AI Reading for Thursday May 8

May 08, 2025

Google feels the heat as AI search may be gaining traction, Apple and others pursue AI-first browsers, Feds circle. They have some of the best AI in the world, but can they win without disrupting their cash cow?

Apple Inc. is “actively looking at” revamping the Safari web browser on its devices to focus on AI-powered search engines, a seismic shift for the industry hastened by the potential end of a longtime partnership with Google. - Bloomberg

Google shares slump as Apple's Eddy Cue calls AI the new search - The Register

AI’s Threat to Google Just Got Real - WSJ

Perplexity, OpenAI, others go after Google's browser crown with AI-first products. - Hacker Noon

Alphabet shares slide as Apple seeks AI alternatives to Google search - FT

Apple’s Existential Crisis: Can It Build a Future Around AI? - WSJ

OpenAI Hires Instacart C.E.O. to Run Business and Operations -NY Times

"Simo will oversee several executives who previously reported to Altman, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Her reports will include Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar and Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil" - Bloomberg

OpenAI said the percentage of revenue shared with Microsoft would drop by at least half by the end of this decade. - Gadgets 360

OpenAI and the FDA Are Holding Talks About Using AI In Drug Evaluation - WIRED

OpenAI Wants to Create a Public Benefit Corporation. What Does That Mean? - Bloomberg

AI leaders to urge senators to speed power supply permitting, boost government data access - Reuters

Humanoid robot development suffers as China loses access to chips, and US pays more for components - Rest of World

Hims & Hers turns to the autonomous vehicle industry to find an AI-savvy CTO - TechCrunch

Netflix unveils new TV experience with GenAI search and AI-based recommendations - VentureBeat

Business school teaching case study: taking accountancy from spreadsheets to AI - FT

Nvidia welcomes Trump’s proposal to rescind global chip restrictions. - VentureBeat

On the other hand, Trump is going to use access to Nvidia GPUs to extract concessions and grift from UAE and others. An unholy, grotesque alliance if Huang leans into it.

Google Maps will now let you take a screenshot of a web page or a photo, extract the location info, and navigate you there - BGR

Klarna Group Plc’s chief executive says his pursuit of cost-cutting, fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence, has gone too far, pivots back to hiring real people. - Bloomberg

Websites may soon serve primarily as data sources for AI platforms, not destinations for humans, Mailchimp predicts - WSJ

AI-powered signing avatars for the deaf. - WIRED

I asked ChatGPT to find me a responsibly made white T-shirt. It summarized a lot of unreliable affiliate marketing slop. - Vogue Business

Kind of like asking about crypto or stocks, you really have to limit to reliable sources, which is hard or in the case of crypto, impossible.

Amazon's Bezos leads new investment in AI data company Toloka, Yandex / Nebius spinoff - Reuters

xAI to pull half its illegal gas turbines powering Colossus after electricity hookup - The Register

Meta is reportedly working on facial recognition for its AI glasses - Engadget

in the future, everywhere will be that place “where everybody knows your name”, no more nametags - YouTube

Figma releases new AI-powered tools for creating sites, app prototypes, and marketing assets - TechCrunch

A cheat sheet for why using ChatGPT is not bad for the environment

Carbon tax or STFU. It's silly to debate the relative merits of driving SUVs, or drawing a bath or eating meat, just charge everyone in proportion to the externality.

I mean, Kant’s categorical imperative of do unto others requires solving for some kind of global equilibrium but it depends on a valid world model with a single global equilibrium and it’s computationally intractable, let alone getting most people to agree democratically. Maybe start by just doing the obvious? Everyone agrees carbon emissions are an externality so try to emit less, while gathering data systematically and studying it? come on, people