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Today:

• Google Launches Gemma 3 270M for Hyper-Efficient AI on Any Device

• $9.8B Valuation: Cognition Secures Massive Funding Round

• Claude AI Adds Learning Modes for Students & Developers

• DeepSeek Model Launch Delayed by Huawei Chip Issues

• Leaked Rules Show Meta AI Could Flirt with Minors, Spread Misinformation

Google Launches Gemma 3 270M for Hyper-Efficient AI on Any Device

Google has launched Gemma 3 270M, a compact, energy-efficient AI model designed for fast fine-tuning and instruction-following. It performs well on tasks like text classification and creative writing, especially on devices with limited power. Though small, it rivals larger models when fine-tuned for specific uses. Ideal for developers needing privacy-friendly, low-cost, and fast AI solutions, it supports use cases from content moderation to story generation—all without needing the cloud.

Why this matters

1. Efficient On-Device AI:
   Gemma 3 270M proves that powerful AI doesn’t require massive infrastructure, helping developers run models directly on phones or low-power devices with minimal battery use.
   

2. Specialization Over Size:
   The model underscores a growing shift toward fine-tuning smaller models for specific tasks, offering better performance than general-purpose giants in narrow domains.
   

3. Democratizing AI Development:
   Its accessibility, open release, and support for fast iteration allow more developers—especially indie creators and researchers—to build tailored AI tools efficiently.

$9.8B Valuation: Cognition Secures Massive Funding Round

AI startup Cognition has raised nearly $500 million in new funding, boosting its valuation to $9.8 billion, more than double its worth earlier this year. The financing round was led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, signaling strong investor confidence in the company’s focus on AI-powered code generation. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Cognition is now well-positioned to accelerate its technology and compete in the rapidly growing AI development tools market.

Why this matters

1. Massive Validation for AI Coding Tools:
   A $9.8B valuation confirms that AI-driven code generation is now viewed as a critical part of the future software stack.
   

2. Investor Confidence in Vertical AI:
   Backing from Founders Fund shows strong faith in startups building specialized AI models, not just general-purpose LLMs.
   

3. Competitive Signal to Big Tech:
   Cognition’s war chest puts pressure on giants like GitHub Copilot, Replit, and Google to innovate faster in developer tooling.

Claude AI Adds Learning Modes for Students & Developers

Anthropic has launched new learning modes for its Claude AI assistant, aimed at students and developers. These features use a teaching approach rather than giving instant answers, helping users build deeper understanding. Claude Code now includes interactive programming modes that prompt users to think critically. This release intensifies the race with OpenAI and Google in the AI education space, as companies seek to shape how future generations learn with AI tools.

Why this matters

1. Redefines AI's Role in Education:
   Claude’s new modes shift AI from shortcut to teaching companion, addressing concerns that AI makes users passive and dependent.
   

2. Developer Upskilling via AI:
   For coders, Claude Code now encourages learning by doing, which helps junior developers understand and improve—not just generate—code.
   

3. Signals an Ethical Pivot:
   By prioritizing guided reasoning over automation, Anthropic offers an alternative to agentic AI, emphasizing human-AI collaboration rather than replacement.

🧠RESEARCH

Story2Board: A Training-Free Approach for Expressive Storyboard Generation

Story2Board turns written stories into storyboard images without training or fine-tuning. It improves visual flow by keeping characters consistent and blending connected parts. Using simple prompts and existing models, it creates more dynamic, coherent storyboards than past methods. A new benchmark and scoring method prove its strong storytelling ability.

Mol-R1: Towards Explicit Long-CoT Reasoning in Molecule Discovery

Mol-R1 is a new system that improves how AI reasons through complex chemistry to discover new molecules. It uses better training data and a smart learning method to make reasoning clearer and more accurate. Tested on text-based molecule tasks, it outperforms older models in both results and explanations.

Stand-In: A Lightweight and Plug-and-Play Identity Control for Video Generation

Stand-In is a simple, plug-and-play tool that helps AI generate videos where faces stay true to a chosen identity. It adds just a small tweak to existing models but delivers better quality and accuracy than heavier methods. It also works well for tasks like face swaps, style changes, and pose control.

🛠️TOP TOOLS

Rose AI - Cloud-based data platform that revolutionizes financial data analysis and visualization through the power of generative AI

DupDub - AI-powered content creation platform designed to streamline the production of multimedia content

Gliglish - AI-powered language learning platform designed to help users improve their speaking and listening skills through interactive conversations

ClassPoint AI - Instantly generate engaging quiz questions from slide content

MyVocal AI - AI-powered platform that offers rapid voice cloning and text-to-speech capabilities

📲SOCIAL MEDIA

🗞️MORE NEWS

• DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, faced setbacks in releasing its new model due to technical issues with Huawei's chips, delaying the launch from May. Chinese chips have stability issues, slower connectivity, and inferior software compared to Nvidia's products.

• Meta’s leaked AI rules allowed chatbots to flirt with minors, spread false information, and echo racist views. Despite backlash, Meta claims the guidelines were outdated. Critics demand transparency and safeguards for child safety.

• HTC launched the VIVE Eagle, a 49g AI headset with a camera, speakers, and voice assistant powered by OpenAI and Gemini. It offers privacy controls, supports 13 languages, and is available in Taiwan for $520.

• After Reuters revealed Meta allowed its chatbots to engage in romantic chats with children, U.S. senators demanded an investigation. Lawmakers called the policy disturbing and pushed for stricter child safety and AI regulations.

• The Trump administration launched USAi, a free AI tool for federal agencies to boost productivity, cut costs, and support the president’s AI Action Plan. It offers chat, code, and summarization tools—powered by deals with OpenAI and Anthropic. Lawmakers say it's key to keeping the U.S. ahead in the global AI race.

• MIT researchers used AI to design two new antibiotics that kill drug-resistant gonorrhoea and MRSA. The lab-tested drugs show promise, but require further refinement and years of clinical trials before reaching patients.