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Amazon and Perplexity Clash Over AI-Powered Shopping Browser

Amazon and Perplexity Clash Over AI-Powered Shopping Browser

Amazon has demanded that Perplexity stop allowing its Comet AI browser to purchase items on the retailer’s site, labeling the feature a degraded shopping experience. Perplexity responded by accusing Amazon of bullying and citing an aggressive legal threat, arguing that the AI‑driven tool could make shopping easier and boost sales. The dispute highlights differing views on third‑party AI agents in e‑commerce, with Amazon’s leadership emphasizing selective partnerships while Perplexity defends its agentic technology as a legitimate personal shopper.

Microsoft Launches Its First In-House AI Image Generator, MAI-Image-1

Microsoft Launches Its First In-House AI Image Generator, MAI-Image-1

Microsoft has introduced MAI-Image-1, its first internally developed text‑to‑image model, now integrated into Bing Image Creator and Copilot Audio Expressions. Announced in October, the model is praised for fast, photorealistic output, especially in food, nature and artistic lighting scenes. It will also supply visual art for AI‑generated audio stories in Copilot’s story mode. The rollout follows earlier releases of MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-1-preview, signaling Microsoft’s broader push to build its own AI stack while still offering OpenAI and Anthropic models for other services.

Google's 'Moonshot' Project Suncatcher Aims to Build Space‑Based AI Data Centers

Google's 'Moonshot' Project Suncatcher Aims to Build Space‑Based AI Data Centers

Google has unveiled Project Suncatcher, a research effort to place AI‑focused Tensor Processing Units on solar‑powered satellites, creating data centers in orbit. The company argues that space could offer near‑continuous solar energy, potentially making compute more sustainable. Key hurdles include ultra‑high‑speed inter‑satellite links, tight formation flying, radiation tolerance, and cost competitiveness. Google plans a joint launch with Planet to test prototype hardware by 2027, hoping the approach could become comparable to Earth‑based energy costs by the mid‑2030s.

OpenAI Offers Free ChatGPT Go Subscription in India for One Year

OpenAI Offers Free ChatGPT Go Subscription in India for One Year

OpenAI has launched a promotion that makes its ChatGPT Go subscription free for a full year for users in India. The offer applies to both new and existing subscribers and can be redeemed through the ChatGPT website or the Google Play store, with an Apple App Store rollout expected soon. ChatGPT Go provides a selection of premium features—including extended access to GPT‑5, image generation, file uploads, advanced data analysis, longer memory, and custom GPT tools—at a lower price point than ChatGPT Plus. The move highlights India as a key test market for OpenAI’s pricing experiments and positions the company against local and international AI competitors.

Amazon Introduces Alexa Plus AI Assistant to Amazon Music App

Amazon Introduces Alexa Plus AI Assistant to Amazon Music App

Amazon has launched Alexa Plus, a generative AI assistant, within its Amazon Music mobile app for iOS and Android. The new feature, available to users in an early‑access beta, lets listeners ask complex music‑related questions, identify songs by lyrics or context, and receive highly personalized recommendations based on era, mood, artists, instruments, and more. Users can also filter out unwanted content, such as specific genres or performers, while exploring deeper details like chart positions, sample origins, and song meanings.

AI Tools Fuel Student Cheating, Prompting Calls for Corporate Accountability

AI Tools Fuel Student Cheating, Prompting Calls for Corporate Accountability

Educators are warning that AI agents from companies such as OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, and Instructure are being used to complete assignments, quizzes, and essays for students. While firms point to the educational potential of their products, they also acknowledge the difficulty of blocking locally‑run tools. Schools report that AI agents can submit work quickly and evade detection, leading to concerns over academic integrity. Stakeholders are urging a collaborative approach to define responsible AI use in classrooms, but practical solutions remain limited.

Coca-Cola’s AI‑Generated Holiday Ad Draws Mixed Reactions

Coca-Cola’s AI‑Generated Holiday Ad Draws Mixed Reactions

Coca-Cola released a new holiday commercial created with generative AI. The spot features the brand’s iconic red trucks traveling through snowy forests accompanied by animals such as polar bears, rabbits and sloths. While visual quality has improved compared to the previous AI effort—showing more realistic movement and lighting—the ad still feels detached and lacks the emotional warmth that defined earlier campaigns. Industry observers note the move signals a broader shift toward AI in core creative work, but also warn that reliance on machines may erode the human spark that connects with audiences.

Microsoft AI Lead Mustafa Suleyman Says AI Will Not Achieve Consciousness, Calls for Focus on Practical Utility

Microsoft AI Lead Mustafa Suleyman Says AI Will Not Achieve Consciousness, Calls for Focus on Practical Utility

At a recent industry gathering, Microsoft’s AI chief Mustafa Suleyman dismissed the notion that artificial intelligence can become conscious. He argued that asking whether AI can be self‑aware is the wrong question and that the field should instead concentrate on building useful tools. Suleyman emphasized that AI models operate through transparent mathematical processes—token inputs, attention weights, and probability calculations—without any hidden internal experience. He warned against anthropomorphizing chatbots and urged developers and users to keep expectations realistic, focusing on functionality rather than imagined sentience.

Anthropic Projects $70 Billion in Revenue by 2028

Anthropic Projects $70 Billion in Revenue by 2028

Anthropic is targeting up to $70 billion in revenue and $17 billion in cash flow by 2028, driven by rapid adoption of its AI business products. The firm expects its current‑year API sales to reach $3.8 billion, more than double OpenAI’s projected $1.8 billion from the same channel. Partnerships with Microsoft, Salesforce, Deloitte and Cognizant are expanding Claude’s enterprise footprint, while new, cost‑effective models such as Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Claude Haiku 4.5 aim to capture large‑scale deployments. A recent $13 billion financing round valued Anthropic at $170 billion, and future fundraising could push the valuation toward $300–$400 billion. The company also reports a $2.5 billion credit facility and a $1.5 billion legal settlement. Gross‑profit margins are projected to rise to 50% this year and 77% by 2028, marking a dramatic turnaround from a negative 94% margin last year.

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ to Amazon Music App

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ to Amazon Music App

Amazon has rolled out Alexa+, its AI‑powered assistant, within the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android. The feature is available to all subscription tiers but requires early‑access enrollment. Alexa+ enables conversational music discovery, letting users ask detailed questions about artists, lyrics, or movie placements, and it can generate personalized playlists on request. Early users report deeper engagement, exploring songs more frequently and listening to more recommendations. The launch positions Amazon Music against competing AI‑enhanced streaming services and showcases the company’s broader AI ambitions.

ClickUp Launches AI Assistants in 4.0 Upgrade to Challenge Slack and Notion

ClickUp Launches AI Assistants in 4.0 Upgrade to Challenge Slack and Notion

ClickUp has refreshed its productivity platform with a 4.0 release that introduces two AI assistants, aiming to create a single‑shop solution that rivals Slack, Notion and Microsoft Teams. The new agents draw on internal knowledge bases and external tools such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Figma and Gmail, while a general‑purpose assistant called Brain can schedule meetings, generate ideas and draft content. CEO Zeb Evans highlighted the company’s eight‑year vision, recent revenue growth past $300 million, and plans to go public within two years. ClickUp’s funding totals more than $537 million from investors including a16z, Tiger Global, Craft Ventures and Lightspeed.

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ AI Assistant Within Music App

Amazon Introduces Alexa+ AI Assistant Within Music App

Amazon has launched Alexa+ as an early‑access AI assistant embedded in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android. Users can tap an "A" button to ask natural‑language questions about songs, lyrics, moods, eras, and more, and receive conversational responses that help refine searches. The feature also supports playlist creation, music‑related queries, and integrates with a range of Amazon devices, including Echo Studio, Ring, Kindle, and the new Vega smart TV platform. While currently in early access for all Amazon Music tiers, the service will eventually become free for Prime members and cost $20 per month for non‑Prime users.