AI agents Archives

AppWizard

May 2, 2025

App Developer Magazine may 2025

Google's Play Store has undergone a significant overhaul, resulting in a 47% reduction in app listings due to stricter enforcement, enhanced developer verification, and AI-driven moderation. This change aligns Google more closely with Apple's curated ecosystem. New tools in the Play Console Insights are designed to improve app performance for developers. Apple has achieved a milestone in emissions reduction and is preparing for WWDC 2025 on June 9. Blizzard's Diablo 4 has introduced a new mechanic called Piranhado, and SEMO has launched a game development degree program. Nutrient is expanding its cloud services, and student-led initiatives are addressing cybersecurity threats in universities. AI developments include a smart builder for converting spreadsheets into applications and AutonomyAI's autonomous agent platform.

AppWizard

April 24, 2025

Manychat taps $140M to boost its business messaging platform with AI

Manychat has secured million in a Series B funding round led by Summit Partners to expand its operations. The company has approximately 1.5 million customers in 170 countries, including brands like Nike and the New York Times. Manychat facilitates the transmission of billions of messages annually across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Since its inception in 2015, Manychat had raised around million prior to this round, mainly from a million Series A round in 2019. The company operates at a near break-even point and has experienced significant growth, particularly after Facebook opened its Messenger APIs. Manychat's focus on user engagement distinguishes it from many generative AI chatbots. The new funds will be used for research and development to enhance AI capabilities and improve global sales, marketing, and customer support.

Winsage

April 5, 2025

Celebrating Microsoft’s 50 years – The Official Microsoft Blog

Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, spoke at the company's 50th anniversary, reflecting on its founding by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. He emphasized Microsoft's commitment to empowering individuals through technology, highlighting the importance of the past while focusing on future innovations, particularly in AI. Nadella introduced advancements in Microsoft’s development tools, such as Agent Mode in Visual Studio Code and the Code Review Agent, which enhance the developer experience. He reiterated Microsoft's mission to empower every person and organization, stating that tools like Copilot are designed for a wide range of users. Nadella expressed gratitude to all contributors to Microsoft's success and excitement for future innovations.

Winsage

April 4, 2025

Microsoft unveils a more personal Copilot, leaving rival Apple further behind

Microsoft is enhancing its AI-powered Copilot with new features, including the ability to memorize user preferences, such as favorite foods and family birthdays, while allowing users to control what information is stored. The Copilot will also enable users to customize its appearance and perform tasks through chat prompts, integrating with platforms like OpenTable and Booking.com. Additionally, Copilot will feature visual search capabilities through Copilot Vision, allowing users to capture images or stream live video for information searches. Other functionalities include a podcast feature, a personal shopping assistant, and enhanced multi-step research capabilities, with Copilot Search being integrated into the Bing browser.

Tech Optimizer

February 25, 2025

APAC enterprises shifting towards open source in database strategies

Enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly transitioning from proprietary databases to open-source alternatives, with PostgreSQL being favored due to high licensing costs and vendor dependencies. IT leaders are reassessing database strategies to meet performance, cost, and scalability needs, particularly for applications requiring transactional, analytical, and AI workloads. Hybrid IT models are gaining traction, especially in countries like Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines, while Japan and Korea show strong on-premises demand, and India is moving away from legacy systems due to cost pressures. PostgreSQL is evolving to support hybrid IT and emerging workloads, including AI and analytics, with enhancements like lakehouse architecture for managing structured and unstructured data and the introduction of pgvector for AI applications. Data sovereignty regulations are prompting enterprises to deploy PostgreSQL in hybrid cloud environments to balance control and scalability. EDB has developed a hybrid control plane for unified management across on-premises and cloud deployments. Many enterprises are opting for a gradual transition to PostgreSQL due to legacy dependencies and operational risks, often starting with specific use cases before migrating legacy workloads. An example includes an insurance company in Hong Kong that migrated from Oracle to PostgreSQL, achieving reduced costs and improved performance. Successful migration depends on database mobility and application portability, with EDB planning to integrate GPU support and develop tools for faster AI application deployment, with expectations for rollout by the second quarter of 2025.

Winsage

December 26, 2024

Hands on: Microsoft is building an AI Shell for Windows 11 command line

Microsoft has launched the public preview of AI Shell, a command-line utility that integrates generative AI capabilities into Windows PowerShell. It features two AI agents: Azure OpenAI and Copilot in Azure, with the option to add more. The installation requires Windows 10 or later and PowerShell version 7.4.6, using the script: Invoke-Expression “& { $(Invoke-RestMethod ‘https://aka.ms/install-aishell.ps1’) }”. Configuration involves adding API keys after executing the Start-AIShell command. AI Shell can execute commands, provide explanations for cmdlets, assist in writing PowerShell scripts, and generate Python code. It includes commands like /code post to send generated code to the terminal, /code copy to copy code, resolve-error to send errors for resolution, and Invoke-AIShell to send queries.

AppWizard

November 30, 2024

AI created a Minecraft AI village with up to 1,000 inhabitants — Project Sid sees AI bots implement a taxation system and spread Pastafarianism religion

AI startup Altera conducted experiments in Minecraft, deploying AI-powered "players" that formed a society of up to 1,000 agents with unique personalities and roles. The experiments aimed to explore autonomous group behavior, resulting in AI agents exhibiting human-like behaviors, such as a chef adjusting food distribution based on appreciation and roles like guards, artists, farmers, traders, builders, explorers, and defenders emerging from interactions. An in-game taxation system was introduced, where agents paid taxes based on collectively voted laws, leading to fluctuating tax rates. Some agents engaged in playful pranking and environmental advocacy. The AI agents, lacking true self-awareness, displayed emergent behaviors under Altera's "Project Sid," utilizing a sophisticated architecture with modules for gameplay navigation and task-specific functions powered by large language models. Altera's founder, Robert Yang, envisions developing genuinely autonomous agents capable of large-scale collaboration and forming deep connections with humans.

AppWizard

November 27, 2024

These AI Minecraft characters did weirdly human stuff all on their own

A multitude of AI characters, numbering up to 1,000, have adapted and flourished in the Minecraft universe, engaging in various activities such as establishing professions, sharing memes, and voting on tax reforms. This project, led by AI startup Altera, aims to model human group dynamics and create large-scale AI civilizations. Altera secured over a million in funding and demonstrated an AI-controlled character in Minecraft. Their initiative, Project Sid, involves simulated AI agents with complex "brains" that exhibit distinct personalities and specialize in roles like builders and traders. The agents demonstrated emergent behaviors, such as creating cultural memes and propagating a parody religion, Pastafarianism. While the agents mimic human behaviors learned from training data, they are not considered "alive." Altera plans to expand its efforts into platforms like Roblox and aims to create digital humans capable of genuine care and collaboration. However, experts remain skeptical about the potential for machines to replicate genuine emotions.

AppWizard

November 22, 2024

Android 16 could give Gemini the power over apps Assistant never got

Google is enhancing its Gemini chatbot and large language model, making it the default assistant on many Android devices. Currently, Gemini can interact with external services through Extensions, but its control over Android applications is limited. The upcoming Android 16 will introduce a new API that allows services like Gemini to perform actions within applications. Android 16 DP1 has revealed new APIs for "app functions," which represent specific capabilities of applications that can be integrated into system features. Applications will define these functions, and they will be accessible through Android's App Search framework. To execute these functions, applications need specific permissions, which are restricted to system applications. The new app functions feature could enable Gemini to control applications more effectively than Google Assistant has in the past, potentially allowing for multitasking and complex actions. The success of Gemini as an AI agent will depend on app developers adopting this functionality.

Winsage

November 21, 2024

Microsoft Ramps Up Automation in the Workplace With ‘Copilot Actions’

Microsoft is introducing new AI features in Microsoft 365, including "Copilot Actions," which allows users to create automated workflows for tasks like meeting summaries and team newsletters. This integration aims to make AI more accessible for enterprises, enabling employees to streamline their tasks independently. Major companies like Meta, OpenAI, and Google are also advancing in AI agent technology, with OpenAI developing an autonomous agent called "Operator" set for release in early 2025. Microsoft announced additional updates, including new features for Windows 11, AI-powered tools in Microsoft Teams, security enhancements, and a new platform for managing AI tools.