DOWN TO BUSINESS

💊 Lilly accelerates drug discovery for smaller biotechs

Eli Lilly announced the launch of an AI and machine learning platform that gives biotech companies access to drug discovery models trained on more than a billion dollars’ worth of research data. The platform is intended to help smaller firms develop therapies more efficiently, with partners focusing on cancer treatments and contributing new models for small molecule discovery.

📈 Cisco uses AI to lower the cost and complexity of enterprise data prep

Cisco announced a new architecture that helps enterprises manage and use machine data for AI. The platform is designed to lower the cost and complexity of preparing data for use cases such as training custom models, powering agent workflows, and combining business and machine data streams to improve decision-making.

📉 London Stock Exchange Group uses AI to detect market abuse faster

The LSEG has built an AI-powered Surveillance Guide to improve market abuse detection. The system analyzes news articles for price sensitivity and helps analysts triage flagged trades more efficiently. In testing, it reduced false positives and provided justifications for each decision, allowing surveillance teams to focus on the most critical cases while scaling oversight across markets.

🚗 Volkswagen commits €1B in AI vehicle design, production, and training

Volkswagen announced plans to invest up to €1 billion in AI by 2030, focusing on vehicle development, industrial applications, and IT infrastructure. The company expects efficiency gains of up to €4 billion by 2035. Initiatives include an AI-powered engineering environment to speed up vehicle design, integration of AI into production, and a workforce training program.

HOT MODELS

🌍 NotebookLM makes research summaries accessible in 80 languages

Google has expanded NotebookLM’s Video Overviews to 80 languages, allowing users to watch concise video summaries of their notebooks in their preferred language. Audio Overviews in those same languages are also being upgraded to match the English version, moving from short highlights to full-length discussions that synthesize ideas across sources. The updates are rolling out globally this week.

🗣️ Microsoft boosts Copilot with faster speech and smarter models

Microsoft AI introduced a speech generation model that produces natural, expressive audio and can generate a minute of speech in under a second. They also began public testing of a large language model designed for instruction following and everyday queries, which is being evaluated on the LMArena platform with plans to expand into Copilot in the coming weeks.

🌐 Anthropic pilots Claude for Chrome

Anthropic has begun testing a Chrome extension that allows Claude to take actions in the browser, such as seeing what’s on the page, clicking buttons, and filling forms. The company is starting with 1,000 users to get feedback on uses, shortcomings, and safety issues. Anthropic said the pilot is designed to address risks like prompt injection attacks, where hidden instructions on a website or in an email could trick AI into harmful actions.

📂 OpenAI gives free tools to organize and customize ChatGPT

OpenAI is making its Projects feature available to free ChatGPT users, allowing them to organize conversations around specific topics and apply custom instructions or file limits. Free users can now upload up to five files per project and add folder-like organization with options to customize colors and icons.

PLOT TWIST

🩺 AI-guided cameras enable solo surgery in Chile

A surgeon in Santiago used an autonomous AI-guided camera to perform a gallbladder removal without a human assistant, marking a step toward surgical automation. The system combines magnetic surgical instruments with software that tracks tools and adjusts the camera in real time.

🎵 AI ranks the catchiest songs of all time

CNET asked AI systems to list the catchiest songs of the last 50 years. Across the models, classics like ABBA’s Dancing Queen, Outkast’s Hey Ya!, and Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off made the lists, but one in particular stood out as the winner: Wannabe by Spice Girls. While each AI disagreed on some picks, the '90s hit made just about every list.

🎬 OpenAI-backed AI film “Critterz” set to debut at Cannes

OpenAI is supporting production of "Critters," a feature-length animated film created mainly with AI tools and scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026. Conceived by OpenAI creative specialist Chad Nelson, the film began as a short project in 2023 and is now being developed with production companies in London and Los Angeles with a budget under $30 million and a planned nine-month production cycle, far less than the cost and timeline of typical Hollywood animations.

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