AI search engine Perplexity is partnering with Seattle-based startup Firmly.ai to expand its shopping capabilities. According to Perplexity chief business officer Dmitry Shevelenko, in an interview with Fortune’s Jason Del Rey, over 150 merchants have expressed interest in selling through the platform since its shopping tools launched in November. The Firmly.ai integration will allow thousands …
Groq and PlayAI have partnered to create Dialog, a text-to-speech system that delivers more natural-sounding voice AI. According to Michael Nuñez of VentureBeat, the system combines PlayAI’s voice technology with Groq’s high-speed inference platform. Dialog features an “adaptive speech contextualizer” that maintains awareness of conversation flow, allowing responses with appropriate tone and emotion. The system …
Microsoft has unveiled two “deep reasoning” AI agents called Researcher and Analyst for its Microsoft 365 Copilot platform. According to Richard Lawler from The Verge, these tools are designed to handle complex research tasks and data analysis. Researcher, powered by OpenAI’s deep research model, can conduct multi-step research and access third-party data from sources like …
Amazon is testing new generative AI tools to enhance its e-commerce offerings, including a shopping assistant called Interests AI and a health-focused chatbot. As reported by Annie Palmer for CNBC, these features are currently available to a subset of users. Interests AI allows customers to describe their needs conversationally, generating curated product selections based on …
OpenAI has launched native image generation capabilities directly within ChatGPT, powered by its multimodal model GPT-4o. This new feature, called “Images in ChatGPT,” is now available to users across Plus, Pro, Team, and Free subscription tiers, with Enterprise, Edu, and API access coming soon. Unlike the previous DALL-E 3 image generator, which was a separate …
Google has launched Gemini 2.5 Pro, describing it as their “most intelligent AI model” to date. The new model represents a significant advancement in Google’s AI capabilities, with a particular focus on reasoning abilities that are now built directly into the system. According to Google’s announcement, Gemini 2.5 models are “thinking models” that can reason …
Reve AI has released Reve Image 1.0, a new text-to-image generation model that currently ranks first in image generation quality according to third-party evaluator Artificial Analysis. As reported by Carl Franzen in VentureBeat, the model excels at prompt adherence, aesthetics, and typography – outperforming competitors like Midjourney v6.1 and Google’s Imagen 3. The Palo Alto-based …
OpenAI has updated its Advanced Voice Mode to make conversations with ChatGPT more natural by reducing interruptions when users pause. According to Maxwell Zeff at TechCrunch, the improvements were announced by OpenAI researcher Manuka Stratta. Free users now have access to a version that allows pauses without interruption, while paying subscribers receive additional benefits including …
Silicon Valley entrepreneur and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman advocates for widespread AI adoption as a critical tool for future competitiveness. In an interview with Zoë Corbyn for The Observer, Hoffman discusses his new book “Superagency,” which argues that AI will enhance human capabilities rather than diminish them. “If you don’t use AI you will be …
Artificial intelligence could lead to widespread job displacement, especially if an economic downturn occurs in 2025. According to Gary Grossman, EVP of technology practice at Edelman, while current AI-related job losses appear minimal, the pattern may follow a “gradually, then suddenly” trajectory. Grossman points to data showing that 40% of employers anticipate reducing their workforce …