The news: Amazon is testing humanoid delivery robots, per The Information, which could work in tandem with human drivers or as part of an autonomous fleet of delivery vehicles. The humanoid robotics team is working on incorporating large language models (LLMs) from Chinese companies DeepSeek and Alibaba so the bots can contextualize real-world surroundings. Our take: Delivery bots could help with heavy loads and ease the burden on human drivers, but Amazon might be better served with a less human form factor, such as a platform with walking legs to carry packages. The focus on humanoids could limit functionality, and bringing the uncanny valley to consumers’ front door could be off-putting.
The trend: From insight generation and content creation to media placement and regulatory reviews, generative AI (genAI) is becoming more connected to every part of pharma marketing. Our take: The tech is helping pharma marketers and ad agencies create more personalized ads and better predict ad performance—but overall, genAI usage is still pretty nascent in the industry.
The news: Medical AI startup OpenEvidence inked a multi-year agreement with JAMA Network that gives the company access to full-text content from the American Medical Association’s 13 medical journals. Our take: OpenEvidence is competing with Wolters Kluwer’s UptoDate medical information tool, which is used by a few million clinicians worldwide and has recently integrated its own AI search capabilities. One big difference between the products is that OpenEvidence is free for doctors and generates revenue through advertising. Meanwhile, UptoDate does not provide advertising opportunities. We think that OpenEvidence’s internal AI prowess could give it the leg up as long as its in-platform advertising doesn’t turn off doctors too much.
93% of business and tech leaders view it as a way to offer proactive support but caution that human empathy and oversight still matter.
Perplexity Labs signals a pivot from AI search to full-stack enterprise tools, positioning the startup as a rising competitor to Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI in workplace automation.
AI Edge Gallery shows Google's bet on offline AI, turning Android phones into self-contained smart tools. It outpaces Apple’s walled approach but faces usability hurdles.
Tools like Smart+ and Content Suite help brands find trending creator content, predict ad success, and target more precisely.
It will rely on automated systems to approve algorithm updates and safety features, potentially sidelining privacy teams and risking half-baked feature launches.
Publishers are shifting from ad-driven models to licensing and subscriptions: AI is accelerating the end of traffic-chasing media economics.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Google embedding an AI chatbot into search changes things, why Anthropic’s Claude API could reshape search, and why tech companies might not be the winners of the AI search war. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, and Senior Analyst’s Gadjo Sevilla and Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
A possible partnership would bring AI-native search to millions, challenge Google’s dominance, and push Samsung ahead in the on-device AI race.
The R1-0528 model nearly matches OpenAI and Google on reasoning, offering a tantalizing preview of what the cheaper, open-source future of AI could look like.
Businesses could soon plug in budgets and products, and Meta will handle the rest—threatening the role of agencies in the digital ad pipeline.
AI can be both sword and shield in layoffs: Businesses are cutting costs and staff while repositioning around AI, which is slashing entry-level opportunities and pushing workers to upskill.
The New York Times will license its journalism to Amazon: The deal supports AI training while signaling a shift toward paid data partnerships.
The ZeroOne initiative, led by Xbox co-creator J Allard and Surface veteran Panos Panay, signals a consumer hardware reboot for Amazon services, rooted in Microsoft experience.
Fewer content removals signal better precision, but reduced proactivity could slow responses to hate speech and misinformation.
30% of employees use AI productivity tools secretly out of fear that their job might be reduced or cut, per a February Ivanti survey.
Google’s AI Overviews lead to fewer clicks on healthcare search results: An industry that heavily relies on search must optimize for visibility in AI Overviews while closely monitoring how AI changes consumer search behaviors.
Nvidia woos global AI partners, HP shifts output to Mexico and Vietnam, and Lenovo pivots to India—clear signs that risk mitigation now outweighs China’s diminishing cost advantage.