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Musk launches $300 Grok 4 subscription amid antisemitic controversy
Elon Musk unveiled Grok 4 and launched a $300-per-month SuperGrok Heavy subscription plan just days after the AI chatbot sparked controversy with antisemitic posts, including praise for Adolf Hitler. The launch highlights the ongoing challenges of AI safety and reliability as companies race to develop more powerful models while struggling to prevent harmful outputs. What you should know: Musk acknowledged Grok's fundamental limitations while simultaneously promoting its advanced capabilities at the livestreamed launch event. "Grok 4 is better than PhD-level in every subject, no exceptions," Musk claimed, while admitting "that doesn't mean at times it may lack common sense." The...
read Jul 10, 2025Human-friendly startup Kartel.ai raises $2M to blend AI workflows with embodied creativity
Kartel.ai, a Beverly Hills-based startup, has emerged from stealth with $2 million in early funding and a human-centric AI production platform that promises to streamline creative media production. The company's approach combines AI-enhanced workflow orchestration with vetted human talent, targeting the growing demand for faster, cost-effective content creation across brands, studios, and agencies. How it works: Kartel operates as a full-stack production platform that matches projects with curated artists through an AI-powered intake system. Clients can call a dedicated number (1-838-NEW-IDEA) to discuss projects, with AI generating creative briefs in real-time and matching jobs to appropriate artists. The platform manages...
read Jul 10, 2025Google’s Gemini AI now turns photos into 8-second videos with audio
Google has launched a new Gemini AI feature that transforms photos into video clips using its Veo 3 video model. The feature generates eight-second videos complete with AI-generated audio, including background noises, environmental sounds, and speech that sync to the visuals, expanding Google's AI capabilities beyond text and static images. What you should know: The photo-to-video capability is now available to Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers in select regions, rolling out on web today and mobile devices throughout the week. Users access the feature by clicking "tools" in the prompt bar, selecting "video," and uploading their photo alongside a...
read Jul 10, 2025Study: AI coding tools slow down experienced developers by 19%
A new study by AI research nonprofit METR has found that artificial intelligence coding tools actually slowed down experienced software developers by 19% when working on familiar codebases, contrary to the developers' expectations of a 24% speed improvement. The findings challenge widespread assumptions about AI's productivity benefits for skilled engineers and raise questions about the substantial investment flowing into AI-powered development tools. What you should know: The study tracked seasoned developers using Cursor, a popular AI coding assistant, on open-source projects they knew well. Before the study, developers expected AI to decrease their task completion time by 24%. Even after...
read Jul 10, 2025London and Singapore test AI systems to assist air traffic controllers
Aviation authorities in London and Singapore are testing AI systems that could assist or potentially replace human air traffic controllers, following a series of high-profile accidents including the recent collision near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people. The trials aim to determine whether artificial intelligence can reduce human error and improve safety in increasingly congested airspace, though experts remain divided on the risks and benefits of automation in air traffic control. What you should know: AI-powered systems are being tested at major international airports to enhance air traffic control operations through continuous monitoring and early conflict detection. The U.K.'s...
read Jul 10, 2025Huawei targets Middle East and Asia for AI chips despite 200K production cap
Huawei Technologies is actively seeking customers in the Middle East and Southeast Asia for its AI chips, marking an ambitious attempt to challenge Nvidia's dominance in international markets despite significant manufacturing constraints. The Chinese tech giant is targeting regions where governments have already committed to purchasing millions of Nvidia and AMD chips, positioning itself as an alternative supplier in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market. What you should know: Huawei has approached potential customers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand about purchasing its older-generation Ascend 910B processors. The outreach represents Huawei's strategy to establish a foothold in markets currently...
read Jul 10, 2025Women adopt AI 25% less than men partly due to harassment and bias
Women are adopting AI tools at significantly lower rates than men, with new research revealing a 25% gender gap in adoption driven by harassment, bias, and discrimination embedded in AI systems. This disparity threatens to create a technological divide that could impact women's career prospects and exclude them from shaping future AI development. The numbers: Recent data shows stark gender differences in AI adoption and experience. 50% of men use generative AI tools compared to just 37% of women, according to the Survey of Consumer Expectations Harvard Business School research found women adopt AI tools at a 25% lower rate...
read Jul 10, 2025AI-generated child abuse imagery surges 400% in first half of 2025
Reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery have surged 400% in the first half of 2025, according to new data from the Internet Watch Foundation, a UK-based nonprofit that monitors illegal content online. The alarming increase highlights how readily available artificial intelligence tools are being weaponized to create illegal content that is often indistinguishable from real footage, forcing authorities to treat it as actual abuse material under UK law. The stark numbers: The Internet Watch Foundation recorded 210 webpages containing AI-generated child abuse material in the first six months of 2025, compared to just 42 in the same period the...
read Jul 10, 2025EU publishes AI code of practice weeks before new rules take effect
The European Commission has published the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice to help enterprises comply with transparency, copyright, safety, and security obligations under the EU AI Act. The voluntary code arrives just ahead of the second wave of EU AI Act rules taking effect on August 2, providing critical guidance for companies developing and distributing AI models. What you should know: The code of practice offers enterprises a structured pathway to demonstrate compliance with EU AI Act requirements, though following it remains voluntary. The Commission positioned the code as a way for businesses to ensure they meet their legal obligations...
read Jul 10, 2025Hallucination as inspiration: Music platform creates new feature after AI chatbot falsely advertises capability
Soundslice has developed a new ASCII tablature import feature after discovering that ChatGPT was falsely telling users the sheet music platform already supported this text-based guitar notation format. The incident represents what may be the first documented case of a company building functionality specifically in response to an AI model's hallucination, raising questions about how businesses should handle AI-generated misinformation about their products. What happened: Adrian Holovaty, co-founder of Soundslice, noticed unusual activity in the company's error logs where users were submitting screenshots of ChatGPT conversations containing ASCII tablature instead of typical sheet music uploads. When Holovaty tested ChatGPT himself,...
read Jul 10, 2025Safecracking Cambridge researchers undermine artist anti-AI defenses with new tool
University of Cambridge researchers have developed LightShed, a proof-of-concept tool that can effectively strip away anti-AI protections from digital artwork, neutralizing defenses like Glaze and Nightshade that artists use to prevent their work from being scraped for AI training. The technology represents a significant escalation in the ongoing battle between artists seeking to protect their intellectual property and AI companies needing training data, potentially undermining the digital defenses that 7.5 million artists have downloaded to safeguard their work. The big picture: LightShed demonstrates that current artist protection tools may provide only temporary security, as AI researchers can develop countermeasures that...
read Jul 10, 2025Microsoft, OpenAI invest $23M in teachers’ union amid education cuts
Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic have collectively invested $23 million into the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second-largest teachers' union in the US, to establish an AI training center for educators. This unprecedented funding from major AI companies comes as the education sector faces severe budget constraints, with the Trump administration cutting nearly $7 billion in public school funding while simultaneously threatening to dismantle the Department of Education entirely. The big picture: Tech companies are strategically positioning themselves within cash-strapped educational institutions, creating long-term dependencies while the sector struggles with funding cuts and political uncertainty. Key details: The National Academy...
read Jul 10, 2025Groq seeks $500M at $6B valuation for Saudi AI chip deal
U.S. semiconductor startup Groq is in talks with investors to raise between $300 million and $500 million at a $6 billion post-investment valuation, according to The Information. The funding round would more than double the company's previous $2.8 billion valuation from August 2024 and help fulfill a major contract with Saudi Arabia that could generate $500 million in revenue this year. What you should know: Groq specializes in AI inference chips designed to optimize speed and execute commands from pre-trained AI models, positioning itself as a key player in the AI hardware race. The company secured a $1.5 billion commitment...
read Jul 10, 2025Stoppin’ the sloppin’: YouTube cracks down on AI-generated spam with new monetization rules
YouTube is preparing to update its monetization policies to crack down on "inauthentic" content created by AI tools, with changes set to take effect on July 15, 2025. The policy shift aims to reduce financial incentives for creators producing low-quality, mass-produced content that floods the platform, potentially cleaning up user feeds from what's commonly called "AI slop." What you should know: YouTube is updating its Partner Program guidelines to better identify and restrict monetization of repetitive, mass-produced content. The company has always required "original" and "authentic" content for monetization, but the July 15, 2025 update will provide clearer definitions of...
read Jul 10, 2025Cloudflare pushes Google to separate AI crawlers from search bots
Cloudflare is pushing Google to separate its AI crawling bots from its search indexing bots, allowing websites to block AI data collection without losing search visibility. CEO Matthew Prince claims the company is in "encouraging" talks with Google and threatens legislative action if negotiations fail, though Google has declined to confirm any discussions. What you should know: Cloudflare's new blocking features create a technical dilemma for website owners who want to prevent AI scraping while maintaining search rankings. Website owners and SEO experts questioned how Cloudflare could block Google's bot from scraping content for AI Overviews without also blocking the...
read Jul 9, 2025Experts warn stolen AGI could enable global cyberattacks and destabilize power
AI experts are increasingly concerned about the potential theft of artificial general intelligence (AGI) once it's achieved, warning that stolen AGI could be weaponized by bad actors or hostile nations. This security challenge represents one of the most significant risks facing the AI industry, as AGI theft could enable everything from global cyberattacks to geopolitical domination. The big picture: The race to achieve AGI has created a new category of high-stakes cybercrime, where the first successful AGI system becomes an irresistible target for competitors, governments, and criminals alike. Only one entity is expected to achieve AGI first, making that breakthrough...
read Jul 9, 2025OpenAI plans to launch web browser with AI agent to challenge Chrome
OpenAI plans to launch its first web browser in the coming weeks, directly challenging Google Chrome's dominance in the browser market. This move comes just as Perplexity AI debuted its own browser called Comet, signaling a coordinated push by AI companies to capture web traffic and user data while potentially undermining Google's search-dependent revenue model. What you should know: OpenAI's browser will likely integrate its AI agent called Operator, which can automate repetitive web tasks for users. Operator performs actions like "filling out forms, ordering groceries, and even creating memes" on behalf of users, according to OpenAI. The AI agent...
read Jul 9, 2025AI shopping platforms eye e-commerce with seamless checkout and fulfillment
Forrester Principal Analyst Nikhil Lai predicts that generative AI platforms like Google's AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity will fundamentally transform how consumers shop, potentially becoming full-funnel purchase destinations if they integrate seamless checkout and fulfillment capabilities. This shift is reinvigorating the search engine optimization market, as businesses scramble to adapt their strategies for AI-integrated search environments that could reshape traffic patterns and media spending priorities. What you should know: Consumer behavior strongly suggests AI shopping platforms will gain traction if they can match the convenience of existing e-commerce leaders. Thirty-eight percent of US online adults check delivery speed before ordering,...
read Jul 9, 2025AI orchestration turns fragmented business systems into harmonious unified workflows
Managing multiple AI systems across your organization often feels like conducting an orchestra where every musician plays from a different sheet of music. Tools operate in isolation, data gets trapped in silos, and workflows require constant manual intervention. This fragmentation doesn't just slow down operations—it undermines the very efficiency gains that AI promises to deliver. AI orchestration addresses this challenge by creating a unified system where different AI tools, models, and data sources work together seamlessly. Rather than managing dozens of disconnected applications, orchestration platforms coordinate these systems automatically, ensuring data flows smoothly between tools and tasks execute in the...
read Jul 9, 2025Linux Foundation adopts Google’s Agent2Agent protocol for AI collaboration
The Linux Foundation announced it will host the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol, an open standard initially developed by Google and now supported by more than 100 technology companies for secure communication between AI agents. The adoption addresses one of AI's most pressing challenges: enabling autonomous agents to discover each other, exchange information, and collaborate across different platforms and vendors. What you should know: A2A creates a standardized communication layer that breaks down silos limiting multi-agent AI systems. The protocol uses AgentCards—JSON metadata documents that describe an agent's purpose and provide access instructions via web URLs. A2A leverages widely adopted web standards...
read Jul 9, 2025MIT breakthrough boosts AI reasoning accuracy by 6x with test-time training
MIT researchers have developed a breakthrough training technique that can boost large language models' accuracy on complex reasoning tasks by up to sixfold. The method, called test-time training, temporarily updates a model's parameters during deployment to help it adapt to challenging new problems that require strategic planning, logical deduction, or process optimization. What you should know: Test-time training represents a significant advance over traditional in-context learning by actually updating model parameters rather than just providing examples. The technique involves temporarily modifying some of a model's internal variables using task-specific data, then reverting the model to its original state after making...
read Jul 9, 2025McDonald’s AI hiring chatbot exposed 64M job applicants’ personal data
McDonald's AI hiring chatbot exposed the personal data of millions of job applicants due to laughably weak security measures, including a password set to "123456." Security researchers Ian Carroll and Sam Curry discovered they could access up to 64 million applicant records through the McHire platform built by Paradox.ai, a software company that creates AI-powered hiring tools, potentially exposing names, email addresses, and phone numbers of people who applied for McDonald's jobs over several years. What you should know: The security breach occurred through basic vulnerabilities that should never exist in enterprise systems handling sensitive data. Researchers gained administrator access...
read Jul 9, 2025Job alert: YC-backed attimet hiring founding researcher for AI trading systems at $150K
Y Combinator-backed attimet is hiring a founding researcher/quant to lead AI strategy at their new research lab focused on financial markets. The San Francisco-based startup, founded in 2024, is building temporal AI systems that adapt, predict, and act in real-time trading environments, starting with options markets. What you should know: attimet is taking a first-principles approach to trading by designing systems that learn and adapt with data, rather than relying on traditional hand-crafted signals and intuition. The company offers $100K-$150K salary plus 0.25%-1.00% equity for this full-time position requiring 3+ years of experience. The role involves leading development of predictive...
read Jul 9, 2025Google’s AI notification organizer will sort Android alerts into 4 categories
Google is developing an AI-powered "notification organizer" feature for Android that will automatically sort phone notifications into categories like promotions, news, social, and suggested content. The feature, expected to debut in Android 16's first quarterly release, aims to reduce notification clutter by silencing and bundling alerts based on AI analysis, though it may initially be exclusive to Pixel devices. What you should know: The notification organizer will function similarly to Gmail's automatic inbox sorting, using AI to analyze incoming alerts and categorize them into four distinct groups. Promotions: Sales, new features, and marketing content. News: Top stories, editorials, and breaking...
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