a...
read Sep 17, 202557% of Americans see AI as risk to society, limiting human connection
A new Pew Research Center survey reveals that 57% of Americans view artificial intelligence as posing high risks to society, while only 25% see high benefits from the technology. The findings highlight a significant trust gap that could influence how AI development and regulation unfold across the United States. What you should know: The survey asked Americans to explain their reasoning about AI's risks and benefits in their own words, providing deeper insight into public sentiment. Among those rating AI risks as high, 27% worry most about AI eroding human abilities and connections, making people "lazy or less able to...
read Sep 17, 2025Nvidia CEO invests £500M in UK cloud firm, calls Britain future AI superpower
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced a £500 million investment in British cloud computing firm NScale, declaring that "the UK is going to be an AI superpower." The investment comes as part of an £11 billion computing infrastructure push that Huang says will deliver 100 times the performance of Britain's fastest current supercomputer, positioning the UK as a major player in the global AI race. What you should know: Huang's investment represents a significant vote of confidence in Britain's AI capabilities at a time of intensifying geopolitical competition in artificial intelligence.• Nvidia is taking an equity stake in NScale and predicts...
read Sep 17, 2025Israeli VC firm Glilot raises $500M for AI-cybersecurity startups
Glilot Capital, one of Israel's largest venture capital funds, has raised $500 million for two new early-stage funds targeting AI and cybersecurity startups. The successful fundraising from international investors, including U.S. and European pension funds, suggests minimal impact from geopolitical tensions surrounding Israel's actions in Gaza on its tech investment appeal. What you should know: The $500 million will be split between Glilot's fifth seed fund and a new early-stage investment vehicle called Glilot Plus. Each fund aims to invest in 12 AI and cybersecurity startups over the coming years, with half the funding going to new investments and half...
read Sep 17, 2025Did she not say she’d always love you? AI invokes Whitney Houston’s voice for new tour
Whitney Houston is embarking on a posthumous concert tour 13 years after her death, powered by artificial intelligence technology that isolates her vocals from original recordings. The tour, called "The Voice of Whitney: A Symphonic Celebration," combines AI-extracted vocal tracks with live symphony orchestras and video footage, marking the 40th anniversary of Houston's career launch. Why this matters: Many of Houston's original multitrack recordings had been lost over the years, making traditional tribute concerts impossible until AI technology advanced enough to separate vocals from fully mixed songs without compromising audio quality. How the AI works: Park Avenue Artists, the production...
read Sep 17, 2025Tencent Cloud shifts to Chinese AI chips amid $50B Nvidia standoff
Tencent Cloud has fully integrated Chinese AI chips into its computing infrastructure, marking another significant step in China's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency amid escalating U.S. export restrictions. The move positions Tencent as the latest major Chinese tech company to embrace domestic processors, while highlighting Beijing's broader strategy to reduce reliance on foreign semiconductors like those from Nvidia. What you should know: Tencent Cloud president Qiu Yuepeng announced the company had "fully adapted to mainstream domestic chips" within its AI computing infrastructure during the annual Global Digital Ecosystem Summit. The integration spans multiple domestic chip partnerships, with Tencent working to deploy...
read Sep 17, 2025Researchers create AI-designed viruses that could take on “cabbage black rot,” among other bads
Stanford University researchers have successfully created functional viruses using AI-designed genomes, marking what they call "the first generative design of complete genomes." The breakthrough demonstrates AI's potential to design biological systems from scratch, opening new possibilities for treatments while raising important biosecurity concerns. How it works: Scientists trained an AI model called Evo on the genomes of about two million bacteriophage viruses to learn genetic patterns. The researchers focused on phiX174, a simple virus with only 11 genes and about 5,000 DNA letters that infects bacteria. They used the same underlying technology as ChatGPT, but instead of training on text,...
read Sep 17, 2025“Who may I say is calling?” AT&T tests AI receptionist to automatically screen spam calls
AT&T is testing an AI-powered digital receptionist that will automatically screen incoming calls to determine if they're legitimate or spam. The feature will roll out to select customers throughout 2025, using voice-to-voice and agentic AI to ask callers questions before deciding whether to put the call through or handle it independently. How it works: The AI receptionist answers calls on your behalf and conducts a brief screening conversation to assess the caller's legitimacy. It asks questions like "Who may I say is calling?" or "What is this in regard to?" to determine if the caller is human or bot and...
read Sep 17, 2025Amazon’s Creative Studio AI agent creates free video ads for small businesses
Amazon has launched a new AI agent that automates the entire advertisement production process, from audience research to video creation, targeting small businesses that typically lack access to high-quality ad production resources. The tool, available through Amazon's Creative Studio, leverages the company's vast e-commerce data and multiple AI models to create professional-grade advertisements at no additional cost to advertisers. What you should know: The AI agent handles every aspect of ad creation, from initial concept to final video production. The tool suggests product taglines, generates custom imagery, creates music and voiceovers, and assembles multi-scene video ads. It's powered by Amazon's...
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