Good morning, AI enthusiasts. Between Microsoft Build, Google I/O, and OpenAI’s io acquisition, this was already one of the biggest AI weeks in recent memory.

But Anthropic just capped it off with the release of its next-gen Claude 4 family — including "the world's best coding model” that takes autonomous programming to new heights.

Speaking of Google I/O… Our next workshop today at 4 PM EST covers all the latest upgrades from Google and how to use the new tools in your projects. RSVP here.

In today’s AI rundown:

• Anthropic’s Claude 4 Opus, Sonnet models

• Rumors: OpenAI and Jony Ive’s mystery AI device

• Automate HR Onboarding Processes with AI

• Apple rushes AI glasses to challenge Meta

• 4 new AI tools & 4 job opportunities

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

ANTHROPIC

🚀 Anthropic’s Claude 4 Opus, Sonnet models

Image source: Anthropic

The Rundown: Anthropic just launched Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, introducing the company’s next-gen models that can think through problems step-by-step while using external tools — showing advances in AI reasoning capabilities and autonomous coding.

The details:

• The models feature "hybrid" modes for either instant responses or extended thinking, with visible reasoning summaries showing thought processes.

• Opus 4 achieved 72.5% on the SWE-bench and can code autonomously for hours, while Sonnet 4 is an upgraded replacement for Sonnet 3.7.

• New capabilities include parallel tool use, memory functions for maintaining context across tasks, and integration with IDEs via Claude Code extensions.

• Anthropic has also heightened security measures to ASL-3, implementing safeguards against potential misuse in weapons development.

Why it matters: Anthropic caps off a big week in the AI world with what it calls the “world’s best coding model,” a fresh reminder that it’s still one of the top players in the race. Claude 4 also follows the industry shift towards agentic, extended length reasoning capabilities — moving into the “collaborator” stage of Anthropic’s AI curve.

TOGETHER WITH GUIDDE

🎬 Create how-to videos in seconds with AI

The Rundown: Guidde transforms the way you create documentation with AI-powered technology that generates stunning video guides 11x faster than traditional methods — turning tedious explanations into engaging visual content.

Guidde allows you to:

• Turn boring docs into visual masterpieces

• Save hours with AI-powered automation

• Share or embed your guide anywhere

Download the extension now — it’s 100% free.

OPENAI

🔮 Rumors: OpenAI and Jony Ive’s mystery AI device

Image source: o3 / The Rundown

The Rundown: New details emerged about OpenAI and Jony Ive's AI device following OpenAI’s $6.5B acquisition of Ive's startup io, with CEO Sam Altman reportedly telling staff that they have “the chance to do the biggest thing” ever as a company.

The details:

• A report from the WSJ detailed a preview Altman gave to employees, targeting shipping 100M units with a late 2026 release.

• The product is being positioned as a “third core device” alongside phones and laptops, and will maintain full awareness of users’ surroundings and daily life.

• Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the current device prototype is “slightly larger than the AI Pin” but “as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle”.

• Kuo also noted that the device is designed to be worn around the neck, with cameras and microphones, and no screen or display.

Why it matters: After other AI wearables flamed out, OpenAI is betting that combining Ive's design mastery with its AI prowess can finally crack a new physical form. A screen-free approach would be a departure from current habits, but whether users are ready to trust an always-listening AI remains the billion-dollar question.

AI TRAINING

👥 Automate HR Onboarding Processes

The Rundown: In this tutorial, you will learn how to build an automated system that triggers when new employees are added to a Google Sheet, finds role-specific onboarding documents, and sends personalized welcome emails.

Step-by-step:

1. Visit Zapier Agents and create a New Agent named “Onboarding Agent”

2. Configure your agent to trigger when new rows are added to your HR Google Sheet containing Name, Role, and Email columns

3. Add three tools: Google Sheets to extract employee data, Google Drive to find role-specific documents, and Gmail to create personalized draft emails

4. Test your setup and activate your agent

Pro tip: You can pre-create onboarding documents in Google Drive with names that include role titles so the agent can easily match them to new employees.

PRESENTED BY RIME

🗣️ AI voices that laugh, sigh, and sound genuinely human

The Rundown: AI startup Rime just unveiled Arcana, a new spoken language (TTS) model that captures the subtle magic of human communication — complete with all the imperfections and subtleties that make speech feel authentic.

With Arcana, you can:

• Capture the nuances of real human speech with unprecedented realism

• Handle laughter, accents, vocal stumbles, breathing, multilingual speech, and more

• Access the model via API to start building

Click here to talk to Arcana right in your browser.

APPLE

👓 Apple rushes AI glasses to challenge Meta

Image source: o3 / The Rundown

The Rundown: Apple is reportedly accelerating development of its AI-powered smart glasses for a late 2026 launch, according to a report from Bloomberg — hoping to counter Meta's current category success with its Ray Ban smart glasses.

The details:

• The glasses will pack cameras, mics, and speakers for real-world analysis via Siri, with the ability to handle calls, music, navigation, and live translations.

• Apple is planning for prototype production by year's end, with sources saying the device will be "better made" than Meta's offering but with a similar concept.

• There is internal worry that Apple's AI shortcomings could doom the product, which currently relies on Google Lens and OpenAI instead of its own AI.

• The project is reportedly accelerating from an initial 2027 timeline, with Apple also simultaneously axing development of camera-equipped Apple Watches.

Why it matters: Apple is already lagging significantly behind in AI, but also finds itself in the unusual position of playing catch-up in a hardware category as well. Given its Apple Intelligence struggles, it’s hard to imagine this rushed effort bringing the AI-infused upgrades we expect out of something like OpenAI’s upcoming device.

QUICK HITS

🛠️ Trending AI Tools

• ⚙️ Devstral - Mistral’s new open-source coding model

• 🛍️ Shopify AI - New AI-infused design and business tools for merchants

• 🧑‍💻 Stitch - Google Labs AI experiment for turning ideas into UI designs

• 🥯 BAGEL - ByteDance’s open-source multimodal foundation model

💼 AI Job Opportunities

• 🔗 Abridge - Partner Operations Director

• 🖥️ Hugging Face - Senior Frontend Engineer

• 🧠 Perplexity AI - AI Systems Engineer

• 🏛️ Synthesia - Corporate Affairs Manager

📰 Everything else in AI today

OpenAI launched Stargate UAE, the project’s first international deployment to provide nationwide ChatGPT access and build computing centers in Abu Dhabi starting in 2026.

Mistral released Document AI, an enterprise tool for extracting text from documents and images with 99% accuracy and the ability to process thousands of pages a minute.

Anthropic announced the general availability of its Claude Code platform, along with new API capabilities, for developers building agents using its models.

Amazon is testing “Hear the highlights,” an AI-powered audio feature that creates conversational summaries of products by analyzing reviews and product details.

MIT researchers developed CAV-MAE Sync, an AI model that learned to match specific video frames with corresponding sounds without labeling.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said that he believes the first billion-dollar company created with just one employee will happen as early as 2026.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Join our next workshop today at 4 PM EST with Dr. Alvaro Cintas, The Rundown’s AI professor. By the end of the workshop, you’ll be up to speed on the latest from Google and ready to use their new tools in your own projects.

RSVP here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

🤝 Share The Rundown, get rewards

We’ll always keep this newsletter 100% free. To support our work, consider sharing The Rundown with your friends, and we’ll send you more free goodies.

See you soon,

Rowan, Joey, Zach, Alvaro, and Jason—The Rundown’s editorial team

Good morning, robotics enthusiasts. Humanoid startup Beyond Imagination — backed by famed AI futurist Ray Kurzweil — is reportedly securing a $100M round at a $500M valuation.

Beyond Imagination claims its AI brain can learn any job and master any human tool, promising a leap beyond the specialized robots of today. In an industry often criticized for overhype, can Kurzweil’s proven track record turn this vision into a truly transformative robot?

In today’s robotics rundown:

• Kurzweil-backed humanoid startup eyes $100M

• Figure hits major milestone at BMW

• A startup building ‘lovable’ home robots

• Sharpa’s human-like robotic hand

• Quick hits on other robotics news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

BEYOND IMAGINATION

🤖 Kurzweil’s humanoid startup eyes $100M

Image source: Beyond Imagination

The Rundown: Humanoid startup Beyond Imagination, co-founded by famed AI futurist Ray Kurzweil and scientist Harry Kloor, is reportedly securing a $100M Series B funding round from venture capital firm Gauntlet Ventures, at a $500M valuation.

The details:

• Its flagship Beomni robot is engineered for complex industrial environments, such as pharmaceutical plants and semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

• The bot is equipped with the "Beomni AI Brain," an evolving AI architecture with multiple specialized "lobes" for learning and performing a vast range of tasks.

• The company is also working on Aura, a universal operating system designed to orchestrate collaboration among humans, robots, and legacy machinery.

• Beyond Imagination is actively seeking large-scale deployment partners, with the ultimate goal of transforming U.S. manufacturing productivity.

Why it matters: Inspired by Kurzweil’s vision of human-AI collaboration, Beyond Imagination focuses on developing systems where humans and robots can work together, rather than aiming for full automation. With Kurzweil’s clout and investor support, the startup is looking all set to compete with big guns like Figure and Tesla.

TOGETHER WITH ENCORD

🤖 Turn multi-sensor data into Physical AI

The Rundown: Encord enables Physical AI teams to unify multi-sensor data curation and annotation on one platform. Use Encord to accelerate iteration cycles and achieve safe real-world deployments with balanced, annotated, and high-quality datasets.

Use Encord to transform multimodal data:

• Build VLA datasets with synchronized multi-sensor views

• Ensure safe real-world operation by supervising edge-case behavior

• Reduce labeling time by 95% through model-assisted workflows

Try Encord now.

FIGURE

🔥 Figure hits major milestone at BMW

Image source: Figure / YouTube

The Rundown: Figure CEO Brett Adcock just shared that the California-based startup’s humanoids have completed a 20-hour run of back-to-back shifts on the BMW X3 production line, marking a huge leap for robotics in automotive manufacturing.

The details:

• Figure says that its robots have maintained a rigorous schedule of 10-hour shifts over the past few weeks.

• This marks one of the first instances where humanoids have operated at such length and intensity in such a high-stakes, precision-driven environment.

• Figure’s partnership with BMW began in January 2024, when it announced a commercial agreement to deploy its humanoids at BMW’s Spartanburg factory.

• However, critics have pointed out that details about the deal have been vague, questioning whether Figure had exaggerated its scope to attract investment.

Why it matters: Robots working tireless shifts alongside humans over multiple weeks is a big milestone, with humanoids quickly moving from pilot projects to robust, real-world industrial use. Germany’s auto sector is also known for high labor costs, meaning these smarter robots will make a disruptive economic impact as well.

CARTWHEEL ROBOTICS

🧸 A startup building ‘lovable’ home robots

Image source: Cartwheel Robotics

The Rundown: Cartwheel Robotics—founded by former Boston Dynamics and Disney Imagineering roboticist Scott LaValley—is carving out a unique niche in the humanoid sector by prioritizing emotional connection and companionship over pure utility.

The details:

• Their flagship prototype robot, Yogi, is intentionally designed with toddler-like proportions, a rounded, cuddly body, and an oversized head.

• Rather than the utilitarian or industrial look of most humanoids, Yogi is meant to feel like a character, not just a machine, with expressive movements.

• It is equipped with advanced AI for both natural language and full-body, nuanced communication, powered by Cartwheel’s Motion Language Model.

• Cartwheel’s other new prototype, Speedy, is a more streamlined version aimed at faster market entry, with modular options to embody various characters. 

Why it matters: Cartwheel is exploring a service-based model, where users might subscribe to a robot companion much like a household helper. In a field dominated by industrial ambitions, Cartwheel’s vision of emotionally intelligent, lovable home robots stands out as both ambitious and refreshingly human-centered.

SHARPA

👉🏼 Sharpa’s human-like robotic hand 

Image source: Sharpa

The Rundown: At the ongoing International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Atlanta, Singapore-based startup Sharpa is generating buzz for its dexterous robotic hand, featuring high-resolution tactile feedback and a true human-scale form factor. 

The details:

• The SharpaWave robotic hand features 22 degrees of freedom in a form factor that closely matches the size and proportions of a real human hand.

• Each fingertip features over 1,000 tactile sensing pixels and pressure sensitivity to 5 millinewtons (mN) — outdoing humans’ typical feel levels of 3 mN.

• Sharpa’s advanced hardware and AI-driven learning allow the hand to adapt its grip, modulate force, and even learn new skills from human demonstrations.

Why it matters: Sharpa’s tech directly tackles longstanding industry tradeoffs—many dexterous hands can suffer from poor durability or weak grip strength, but SharpaWave aims to balance dexterity, strength, and robustness for real-world uses. This will be crucial as companies gear up to bring robots into jobs requiring fine hand manipulation.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in robotics today

NVIDIA released a four-stage pipeline called DreamGen, designed to revolutionize robot learning by generating synthetic training data from video world models.

Apple unveiled a novel approach to training humanoids by integrating human instructors equipped with Apple Vision Pro headsets, detailed in a new research paper.

Rainbow Robotics, a Korean robotics spin-off of KAIST’s Humanoid Robot Research Center, unveiled two major upgrades to its RB-Y1 semi-humanoid platform.

Boston Dynamics rolled out Orbit 5.0, the latest software upgrade for its Spot robot dog, further advancing its role in industrial inspections.

Amazon advanced its Prime Air drone delivery service to include the capability of delivering smartphones such as iPhones, AirTags, and other items.

UK and German researchers developed a new simulation method that can test social robots without needing human participants, making research faster and scalable.

A Chinese tech official dismissed fears that humanoids will contribute to mass job loss, stating that robots are designed to support, not replace, humans.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Bloomberg that “the world isn’t ready” for humanoid robots, which he says will soon take on everyday jobs in the real world.

Duke University introduced a new framework called WildFusion, which combines vision, vibration, and touch to help robots perceive environments like humans do.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Tesla's Giga Texas factory in Austin this week, where he took a ride in a fully autonomous Tesla vehicle.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Join our next workshop this Friday, May 23rd at 4 PM EST with Dr. Alvaro Cintas, The Rundown’s AI professor. By the end of the workshop, you’ll be up to speed on the latest from Google and ready to use their new tools in your own projects.

RSVP here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

See you soon,

Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team

Good morning, AI enthusiasts. Google's I/O event captured the attention of the AI world, but OpenAI just got an io of its own — snatching up ex-Apple design genius Jony Ive's startup in a $6.5B deal.

With Altman calling their prototype the "coolest piece of technology the world will have ever seen," could this powerhouse duo be building the iPhone hardware moment for AI?

ICYMI — Rowan sat down with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at its Build 2025 conference this week for an exclusive interview on the company’s agentic vision. Watch the full conversation here.

In today’s AI rundown:

• OpenAI acquires Jony Ive's AI device startup

• Mistral’s new open-source coding model

• Export professional research reports as PDFs

• Shopify’s new AI store builder, tools

• 4 new AI tools & 4 job opportunities

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

OPENAI

💰 OpenAI acquires Jony Ive's AI device startup

Image source: OpenAI

The Rundown: OpenAI just announced its acquisition of io, the AI device startup co-founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive, in a $6.5B all-stock deal to create a new generation of AI-powered devices.

The details:

• OpenAI and Ive’s io have been quietly working for two years on devices intended to move "beyond screens," with the first products expected in 2026.

• This deal merges io with OpenAI, bringing in 50+ io engineers and designers, including ex-Apple veterans who helped create the iPhone and iPad.

• Ive’s design firm, LoveFrom, will also take charge of creative work across OpenAI, going beyond hardware to influence the look and feel of all products.

• The move was announced in a 9-minute video, with Altman saying Ive is the “deepest thinker he’s ever met” and Ive calling Altman a “rare visionary.”

• Altman also said he has been testing a prototype of io’s device, saying he believes it is the “coolest piece of technology the world will have ever seen”.

Why it matters: This duo has been making moves beneath the surface for several years, but this is a loud official announcement of OpenAI’s hardware ambitions. The AI giant now has the secret sauce behind many of Apple’s revolutionary products — and will now look to crack the code on a device that changes how users interact with AI.

TOGETHER WITH SANA

🤖 Agents in action at AI Summit 2025

The Rundown: Sana’s enterprise AI agent platform took center stage at the AI Summit, demoed live for 500+ industry leaders. Trusted by Fortune 500 clients, Sana Agents automate thousands of critical workflows daily.

With Sana Agents, you’ll experience:

• Up to 90% efficiency gains — launch agents in minutes, no dev bottlenecks

• Seamless integration with 100+ tools like Salesforce, Office365, and Slack

• Enterprise-grade security, full data control, and zero data retention for total peace of mind

Click here to skip the waitlist and see Sana Agents in action.

MISTRAL

🇫🇷 Mistral’s new open-source coding model

Image source: …

The Rundown: French AI startup Mistral just partnered with All Hands AI to release Devstral, a new open-source coding model that outperforms much larger rivals on software engineering tasks while being small enough to run on a laptop or single GPU.

The details:

• Devstral beats all open-source and several closed models on benchmarks like SWE-Bench Verified, which measures real-world GitHub issues.

• The model is optimized for agentic software development, allowing it to navigate entire codebases, edit files, and solve complex coding problems.

• It is also lightweight enough to run locally on devices like Macs and features a permissive Apache 2.0 license for open usage.

• Mistral also said they expect to release a larger agentic coding model in the coming weeks.

Why it matters: Mistral is back to its open-source ways after the closed launch of its Medium 3 model, making it clear that advanced, agentic coding assistants are going to be available in all shapes and sizes going forward. With a powerful small model and a larger one on the way, Mistral continues to provide strong alternatives to the AI giants.

AI TRAINING

📊 Export professional research reports as PDFs

The Rundown: In this tutorial, you will learn how to use ChatGPT's Deep Research to generate comprehensive reports with citations that you can download as well-formatted PDFs.

Step-by-step:

1. Open ChatGPT and select "Deep Research" from the model dropdown

2. Structure your prompt: Instruction + Context + Output Format

3. Let ChatGPT generate your comprehensive report with citations

4. Click the share icon and select "Download as PDF" for a professional document

Pro tip: The PDF download works for both new and past research reports in your chat history.

PRESENTED BY EMERGENT

💡 Ideas to apps without a single line of code

The Rundown: Emergent completely changes the workflow for app creators by turning descriptions into production-ready apps with no code required — allowing you to launch faster, smarter, and simpler products for everything from quick MVPs to full-scale platforms.

Emergent's workflow is simple:

• Type what you want, like "a marketplace app with secure payments”

• See your complete application built instantly with all necessary components

• Fine-tune and customize to easily tweak designs and add new features

• Go live to real users with a single click for instant deployments

Bring your idea to life today with code VIBEWITHRUNWAY.

SHOPIFY

💼 Shopify’s new AI store builder, tools

Image source: Shopify

The Rundown: Shopify just released its Summer '25 Edition, packed with AI-powered features, including an automated store builder that creates complete storefronts from simple text descriptions and major upgrades to its Sidekick AI assistant.

The details:

• Shopify’s AI store builder lets merchants type descriptions to quickly generate ready-to-launch online stores with custom designs, images, and layouts.

• The platform offers new AI-enhanced ‘Horizon’ themes, allowing merchants to customize their store designs without coding.

• The upgraded Sidekick now supports voice conversations and screen sharing, and can also handle tasks like running reports and creating discount codes.

• New AI shopping agent tools help merchants connect with customers browsing through conversational platforms like Perplexity for broader exposure.

Why it matters: As one of the primary gateways to e-commerce, Shopify’s AI push is quietly an on-boarder for mainstream adoption — with millions of small businesses and merchants able to take advantage of both AI-enhanced site building and an advanced assistant for business tasks and customer acquisition.

QUICK HITS

🛠️ Trending AI Tools

• 🎬 Flow - Google’s new AI filmmaking platform

• 🎥 Veo 3 - Google’s SOTA video model with synchronized audio capabilities

• 📱 Gemma 3n - Open-source, mobile-first model with strong capabilities

• 🎆 Imagen 4 - New upgraded image model with enhanced text capabilities

💼 AI Job Opportunities

• 🎨 The Rundown - Designer (Brand & Platform)

• 📂 Meta - Data Management Analyst

• 📈 Hebbia - Account Development Leadership

• 🚀 Databricks - Startup Account Executive

📰 Everything else in AI today

ByteDance released BAGEL, a new open-source multimodal foundation model that combines advanced image generation and understanding capabilities.

xAI introduced Live Search API, a new beta feature that allows apps leveraging Grok models to search real-time data from X and the internet.

OpenAI expanded its agentic app-building Responses API with new support for remote MCP servers, image generation, Code Interpreter, and more.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin said at I/O that the company “fully intends that Gemini will be the first AGI”, believing it will come before 2030.

OpenAI’s data center in Abilene, TX, secured $11.6B in new funding, expected to be the largest used by the company as it ramps up its Stargate infrastructure project.

AI benchmarking platform LMArena announced $100M in seed funding, also revealing plans for a new relaunch of the site next week.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Join our next workshop this Friday, May 23rd, at 4 PM EST with Dr. Alvaro Cintas, The Rundown’s AI professor. By the end of the workshop, you’ll be up to speed on the latest from Google and ready to use their new tools in your own projects.

RSVP here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

🤝 Share The Rundown, get rewards

We’ll always keep this newsletter 100% free. To support our work, consider sharing The Rundown with your friends, and we’ll send you more free goodies.

See you soon,

Rowan, Joey, Zach, Alvaro, and Jason—The Rundown’s editorial team

Good morning, AI enthusiasts. Google’s hyped I/O event didn’t disappoint — with a barrage of AI upgrades across its models, agents, search platform, and creative suite.

And best of all? The Rundown was there to catch it all live from Mountain View, CA.

In today’s AI rundown:

• Gemini, Search level up at Google I/O

• Google’s suite of next-gen creative AI tools

• Create professional video ads with AI timeline editing

• FutureHouse’s AI makes first scientific discovery

• 4 new AI tools & 4 job opportunities

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

GOOGLE I/O

🚀 Gemini, Search level up at Google I/O

Image source: The Rundown @ Google I/O

The Rundown: Google just unveiled major upgrades to its flagship Gemini and Gemma AI models at Google I/O, coming alongside new AI search and shopping features, a series of new agentic tools, and more.

Gemini / Models:

• Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash received updates, with Pro sweeping benchmarks and Arena leaderboards and Flash leveling up while maintaining speed.

• A new “2.5 Deep Think” reasoning model is being released to testers, which shows new highs across math, coding, and multimodal reasoning benchmarks.

• Gemma 3n launched in preview, a mobile-first open model that rivals larger models like Claude 3.7 Sonnet while being optimized for on-device use.

• Gemini Live with camera and screen sharing rolled out for free to all users, with new personalization integrations launching in the coming weeks.

Search / Agents:

• AI Mode in search will now be powered by Gemini 2.5 and is going live for all U.S. users, alongside new ‘Deep Search’ and Gemini Live embedded features.

• Other AI Mode features include a virtual try-on tool, agentic shopping assistance, and Search Live for real-time, multimodal voice queries.

• Google's coding agent Jules entered public beta, with the ability to work on developer tasks in the background and integrate directly with codebases.

• Both Search and Gemini are gaining Agent Mode, which can complete as many as 10 tasks simultaneously on a user’s behalf.

Why it matters: These I/O releases feel like the culmination of years of research projects finally coming to life throughout the company’s sprawling AI ecosystem. The search upgrades also represent a major evolution, with new personalization and live capabilities that drastically change how users will interact with its flagship product.

TOGETHER WITH ANGELQ

👦 Your child’s first AI

The Rundown: From the creators of KidRails for LLMs, AngelQ is launching the ultimate super browser for kids. AngelQ’s AI-powered, kid-safe search helps your child learn faster, explore more, and stay protected every step of the way.

AngelQ's kid-safe features include:

• Asking questions and receiving age-appropriate answers.

• Advanced research capabilities specifically designed for young minds

• Videos and image search without ads or inappropriate content

Get a free year of AngelQ with code Rundown365.

GOOGLE I/O

🌌 Google’s suite of next-gen creative AI tools 

Image source: Google

The Rundown: Google also announced a flurry of new creative models and tool upgrades at I/O, including the new Veo 3 and Imagen 4 models, a new AI filmmaking platform, Lyria music upgrades and broader availability, and more.

The details:

• The next-gen Veo 3 video model can generate synchronized audio, including sound effects, ambient sounds, and dialogue alongside video outputs.

• Veo 2 receives new filmmaker-focused features like character and scene consistency, camera movement controls, and inpainting and outpainting editing.

• The new Imagen 4 model brings new quality improvements and the ability to render fine details and precise typography, with support for 2k resolution.

• Flow combines AI models into a filmmaking platform, allowing for the creation of scenes using natural language and character, scene, and style management.

• The new models are available with the company’s new Google AI Ultra plan for $250 / mo and via Google’s Vertex enterprise platform.

Why it matters: Google continues to cook in the creative suite, with some impressive upgrades on the image and video/filmmaking front that look to take the next step up for the industry. The addition of synced audio to SOTA video brings a brand new control and coherence to generations that will unlock a wild amount of creative options.

AI TRAINING

🎬 Create professional video ads with AI timeline editing

The Rundown: In this tutorial, you will learn how to use LTX Studio's timeline feature to transform simple text prompts into fully edited videos with music, sound effects, and voiceovers in minutes.

Step-by-step:

1. Start an LTX Studio project and create shots by entering text prompts in the storyboard view

2. Transform still images into videos in the motion editor by selecting your favorite video models

3. Adjust clip lengths, rearrange order, and layer shots in the timeline view

4. Include soundtracks, voiceovers, auto sound effects, and adjust character expressions

Pro tip: Check out our exclusive workshop on how to use the timeline editor of LTX Studio here. Additionally, full Rundown University members enjoy a free month of the Standard Plan.

PRESENTED BY HOISTINGER HORIZONS

🚀 Launch apps and websites in minutes with no code

The Rundown: Hostinger Horizons is making web development accessible to everyone with a no-code platform that turns simple prompts into beautiful, functional websites and web apps in minutes — all without writing a single line of code.

With Hostinger Horizons, you can:

• Create and edit with simple natural language conversations and image uploads

• Enable logins, accept payments, and go live with a single click

• Launch professionally hosted sites with custom domains, email, and 24/7 live support

Get started for free. 

FUTUREHOUSE

👁️ FutureHouse’s AI makes first scientific discovery

Image source: FutureHouse

The Rundown: FutureHouse announced that their multi-agent AI system "Robin" made its first major scientific breakthrough, identifying a promising new treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration — a leading cause of blindness.

The details:

• Robin autonomously generated hypotheses, designed experiments, analyzed data, and created research figures, with humans handling the physical lab work.

• The system identified ripasudil, a drug already approved in Japan for glaucoma, as a novel treatment candidate for dAMD — which was confirmed in lab tests.

• Robin's code and data will be open-sourced next week, along with agents Crow (literature search), Falcon (deep review), and Finch (data analysis).

Why it matters: Along with coding, science feels like one of the first frontiers that will see the quickest transformation to AI-human collaboration across workflows — both fast-tracking research and expanding the limits of how researchers propose and design new experiments and hypotheses.

QUICK HITS

🛠️ Trending AI Tools

• ⚙️ GitHub Copilot Coding Agent - Fully autonomous agent for coding tasks

• 🔬 Microsoft Discovery - AI R&D enterprise platform for scientific research

• 🤖 Magentic-UI - Microsoft’s open-source human-centric web agent

• 📝 NotebookLM - Google’s AI podcast and info tool, now available for Android

💼 AI Job Opportunities

• 🎨 Runway - Sr. Brand Designer

• 🧱 Together AI - Senior Data Engineer

• 👁️‍🗨️ Meta - Computer Vision Engineer

• 🧑‍💻 DeepL - Staff Product Designer

📰 Everything else in AI today

Tencent released Hunyuan Game, an AI-powered game production engine for streamlining the creative process of game development.

Google announced Google Beam, a communications platform that uses AI to convert 2D video streams into 3D immersive experiences.

Intelligent Internet open-sourced II-Agent, a new agent framework that surpasses industry-leading agents on benchmarks with strong performance across tasks.

Google launched Stitch, a new experiment in Labs allowing users to quickly create impressive user interfaces via simple text prompts or reference images.

Apple is reportedly planning to open its AI models to third-party developers, allowing app creators to build on the language models behind Apple Intelligence.

Google provided new demos of its Android XR smartglasses powered by Gemini, also announcing partnerships with Warby Parker and other eyewear brands.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Watch our last live workshop

We just held a workshop with Canva on how to scale visual content creation using Canva Sheets, Magic Write, and AI-powered tools — with no design experience required.

Watch it here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

See you soon,

Rowan, Joey, Zach, Alvaro, and Jason—The Rundown’s editorial team

Good morning, tech enthusiasts. Google’s biggest developer conference, Google I/O 2025, kicks off today, with AI set to be the star of the show.

As tech giants vie for dominance in the AI arena, this year’s event promises a showcase of cutting-edge innovations — offering not just a window into Google’s future but a preview of the AI-powered tech set to transform our everyday lives.

In today’s tech rundown:

• Google I/O kicks off, and it’s all about AI

• China starts building a supercomputer in space

• TikTok wants teens to stop scrolling and meditate

• Airbnb aims to be an ‘everything app’

• Quick hits on other major news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

GOOGLE

☁️ Google I/O kicks off, and it’s all about AI

Image source: Google

The Rundown: Google’s biggest developer conference, I/O 2025, starts today with AI firmly in the spotlight — promising major upgrades to Gemini, new agentic tools like Project Astra, and deeper integration across Android, Search, and XR.

The details:

• The spotlight will be on Google’s Gemini AI, with new features, smarter models, and deeper integration into Google TV, Wear OS 6, and more.

• Demos of Google’s next-gen AI agent, Project Astra, are anticipated, highlighting real-time AI capabilities and integration with smart glasses.

• While some Android 16 features were revealed last week, more details are expected today, including security, privacy, and accessibility features.

• Announcements about Google’s XR platform and the debut of its smart glasses— likely featuring a live on-stage demo — are also expected.

Why it matters: Googlers are anticipating the reveal of the Project Moohan XR platform and the introduction of the new Material 3 design language. But more than anything, this year’s I/O is marked by Google’s ambitious push to make AI central to everything it does—positioning itself to lead the next era of technology..

ADA SPACE

🚀 China starts building a supercomputer in space

Image source: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

The Rundown: China just launched the first 12 satellites of its ambitious 2,800-satellite “Three-Body Computing Constellation,” marking a major milestone in building the world’s first dedicated orbital supercomputing network.

The details:

• The satellites, developed by ADA Space, can process data directly in orbit using advanced AI, reducing the need to send raw data back to Earth.

• Each satellite can process vast amounts of information, promising a combined computing capacity of 5 peta operations per second (POPS).

• Equipped with an 8B-parameter AI model, each satellite can handle 744 trillion operations per second, with inter-satellite communication at up to 100 Gbps.

• The network will also feature 30TB of onboard storage, supporting real-time, in-orbit data analysis for applications like emergency response and research.

Why it matters: The Chinese space network’s projected capacity of 5 POPS is about three times more powerful than the El Capitan supercomputer. And with plans to scale up to 1,000 POPS, China aims to far exceed the capabilities of any Earth-based system, potentially setting a new benchmark for space-based computing and AI infrastructure.

TIKTOK

😵‍💫 TikTok wants teens to stop scrolling and meditate

Image source: TikTok

The Rundown: In the face of allegations that it lures teens into late-night scrolling, TikTok has launched a new in-app guided meditation feature that activates automatically when a user under 18 is on the app after 10 p.m.

The details:

• The “Meditation in Sleep Hours” tool interrupts your feed with a meditation prompt featuring soothing visuals and music and guided breathing exercises. 

• If teens continue to use the app after the first meditation prompt, they receive a second, full-screen notification that is harder to dismiss.

• Adults can activate the feature at any time from the Screen Time settings within the app and choose their preferred meditation schedule.

• In trials, TikTok said 98% of teens who used the meditation feature chose to keep it enabled, suggesting strong engagement among young users.

Why it matters: TikTok’s introduction of the meditation feature comes as the company faces a wave of lawsuits and mounting criticism over its impact on youth’s mental health with prolonged doomscrolling, especially at night. To counteract the bad buzz, the company has also pledged $2.3M in ad credits to mental health organizations.

AIRBNB

🏡 Airbnb aims to be an ‘everything app’ 

Image source: Airbnb

The Rundown: Airbnb wants to transform itself into an “everything app” by expanding far beyond home rentals to offer a wide range of services and experiences, aiming to become a daily-use lifestyle platform.

The details:

• Airbnb’s 2025 Summer Release marks the first phase of this strategy, introducing a redesigned app and new offerings called Airbnb Services.

• Users can now book a wide range of services, from private chefs to massages, even if they’re not staying in an Airbnb.

• At launch, over 10K vendors are offering services in 260 cities across 30 countries, with plans to expand into hundreds of service categories.

• Airbnb’s Explore tab now lets users browse homes, services, and experiences worldwide, while the revamped Trips tab offers a comprehensive travel itinerary.

Why it matters: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has described the shift as similar to Amazon’s evolution from bookseller to the “everything store,” positioning Airbnb to rival global superapps like WeChat and Grab. This strategic shift also addresses emerging competition from generative AI and agent-based travel planning.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in tech today

Chinese electric vehicle battery maker CATL raised at least $4.6B when it debuted on the Hong Kong stock exchange today, marking the world’s biggest IPO this year.

Biotech firm Regeneron is buying genetic testing company 23andMe, once valued at more than $6B, out of bankruptcy for $256M.

Netflix says it will roll out AI-generated ads in 2026 for its ad-supported tier that will play in the middle of a show or whenever users hit pause.

Trump signed the “Take It Down Act,” a bipartisan measure to curtail the distribution of nonconsensual intimate images and AI-generated deepfakes, into law on Monday.

Apple is reportedly preparing to let iPhone users in the EU designate third-party voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant as the system default over Siri.

Nikola, a hydrogen trucking company, is up for auction after filing for bankruptcy, with $114M worth of hydrogen trucks and material up for sale.

Aurora Innovation reversed its recent move to operate fully driverless trucks in Texas by placing a human observer back in the driver’s seat.

AI startup Doji raised $14M in seed funding for an app that lets users instantly try on any clothing they can link to, creating photo-realistic virtual fashion avatars. 

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, received California’s approval to expand its driverless ride-hailing service to include San Jose and parts of the South Bay. 

Revolut, a British fintech company that generated $3.8B in revenue last year, announced plans to invest over $1.1B in France over the next three years.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Join our live workshop today at 5pm EST with Danny Wu (Head of AI at Canva) and Kelsey Moore (Product Marketing Manager). In this hands-on session, you’ll learn how to scale your visual content creation using Canva Sheets, Magic Write, and AI-powered tools — no design experience required. Discover how Canva AI is helping marketers and content teams generate social media assets in bulk.

RSVP here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

See you soon,

Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team

Good morning, AI enthusiasts. Microsoft just kicked off a hotly anticipated AI week with its Build 2025 event, sharing a vision for an “open agentic web” with a flood of new tools and platforms.

With Google, Anthropic, and (likely) OpenAI also expected to bring some heat in the coming days, the AI industry’s next major acceleration may officially be underway.

In today’s AI rundown:

• Microsoft’s vision for an open agentic web

• Microsoft’s new AI to speed up science R&D

• Transform photos into talking videos instantly

• AI headphones translate crowds in 3D

• 4 new AI tools & 4 job opportunities

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

MICROSOFT

🌐 Microsoft’s vision for an open agentic web

Image source: Microsoft

The Rundown: Microsoft just introduced its vision for an “open agentic web” at Build 2025, releasing a slew of new AI-powered tools and upgrades, including a revamped GitHub Copilot, Copilot Studio, Azure Foundry, an AI browser agent, and more.

The details:

• GitHub Copilot upgrades from an in-editor assistant to an agent that works asynchronously, with Microsoft also open-sourcing Copilot Chat in VS Code.

• Microsoft dropped Magentic-UI, an open-source research prototype for human-in-the-loop web agents, focused on user collaboration and control.

• The company is also adding Grok 3 and Grok 3 mini models from xAI to Azure AI Foundry, enabling developers to choose from over 1,900 models.

• A new open project called NLWeb aims to be like HTML for the agentic web, making it easy to add conversational UI to websites.

• Copilot expands with new tuning, allowing orgs to train models on company data, alongside multi-agent orchestration to collaborate on business tasks.

Why it matters: Microsoft kicked off a big week in AI with massive announcements at Build, and while the ‘year of the AI agent’ hasn’t yet been as practical as many expected, the needle is moving in the right direction — as is an industry shift to open source, as evidenced by the tech giant’s flurry of releases.

Watch CEO Satya Nadella’s full keynote here.

TOGETHER WITH DROPBOX

📚 All your knowledge, one search

The Rundown: Dropbox Dash offers AI-powered search and knowledge management across content types and platforms, then turns the results into ready-to-use drafts — so you spend less time searching and more time creating.

With Dropbox Dash, you can:

• Search videos, images, docs, and people across all connected apps in seconds

• Generate briefs, summaries, and first drafts with built-in AI writing tools

• Keep work secure with custom exclusions, GDPR compliance, and self-hosted AI

Experience Dropbox Dash today.

MICROSOFT

🔬 Microsoft’s new AI to speed up science R&D

Image source: Microsoft

The Rundown: Microsoft also unveiled Discovery at Build, a new enterprise platform to speed up scientific research by enabling scientists to team up with specialized AI agents that crunch data and run experiments, accelerating findings from years to hours.

The details:

• Discovery uses AI "postdoc" agents and a graph-based knowledge engine to help researchers form hypotheses, simulate experiments, and analyze results.

• Microsoft showcased its power by discovering a novel, non-PFAS datacenter coolant prototype in about 200 hours, a task that usually takes months or years.

• Discovery aims to democratize supercomputing, allowing scientists to use natural language instead of needing deep coding skills.

• Big names like GSK, Estée Lauder, NVIDIA, and Synopsys are already lining up to integrate Discovery into R&D for everything from pharma to chip design.

Why it matters: Discovery could compress R&D timelines across industries by removing technical barriers between scientists and advanced tools. While previous AI science initiatives have often underdelivered, Microsoft's approach of combining AI agents with supercomputing power could help bridge the gap between hype and reality.

AI TRAINING

📸 Transform photos into talking videos instantly

The Rundown: In this tutorial, you will learn how to use HeyGen's Avatar IV to turn any photo into a realistic talking video with just a script and voice selection.

Step-by-step:

1. Visit HeyGen and select “Photo to Video with Avatar IV” from the Home tab

2. Upload a clear photo of a face (at least 720p recommended)

3. Add your script and select a voice (choose from the library, create new, or integrate a third-party voice like from ElevenLabs)

4. Click “Generate video” and wait for processing to complete

Pro tip: You should use high-resolution photos with good lighting for the most natural-looking talking avatars.

PRESENTED BY UNSTRUCTURED

📚 End-to-End RAG with Unstructured + Databricks

The Rundown: Ready to go from messy, unstructured data to a deployed AI assistant? Join Unstructured’s live webinar today to learn how to build an end-to-end RAG pipeline using Unstructured + Databricks.

Join to learn:

• How to prepare raw data for RAG with Unstructured

• How to store and manage chunks + embeddings in Delta Tables

• How to set up Databricks Vector Search for fast, accurate retrieval

• How to deploy a chatbot using LangChain + Databricks

Register here to join live or to get the recording.

AI RESEARCH

🎧 AI headphones translate crowds in 3D

Image source: UW Washington

The Rundown: University of Washington researchers just developed an AI-powered headphone system that can translate multiple speakers simultaneously while preserving spatial location and unique voice characteristics.

The details:

• A "Spatial Speech Translation" system uses off-the-shelf noise-canceling headphones rigged with extra mics to pick up surrounding conversations.

• AI algorithms then separate individual speakers, translate speech in real-time, and play it back — preserving both voice qualities and spatial location.

• The device scans 360 degrees like radar to detect and track multiple speakers, even as the subjects or the wearer move.

• The tech currently works for Spanish, German, and French with a 2-4 second delay, and can run locally on devices using an Apple M2 chip.

Why it matters: Translation apps have gotten much better in the AI era, but still often struggle with real-world scenarios that are often noisy and bustling. This spatial approach is a practical game changer — and its integration into everyday devices like AirPods would completely change how we interact across language barriers.

QUICK HITS

🛠️ Trending AI Tools

• 📝 Notion AI Enterprise Search -  Gives you the ability to search across 3x more connected apps, plus PDFs and databases*

• ⚙️ Codex - OpenAI’s agent that handles multiple coding tasks at the same time

• 📊 Grok - xAI’s advanced AI model, now capable of generating visual charts

• 🤖 Agent Neo - Flowith’s new autonomous, million-context creation agent

*Sponsored Listing

💼 AI Job Opportunities

• 📞 The Rundown - Account Manager

• 🤝 OpenAI - Corporate Development Integration Lead

• 📊 Deepmind - Product Manager, Gemini Data

• ⚙️ Mistral AI - Operations Lead

📰 Everything else in AI today

Elon Musk shared more about Grok 3.5 at Build, saying it’ll reason from first principles and apply physics across all lines of reasoning to be truthful with minimal errors.

Apple’s former Head of AI, John Giannandrea, reportedly lobbied for the company to partner with Google’s Gemini over ChatGPT due to concerns over trustworthiness.

OpenAI CPO Kevin Weil said that the progression of AI agents from junior developers to senior architects will eventually lead to humans supervising AI engineering managers.

Nvidia introduced NVLink Fusion at Computex 2025, a new initiative that opens its ecosystem to allow rival CPUs and GPUs to connect with Nvidia hardware.

China issued a statement telling the U.S. to “correct its wrongdoings” following recent guidance that said using Huawei’s AI chips will be a violation of U.S. export controls.

Google released an Android app for its viral NoteBookLM information tool, allowing users to generate AI podcasts, study guides, briefing documents, and more via mobile.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Join our live workshop today at 5pm EST with Danny Wu (Head of AI at Canva) and Kelsey Moore (Product Marketing Manager). In this hands-on session, you’ll learn how to scale your visual content creation using Canva Sheets, Magic Write, and AI-powered tools — no design experience required.

RSVP here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

See you soon,

Rowan, Joey, Zach, Alvaro, and Jason—The Rundown’s editorial team

Good morning, robotics enthusiasts. NVIDIA just unveiled Isaac GR00T N1.5 — the latest leap in humanoid reasoning and adaptability — alongside new synthetic tools that slash training times from months to mere days.

The breakthroughs are poised to ignite what CEO Jensen Huang calls the next industrial revolution. The question is: As humanoids become smarter, how soon before they become essential players, or disruptors, in our daily lives?

In today’s robotics rundown:

• NVIDIA’s big updates to Isaac GR00T AI

• A giant robotic centipede for precision farming

• Four-legged spider bot that crawls and flies

• The rise of robot dogs in Singapore

• Quick hits on other robotics news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

NVIDIA

🤖 NVIDIA’s major updates to Isaac GR00T AI

Image source: NVIDIA

The Rundown: At Computex 2025, NVIDIA announced Isaac GR00T N1.5, the first major update to its open, customizable foundation model for humanoid reasoning and skills, alongside a synthetic motion data blueprint to accelerate robot training.

The details:

• The core update in N1.5 uses a dual-system design inspired by human thinking: “System 1” for quick reactions, while “System 2” manages planning.

• The GR00T-Dreams blueprint generates synthetic motion data, allowing developers to create vast datasets of robot behaviors in simulation.

• Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, and XPENG Robotics are already integrating these Isaac technologies to fast-track their own humanoids.

• NVIDIA also introduced its Blackwell systems, including RTX PRO 6000 workstations and servers, purpose-built for robot training and deployment.

Why it matters: These new updates allow developers to train robots on new behaviors and adapt to unfamiliar environments without relying solely on real-world data collection, which can radically fast-track humanoid development and deployment. Plus, the Blackwell systems deliver 18x greater performance for large-scale processing.

GROUND CONTROL ROBOTICS

 🍇 A giant robotic centipede for precision farming

Image source: Ground Control Robotics

The Rundown: Atlanta-based startup Ground Control Robotics developed a giant robotic centipede designed for precision weeding and crop monitoring, reducing the need for chemical herbicides and manual labor.

The details:

• The bot’s numerous articulated segments and legs enable it to move across rough, uneven, or cluttered terrain where traditional robots often get stuck.

• It uses a cable-driven mechanism for each segment, simplifying construction, reducing weight, and enhancing durability in harsh field conditions.

• The robot can spot-spray weeds or mechanically remove them, offering an alternative to herbicides and further supporting sustainable practices.

• Its ground-hugging form allows it to slip beneath dense foliage and trellises, making it ideal for specialty crops like berries and grapes.

Why it matters: Designed for decentralized operation, multiple bots can work together as a coordinated swarm, with the company aiming to keep the price affordable for small farms. The company is also exploring another potential use case: swarms of giant robotic centipedes on the battlefield, which is truly the stuff of nightmares.

UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

🕷️ Four-legged spider bot that crawls and flies

Image source: The University of Tokyo’s Dragon Lab/YouTube

The Rundown: The University of Tokyo researchers just unveiled SPIDAR, a novel hybrid robot equipped with AI sensors and vectorable rotors embedded in each link, allowing it to crawl, climb, walk, and fly.

The details:

• The bot is equipped with a vectorable thrust control system—essentially, a set of adjustable propellers that allow it to dynamically shift from walking to flying.

• SPIDAR is also equipped with a comprehensive array of sensors—including cameras, lidar, and IMUs—for detailed environmental perception and navigation.

• Onboard AI processes sensor data to autonomously select the most efficient movement mode, adapting instantly to changing terrain or obstacles.

Why it matters: SPIDAR’s sensors and AI can assess its surroundings and determine the optimal mode of movement, whether it’s flying or crawling. While more work needs to be done, this fusion of mobility modes could revolutionize search-and-rescue operations, industrial inspections, and environmental monitoring.

SINGAPORE

🦴 The rise of robot dogs in Singapore

Image source: Deep Robotics

The Rundown: In the gleaming city-state of Singapore, robot dogs are reportedly fast becoming an everyday sight, with growing numbers guarding bus depots, patrolling construction sites, and even guiding the visually impaired through public spaces.

The details:

• Singapore’s investment in R&D and public-private collaboration is positioning the nation as a model for smart city robotics adoption.

• The bots are equipped with LiDAR, cameras, microphones, and tactile feedback systems to navigate complex urban environments.

• Some robot dogs are being piloted as mobility aids for the visually impaired, using voice prompts and haptic feedback to guide users through public areas.

• On construction sites, robot dogs can access hazardous areas, monitor structural integrity, and provide real-time data to project managers.

Why it matters: The number of robotics firms in Singapore has grown by 50% since 2023. As robot dogs move from novelty to necessity, Singapore is poised to become a global leader in the practical integration of robotics into daily life, raising intriguing questions about the future of human-robot coexistence in smart cities.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in robotics today

Beijing analysts predict that humanoid prices dropping below $35K threatens 123M jobs in China, with 70% of these jobs likely to be replaced within the next decade.

K-Scale Labs, a Silicon Valley-based startup, released its open-source stack for its K-Bot humanoid, priced at $9K, with deliveries slated for July.

China’s Huaneng Group deployed the world’s largest fleet of autonomous electric mining trucks—over 100 hauling trucks—at the Yimin coal plant in Inner Mongolia.

Tesla posted a video of its Full Self-Driving system navigating the complex Arc de Triomphe roundabout in Paris, as it prepares for the robotaxi launch in Austin.

Unitree robots are training for the world’s first MMA-style “Mech Combat Arena,“ with humanoids fighting in the ring, to be broadcast in China this month.

China’s massive Jiu Tian SS-UAV autonomous drone, capable of high-altitude flights with a 1,000 kg payload, is slated for its maiden flight in June.

Seven-Eleven Japan launched the first public road trial of two autonomous delivery robots, developed by LOMBY and Suzuki, in Hachioji, western Tokyo.

Dubai-based Lumasky set a new record by using 9K drones in a light show celebrating the opening of Disneyland Abu Dhabi.

Boston Dynamics and LG Innotek are partnering to give humanoids better eyes by developing advanced vision systems for the Atlas robot.

UK researchers developed an octopus robot featuring a suction system that allows it to sense its environment and adjust its grip to handle delicate objects.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Join our live workshop on Tuesday, May 20th, at 5pm EST with Danny Wu (Head of AI at Canva) and Kelsey Moore (Product Marketing Manager). In this hands-on session, you’ll learn how to scale your visual content creation using Canva Sheets, Magic Write, and AI-powered tools — no design experience required.

RSVP here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

See you soon,

Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team

Good morning, AI enthusiasts. OpenAI just took the next step in software development’s AI evolution, with a new Codex agent that can autonomously handle multiple tasks at once.

With the cloud-based system taking on everything from feature development to bug fixes with minimal oversight, the line between human and AI coding is blurring faster than ever.

In today’s AI rundown:

• OpenAI’s new software engineering agent

• Google, Netflix bring AI to video advertising

• Automate Educational Content with Zapier Agents

• Study: AIs build their own social norms

• 4 new AI tools & 4 job opportunities

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

OPENAI

🤖 OpenAI’s new software engineering agent

Image source: OpenAI

The Rundown: OpenAI just introduced Codex, a new cloud-based software engineering agent that can autonomously handle a range of development tasks simultaneously for coders.

The details:

• Codex is built on codex-1, a specialized version of OpenAI's o3 model fine-tuned specifically for software engineering tasks.

• The system operates in isolated cloud environments, allowing it to write features, fix bugs, answer codebase questions, and run tests.

• It can follow custom instructions via AGENTS.md files that guide its code navigation, testing procedures, and adherence to project standards.

• Codex is initially available to ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise, and Team users, eventually moving to a rate-limited model with options for additional usage.

Why it matters: Companies are using AI to write more and more of their code, and OpenAI’s latest agent pushes even further into the realm of virtual coworkers that can be delegated multiple projects with less hands-on human involvement. AI is changing the software development landscape faster than any other sector.

TOGETHER WITH AWS

💡A CLI that actually answers

The Rundown: Amazon Q Developer CLI is your new pair programmer built into your terminal. Whether you’re juggling file edits, shell scripts, or live API calls, Q Developer CLI keeps pace and learns as you go — no more switching tabs or scouring docs.

With Q Developer CLI, you can:

• Generate code with a single prompt

• Work with local files

• Run bash commands

• Add your own context files and favorite MCP servers

Try the Q Developer CLI free with BuilderID.

AI & ADVERTISING

📺 Google, Netflix bring AI to video advertising

Image source: YouTube

The Rundown: Both YouTube and Netflix introduced new AI-powered ad formats, with YouTube launching "Peak Points" that place ads after emotionally charged content and Netflix planning to use AI-generated ads that visually blend with their shows.

The details:

• YT’s "Peak Points" uses Gemini AI to analyze videos and run ads right after the most thrilling or emotional parts of content.

• Netflix is developing AI-generated ads that will combine brands with show content by placing products over backgrounds inspired by its programs.

• Netflix's approach will include both midroll ads during viewing and specialized pause ads, with interactive features and CTAs planned for late 2025.

Why it matters: It’s no surprise to see AI playing a role in both optimizing and personalizing advertising content for two of the biggest streaming services in the world. Eventually, AI systems will likely be generating ad content on the fly, perfectly tailored to the viewer and perfectly placed for maximum effect.

AI TRAINING

🎓 Automate Educational Content Processing with Zapier

The Rundown: In this tutorial, you will learn how to create an automated system with Zapier Agents that transcribes lecture recordings, generates study materials, and builds quiz questions.

Step-by-step:

1. Visit Zapier Agents, click the plus button, and create a New Agent.

2. Configure your agent to trigger when new recordings are uploaded to a “Lectures” folder in Google Drive

3. Add four essential tools: Google Drive to retrieve the file, ChatGPT to create a transcription and generate educational materials, and Google Docs to compile everything into organized documents.

4. Test your setup with a sample lecture and activate your agent

Pro tip: For professors, include specific prompts in your file names (like “quiz-focus” or “exam-material”) to guide the AI in generating more targeted assessment questions.

PRESENTED BY HACKERRANK

⚙️ HackerRank enters the training data biz

The Rundown: Struggling to source high-quality data for your AI models? HackerRank now offers curated coding datasets designed by the experts who test millions of human developers every year.

With HackerRank, you can:

• Curate a custom dataset on specific software development skills

• Access a workforce of development experts for data labelling and annotation

• Request an evaluation dataset to test your model’s performance

Request a curated dataset today.

AI RESEARCH

👋 Study: AIs build their own social norms

Image source: o3 / The Rundown

The Rundown: New research from the University of London discovered that AI agents can develop shared social conventions and collective behaviors through interaction alone, without any central coordination, much like human communities.

The details:

• The team tested AI "naming games" with groups of agents randomly paired to select labels, with rewards for matching choices and penalties for mismatches.

• Even though individual agents had limited memory and weren't told they were part of a group, shared conventions still emerged across the entire population.

• Group-level biases popped up from these AI interactions alone, even when individual agents started without any specific leanings.

• Tiny but determined AI sub-groups were able to flip the whole community's established norms, just like tipping points in human social shifts.

Why it matters: Groups of AI agents are about to be interacting all over the internet, and this research shows there may be a deeper social dynamic beneath the surface. As agents begin to negotiate, align, and work together over shared goals and behaviors, understanding dynamics will be important in keeping them aligned with human values.

QUICK HITS

🛠️ Trending AI Tools

• 📝 Notion AI Meeting Notes - Leave the note-taking to Notion. AI Meeting Notes captures and summarizes meeting notes automatically, no bots needed*

• 🏄 SWE-1 - Windsurf’s new family of in-house software engineering AI models

• 🏥 II-Medical - Powerful medical-focused AI model able to run locally

• 🤖 Manus - Agentic AI with new image generation capabilities

*Sponsored Listing

💼 AI Job Opportunities

• 🤝 The Rundown - Partnerships Manager

• 💼 Findem - Enterprise Account Executive, Talent CRM

• 🤖 Meta - Research Scientist, Robotics Systems

• 🛠️ Palantir Technologies - Support Specialist

📰 Everything else in AI today

Musician Elton John said the U.K. government is “committing theft, thievery on a high scale” after the rejection of a proposal requiring AI firms to disclose their training data.

OpenAI VP of Research Jerry Tworek said that GPT-5 will unify tools and capabilities like Codex, Operator, Deep Research, and Memory to require less model switching.

xAI said an “unauthorized modification” was made to Grok, causing the system to repeatedly bring up controversial South Africa discussions.

China launched the first 12 satellites of its “Three-Body Computing Constellation,” a 2,800-satellite AI-powered computing network that will process data directly in space.

xAI rolled out a new feature allowing its Grok chatbot to generate visual charts, now available via browser access.

Chinese startup Synyi AI launched the world's first AI doctor clinic in Saudi Arabia, where a virtual physician independently diagnoses patients and prescribes treatments.

University of Tokyo researchers developed an AI-powered microscope system that can detect dangerous blood clots forming in real time through simple blood tests.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Join our live workshop on Tuesday, May 20th, at 5 pm EST with Danny Wu (Head of AI at Canva) and Kelsey Moore (Product Marketing Manager). In this hands-on session, you’ll learn how to scale your visual content creation using Canva Sheets, Magic Write, and AI-powered tools — no design experience required.

RSVP here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

🤝 Share The Rundown, get rewards

We’ll always keep this newsletter 100% free. To support our work, consider sharing The Rundown with your friends, and we’ll send you more free goodies.

See you soon,

Rowan, Joey, Zach, Alvaro, and Jason—The Rundown’s editorial team