Google has introduced Gemini Omni and personal avatars to Vids, providing paid subscribers with innovative methods to produce, modify, and showcase videos without conventional editing software.
You can now connect your preferred applications to AI Mode in Google Search to accomplish tasks.
Google Search’s AI Feature is now able to link with applications such as Instacart, Canva, and YouTube Music to perform tasks on your behalf.
This gaming mouse contains a Noctua fan, and it now has an official release date.
Pulsar’s Feinmann F01 Noctua Edition debuts on July 21 featuring a five-speed cooling fan, 42,000 DPI sensor, and an 8K polling rate.
ChatGPT’s latest search feature keeps you from sifting through previous conversations, documents, and pictures.
Say goodbye to sifting through months of ChatGPT history; this updated sidebar search locates chats, files, and images in an instant, featuring filters to refine results.
Xgimi Titan Noir Max Home Projector (2026): An Overview
I delved into deep blacks by engaging DBLE and fine-tuning parameters such as noise reduction and sharpness. To evaluate, I selected my preferred sci-fi movie, The Creator, focusing on an early-morning sequence. TVs and projectors with inadequate contrast depict this scene as washed out, but the Titan Noir Max rendered the blacks and dark grays with richness, primarily due to the dynamic iris and DBLE.
Nonetheless, the Titan Noir Max did not shine in every scenario. Avatar: Fire and Ash appeared more realistic on the Epson ProCinema LS9000, which features a high-quality lens for enhanced focus. While the Titan Noir Max delivered brightness and color in a sunlit scene with whale-like beings, the LS9000 outperformed it in resolution and focus, presenting colors as vibrant as those of the Leica Cine Play 1.
Testing in a brightly lit environment, the Titan Noir Max was impressive during War Machine’s combat scenes on Netflix, especially outdoors. While watching Unbroken, colors stayed bright. However, the quality took a hit during dark sequences in Awake. Both Awake and Tron: Ares looked fantastic in low light but appeared washed out in daylight.
For gaming, I opted to further assess the dynamic iris with 007: First Light on Xbox. A late-game boat segment featuring colorful flowers was breathtaking at 120 inches on the display, with a maximum projection of 300 inches, though the projector’s 18-pound weight limited its portability. During a nighttime scene, the Titan Noir Max quickly adapted to varying light conditions. The iris sound, slightly perceptible if activated, may annoy some but is overwhelmed by gunfire or during an action-packed film like Hoppers.
Founders Fund recruits ex-OpenAI executive Ryan Beiermeister (and not due to her Mafia abilities)
On Monday, Ryan Beiermeister announced her new role as a partner at Founders Fund. She is a prominent figure in Silicon Valley for various reasons. Previously, she held the position of VP of Product Policy at OpenAI for around two years, a period during which the organization gained significant recognition, particularly after ChatGPT emerged as the fastest-growing application in history.
Her tenure there came to an unexpected end in February when she was reportedly dismissed after opposing a proposed feature for ChatGPT known as “adult mode,” aimed at enabling adults to utilize the chatbot for erotic content. The Wall Street Journal indicated that her termination was linked to an allegation of sexual discrimination by a male colleague, although Beiermeister vehemently denied any claims of discrimination. In March, OpenAI allegedly abandoned its plans for adult mode.
Lately, Beiermeister has gained further recognition in Silicon Valley for her adept strategy in a Founders Fund YouTube series called “Mafia.” This game requires players to identify which participants are secretly Mafia assassins before those players can “eliminate” the rest.
Beiermeister participated against notable figures such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anduril’s Palmer Luckey, Figma’s Dylan Field, Flexport’s Ryan Petersen, Founders Fund’s Trae Stephens, among others.
One of the most gripping moments in Episode One featured her and Altman each stating that if they were found deceased, it would imply that the other was responsible. Those familiar with their histories found it amusing.
Some users on Twitter speculated that perhaps the entire Mafia game served as a job interview for her. According to the firm’s chief marketing officer and the game’s host, Mike Solana (who introduced the game to the firm), it is frequently played at Founders Fund retreats.
However, that was not the case. “While she is indeed a remarkable Mafia player, that aspect did not factor into her interview. She has had a close relationship with Trae Stephens since their time together at Palantir and has been on friendly terms with our team for many years,” a spokesperson from Founders Fund informed TechCrunch.
Nonetheless, Beiermeister’s gameplay—composed and making insightful observations about who might belong to the Mafia—likely benefited her opportunities.
Beiermeister has known Trae Stephens for at least a decade. Before her time at OpenAI and at Meta previously, she spent her early career at Palantir, the data solutions company founded by Peter Thiel, the founder of the VC firm. Stephens was also part of Palantir during its foundational stage.
Beiermeister states she is keen to support the types of startups that Founders Fund is recognized for favoring.
“The companies that will shape the next twenty years are emerging in sectors where product engineering presents the greatest challenges and stakes are the highest—AI infrastructure and agentic systems, defense, energy, climate, biotech, the regulated frontier,” she stated in a LinkedIn post. “To the founders in these areas, particularly if you don’t conform to the conventional archetype: I am eager to connect, and my inbox is open.”
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Google Vids now allows you to feature in your personalized AI videos
While OpenAI’s Sora has been discontinued, Google seems to believe there remains demand for a tool that allows users to star in personalized AI videos. On Thursday, the tech giant revealed an enhancement to Google Vids that enables you to generate a unique digital avatar resembling you, created from a selfie and a voice clip that you submit.
Furthermore, Google stated it is introducing its multi-modal AI model Gemini Omni to Vids, permitting you to produce videos by combining a text prompt with reference pictures you provide. Omni then integrates those components to produce the desired AI video. It can also be utilized for tasks like changing the background or adjusting the lighting in a video taken with your phone, or applying effects.
Additionally, Omni now accommodates step-by-step modifications, allowing you to alter your video progressively rather than starting anew.
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These updates elevate Google Vids from its original function as an AI-aided workplace presentation tool to an integrated video creation platform. By incorporating Vids into Google Workspace, the company is signaling its application as a business resource for items such as company updates or training videos, though the inclusion of personalized avatars and interactive edits could place it in stronger competition with other AI video startups and platforms like HeyGen, Synthesia, Captions, D-ID, among others.
Google also clarifies that the new AI avatars will be linked to the account holder’s image, associated with their Google account, and invisibly watermarked with SynthID. (Presumably, this means users won’t be able to generate peculiar AI videos of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had permitted with Sora while it was accessible!)
The company also specifies that access to personal avatars is restricted to users in select regions aged 18 and above.
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Roblox introduces a game-development functionality enhanced by AI in its mobile application.
On Thursday, Roblox revealed a new feature named “Build,” enabling users to create games directly from their mobile devices utilizing AI.
The Build feature empowers anyone to convert straightforward text prompts into a simple game without needing programming skills. For instance, if a user enters, “Let’s create a cozy adventure game set in a thick forest,” the feature will produce an initial draft of the game, which can then be altered and shared with friends.
“Driven by an extensive array of AI models, incorporating both open-source and proprietary models from Roblox, Build manages gameplay mechanics, settings, characters, visual aesthetics, sound, and much more,” the company stated in its blog entry.
Firms like Google, Microsoft, and Tencent have developed analogous tools. Nonetheless, AI-enabled game creation has sparked worries among developers and players, as critics suggest that lowering the barriers to game development through text prompts could result in a flood of low-quality and monotonous games. This might also heighten competition on the platform, requiring creators to vie not only with fellow developers but also with AI-generated content that can be created significantly faster.
These apprehensions are echoed in this year’s Game Developers Conference State of the Game Industry survey, which indicated that 52% of gaming industry professionals feel generative AI is negatively impacting the industry.
In response, Roblox intends to rank these AI-generated games based on player retention, akin to the method used for other titles on the platform. If a game doesn’t attract players, it won’t be prominently featured.
“Our discovery algorithms are tailored to showcase games with lasting appeal, which excludes low-quality AI creations. The standards for games on the homepage will remain unchanged: If it’s not played — it won’t be found. The objective across these new tools is to keep fostering creation across all experience levels,” the company elaborated.
The Build feature will commence public alpha testing on July 28, accessible to users in New Zealand aged nine and above who have confirmed their age. Users aged 16 and older will have the chance to publish their works for a global audience. A free basic version will be offered alongside paid options.
In addition to the Build feature, Roblox is also focusing on creating AI agents that will aid creators in playtesting and supplying analytics. These features are expected to be launched in the coming months.
This new feature underscores Roblox’s continued commitment to AI development, which includes an AI foundation model for creating 3D game assets and an AI chatbot for assisting developers during the game-building journey. Furthermore, Roblox is in the process of developing a “new scene-generation model” capable of crafting entire editable and playable 3D environments from a single text prompt.
Moreover, the announcement follows closely after Roblox revealed its plans to terminate “Roblox Connect,” the avatar-based video-call feature that was launched in 2023.
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Oil behemoth BP closes its corporate investment division following two decades of operation.
BP’s connection with climate technology has been inconsistent, and it’s currently definitively “off.” Following its shift away from clean energy earlier this year, the oil behemoth revealed today that it is divesting the majority of its venture portfolio — encompassing over 10 firms, as stated by BP — to Verdane, a Nordic private equity company.
Since the inception of its venture division in 2007, BP has invested across a diverse array of sectors, many aimed at facilitating the energy transition, including green hydrogen, electric mobility, ride-hailing services, self-driving vehicles, chartered private jets, and geothermal power, among other industries.
In a statement to the press, the business mentioned it would “maintain stakes in a limited number of investments where the technology could generate value for its operations.” Upon request for clarification, BP chose not to reveal which companies it would retain. The corporation also refrained from providing details on the status of BP Ventures employees, referencing local legal and regulatory constraints, even though job cuts appear probable. BP anticipates that the portfolio divestiture will finalize in the second quarter of 2027.
Historically, BP Ventures’ diverse investments have not yielded substantial financial success: Axios journalist Alan Neuhauser reported last year that the portfolio was appraised at about $1.2 billion, approximately equal to the investment made since the unit’s establishment in 2006.
Uber’s $14.8 billion transaction with Delivery Hero would almost double its worldwide presence.
Following weeks of conjecture, Uber has formally consented to purchase Delivery Hero, a transaction that will elevate the ride-hailing and delivery behemoth’s status and expand its reach to nearly 100 markets across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia.
The Germany-based Delivery Hero has also signed a separate agreement to divest its operations in 14 markets where Uber Eats is already present, transferring them to the New York-based investment group SSW Partners for $1.6 billion.
The $14.8 billion all-stock acquisition is not yet finalized. This deal will position Uber’s delivery service as one of the largest globally, specifically the largest outside of China, and it is likely to encounter regulatory examination. Moreover, Uber, already the principal shareholder of Delivery Hero, has established a minimum acceptance criterion of 50%, plus one share of Delivery Hero’s total share capital. Prosus, another key shareholder, has also agreed to liquidate its 17% interest, as per the announcement.
Should the transaction be finalized, Uber will effectively double its market presence, enhancing its ability to compete with DoorDash and Just Eat.
“Together, we will nearly double the number of markets where we provide both mobility and delivery services, scaling a tested platform that we believe will generate considerable long-term value for our customers and shareholders,” stated Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.