This week, we're witnessing AI not only accelerate scientific breakthroughs and redefine creative expression on popular platforms but also spark intense debate about its role in the workforce and the very nature of skill. From new coding super-agents to controversial hiring policies.
What's Covered:
- AI Finds "Forever Chemical"-Free Coolant in Hours, Not Years
- Anthropic's No-AI Hiring Rule: Principled Stand or PR Play?
- OpenAI's Codex: Is Your Next Coding Partner an AI?
- TikTok's "AI Alive" Brings Your Static Photos to Life
- Google Challenges Codex with "Jules," Its New AI Coding Agent
AI Finds "Forever Chemical"-Free Coolant in Hours, Not Years
Microsoft's new AI tool, "Microsoft Discovery," has helped find a special liquid that can cool down computers without using harmful "forever chemicals." These chemicals, known as PFAS, are bad for the environment because they don't break down easily.
The Guts: Microsoft Discovery pinpointed this novel immersion coolant, previously unknown to humans, in mere hours - a task that traditionally could take months or even years. This new liquid effectively cools high-performance computer components without needing fans, a critical feature for powerful systems. It has been successfully synthesized and lab-tested, proving its practical application. This discovery is particularly timely as major producers like 3M are stopping the production of PFAS chemicals, creating an urgent need for safe alternatives.
The Buzz: This breakthrough isn't an isolated incident; it mirrors a wider trend of AI speeding up materials science, similar to IBM's efforts in open-sourcing AI models for material innovation. It's a powerful demonstration of AI's capacity to drive sustainable solutions and accelerate research significantly.
The Takeaway: AI is revolutionizing how we discover new materials, making the process faster, more efficient, and environmentally conscious. This success with Microsoft Discovery hints at accelerated advancements in other critical areas like new medicines, better computer chips, and other important materials, paving the way for a future where we can discover new things faster and make our world safer.
Anthropic's No-AI Hiring Rule.
Irony klaxon alert, Anthropic, the AI startup behind the Claude models, is making waves in the recruitment world by banning candidates from using AI tools in their job applications.
The Guts: The policy, announced on May 19, applies to all roles across the company, from engineers to marketers. Anthropic states the aim is to ensure they are assessing authentic skills and human creativity, especially in a field where AI-generated resumes and application materials are becoming increasingly common.
The Buzz: The irony of an AI company rejecting AI assistance in its own hiring process hasn't been lost on social media commentators...
The Takeaway: Anthropic’s stance highlights a growing tension: the ubiquity of powerful AI tools versus the ongoing need for, and valuation of, human originality and innate skill. As AI tools become standard issue, more companies may find themselves grappling with how to discern and foster genuine talent.
TikTok's "AI Alive" Brings Your Static Photos to Life
TikTok has rolled out "AI Alive," a new creative feature integrated into its Stories function, designed to animate your photos using AI with no editing skills required.
The Guts: AI Alive is accessible directly within TikTok’s Story Camera. It transforms a single static photo into a dynamic, short-form video by adding motion, various effects, and even ambient sound to create more cinematic and immersive moments. Think sunset skies subtly shifting colors, group selfies coming to life, or cherished memories made more vivid.
The Buzz: TikTok is positioning this tool for everyone, aiming to make engaging content creation even more seamless. Crucially, the platform states it employs multiple safety checks and moderation layers. Each AI-generated video will also include a transparency label and embedded metadata to clearly mark it as AI-made.
The Takeaway: TikTok isn’t just adopting AI; it’s making it feel like a native, intuitive part of self-expression for its massive user base. AI Alive is less about deepfakes or overt spectacle and more focused on subtle, simple enhancements to creativity. If this feature gains traction, it could significantly change how an entire generation approaches storytelling with their static images.
Story of the week:
Dan Waldschmidt, a turnaround specialist at EDGY Inc., uses a bold marketing tactic by sending $1,000 custom swords to CEOs of struggling companies, inscribed with their names and motivational quotes like “Business is war and I noticed you lost a battle recently,” achieving a near 100% response rate and seven-figure profits per deal.
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Google Challenges Codex with "Jules," Its New AI Coding Agent
Google has officially thrown its hat into the AI coding assistant ring with "Jules," which launched in global beta on May 20, 2025, during the Google I/O conference.
The Guts: Positioned as a direct competitor to OpenAI’s Codex, Jules is powered by Google's advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro model. It boasts an impressive array of features, including the ability to autonomously create pull requests on GitHub, verify code within cloud-based virtual machines, and provide detailed reasoning for its actions. Jules can handle tasks like bug fixing, version bumping, and building out new features. Notably, Google is offering a free tier that includes five tasks per day.
The Buzz: Some developers, have reported that Jules may even outperform Codex in areas like collaboration and the quality of generated code. The combination of a free access tier and a user-friendly interface is generating significant interest.
The Takeaway: Google is making a serious and strategic move into the AI-assisted development space. Jules appears to be a robust and powerful alternative, with a distinct focus on enabling full "agentic" development workflows rather than just offering code snippets. This launch significantly heats up the competition and is likely to accelerate the adoption of AI co-pilots across the software engineering landscape.
5 Free tasks a day available here: https://jules.google.com/task?ref=testingcatalog.com
Content of the week:
AI Generated 80s style home blooper tv show: Min Choi on X: "AI is getting out of hand 😂 America's Funniest AI Home Videos AI-made bloopers that never happened https://t.co/NPN1klRFGj" / X
Picture of the week:
Prompt: "A highly realistic vertical photo of a silver spoon held above a ceramic bowl. Inside the spoon is a vivid tropical beach with soft golden sand, crystal-clear turquoise water, and tiny people swimming and sunbathing. The shoreline curves naturally into the bowl below, where the tropical sea continues with gentle waves, floating clouds, and seagulls flying above. The transition from spoon to bowl feels seamless and magical. Soft sunlight, dreamy atmosphere, 9:16 format, magical realism."