Consumer AI: ChatGPT still dominates but rivals are closing the gap

ChatGPT remains the dominant consumer AI product globally, but competitors are gaining ground fast. Olivia Moore writes for Andreessen Horowitz that ChatGPT now reaches 900 million weekly active users, up by 500 million over the past year, meaning more than 10 percent of the global population uses the tool every week. Despite that lead, Google’s …

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Meta acquires AI agent social network Moltbook

Meta has acquired Moltbook, a social networking platform designed for artificial intelligence agents, and will bring its founders into the company’s AI research division. The deal brings Moltbook co-founders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr into Meta Superintelligence Labs, the unit led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang. The pair is expected to start on …

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Yann LeCun’s new AI startup just raised Europe’s largest seed round

AMI Labs, the startup founded by former Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, has raised more than $1bn in its seed round, making it the largest seed funding round ever secured by a European company. Sifted reports that investors include chip giant Nvidia, Singapore’s Temasek, French firms Cathay Innovation and Daphni, German VC HV Capital, …

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Google adds Gemini AI features to Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive

Google has announced a new set of AI-powered features for four of its core productivity apps: Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. The additions expand what Gemini, Google’s AI system, can do inside these tools by connecting it to information stored in a user’s Gmail, Google Chat, and Drive files. The new features are available in …

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With a little help from Claude: Microsoft’s Copilot Cowork takes over your to-do list

Microsoft has announced Copilot Cowork, a cloud-based AI agent that can complete complex tasks across Microsoft 365 applications on behalf of users. Carl Franzen reports for VentureBeat that the tool is built using technology from Anthropic, the AI company behind the competing Claude Cowork product. Copilot Cowork forms the centerpiece of Microsoft’s “Wave 3” update …

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“Brain fry”: The hidden cost of working with AI

A new study warns that intensive use of AI tools is causing a distinct form of mental exhaustion among workers, separate from traditional burnout. Researchers at Boston Consulting Group report findings from a survey of 1,488 full-time U.S.-based workers across industries, roles, and seniority levels. The study identifies a phenomenon the researchers call “AI brain …

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Anthropic launches Claude Marketplace for enterprise AI tools

Anthropic has launched Claude Marketplace, a new platform that gives enterprise customers access to third-party tools built on its Claude AI models. Emilia David reports for VentureBeat that the marketplace currently features products from companies including GitLab, Harvey, Lovable, Replit, Rogo and Snowflake. The platform is designed to simplify procurement. Enterprises with an existing Anthropic …

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Google’s new tool lets AI agents take care of your emails and edit your documents

Google has released an open-source command-line interface (CLI) that gives AI agents direct access to its Workspace suite, including Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Drive and Calendar. Carl Franzen reports for VentureBeat that the tool, called googleworkspace/cli, is designed for both human developers and automated AI agents. The CLI allows developers to interact with all major …

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Lights, camera, algorithm: Netflix bets on Ben Affleck’s vision for AI in film

Netflix has acquired InterPositive, an AI tools company founded by actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck, who will now serve as a senior adviser to the streaming giant. Todd Spangler reports for Variety. The full 16-person team of engineers, researchers and creatives will join Netflix as part of the deal. Financial terms were not disclosed. InterPositive, …

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Think less, do more: Microsoft’s new tiny AI knows when to skip the hard thinking

Microsoft has released Phi-4-reasoning-vision-15B, a compact AI model that processes both images and text and can solve complex math and science problems. Michael Nuñez reports for VentureBeat that the 15-billion-parameter model matches or exceeds the performance of much larger systems while using significantly less computing power and training data. The model is available now on …

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