Eric Schmidt estimates the gap between the US and China in AI development has decreased significantly, from two years to just a few months, due to the plummeting cost of software and increased investment in AI research.
TECHNOLOGY
Google’s Genie 4 lets you build worlds that sound and move like real life
Google has announced Genie 4, a world model that simulates real-world environments with physics and native audio, allowing users to build and interact with virtual spaces in real-time with natural language prompts.
Editor's noteGenie 4 is a demonstration of how far world models have come, not a game-changer. The real test is whether it can scale to longer, more complex simulations without sacrificing quality. Watch whether Genie 4 can maintain its physics and audio simulations for scenes lasting more than two minutes.
Discord messages: How to stop messages from appearing in Google Search
Discord's public servers will be indexed on Google Search, including some messages, from next month. Users can prevent their messages from being searchable by changing their settings in User Settings & Data and Privacy. Server admins can also opt out of Google indexing for their public servers.
MARKETING & DESIGN
How I stopped dreading AI and started studying it full-time
A designer decided to stop fearing AI and instead studied it full-time, creating a 8-week learning plan with the help of Meta's AI agent, Claude, to become proficient in AI skills.
The AI reckoning in UX was 20 years in the making
The UX job market is experiencing a significant downturn, with a 71% drop in job postings and one in three organizations cutting UX staff, echoing previous contractions in 2008 and 2010s.
Editor's noteThe UX field's current downturn is not a new phenomenon, but a repeat of past contractions. The real story is not AI's impact, but the field's own self-inflicted wounds, driven by over-expansion and a failure to adapt. Watch whether the industry's response to this crisis is a genuine effort to reform, or just another attempt to reboot and rebrand.
ADVERTISING & PR
The Scoop: Marissa Mayer wanted to tout her new AI product. She painted a picture many found dystopian.
Marissa Mayer's new AI product, Dazzle, is a personal assistant that analyses a user's camera roll to provide insights. However, Mayer's use of Dazzle to describe her daughter and choose a party theme has been met with criticism and concern about the role of AI in parenting.
Editor's noteMarissa Mayer's AI product is a showcase for the tech industry's problem with paternalism, not innovation. The real issue is not Dazzle's features, but Mayer's willingness to outsource parenting to a machine. Watch whether the tech industry's response to criticism is to tweak the product or question the values it reflects.
What data and AI hide about your customers
Malinda Sandman, Typeform's global VP of Marketing, discusses the impact of AI on marketing, including the shift to a 'clickless' environment and the 'garbage in, garbage out' trap of AI tools.
Apple’s Safari crackdown pushes ad tech toward server-side solutions, but doubts remain
Apple's Safari restrictions have prompted publishers to shift advertising infrastructure to server-side solutions, with some adopting ID5's integrations and others supporting IAB Tech Lab's Trusted Server Framework, amid ongoing industry debate.
HUMAN RESOURCES
AI-Designed eLearning Quality: AI Made Your eLearning Cheap, Not Good
Generative AI has accelerated and decreased the cost of eLearning, but may compromise on actual skill development in favour of completion rates. This can have implications for employee capabilities. Organisations should assess AI-assisted training by its practical outcomes.
AI Is Thriving at Capital One
Capital One is a leading user of AI, with significant capabilities in data analysis and analytics, and has been at the forefront of innovation in this area since its founding in 1994, according to the Evident AI Index of 2025.
Editor's noteCapital One's AI dominance is a product of its founding strategy, not a recent innovation. The bank's long-term commitment to data analysis and analytics has allowed it to scale AI capabilities, but watch the headcount of AI researchers and engineers, as that will determine whether the bank's AI lead is sustainable as the field continues to evolve.
HR Tech 2026: Ten Observations From the Show Floor
At the 2026 HR Tech show, data analysis emerged as a key focus, while agents became a standard feature, and platforms launched three years ago were seen as legacy systems.
PUBLIC POLICY
A US-China-Russia Summit: What’s at Stake?
US, China, and Russia leaders may meet at the APEC summit, potentially influencing the Ukraine conflict and global perceptions of the meeting's significance and implications for international relations and diplomacy.
Serbia’s New Government Needs New Security Services
Serbia's new government faces a key test in reforming its security services, which have been criticized for politicized and violent behavior, including the 2003 assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić and surveillance of journalists and activists.
How Wolford v. Lopez Refines Second Amendment Doctrine
The Supreme Court's decision in Wolford v. Lopez clarified Second Amendment doctrine, holding that governments cannot restrict licensed handgun owners in most areas, and establishing a new standard for determining what falls within the amendment's plain text.
Editor's noteWolford v. Lopez's impact on Second Amendment doctrine is overstated. The decision's real significance lies in its rejection of analogies to past racist gun control laws. Watch whether lower courts apply this new standard consistently, particularly in cases involving Hawaii's 'Vampire Rule'.
