AI generates one-minute videos now

👋 Good morning/evening (wherever you are). It’s Tuesday.

Google is reportedly paying some AI staff to do nothing for up to a year, rather than risk them joining competitors. This is partly because the FTC’s noncompete ban doesn’t apply to DeepMind’s London HQ, where contracts can still enforce lengthy “garden leave".

And here's the big AI creative news: AI has gotten so advanced that it can now generate somewhat watchable one-minute clips inspired by Tom and Jerry.

OK let’s keep going ↓

Here’s what you should know:

• Deep Research is now available on Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental

  Gemini Advanced users can access it across the web, Android and iOS.

• Amazon’s new Nova Sonic foundation model

  This model picks up on tone, inflection, and pacing, for a deeper understanding of human conversation.

• Deep Cogito emerges from stealth with hybrid AI ‘reasoning’ models

  Introducing IDA as a path to general superintelligence.

• Mira Murati’s AI startup gains prominent ex-OpenAI advisers

  Ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati's new AI venture, Thinking Machines Lab, has gained two new prominent advisors, Alec Radford and Bob McGrew.

• IBM releases a new mainframe “fully engineered for the AI age”

  The new IBM z17 is built to drive business value across industries with a wide range of more than 250 AI use cases, such as mitigating loan risk, managing chatbot services, supporting medical image analysis or impeding retail crime, among others.

• First Ever Fine-Tuning of Billion-Parameter AI Model

  The quantum computer is powered by Wukong, a 72-qubit indigenous superconducting quantum chip.

• LPL taps JPMorgan exec as chief data and AI officer

  Harvey will be responsible for advancing LPL’s use of AI and data analytics, with a focus on enabling more efficient processes and personalized client experiences for financial advisors.

• Trump Signs Orders to Expand Coal Power, Invoking AI Boom

  President Donald Trump signed a raft of measures he boasted would expand the mining and use of coal inside the US, a bid to power the boom in energy-hungry data centers and revive a flagging US fossil fuel industry.

• AI Index 2025: State of AI in 10 Charts

  The new AI Index Report shows a maturing field, improvements in AI optimization, and a growing saturation of use - and abuse - of this technology.

The numbers:

Bank of America is allocating $4 billion — or nearly a third of its overall technology budget for this year — toward new initiatives including AI, according to a news release.

This is the major number to monitor…how high can GPT climb in website visit rankings?

Similarweb posted this earlier today:

Thought starters:

• Is there a ‘right’ way to use AI in art?

• Will A.I. Save the News?

Meme of the day:

Thanks for reading,

Eddie

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