🛒 Apple Eyes Perplexity AI in Search Push
Apple is in early talks to acquire or partner with Perplexity AI, a fast-growing search startup, in what could be its largest deal ever. The move would bolster Apple's AI capabilities, especially for Siri and a potential in-house search engine. With its AI revamp delayed to 2026, Apple is seeking ways to stay competitive. No formal offer has been made yet.
👖 OpenAI’s AI Device Isn’t Earbuds—It’s a Pocket-Sized Assistant
Court filings in a trademark dispute reveal OpenAI and Jony Ive’s io are developing a portable AI device—but not wearable earbuds, as speculated. The gadget, still a year from launch, is designed to work alongside your phone and laptop, offering environmental awareness in a pocketable form. The disclosures mark the clearest signal yet of OpenAI’s hardware ambitions.
📢 Fanfic Writers Fight AI Scrapes, One Dataset at a Time
Fanfiction authors are pushing back against AI companies and hobbyist scrapers using their stories to train generative models without consent. The recent scraping of 12.6 million fics from Archive of Our Own sparked outrage and takedown efforts. Writers argue fanfic is transformative, community-driven labor—not free training data for commercial AI.
🚕 Tesla Launches Robotaxi Pilot in Austin
Tesla has launched a small-scale robotaxi service in Austin, marking its first test of fully autonomous rides for paying customers. About 10 vehicles operate in a limited area with safety monitors onboard. Rides cost $4.20 and avoid poor weather and complex routes. A new Texas law regulating driverless vehicles takes effect in September, adding oversight.
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🏗️ AI INFRASTRUCTURE
A.I. Infrastructure Boom Exposes Stark Global Divide in Compute Power
As countries race to build the backbone of artificial intelligence, a sharp digital divide is emerging: only 32 nations, largely in the Northern Hemisphere, host advanced A.I. data centers. The U.S., China, and the EU dominate, while much of the Global South is left without the compute power needed to train modern A.I. systems. This imbalance is reshaping global economics and power, limiting scientific progress, startup growth, and digital sovereignty in under-resourced regions.
GPUs—mostly made by NVIDIA—are the bottleneck, and control over them is increasingly geopolitical. From Africa to South America, governments and startups are scrambling to secure local infrastructure before they’re permanently locked out of the A.I. future. → Read the full article here.
👍️ AI ADOPTION
Goldman Sachs Launches Firmwide AI Assistant to Power Daily Workflows
Goldman Sachs has launched its generative AI assistant across the firm, bringing the tool to employees in investment banking, asset management, and beyond. Known as the GS AI Assistant, it’s designed to boost productivity by helping with document summarization, content drafting, data analysis, and even translation—tailored to each department’s needs.
The assistant can securely access a range of leading language models, including OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Google’s Gemini, giving users flexibility based on task and preference. After a limited rollout last year to developers, the full-scale launch marks a milestone in Goldman’s long-term AI strategy, aimed at modernizing workflows and scaling efficiencies across its global operations. → Read the full article here.
🛰️ NEWS
What Else is Happening
💸 Databricks, Perplexity Founder Pledges $100M to AI: Andy Konwinski launches Laude Institute to fund independent AI research, starting with a $15M grant to UC Berkeley’s new AI Systems Lab.
🚨 DeepSeek Tied to China’s Military, Says US: A U.S. official claims AI firm DeepSeek shared user data with Beijing and used shell firms to dodge chip export bans—raising global privacy concerns.
👀 Meta Eyed Runway Before Scale Deal: Meta quietly explored acquiring AI video startup Runway before investing $14.3B in Scale AI—part of Zuckerberg’s high-stakes AI land grab.
🕵 Music Industry Builds AI Detection Tech: With AI songs flooding platforms, labels are shifting from takedowns to traceability—tagging synthetic music early to license, label, and monetize it at scale.
💰 Zuckerberg’s AI Blitz Gets Personal: Meta’s CEO is cold-emailing top AI talent and offering $100M+ pay packages in a frantic push to build a superintelligence team and catch rivals like OpenAI.
📽️ VIDEO
Does Using ChatGPT Make You Dumb?!
MIT study finds ChatGPT use weakens memory, ownership, and deep thinking. AI boosts output—but may blunt learning if overused. Get the full scoop in Matt’s latest video! 👇
🧰 TOOLBOX
Smarter Research, Personalized Learning, and Enhanced Academic Search
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👩🏫 Cognii: AI tutor boosts learning with NLP-driven feedback, auto-grading, and personalized support across subjects and formats.
🤖 Title3Vec: ML model ranks arXiv papers via title embeddings—ideal for better academic search, relevance scoring, and lit reviews.
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📟 PROMPT OF THE WEEK
Expert Research Assistant Prompt
Act as a professional research analyst trained in synthesizing complex topics for decision-makers. Your task is to research a topic and deliver a concise, well-organized, and reliable summary. Here’s the subject I need you to investigate: [Insert topic]
Follow these research guidelines:
- Use and cite at least 3 reputable sources (e.g., academic papers, government reports, or official documentation).
- Cross-check facts to avoid bias or misinformation — note when claims are disputed or lack consensus.
Include:
- What it is (a clear explanation or definition)
- Why it matters (relevance, implications, use cases)
- What’s changing or new (emerging trends, debates)
- Key stats, quotes, or citations (with source links)
Highlight gaps or uncertainties in the available information.🗒️ FEEDBACK
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