Good morning, AI enthusiasts. Figure AI has introduced a humanoid robot capable of running with natural human-like motion, marking a notable advancement in robotics mobility that could soon bring AI-driven fitness coaching into everyday life.
This development highlights embodied AI's expanding role beyond digital tasks, raising the question of how soon personal robots might assist with fitness, rehabilitation, or other physical activities in home settings.
In today’s AI recap:
From Larry Bruce:
"Figure AI’s latest humanoid robot breakthrough demonstrates natural human-like running, a major step toward practical AI-powered fitness assistance. For professionals focused on AI innovation, this showcases how robotics can extend AI productivity from digital work into physical tasks at home and beyond."
The Recap: Figure AI unveiled a humanoid robot that can run alongside humans with remarkable natural motion, signaling advances in robotics mobility that could power future AI personal trainers and physical assistants.
Unpacked:
Bottom line: Figure AI’s running humanoid illustrates how AI-driven robotics make physical task automation achievable, setting a foundation for interactive, practical AI helpers beyond software. This complements AI's growing role in boosting human productivity across digital and real-world environments.
From Larry Bruce:
"Chai Discovery’s AI-driven leap in drug development highlights how generative AI keeps expanding beyond traditional tech fields. Professionals keen on automation and productivity gains will find this pharma partnership a vivid example of AI's growing practical impact."
The Recap: Chai Discovery raised $130 million and partnered with Eli Lilly to speed up antibody and molecule design using custom generative AI models, marking a major step in AI-powered drug discovery.
Unpacked:
Bottom line: AI continues to make drug development faster and more efficient, creating new opportunities for tech-driven innovation in biotech. Keeping an eye on these developments helps professionals stay ahead in applying AI to real-world problems.
From Larry Bruce:
"Microsoft's latest Excel update introduces formula-driven data imports that automate tedious steps and empower smarter workflows through AI integration. This shows how AI enhancements continue to boost everyday productivity tools, perfect for professionals eager to work faster and smarter."
— Larry Bruce, BDCbox
The Recap: Microsoft Excel has added two new formula functions, IMPORTTEXT and IMPORTCSV, which let users import external text and CSV data directly into sheets with fewer manual steps. These features integrate seamlessly with Microsoft’s AI Copilot, enabling smarter, AI-powered insights.
Unpacked:
Bottom line: Automating data imports with AI-powered formulas helps professionals spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on valuable insights. This update signals the growing trend of AI embedding into core productivity tools to help users stay ahead.
_"The rise of micro apps shows how AI makes software creation personal and accessible. For professionals eager to automate tasks, this shift unlocks new ways to solve problems fast without coding skills." — Larry Bruce, BDCbox
The Recap: The new wave of AI-powered micro apps lets people build small, personal AI tools tailored to immediate needs — no programming required. Thanks to Claude and ChatGPT, anyone can create and own niche applications that boost productivity.
Unpacked:
Bottom line: Micro apps represent a practical AI step forward that speeds up workflows and empowers creativity. Keeping an eye on this trend can help you harness AI to solve challenges your way, faster and smarter.
Microsoft added IMPORTTEXT and IMPORTCSV functions to Excel, enabling dynamic AI-powered imports of text and CSV files straight into sheets for smarter, formula-driven data workflows.
AI journalism startup signed a deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp to deploy its AI content platform, promising up to 90% productivity gains in complex editorial tasks and streamlining newsroom workflows.
Anthropic appointed former Microsoft India MD Irina Ghose to lead its Bengaluru office, marking a strategic push to grow Claude’s adoption in India’s fast-expanding AI market and deepen enterprise engagements.
OpenAI plans to roll out targeted ads to free and Go-tier ChatGPT users while maintaining paid tiers ad-free, aiming to balance revenue growth with user control over ad personalization and data privacy.
Non-developers are embracing AI-powered "micro apps" that let users quickly build personal, niche applications for web and mobile without coding, signaling a new era of ephemeral, user-driven software creation fueled by tools like Claude and ChatGPT.
