Image: made using DALL·E (Custom edited by me)
Hey everyone, Ritik here! Welcome back to RSN, your weekly dose of insights into how tech shapes our everyday lives. This week we've got Microsoft's ambitious push into AI-driven computing, Google's strategic moves in multimodal AI and specialized computing, and a closer look at the Pixel 9a—a budget phone that's redefining expectations. Let’s jump right in!
"A half-century celebration leads to the next AI frontier."
What's Happening: Microsoft is finally rolling out Recall, a feature for Copilot Plus PCs that captures screenshots of user activities for easy retrieval. Initially planned for last year but repeatedly delayed due to privacy concerns, Recall is now available as a preview to Windows Insiders. At Microsoft's 50th-anniversary event, CEO Satya Nadella and executive Mustafa Suleyman emphasized AI as the company's core future strategy. Key announcements included enhancements to Copilot with personalized "Memory" features, a "Copilot Vision" app offering real-time contextual assistance via smartphone cameras, and AI-powered search improvements aimed at redefining user interactions across personal and professional computing environments. Why It Matters to You: Recall’s launch means your everyday tasks on Windows could soon become easier, as your PC will remember more of what you do, helping streamline your digital workflow. Why It Matters to the World: Microsoft’s heavy push into AI could redefine personal computing, influencing how devices anticipate and cater to user needs, potentially setting new standards for digital privacy and personalized tech experiences globally.
"From text to video: AI models go ‘omni.’"
What's Happening: DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis announced plans to combine Google's Gemini AI, a multimodal foundational model, with Veo, its video-generating AI. This integration aims to enhance Gemini’s comprehension of real-world physics and interactions by training it extensively on video content primarily sourced from YouTube. Hassabis described Gemini as inherently multimodal, designed from inception to serve as a "universal digital assistant." Google's approach mirrors broader industry trends toward "omni" AI models, capable of processing and generating various media types. The merger could significantly enhance AI understanding of physical environments, thus bridging digital assistants closer to practical real-world applications. Why It Matters to You: A more perceptive AI could mean better digital assistants capable of understanding complex tasks and interactions, enhancing your everyday digital experiences. Why It Matters to the World: This combination could push forward AI’s ability to interpret real-world environments, potentially accelerating developments in robotics, autonomous driving, and other sectors requiring advanced contextual understanding.
"Flagship DNA in a $499 package."
What's Happening: Google released its Pixel 9a smartphone, continuing its tradition of robust, affordable devices at $499. The Pixel 9a boasts significant upgrades, including a larger 6.3-inch pOLED display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rates, an exceptionally bright 2,076-nit screen, and improved dual cameras (48MP main with macro focus, and 13MP ultrawide). Powered by Google's Tensor G4 chipset, the phone excels in everyday tasks and integrates advanced AI features for photography and user assistance. Despite modest benchmark results compared to Apple's iPhone 16e, the Pixel 9a offers unmatched value and practical AI utilities, reinforcing Google's leading position in the competitive budget smartphone segment. Why It Matters to You: If you're seeking a powerful, feature-rich smartphone without breaking the bank, the Pixel 9a offers premium performance and AI-enhanced capabilities at a compelling price. Why It Matters to the World: Google’s focus on affordability and AI innovation helps drive broader access to advanced smartphone technology, potentially influencing competitors to follow suit and benefiting consumers worldwide.
"Battle for AI compute intensifies as Cloud deals stack up."
What's Happening: Google introduced Ironwood, its latest and most powerful Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), designed specifically for AI inference workloads. Ironwood offers substantial performance boosts, delivering up to 4,614 TFLOPs, and features enhanced memory bandwidth and networking capabilities ideal for advanced recommendation and ranking tasks. Meanwhile, Ilya Sutskever's AI startup, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), has selected Google Cloud's TPUs to support its ambitious AI safety research. Backed by significant venture capital funding, SSI aims to develop secure, superintelligent AI models. Google's collaboration with SSI reflects a broader industry pattern where leading AI startups partner with major cloud providers to access powerful computational resources. Why It Matters to You: Enhanced TPU capabilities mean quicker, more sophisticated AI services, translating into smarter recommendations, faster assistance, and more responsive AI-driven applications. Why It Matters to the World: Google's advancements in AI computing infrastructure may accelerate the development of safe, powerful AI systems, significantly influencing future AI capabilities and raising the bar for ethical AI practices globally.
"New models, separate reasoning engines, and delayed GPT-5."
What's Happening: OpenAI is gearing up to release GPT-4.1, an update to its multimodal GPT-4o model, alongside specialized reasoning-focused AI models named o3 and o4-mini. CEO Sam Altman recently indicated a shift in strategy to prioritize separate reasoning models due to their advanced logical capabilities, initially intended for integration into GPT-5 but now being released independently. These models significantly enhance AI’s ability to solve complex, logical tasks efficiently, marking a notable advancement over previous iterations. The releases underscore OpenAI’s strategic pivot towards offering distinct models optimized for specific tasks, responding to diverse user needs and computational requirements across different AI applications. Why It Matters to You: These new models mean AI interactions will become smarter and more precise, enabling more accurate assistance for complex tasks, from professional workflows to creative projects. Why It Matters to the World: OpenAI’s decision to specialize AI models could reshape expectations for AI functionality, setting new benchmarks for how effectively AI handles complex reasoning tasks, with broad implications across numerous industries.
Reflecting on this week’s tech milestones, it's clear we're on the brink of an era where AI doesn't just assist but anticipates and deeply understands our needs. From Microsoft’s innovative approach to personalized computing, Google’s ambition to fuse multimodal AI with video understanding, and OpenAI’s advanced reasoning models, technology continues to empower our creativity, efficiency, and daily lives. Yet, alongside these exciting innovations, we must remain mindful of the implications—ethically, economically, and socially—to ensure tech remains a true "bicycle for the mind," helping us reach new heights responsibly.
Stay tuned and stay curious,
— Ritik Sharma Founder, RSN (Ritik Sharma Newsletter)