AI continues to integrate into daily life and various industries, with tools becoming more reliable and capable of sustained task focus. Lucas Hansen of CivAI notes AI's presence in everyday software and web browsers. While overall job loss is not evident, AI's increased productivity contributes to fewer entry-level positions for young adults. Consumers must understand AI's workings as it becomes ubiquitous, with calls for greater focus on child safety and the impact of chatbots on adults. In the realm of new AI models, Chinese company DeepSeek plans to launch its flagship V4 model in the coming weeks, building on its V3 release from December 2024, and featuring strong coding abilities. Meanwhile, the AI industry sees significant investments, with AgileRL securing $7.5 million to accelerate reinforcement learning for robotics and trading. AMD has also released its Ryzen AI Embedded processors, designed for AI tasks in devices like smart cameras. CoreWeave announced plans to deploy NVIDIA's Rubin platform in late 2026, targeting demanding AI workloads. Snowflake has enhanced its Cortex AI by integrating Google's Gemini 3 models, reflecting a trend of major tech collaborations. However, Google also advises against "content chunking," a common SEO practice aimed at AI bots like Gemini, emphasizing that content for human readers remains the best strategy for search success. Despite advancements, AI products face scrutiny. At CES 2026, consumer and privacy groups awarded "Worst in Show" to several AI gadgets, including Samsung's "Bespoke AI Family Hub" refrigerator for its voice command failures and complexity. Amazon's Ring doorbell system received a privacy award for new features like "AI Unusual Event Alert" and facial recognition. The AI companion "Ami" by Lepro was voted "People's Choice" for worst product, highlighting a need for better, more private technology. AI is proving its utility in critical applications, such as power grid management, where MIT professor Priya Donti explains it can predict renewable energy availability and optimize generator operations for a cleaner, more reliable system. In a dramatic rescue, AI software analyzed drone photos in just five hours to locate missing climber Nicola Ivaldo in the Italian Alps in July 2025, demonstrating its potential for search and rescue. Yet, AI's impact on business models is complex; Tailwind, a web development framework, laid off 75% of its engineering team due to an 80% revenue drop as AI tools directly accessed documentation, though Google AI Studio, Vercel, and Supabase stepped in as sponsors.
Key Takeaways
- Chinese AI company DeepSeek plans to launch its flagship V4 AI model with strong coding abilities, following its V3 release in December 2024.
- AgileRL secured $7.5 million in funding to accelerate reinforcement learning for robotics and trading applications.
- AMD released its Ryzen AI Embedded processors, designed for AI tasks in devices like smart cameras.
- CoreWeave announced it will deploy NVIDIA's Rubin platform in late 2026 for demanding AI workloads.
- Snowflake enhanced its Cortex AI by integrating Google's Gemini 3 models.
- Google advises against "content chunking" for AI bots, emphasizing that creating content for human readers is the best strategy for search rankings.
- At CES 2026, Amazon's Ring doorbell system received a privacy award for new features, and Samsung's "Bespoke AI Family Hub" refrigerator won the top "Worst in Show" award.
- AI tools are becoming more reliable and integrated into everyday software, but contribute to fewer entry-level jobs for young adults due to increased productivity.
- AI software analyzed drone photos in five hours to locate missing climber Nicola Ivaldo in the Italian Alps in July 2025, demonstrating its potential for search and rescue.
- Tailwind laid off 75% of its engineering team due to an 80% revenue drop caused by AI tools directly accessing documentation, though Google AI Studio, Vercel, and Supabase became sponsors.
CES 2026 names worst AI gadgets
Consumer and privacy groups gave out "Worst in Show" awards at CES 2026 for several AI products. Samsung's "Bespoke AI Family Hub" refrigerator won the top award because its voice commands failed in noisy places and it added unneeded complexity. Amazon's Ring doorbell system received a privacy award for new features like "AI Unusual Event Alert" and facial recognition. The AI companion "Ami" by Lepro, which tracks eye movements, was voted "People's Choice" for worst product. Judges hope these awards push companies to create better, more private technology.
CES 2026 names worst AI products
Consumer and privacy groups gave out "Worst in Show" awards at CES 2026 for several AI products. Samsung's "Bespoke AI Family Hub" refrigerator won the top award because its voice commands failed in noisy places and it added unneeded complexity. Amazon's Ring doorbell system received a privacy award for new features like "AI Unusual Event Alert" and facial recognition. Bosch also won two awards for an AI espresso machine and an e-bike app. Judges hope these awards push companies to create better, more private technology.
AI changes in 2026 you will notice
Lucas Hansen, co-founder of CivAI, shared what to expect from AI in 2026. He noted that AI tools are now more reliable and can focus on tasks for longer periods. Companies are also adding AI directly into everyday tools like web browsers and work software. While overall job loss is not evident, Hansen sees fewer entry-level jobs for young adults due to AI's increased productivity. He stressed that consumers need to understand how AI works as it becomes more common. Hansen also hopes for more focus on child safety with AI and the impact of chatbots on adults.
AI changes in 2026 you will notice
Lucas Hansen, co-founder of CivAI, shared what to expect from AI in 2026. He noted that AI tools are now more reliable and can focus on tasks for longer periods. Companies are also adding AI directly into everyday tools like web browsers and work software. While overall job loss is not evident, Hansen sees fewer entry-level jobs for young adults due to AI's increased productivity. He stressed that consumers need to understand how AI works as it becomes more common. Hansen also hopes for more focus on child safety with AI and the impact of chatbots on adults.
DeepSeek to launch new AI model V4 with strong coding
Chinese AI company DeepSeek plans to release its new flagship AI model, V4, in the coming weeks. This model is the next version after their V3 model, which came out in December 2024. DeepSeek's V4 model will have strong coding abilities.
AI can make power grids smarter and cleaner
MIT professor Priya Donti explains how AI can improve power grids. AI can help balance the power grid by making better predictions about how much renewable energy like solar and wind will be available. It can also solve complex problems faster to decide how power generators should work and when batteries should charge. Additionally, AI can make planning for future power grids more efficient and help predict maintenance needs to prevent outages. This will lead to a cleaner and more reliable power system.
AI helps find missing climber in Italian Alps
In September 2024, experienced Italian climber Nicola Ivaldo went missing in the Piemonte region. After a week of searching, rescuers stopped due to heavy snow. The search for his body restarted in July 2025, this time using new technology. Drones took thousands of photos of the mountainside, and AI software analyzed them in just five hours. The AI identified a red helmet, leading rescuers to find Ivaldo's body in a gully on Monviso mountain. This event showed how AI and drones can greatly help future search and rescue missions.
Tech giants sponsor Tailwind after AI causes layoffs
Tailwind, a popular web development framework, laid off 75% of its engineering team because AI caused an 80% drop in revenue. AI tools now access documentation directly, reducing traffic to Tailwind's commercial products. Following this news, major tech companies like Google AI Studio, Vercel, and Supabase stepped up to sponsor Tailwind. Founder Adam Wathan stated the company is not in crisis and still has a "fine business." This situation highlights how AI can increase a product's use while hurting its business model.
Kingsley Low uses AI method for sales success
Kingsley Low, founder of CloserKing.ai, earned $64,000 in high-ticket sales in 99 days using a new AI-driven sales method. His "application close" framework helps qualified clients make decisions without feeling pressured. Low previously worked with entrepreneur Peng Joon, managing large campaigns and client experiences. After facing struggles on his own, he partnered with Alaric Ong to develop his unique "diagnosis-first" conversation system. This method allows clients to commit confidently, removing the need for traditional sales tactics like chasing or discounting.
AI industry sees new developments this week
This week brought several new developments in artificial intelligence. AgileRL secured $7.5 million to speed up reinforcement learning for robotics and trading. AMD released its Ryzen AI Embedded processors for AI tasks in devices like smart cameras. Berkeley Lab explored using generative AI to complete scientific images. CIQ launched Fuzzball Service Endpoints to combine AI training and inference across different computing systems. CoreWeave announced it will deploy NVIDIA's Rubin platform in late 2026 for demanding AI workloads. Exabeam is focusing on security for autonomous AI agents, and Snowflake added Google's Gemini 3 models to its Cortex AI.
Google warns against writing content for AI bots
Google's John Mueller and Danny Sullivan advise against a common SEO practice called "content chunking." This method involves breaking content into very short paragraphs and many subheadings, hoping AI models like Gemini will easily use it. However, Google states this is a misconception and does not help search rankings. They emphasize that creating content for human readers, not AI bots, remains the best strategy for long-term search success. Google's systems are designed to reward content that humans find valuable and engaging.
Sources
- 'Worst in Show' CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbells
- 'Worst in Show' CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbells
- AI in 2026: What changes you may actually notice
- AI in 2026: What changes you may actually notice
- DeepSeek To Release Next Flagship AI Model With Strong Coding Ability
- 3 Questions: How AI could optimize the power grid
- A red pixel in the snow: How AI solved the mystery of a missing mountaineer
- Google, Vercel, Lovable & Others Come Forward To Sponsor Tailwind After Company Reveals 75% AI-Related Layoffs
- Is This the Future of AI Sales? Kingsley Low's AI Method Gets Clients to Close Themselves in One Call
- Artificial Intelligence News for the Week of January 9; Updates from CoreWeave, Exabeam, Lenovo & More
- Google: Don’t make “bite-sized” content for LLMs if you care about search rank
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