The business of tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Yahyah is crowdfunding a wooden frame with a talking AI character. It promises no subscription, no account for core features and a camera cover you slide shut.
Read more: A picture frame with a talking AI character launches on KickstarterHIX AI launched Workspace 2.0, letting teams of up to five share one project, connect work apps and apply a brand look automatically.
Read more: HIX AI adds a shared workspace for small teams of up to fiveGoogle Cloud and Oracle now let AI assistants query Oracle business data directly, with some tools live today and others in preview.
Read more: Google and Oracle let AI assistants work directly with company dataAnthropic has filed to go public, so outsiders can finally see whether the AI company makes money or loses it. That matters if you invest or pay for AI tools.
Read more: Anthropic files to go public, opening its books to everyoneAnthropic has talked big about AI curing disease, but its stock market filing admits it lacks lab experience and that drug development is slow and uncertain.
Read more: Anthropic's IPO filing is far more cautious about AI curing diseasePhysical Intelligence, which builds AI software for robots, is reportedly in talks to raise over $1 billion at a value near $20 billion, up from $11.5 billion.
Read more: Robot software startup in talks to raise $1B at $20B valueA Fiverr survey says 77% of small business owners use AI, and the company's search data shows where demand is growing. Here is what owners are doing with it.
Read more: Small businesses use AI for writing, ads, chat and more, Fiverr saysGoogle has opened enrollment for a program built around one-tap installs of app stores, which could give Android users simpler choices for getting apps.
Read more: Android starts sign-up for easier installs from other app storesDallas firm Disruptive announced a $10 billion fund to back AI and defense companies, a sign of how much money is flowing to a few large players.
Read more: Texas firm raises $10 billion to bet big on AI and defense startupsFloo AI, a new phone agent platform, can answer and place business calls, book appointments and update customer records, while handing tricky calls to people.
Read more: Floo AI Launches Phone Agents That Answer and Make Business CallsTaktile launched Taktile Insights, an AI tool to help banks and insurers question the automated decisions that approve or deny people.
Read more: New tool lets banks and insurers check why software said yes or noIDC predicts 60% of the world's 2,000 largest companies will run most processes AI-first by 2029, and few can check their AI's decisions today.
Read more: Analyst firm says most big companies will let AI run daily work by 2029OpenAI is pitching businesses on lower prices, but Anthropic's new IPO filing suggests price alone will not close the gap between the two AI leaders.
Read more: OpenAI Pitches Lower Prices to Businesses, but Anthropic Is Far AheadRefersion, a tool for running affiliate programs, now connects to AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude, so owners can ask questions instead of clicking through dashboards.
Read more: Affiliate program tool Refersion now works inside ChatGPT and ClaudeAvante, a startup building an AI tool for employee benefits, raised $30 million. Business owners may soon see new ways to handle healthcare perks.
Read more: Avante raises $30M to use AI for company health benefitsA new free audit from Morbiz LLC checks in about 15 seconds whether ChatGPT and Google AI answers can find and cite your business website.
Read more: Free tool checks if ChatGPT and Google AI can find your websiteDataVisor has launched Vera Code, an AI tool meant to speed up the slow work of setting up fraud and money-laundering protection. Details are still thin.
Read more: DataVisor launches AI helper to set up fraud and money-laundering checksTwelve South's new Airfly View adds a small screen to its headphone dongle, so pairing AirPods on a plane is easier. It costs $79.99 and is on Amazon now.
Read more: Twelve South's new Airfly View adds a screen to its headphone dongleMutant Media says its new service can help UAE businesses get mentioned by ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, so owners should know what they would be paying for.
Read more: UAE agency offers to get your business named by AI chatbotsAnrok, a sales tax software maker, now connects to ChatGPT and Claude. Sellers of online services may soon ask an AI assistant about tax, but should verify answers.
Read more: Anrok links its sales tax software to ChatGPT and ClaudeGoogle's Genie 4 can build interactive virtual worlds that now come with sound, but only a small group of trusted testers can try it for now.
Read more: Google's new AI can build playable virtual worlds, with soundOverwatch Data raised $15 million for AI tools that help banks and payment firms catch attackers who now work faster and cheaper than ever.
Read more: Overwatch Data raises $15 million to help firms fight AI-powered hackersWi-Fi 8 is on the way, but most homes pay for internet speeds an older Wi-Fi 5 router can already handle. A quick test shows if an upgrade is worth it.
Read more: Wi-Fi 8 is coming, but your older router is probably fineIntuit is adding AI to QuickBooks to spot overdue invoices and send reminders, as 59% of small businesses report invoices 30 days late.
Read more: Intuit adds AI to QuickBooks to chase late invoices and speed up bookkeeping
