Sequoia-incubated Empirik launches with $21M to predict outages before they happen

The startup wants to do for IT infrastructure what Cursor did for software engineering.

John Deere launched an AI chatbot for farmers
John Deere launched an AI chatbot for farmers

John Deere is testing a new “JD” AI assistant that it says can help farmers make more money, with answers about best practices and historical trends that are based on their own data. It uses their “field, machine and operational data” to answer questions on topics like equipment settings, fuel usage, or harvest timing. The […]

Google Pics is like Canva, but with even more AI
Google Pics is like Canva, but with even more AI

Google has a new suite of creative design tools for Workspace users called Google Pics, which aims to make editing and generating “professional-grade” AI images less cumbersome for businesses. Built around Gemini and the Nano Banana generative AI model, Google Pics is designed to give more granular control over prompt-based image making and manipulation, allowing […]

Amazon Alexa can now alert you when something new might tempt you to shop

Amazon is adding a new Alexa-powered feature called “Update Me When” that can send personalized alerts about product launches, tours, books, shows, and other events that could trigger a purchase.

AIR raises $50M to help companies vet the skills and add-ons AI agents use

AIR’s platform can discover agents running at a company, continuously vets any skills and add-ons they use, and blocks any unwanted behaviour.

Fambot introduces an ‘AI chief of staff’ for families

Fambot is building an AI “chief of staff” to help families manage the emails, calendars, school updates, sports schedules, and other logistics of raising kids.

Nvidia’s controversial DLSS 5 arrives September 3rd and requires serious GPU horsepower
Nvidia’s controversial DLSS 5 arrives September 3rd and requires serious GPU horsepower

Nvidia is officially launching DLSS 5 this week, following a divisive announcement in March where we likened the AI upscaling tech to a “real-time generative AI filter for video games” and “motion smoothing for video games, but worse.” DLSS 5 will officially be available on RTX 50-series desktop and laptop GPUs and through GeForce Now […]

At Instacart, Hybrid AI Solves The Stubborn AI Reliability Problem

Like many AI systems, Instacart’s product-replacement system needs to gauge its own confidence in order to turn predictions into actions.

The Human Premium

For years, the dominant question surrounding artificial intelligence has been rooted in a subtle, quiet anxiety: What will AI take from us?

Net Effect Of AI Psychologically Spurring People Toward Both Greater Mindfulness And Worsening Mindlessness

AI can spark curiosity and new ways of thinking, but it can also encourage us to outsource our thinking. Researchers still don’t know which effect will win out.