Good morning. A friendly reminder that the highly anticipated Fortune Brainstorm AI event is just around the corner, scheduled for December 7 to 8 at the St. Regis in San Francisco. Among the notable attendees will be World Labs’ Fei-Fei Li, Box CEO Aaron Levie, and Recursive CEO Richard Socher. Additionally, Trae Stephens from Founders Fund and Pedro Franceschi of Brex will also be present. As the late Hulk Hogan might say, “Hell yeah, brother.”
To ensure your spot, register your interest here. As I’ve mentioned before, we often reach capacity quickly, so don’t delay.
In today’s tech news, we have some exciting updates. —Andrew Nusca
P.S. We’ve just released the latest Europe edition of our Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For list. The top-ranking tech company comes in at No. 4. Any guesses? Here’s a hint: it’s based in the San Francisco Bay Area and was founded in 1984. (Paging Orwell!) Discover more here.
Microsoft shows off new Windows software, revamped for agentic AI
Microsoft is making significant strides in its flagship Windows operating system, gearing up for the AI era. During an event at San Francisco’s Dogpatch Studios, CEO Satya Nadella introduced a series of updates designed to integrate AI agents and tools directly into the software, ensuring that Microsoft remains a pivotal player in the evolving tech landscape.
Nadella described Windows as evolving into a “hybrid intelligence” system, which will incorporate both cloud-based AI and local AI functionalities, such as those found in the coding tool GitHub. “Just having the [AI] model doesn’t do much for anything,” he explained, emphasizing the importance of uniting local AI, AI-enhanced software, and devices specifically designed for AI tasks, including the newly unveiled Surface Laptop Ultra.
One of the key features of Microsoft’s vision is the seamless integration of the reimagined Copilot AI app into Windows. This enhancement allows Copilot to perform tasks autonomously without relying on cloud access for operations that do not require extensive computational power. For instance, users will be able to have Copilot gather all necessary files for tax filing directly from their laptops, streamlining the process while reducing costs and time.
“Copilot now truly understands your PC,” said Jacob Andreou, head of Copilot. “It’s Copilot built natively for Windows.”
Additionally, Microsoft is aligning these updates with the launch of its Surface Laptop Ultra, a premium device tailored for developers and creators. Demonstrations showcased the Ultra’s ability to handle gaming, video editing, and AI workloads simultaneously. This high-end laptop, powered by Nvidia’s RTX Spark “superchip,” will retail for ,599 and is set to be available starting October 16.
—Sebastian Herrera
“It’s important that society reaffirms support for human mathematical expertise.”
Read the full story here.
THE RUNDOWN
- Anthropic debuts Claude Haiku 5.5, touted as “the cheapest, fastest, and most capable small model we’ve ever released.”
- SpaceX reportedly aims to raise billion to acquire Nvidia chips.
- OpenAI introduces GPT-6 to ChatGPT, featuring a new “intelligent” interface that adapts based on user prompts.
- Google launches Playground, a no-code web platform designed for creating games using AI.
- Meta, Google DeepMind, and Isomorphic Labs collaborate on Biohub to develop foundational data for AI models aimed at predicting and treating diseases.
- Controversy arises as four Native American tribes partner with Kalshi to launch prediction apps.
- Amazon’s Ring unveils its first smart lock, equipped with a clever feature to manage battery depletion.
- ChatGPT continues to assist children with homework, raising concerns from advocacy organizations.
THE PARTING SHOT
The ongoing discourse surrounding AI, particularly the dynamics between Altman and Amodei, raises an intriguing question: if these two AI CEOs ever truly connected and enjoyed each other’s company, would we even notice the difference?
