Sony’s trying to show off the AI Camera Assistant on the new Xperia 1 VIII, but I’m not sure a bunch of blown-out photos with weird ideas about highlights and shadows will convince anyone this is worth it. Our own Dominic Preston says he saw better results in his briefing, but this is looking pretty grim. (h/t Manideep!)
Brendan Ballou discusses his new book on the rise, and hopefully fall, of forced arbitration.
Google is sure to tell us that the web is healthier than ever next week at IO, but out here on the streets everyone knows search traffic is collapsing — a phenomenon we’ve been calling Google Zero for years now. Well, here’s Conde Nast CEO Roger Lynch on TBPN saying they are assuming all search traffic will be zero from now on. I’m just saying — give us credit for naming the concept, bro.
The journalist and author of I Am Not a Robot on her year living with AI and starting a new media company.
Uber’s CEO on his plan to make Uber an everything app and take over travel.
Nilay joins as the guest to discuss our AI coverage, controversial episodes, and what it takes to succeed or fail on Decoder.
Joanna Stern’s first video as a indie YouTuber is a look at the Unitree G1 robot, which a New York company called Robostore is importing for all kinds of customers. There is also a very romantic moment with saxophone music.
All the ad people I know keep saying “the content is the targeting” lately, and now I know why: Google and Meta are using AI to flip the online ad model upside down. Big dive in the NYT:
But the real business breakthroughs have come from targeting. It used to be that an advertiser would say, for example, “I want to target women in New York between the ages of 24 and 35.” Now it’s the opposite: Meta and Google are using A.I. to recommend customers the brands should be going after.
[The New York Times]
The NYT has a deep dive into the Google co-founder’s hard turn to the right, which is either because he hates the proposed billionaire tax in California or because he’s super into his hardcore MAGA girlfriend. (Or both.) In any case, he’s having “intimate” dinners with Trump — and bringing Sundar Pichai along for the ride.
[The New York Times]
UL CEO Jennifer Scanlon on why safety still matters in the AI era