Tech employees call for US-backed global effort to manage risks of advanced AI ↗
More than 1,100 employees from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta and other major labs urged the US government to support international mechanisms for deliberately pacing frontier AI development.
OpenAI and Anthropic backed the initiative, with Sam Altman conceding that society may eventually need breathing room as model capabilities accelerate. A slowdown proposal from the acceleration crowd... quite the plot twist. (Reuters)
Perplexity’s Personal Computer turns Windows PCs into AI agents ↗
Perplexity has expanded Personal Computer to Windows, allowing its agent to work across local files, native applications, Microsoft 365 and the web. It can create documents, edit spreadsheets and complete multi-step office tasks.
The tool is rolling out to Max and Enterprise Max subscribers, with plans starting at $200 per month. Perplexity says company data is not used for training, while sensitive actions require confirmation - prudent guardrails, or so it appears. (The Verge)
Fish Audio raises $52M seed to build AI voice models for creators and enterprises ↗
Fish Audio secured a $52 million seed round after reaching eight million users and $21 million in annual recurring revenue. Its voice models offer more than 15,000 natural-language controls for expression, tone and delivery.
The startup is expanding beyond text-to-speech into audio understanding and speech-to-speech systems. It has also automated voice-removal requests following complaints about unauthorised uploads - a worthwhile step, though consent still feels like the loose floorboard here. (TechCrunch)
Recursive Superintelligence signs $410M compute deal with Amazon ↗
Recursive Superintelligence signed a $410 million, multiyear AWS agreement to support its work on open-ended, self-improving AI systems. The commitment absorbs a hefty portion of the company’s recently raised capital.
AWS is not investing directly, but the two companies will co-develop infrastructure for these unusually compute-hungry systems. Recursive’s CEO says the focus is less on headcount and more on agent count - faintly dystopian phrasing, admittedly. (TechCrunch)
ICON announces multi-year collaboration with Anthropic to bring frontier AI to clinical trials ↗
Clinical research company ICON is integrating Claude into trial planning, site selection, protocol optimisation and the real-time detection of enrolment risks. The systems will operate through ICON’s governed Orbis AI platform.
ICON will also deploy Claude Code, Claude and Claude Science across developer, knowledge and clinical teams. The goal is to reduce operational bottlenecks - the paperwork morass that can delay otherwise promising medicines. (ICON plc)
Grok now lets you use an AI prompt to build apps ↗
Grok has introduced Build Mode, allowing users to generate applications from written prompts through the Grok Build coding agent. It works through Grok’s website and mobile apps.
Access is initially limited to the $300-per-month SuperGrok Heavy subscription. Prompt-to-app creation is becoming almost disconcertingly ordinary... except the price tag still lands like a fridge. (The Verge)
FAQ
Why are tech employees calling for a global effort to slow advanced AI development?
More than 1,100 employees from major AI companies have urged the US government to support international mechanisms that would deliberately pace the development of frontier AI. Their concern is that rapidly advancing models could move faster than society’s ability to manage the risks they create. OpenAI and Anthropic backed the initiative, suggesting that a temporary pause for reflection may eventually become necessary.
What can Perplexity Personal Computer do on Windows PCs?
Perplexity Personal Computer can operate across local files, native Windows applications, Microsoft 365 and the web. It is designed to create documents, edit spreadsheets and carry out multi-step office workflows. The agent is initially available to Max and Enterprise Max subscribers. Sensitive actions still require user confirmation, and company data is not used to train models.
How is Fish Audio improving AI voice models for creators?
Fish Audio offers voice models with more than 15,000 natural-language controls covering expression, tone and delivery. The company is moving beyond text-to-speech into audio understanding and speech-to-speech technology. It has also introduced automated voice-removal requests in response to concerns about unauthorised uploads, though consent and responsible voice use remain important issues across the wider industry.
Why did Recursive Superintelligence sign a £410 million compute deal with AWS?
The agreement gives Recursive Superintelligence access to the large-scale computing infrastructure needed to develop open-ended, self-improving AI systems. AWS is not investing directly in the company, but the two organisations will co-develop infrastructure for highly compute-intensive workloads. The deal also illustrates how advanced AI development increasingly depends on long-term access to cloud capacity, rather than staff growth by itself.
How could Anthropic’s Claude improve clinical trial operations?
ICON plans to use Claude for trial planning, site selection, protocol optimisation and the real-time identification of enrolment risks. The technology will run through ICON’s governed Orbis AI platform, helping clinical teams manage intricate workflows more efficiently. Claude Code, Claude and Claude Science will also support developer, knowledge and clinical teams across the organisation.
Can Grok Build Mode create apps from a written prompt?
Yes. Grok Build Mode allows users to describe an application in natural language, then have the Grok Build coding agent generate it. The feature is available through Grok’s website and mobile apps, making prompt-to-app development easier to access. Initial availability is limited to the SuperGrok Heavy subscription, which costs $300 per month.