DOWN TO BUSINESS

🛍️ Shopify Launches AI Store Builder for Fast, Code-Free Setup

Shopify has rolled out an AI-powered tool that lets merchants build complete online stores by simply entering descriptive keywords. Part of its Summer '25 Edition, the new “AI Store Builder” quickly generates layouts and content so entrepreneurs can focus on growing their business. The update comes alongside a revamped POS app and a flexible “ship and carry out” option.

📊 Salesforce to Acquire Informatica for $8B to Boost AI Ambitions

Salesforce is acquiring cloud data management firm Informatica to power its next generation of AI agents. The deal brings Informatica’s data cataloging, integration, and governance tools into Salesforce’s growing AI stack. CEO Marc Benioff says the move will help “enable autonomous agents to deliver smarter, safer, and more scalable outcomes” across enterprise use cases.

🧠 Notion Adds AI Research Mode for Enterprise Teams

Notion has rolled out Notion AI for Work, an all-in-one toolkit designed to bring AI directly into your daily workflows. Key features include automated meeting notes, enterprise-wide search across tools like Slack and Google Drive, and a “Research Mode” that auto-drafts detailed reports from scattered data. It also gives teams direct access to leading AI models.

📈 AI plays growing role in Telstra’s five-year transformation plan

Australia’s largest telecom company, Telstra, says its workforce will likely be smaller by 2030 as it leans heavily into AI. The company is already using AI to summarize customer calls and expects big efficiency gains in customer service, software development, and network management. While agentic AI hasn’t launched yet, Telstra says it’s coming soon and it’s a key part of their five-year reinvention plan.

TRENDING TOPIC

🏔️ Kawasaki Debuts Four-Legged Off-Road Vehicle for 2050

At the EXPO 2025, Kawasaki unveiled “CORLEO,” a futuristic off-road mobility vehicle powered by four robotic legs and a hydrogen engine. Designed for adventure, CORLEO adapts to rough terrain, responds to rider movements, and blends motorcycle thrills with robotic stability, offering a sneak peek at what riding could look like in 2050.

HOT MODELS

🧠 OpenAI Launches Codex, a Cloud-Based AI Engineer

Codex is an AI software agent that can write code, fix bugs, and propose pull requests, all in isolated cloud environments tailored to your codebase. Powered by the new Codex-1 model, Codex is trained on real-world coding tasks and aligns closely with human development workflows. Now available to ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise, and Team users, Codex offers test-backed results, detailed logs, and full transparency to help developers build faster.

🧠 Anthropic Launches Claude 4 Models with Smarter AI Coding & Agents

Anthropic has rolled out Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, raising the bar for AI coding, problem-solving, and autonomous agents. Opus 4 is built for heavy-duty engineering work—handling hours-long coding tasks with top performance—while Sonnet 4 delivers upgrades in everyday coding, reasoning, and instruction-following. Both models now support extended reasoning with tool use, improved memory, and background tasks.

🎭 HeyGen Releases Avatar IV

HeyGen has rolled out a new AI model capable of creating lifelike and expressive animations from a single photo while capturing vocal nuances, natural gestures, and facial movements. The model uses a diffusion-inspired "audio-to-expression" engine that analyzes voices to create photorealistic facial motion and micro-expressions. Avatar IV supports various formats, including portrait, half-body, and full-body animations, breaking free from typical "talking head" limitations.

🎼 MIT trains AI to link sound and vision like humans do

MIT researchers have upgraded their multimodal model to learn how sounds and visuals relate without human labels. Called CAV MAE Sync, the system can match specific sounds like a door slam to the exact visual moment it occurs. The tech could one day help robots better understand real-world environments and power smarter tools for journalism, video search, and beyond.

MAKING GAINS

🤖 Taiwan Deploys AI Nurse to Fight Healthcare Burnout

Taiwanese hospitals are trialing Nurabot, an AI-powered nursing assistant developed by Foxconn and NVIDIA to ease staff burnout. Trained in virtual hospital replicas, Nurabot handles tasks like delivering medicine, guiding visitors, and supporting nurses during night shifts. Hospitals say it could cut nurse workloads by up to 30%.

DON’T PANIC

📚 AI Adds Fake Books to Summer Reading List

A syndicated summer reading list that appeared in major U.S. newspapers featured titles that don’t actually exist, thanks to AI. Only 5 of the 15 books listed were real, with the rest being convincingly fabricated by a generative model. The error, which slipped past without human editorial review, sparked backlash across the publishing industry and served as a sharp reminder: AI can support creative work, but it still needs human oversight.

PLOT TWIST

🧹 Meet Tidybot: The AI Robot That Helps Clean Your House

Stanford researchers have unveiled Tidybot, a rolling robotic arm powered by AI that can handle real-life chores. Trained with large language and vision models, Tidybot learns how you like things done, whether it’s putting away clutter, opening drawers, or wiping down counters. Smart, tidy, and no complaints about doing the dishes.