News

AI and DJs Weigh In on the World’s Catchiest Songs

A recent look at what makes a song stick in listeners’ heads pulls together a museum’s recognition study, the song lists of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot, and the on‑the‑ground insights of New Jersey DJ Mark Pomeroy and Atlanta DJ Sloan Lee. The museum survey ranked pop hits by how quickly people identified them, while AI models produced overlapping but varied top‑ten lists. DJs, seasoned in live events, stress emotional connection, beats per minute and TikTok trends as key drivers of catchiness. Together, these perspectives map a shifting but recognizable set of earworms that span decades and genres.

Eufy Unveils Marswalker Shell Enabling Robot Vacuums to Climb Stairs

Eufy introduced the Marswalker, a tracked platform that can autonomously carry compatible robot vacuums up and down stairs without human help. The shell works with Eufy's Omni S2 vacuum, which features an aromatherapy system and advanced navigation. While the Marswalker does not clean staircases itself, it provides a solution for multilevel homes by transporting the vacuum between floors, recognizing various stair configurations and returning to its dock for charging and emptying. The innovation could reshape the robot‑vacuum market, offering a first‑of‑its‑kind stair‑climbing capability.

Retailers Embrace Agentic AI to Blend Physical and Digital Shopping Experiences

Retail leaders are integrating agentic AI into both online and brick‑and‑mortar channels to enhance customer service, streamline supply chains, and personalize product discovery. A recent Brunswick survey of over 5,000 consumers revealed mixed emotions—half nervous, half excited—yet a clear preference for human interaction when possible. Retailers are balancing rapid AI advances, highlighted by breakthroughs over the past 18 months, with the need for authenticity, transparency, and ethical use, especially as virtual influencers and AI avatars become commonplace. The industry’s success hinges on pairing technology with a human‑centric approach.

Retail Turns to Agentic AI While Tackling Security Risks

Retail operators are adopting agentic AI systems that can reason, decide, and act on real‑world tasks such as inventory management, returns processing, and promotional updates. These autonomous agents promise faster decisions and tighter integration across storefront and back‑office tools. At the same time, industry leaders warn that the same capabilities can expose retailers to prompt manipulation, tool misuse, data leakage, and automation drift. Experts recommend a lifecycle approach that includes clear boundaries, threat modeling, hardened prompts, sandboxed execution, and continuous monitoring to reap the benefits while keeping operations secure.

Nvidia’s Data‑Center Sales Lean Heavily on Three Unnamed Customers

Nvidia’s latest earnings reveal that more than half of its data‑center revenue comes from just three undisclosed clients. The company reported roughly 53% of data‑center sales tied to these customers, amounting to billions of dollars. Industry observers speculate the trio could include Elon Musk’s xAI, an OpenAI‑Oracle partnership, and Meta, though Nvidia has not confirmed any identities. Analysts warn that such concentration creates a structural vulnerability: a shift by any of the three could leave a sizable gap in Nvidia’s financials. Geopolitical factors and recent chip restrictions add further uncertainty to the outlook.

Senior Engineers Embrace AI Coding Tools While Maintaining Oversight, Survey Shows

A Fastly survey finds that over 70% of senior developers say AI‑assisted coding makes their jobs more enjoyable and speeds delivery, though they spend extra effort reviewing machine‑generated code. Only a small share of junior programmers rely heavily on AI, preferring hand‑crafted solutions. The study also reveals generational gaps in energy‑impact awareness, with about 80% of older coders considering power costs versus roughly half of younger developers. Senior engineers, who balance testing, architecture, and mentoring, view AI as a way to recapture the “fun dopamine hit” of programming while staying cautious about broader automation consequences.

Google NotebookLM Expands Audio Overviews with New Formats

Google has upgraded its NotebookLM Audio Overviews by adding three new formats—Brief, Critique, and Debate—alongside the existing Deep Dive mode. The Brief format delivers quick 1‑2 minute summaries, Critique offers constructive feedback, and Debate pits two AI hosts against each other to explore opposing viewpoints. Users can customize tone, language, and length, while the update aims to make the tool more dynamic and accessible, especially for those with visual impairments. The features are currently rolling out in the United States and are expected to expand globally.

Google Unveils Ironwood TPU with Record 1.77PB Shared Memory

Google introduced its seventh‑generation Tensor Processing Unit, dubbed Ironwood, at a recent Hot Chips event. The dual‑die chip delivers 4,614 TFLOPs of FP8 performance and pairs each die with eight stacks of HBM3e, providing 192 GB of memory per chip. When scaled to a 9,216‑chip pod, the system reaches 1.77 PB of directly addressable memory—the largest shared‑memory configuration ever recorded for a supercomputer. The architecture includes advanced reliability features, liquid‑cooling infrastructure, and AI‑assisted design optimizations, and is already being deployed in Google Cloud data centers for large‑scale inference workloads.

DuckDuckGo Expands Subscription to Include Latest AI Models

DuckDuckGo has upgraded its privacy‑focused subscription plan to give members access to a range of cutting‑edge AI models without additional fees. The plan, which already bundles a VPN service, personal information removal, and identity theft restoration, now includes models such as Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Haiku, Meta’s Llama 4 Scout, Mistral AI’s Mistral Small 3 24B, and OpenAI’s GPT‑4o mini. Users on the $9.99‑per‑month tier will also be able to use newer models like GPT‑4o, GPT‑5, Claude Sonnet 4, and Llama Maverick, offering more nuanced responses while maintaining DuckDuckGo’s privacy emphasis.

Robot Lawn Mowers: How They Work, Features and Top Picks

Robot lawn mowers use rechargeable batteries and autonomous navigation to trim grass regularly, leaving cuttings on the lawn as mulch. They come in satellite, camera, wire‑boundary and remote‑control varieties, each with distinct setup needs. Premium models like the Husqvarna Automower 450X offer satellite‑based exact positioning for large lawns, while more affordable options such as the Anthbot Genie 3000 use GPS. Remote‑control options like the Mowrator S1 provide a hands‑on experience. Installation is generally DIY, but placement of receivers and charging, weather resistance, and boundary setup are key considerations before purchase.

Ecovacs Unveils Fast-Charging Deebot X11 Omnicyclone Robovac

Ecovacs has launched the Deebot X11 Omnicyclone, a new robotic vacuum and mop that uses GaN-enabled fast charging to top up its battery each time it returns to its base for mop rinses. The device delivers 19,500 Pa of suction power, a 15 mm extended roller mop, and a 4WD system with mechanical climbing levers that handle thresholds, rugs, doorframes and uneven surfaces. Its base station features auto‑empty technology and hot‑water cleaning for the mop roller. Priced at $1,499, the X11 Omnicyclone is available for purchase in the United States and Canada.

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