Jul 29, 2025

Google’s Magic Cue AI assistant debuts with Pixel 10 this August

"Magic Cue Ball" was a missed opportunity but be that as it may... Google is developing Magic Cue, an AI assistant that will proactively analyze your screen activity and suggest relevant information and actions based on what you're doing. New code strings discovered in Android's latest Canary build confirm the feature's development, with Google expected to debut it alongside the Pixel 10 series at their August 20th Made by Google event. What you should know: Magic Cue represents Google's most ambitious contextual AI assistant yet, designed to work entirely on-device while accessing data from multiple Google services. The assistant will...

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AI on the big, big screen as films make theatrical debut at 10 IMAX locations

Runway AI has partnered with IMAX to screen finalist films from its 2025 AI Film Festival at 10 IMAX theaters across the U.S. between August 17-20. This marks a significant milestone for AI-generated cinema, elevating these typically social media-bound creations to premium theatrical experiences and legitimizing AI filmmaking as a serious creative medium. What you should know: The partnership brings AI-generated films to IMAX's premium format for the first time, with 40 total screenings planned across major U.S. cities.• Ten finalist films, lasting 2-10 minutes each, will screen at locations including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York...

read Jul 29, 2025

ChatGPT’s new study mode transforms AI from answer machine to tutor offering mere guidance

OpenAI has launched study mode for ChatGPT, a new feature designed to guide students through learning processes rather than simply providing answers. The tool uses Socratic questioning and step-by-step guidance to encourage deeper understanding, addressing longstanding concerns about AI tools undermining educational development by doing students' homework for them. What you should know: Study mode transforms ChatGPT from an answer machine into an interactive tutor that works through problems with students. The feature is available to all logged-in ChatGPT Free, Plus, Pro, and Team users, with ChatGPT Edu access coming in the next few weeks. Students can access it by...

read Jul 29, 2025

Google expands AI Mode with 4 major features including video support

Google is expanding its AI Mode with four major features, including video capabilities for Search Live, a new Canvas planning tool, PDF upload support, and integration with Google Lens on desktop Chrome. These updates position Google's AI search experience as a more comprehensive workspace for research, planning, and document analysis, directly competing with ChatGPT's similar features. What you should know: AI Mode will soon support file uploads beyond just text and images, allowing users to upload PDFs and ask detailed questions about documents.• Uploaded files will be analyzed and cross-referenced with relevant web information, rolling out to stable in the...

read Jul 29, 2025

Apple AI sees talent hemorrhage as Meta poaches 4th researcher in a month

Apple has lost another AI researcher to Meta, marking the fourth departure from its foundation models team in just one month. The exodus comes as Apple weighs a potential pivot to using third-party AI models instead of its own internally developed technology, raising questions about the company's ability to compete in the AI race. What you should know: Meta has systematically poached Apple's AI talent, targeting the company's most critical research division.• Bowen Zhang, a key multimodal AI researcher at Apple, left the company on Friday to join Meta's newly formed "Superintelligence" team.• Zhang was part of Apple's foundation models...

read Jul 29, 2025

Google’s NotebookLM adds video overviews with AI-generated slideshows

Google's NotebookLM has launched Video Overviews, a new AI feature that creates narrated slideshows from users' saved documents. The addition gives users a visual alternative to the platform's existing Audio Overviews, helping make complex information more accessible through AI-generated visuals combined with content from uploaded materials. What you should know: Video Overviews transforms documents into visual presentations with AI-generated narration and graphics. The AI host creates new visuals to illustrate key points while incorporating images, diagrams, quotes, and numbers directly from user documents. Google describes the feature as "uniquely effective for explaining data, demonstrating processes and making abstract concepts more...

read Jul 29, 2025

Amazon-backed Skild AI unveils universal robot brain for any machine

Amazon-backed Skild AI unveiled Skild Brain, a foundational AI model designed to operate on nearly any type of robot, from assembly-line machines to humanoids. The launch positions the startup to address robotics' unique data scarcity challenge while advancing the broader push toward versatile humanoid robots capable of diverse tasks beyond single-purpose factory automation. What you should know: Skild Brain enables robots to think, navigate, and respond more like humans through advanced spatial reasoning and adaptability.• Demonstration videos showed Skild-powered robots climbing stairs, maintaining balance after being pushed, and picking up objects in cluttered environments.• The model includes built-in power limits...

read Jul 29, 2025

Viral AI knockoff song outranks Tyler, the Creator’s actual album

Tyler, the Creator's surprise album "Don't Tap The Glass" has been overshadowed by a viral AI-generated knockoff song of the same name that flooded the internet before the official release. The fake track, featuring repetitive lyrics over generic dance-pop beats, has dominated search results and social media platforms, demonstrating how AI-generated content can hijack legitimate artists' marketing campaigns and cultural moments. What happened: An AI-generated song titled "Don't Tap The Glass" went viral on July 20, one day before Tyler, the Creator's actual album release. The fake track features the phrase "don't tap the glass" repeated over swelling chords in...

read Jul 29, 2025

“They don’t go on strike.” CEO cuts 27 of 30 student workers on sales team and replaces them with AI.

Elijah Clark, a CEO who advises companies on AI implementation, has publicly celebrated firing employees and replacing them with artificial intelligence, telling Gizmodo he's "extremely excited" about laying off 27 of 30 student workers on his sales team. His candid enthusiasm reflects a broader corporate trend where executives are increasingly transparent about their intentions to displace human workers with AI technology, despite mixed results and potential long-term consequences. What they're saying: Clark's comments reveal the cold calculus behind AI adoption decisions among business leaders. "AI doesn't go on strike. It doesn't ask for a pay raise," Clark explained. "These things...

read Jul 29, 2025

Only 33% of businesses see AI as important when buying PCs, says study

Businesses remain hesitant to adopt AI-powered Copilot+ PCs despite widespread awareness, with new research revealing a significant gap between recognition and purchasing intent. A Canalys report found that while 73% of B2B partners are aware of these advanced machines, only 33% consider AI capabilities important when making purchasing decisions, suggesting the enterprise market isn't ready to embrace the AI PC revolution just yet. What you should know: The slow adoption stems from practical business concerns rather than lack of awareness about AI PC capabilities. Only 9% of the 1.2 million AI-capable PCs shipped by European distributors in Q2 2025 qualified...

read Jul 29, 2025

Growing Plains: North Dakota’s $100M fund fuels Fargo’s burgeoning AI ecosystem

Fargo, North Dakota is emerging as an unexpected AI innovation hub, driven by a collaborative community culture and strategic state investment programs. The city's tech ecosystem includes startups like Walkwise, which uses AI to predict health risks for seniors, alongside established players like Sanford Health and growing support from accelerators and national events that are drawing attention beyond the Midwest. What you should know: Fargo's AI ecosystem is built on community collaboration rather than traditional Silicon Valley competition models. Peter Chamberlain, an MIT graduate and CEO of Fargo-based Walkwise, attributes this to harsh winters that create "a culture of community...

read Jul 29, 2025

ByteDance’s Trae IDE sends 26MB of user data to China despite opt-out

A developer has discovered that ByteDance's Trae AI-powered IDE continues collecting extensive user data and sending it to Chinese servers, even when users disable telemetry settings. The findings raise significant privacy and security concerns about data sovereignty, particularly given ByteDance's persistent data collection despite user preferences and the lack of transparency about what information is being gathered. What you should know: Trae's telemetry toggle appears to be non-functional, with data collection continuing regardless of user settings. A GitHub report documented around 500 network calls in just seven minutes, transferring approximately 26MB of data to ByteDance servers on the byteoversea[.]com domain....

read Jul 29, 2025

User reviews spring (roll) to life as Yelp launches AI-generated restaurant videos using submitted pics

Yelp has launched AI-generated videos that automatically compile user-posted photos and videos into short promotional content about restaurants and businesses. The feature, now available nationwide on Yelp's iOS app, uses multiple AI tools to create scripted voiceovers and captions that tell compelling stories based on user reviews, representing a significant shift toward automated content creation in local business discovery. How it works: Yelp combines several AI technologies to create finished videos from user-generated content. OpenAI's large language models write text descriptions and narrator scripts, organize story topics, and handle proofreading tasks. ElevenLabs generates the AI narrator's voice, while Amazon Transcribe...

read Jul 29, 2025

Apple’s Motown manufacturing academy to train businesses on AI

Apple is launching a manufacturing academy in downtown Detroit to train small and medium-sized businesses on manufacturing and artificial intelligence, with Michigan State University administering the program. The move comes as President Trump intensifies pressure on the tech giant to bring more production jobs to the United States while implementing tariffs that will likely increase Apple's operational costs. What you should know: The Apple Manufacturing Academy will open in August, offering workshops led by Apple engineers to help businesses implement smart manufacturing technologies. The program will provide consulting services to small businesses and plans to offer virtual courses later this...

read Jul 29, 2025

Meta now allows AI assistants in coding interviews to match real hybrid work environments

Meta is allowing job candidates to use AI assistants during coding interviews, marking a significant shift in how tech companies evaluate engineering talent. The move reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg's vision of "vibecoding," where engineers will increasingly manage AI coding agents rather than write code themselves. What you should know: Meta is actively testing AI-enabled interviews and recruiting employees for mock sessions to refine the process. An internal company post stated: "Meta is developing a new type of coding interview in which candidates have access to an AI assistant. This is more representative of the developer environment that our future employees...

read Jul 29, 2025

Samsung invests $150M in Rebellions as South Korea targets AI chip market

South Korean AI chip startup Rebellions has secured investment from Samsung as part of a $150-200 million funding round ahead of its planned IPO. The startup, which merged with Sapeon last year to create a potential Nvidia rival, is collaborating with Samsung to manufacture its AI inference chips using cutting-edge 4-nanometer technology. What you should know: Rebellions has raised $220 million since its 2020 founding and was last valued at $1 billion, with the current round expected to push that valuation higher. Major investors include SK Hynix (a South Korean memory chip giant), SK Telecom, Korea Telecom, and Saudi Aramco,...

read Jul 29, 2025

Commonwealth Bank of Australia cuts 45 jobs as AI voice bots replace customer service roles

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), the country's largest lender, is cutting 45 jobs as part of its shift toward artificial intelligence automation, with the Finance Sector Union claiming a total of 90 roles are being eliminated. The job cuts highlight growing tensions between AI-driven efficiency gains and workforce displacement, as Australia's banking sector increasingly adopts automation technologies. What you should know: CBA confirmed it's eliminating positions following the introduction of AI voice bot systems for customer service operations.• The bank implemented a new voice bot system on its inbound customer enquiries line in June, which directly led to the elimination...

read Jul 29, 2025

Google’s AI Mode search launches in UK with conversational queries

Google Search has expanded AI Mode to the UK, following its earlier launches in the US and India. This conversational search experience offers a more chatbot-like alternative to traditional AI Overviews, allowing users to ask complex, multi-part questions and receive comprehensive answers powered by Gemini 2.5. What you should know: AI Mode transforms how users interact with Google Search by supporting longer, more conversational queries that are "two or three times the length of traditional search queries." Users can ask complex questions like "Things to do in Edinburgh this weekend with friends. We're big foodies who like music but also...

read Jul 28, 2025

Not a buffet: Anthropic adds weekly rate limits to Claude after users run AI 24/7

Anthropic has introduced weekly rate limits for Claude subscribers starting August 28, citing that some users have been running Claude 24/7 and engaging in policy violations like account sharing and reselling access. The throttling will affect approximately 5% of users and comes alongside existing 5-hour daily limits, as the company struggles with reliability issues and unprecedented demand for its Claude Code product. What you should know: The new weekly limits are designed to address system capacity issues caused by heavy usage patterns and policy violations.• Claude Max 20x users can expect 240-480 hours of Sonnet 4 and 24-40 hours of...

read Jul 28, 2025

Musk’s Grok AI adds $30 anime companion with adult content, huge hit in South Korea

Elon Musk has added a pornographic anime companion named Ani to his Grok AI chatbot, and users are paying $30 per month for enhanced access through the mobile app's SuperGrok subscription. The feature has proven surprisingly popular, with usage nearly doubling in South Korea since its debut two weeks ago, highlighting how adult content is becoming a differentiating factor in the competitive AI chatbot market. What you should know: Grok now offers two AI companions—Ani, a flirty anime-inspired gothic avatar, and Rudi, a cartoon teddy bear—with Ani being the clear favorite for adult interactions. Ani defaults to voice conversations with...

read Jul 28, 2025

Oops, Hertz’s AI scanner wrongly charges customers for phantom car damage

Hertz's AI-powered damage detection system, UVeye, is creating widespread customer complaints and billing disputes after flagging nonexistent damage on rental cars. The system, deployed at airport locations since April 2024, is charging customers hundreds of dollars for phantom damage while offering no clear appeals process, highlighting broader concerns about automated decision-making replacing human judgment. What you should know: UVeye's AI scanning technology frequently misidentifies normal wear, dirt, or reflections as vehicle damage, leading to unjustified charges. One Houston customer was flagged for apparent damage that wasn't visible upon inspection, with Hertz employees unable to help and pointing to the "AI...

read Jul 28, 2025

Google expands AI weather forecasts to Pixel 8 devices

Google's Pixel Weather app has begun rolling out AI-powered forecasts to Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a devices, expanding beyond the Pixel 9 series where the feature originally debuted. This marks a significant expansion of the locally-generated AI weather feature, which had previously been limited to Google's newest flagship phones despite older devices having the necessary Gemini Nano AI capabilities. What you should know: The AI forecast feature requires Gemini Nano to be enabled and updated to the latest model version.• Users need to activate Gemini Nano in their phone's Developer Settings to access the AI-powered weather predictions.• The latest Gemini...

read Jul 28, 2025

Microsoft launches Copilot Mode with voice control for Edge

Microsoft has launched Copilot Mode, an experimental AI-powered browsing feature for Edge that transforms how users interact with web content through voice commands, tab awareness, and task automation. The free feature positions Microsoft to compete directly with AI-enhanced browsers from Google and other tech giants while reimagining the traditional web browsing experience. What you should know: Copilot Mode replaces Edge's new-tab page with a simplified AI-powered interface that can access and analyze information across all open tabs.• Users can ask Copilot to compare restaurant options, find the soonest availability, most affordable choice, or closest location across multiple tabs without manual...

read Jul 28, 2025

It’s such a “Betty”! Penn unveils supercomputer to quadruple AI research capacity

The University of Pennsylvania has unveiled "Betty," a new off-campus supercomputer that quadruples the university's computing capacity and is designed to run AI models analyzing videos, images, texts, and databanks. Located 30 miles from campus in a Collegeville data center, Betty positions Penn to compete in what officials describe as an "arms race in computing" among top research universities seeking to attract faculty and students with cutting-edge AI capabilities. What you should know: Betty represents a significant leap in Penn's computational infrastructure, built in record time to meet surging demand for AI research capabilities. The supercomputer is an Nvidia "SuperPOD"...

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