Lab Weekly - 07/25/2025
Hollywood’s AI love affairs; Plus, the latest AI news from Amazon, Google, and more must-know news and stats
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Hollywood’s Complicated Relationship with AI Content
Somehow, it’s an existential threat, a blossoming secret love affair, and a hedging bet, all rolled into one
In case you missed it…
The AI-Powered Future of Travel
Three key ways that AI will reshape how travelers plan and enjoy their trips
How Beauty & Wellness Enter a Post-Viral Era
As trend fatigue sets in, consumers are trading fleeting fads for wellness rituals, athlete role models, and AI-aided self-discovery
Airbnb’s Rebranding & What It Says About the Service Economy
The issue with scaling local services and experiences, and how AI might play a part in Airbnb’s future
Amazon to Buy an AI Wearable Startup [The Verge]
Amazon is acquiring Bee, a San Francisco–based startup that makes an on‑wrist AI wearable that listens to conversations, transcribes them, and generates daily summaries, reminders, and suggestions. Bee currently offers a $49.99 wristband (plus a $19/month subscription), Fitbit-like in appearance, that listens passively unless muted.
This acquisition reflects Amazon’s renewed focus on personal AI and wearable devices after ending its Halo tracker line in 2023. Specifically, Amazon seems to be starting again on a low-stake AI device that could potentially give the company a real-time window into users' needs and interests, enabling ultra-personalized shopping prompts and frictionless, context-aware commerce. If successfully integrated, Bee AI’s wearable device could become a powerful connective tissue in Amazon’s ecosystem, extending the company’s influence beyond the smart home environment and into users’ daily lives.
Related: Meta’s Oakleys-branded smart glasses are a fun accessory and sportier [Bloomberg]; Amazon launches AI agent-building platform for businesses to help boost productivity [Sefamor]
Google Officially Rolls Out AI Try-On Feature & Updates “Price Alert” Feature [TechCrunch]
The new AI try-on feature, which Google has been testing in limited beta for two month, allows users to upload a full‑length photo of themselves, tap the “try it on” icon on an apparel result, and immediately see how the clothing would look on their own body. Users can access these features across Search, Google Shopping, and product results on Google Images, all powered by Google’s Shopping Graph. By enabling users to visualize clothing on their own bodies and receive hyper-personalized price alerts, Google is further collapsing the funnel between inspiration and purchase.
In addition, Google also announced upgraded price alerts in the U.S., letting users specify preferred size, color, and target price, and get notified only when those criteria are met. Taken together, these features signal a shift toward AI-powered decision confidence in ecommerce, where personalization and interactivity reduce returns, increase conversion, and make online shopping feel more like a tailored concierge experience.
Related: Microsoft tests Copilot wallet for one-click AI shopping [Testing Catalog];Pinterest boards may be a fantasy, but AI is spoiling the fun [Financial Times]
Trump Plans to Give A.I. Developers a Free Hand [New York Times]
Big AI just cleared some important regulatory roadblocks, as the White House has released an “A.I. Action Plan” to promote American dominance of AI technology. Three executive orders were signed at an event Wednesday to get rid of restrictive state laws on AI, reduce FTC scrutiny, and fast-track permits for building the energy-hungry AI data centers. Overall, the tech industry got exactly what they have been lobbying for.
While these loosened policies around AI should supercharge U.S. AI innovation in the short term, the long-term fallout may include safety risks, environmental damage, and even consumer backlash. Without strong consumer protections or safeguards, public backlash could intensify, especially if AI causes significant disruption or deepens social inequalities.
Related: Donald Trump blocks AI groups with ‘ideological bias’ from government work [Financial Times]; Podcast, policy, and pomp in D.C. at the surreal celebration of Trump’s AI Action Plan [Fortune]
Situational Awareness:
Walmart Overhauls Its Approach to AI Agents [WSJ]
Per the report, Walmart started quite eager to experiment and ended up building so many AI agents that they started to get confusing for its workforce. So now the retail giant is looking to simplify by consolidating its AI agents into four “super agents”, for customers, staff, engineers, and sellers/suppliers. Let’s be a lesson for brands that, before super-scaling AI agent deployment, we should evaluate if the users (internal or customers) are overwhelmed by multiple siloed tools.
Apple releases public betas of its new software updates with “Liquid Glass” design [The Verge]
Early reactions to Apple’s latest batch of public betas seem to be mixed, with the new "Liquid Glass" design praised for its ambition but criticized for poor legibility and a divisive aesthetic. While the AI-powered features like live translation and smarter messaging are generally well-received, users report that the experience is best on newer devices, whereas stability issues persist for older models. After all, “planned obsolescence” is a concept for a reason.
Apple announces 'AppleCare One' subscription plan for multiple devices [MacRumors]
Apple has launched AppleCare One, a subscription plan starting at $19.99/month for three devices, with extras at $5.99 each. It includes all AppleCare+ benefits like unlimited repairs and battery coverage, and lets users add or remove devices anytime—including those up to four years old. It’s a good deal for consumers that also helps reinforce Apple’s ecosystem lock-in across multiple devices.
Skydance’s Merger with Paramount Global wins FCC’s approval [Bloomberg]
Now that this merger is officially a go, Oracle, owned by Larry Ellison, father of Skydance founder David Ellison, is already reportedly in talks with Skydance for a major software deal once Skydance's acquisition of Paramount is complete. This sort of family business deal is, of course, part of the consideration for Skydance to buy Paramount.
OpenAI shared that ChatGPT users generate over 2.5 billion prompts globally each day, Axios reports. Of that daily volume, more than 330 million prompts come from U.S. users. Moreover, the company says ChatGPT now has over 500 million weekly active users worldwide, with the majority using the free tier.
Adults over the age of 50 represent nearly a third of US gamers and are becoming more visible in the gaming community, per recent data from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). According to the ESA, nearly half of Americans in their 60s and 70s play some form of PC, mobile or console video game every week, as do 36% of people in their 80s.
Uber is teaming up with EV maker Lucid and AV startup Nuro to deploy over 20,000 robotaxis in the U.S. over the next six years, The Verge reports. In addition, Uber plans to invest $300 million in Lucid and even more in Nuro.
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