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In this newsletter:
- Claude gets new tools to operate software, run workflows, and create files
- Google adds 3D simulations, quizzes, and a study hub to Search and Gemini
- Adobe Firefly now creates music, voiceovers, and sound effects in one studio
Plus, you’ll find new AI tools and this week’s top AI news headlines!
🤖 Claude Gets New Tools to Operate Software, Run Workflows, and Create Files
Anthropic released computer use, the Skills API, and the Files API to general availability on the Claude Platform, alongside a new browser use tool that lets agents interact with web applications more reliably.
What's new:
- Computer use now takes several actions per turn instead of one per model call, finishing tasks in fewer calls and less time
- Computer use is now eligible for HIPAA-regulated workloads under Anthropic's BAA
- New browser use tool reads page structure alongside screenshots, so agents target specific fields and buttons rather than pixel positions on screen
- Skills API lets you upload and version your own skills - folders of instructions, scripts, and templates that Claude loads only when a task calls for it, running in Claude's code execution sandbox with nothing to host
- Files API now includes automatic file expiration, 5x higher rate limits, and 1TB of storage per organization
- Upload a file once, reference it by ID in later requests instead of re-sending it each time
- Available now on Claude Platform, Skills API, and Files API are also available through Microsoft Foundry
- Updated computer use and browser use tools are coming soon to Google Cloud's Vertex AI
Real-world example:
- Claims agent reads intake document from Files API, follows a skill encoding the team's filing procedure, completes submission in insurer's web portal using the browser use tool, and saves confirmation back as a file
Why it matters:
Most businesses have software that was never built to work with AI - old vendor portals, insurance submission systems, internal dashboards with no API. Computer use changes that by letting Claude work through a browser like a human would, which means companies no longer need to wait for their legacy software vendors to add AI integrations before they can automate.
The HIPAA clearance is what finally opens the door for healthcare and insurance, two industries where the workflows are complex enough to desperately need automation, but the compliance requirements have kept them watching from the sidelines.
👀 Read more about Claude Platform's new agent tools!
📚 Google Adds 3D Simulations, Quizzes, and a Study Hub to Search and Gemini
Google launched a set of study tools across Search and Gemini, including interactive visuals, 3D simulations, customized quizzes, and a dedicated student hub in the Gemini app.
New in Google Search:
- Interactive visuals and simulations are now available globally in English in AI Mode and AI Overviews - search a topic like "pH scale" and get an interactive visual, then ask follow-up questions for more specialized simulations
- Customized practice quizzes are now available globally in English, free of charge in AI Overviews and AI Mode across science, math, humanities, foreign languages, and standardized tests, including SAT, ACT, AP, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, JEE, NEET, and more
- Quizzes include explanations for each response and links to learn more, powered by content from The Princeton Review, Careers360, PhysicsWallah, and Akira Enem
- Notebooks now in AI Mode rolling out across 180+ countries in English - set up a dedicated notebook for each class, add slides, syllabi, web articles, and previous AI Mode threads, existing Gemini Notebook content syncs automatically
- Custom file creation is now available globally in English - upload handwritten notes and lecture slides, ask Search to generate a one-pager, spreadsheet, or presentation summarizing key concepts
- Coming in weeks: Lens in Search lets you upload a photo of a problem to get an AI explanation, mistake identification, and guidance
New in Gemini:
- Launch multi-step research reports in Gemini Live, close the chat, and do other things while it works in the background, and get notified when the report is ready
- Discuss research findings conversationally by voice after the report is complete
- Generate functional 3D simulations as responses, including rotating and zooming into a 3D DNA structure
- New dedicated study hub inside Gemini app centralizes all learning tools in one place: flashcards, practice quizzes, and more
Why it matters:
Students have been using ChatGPT to study for years, but mostly to get answers rather than to actually learn. Google is attacking that habit from a different angle - interactive simulations, background research, and 3D models are tools that force engagement with the material rather than just handing back a response to copy.
If it works, Google doesn't just win a product category against OpenAI and education startups like Knowt and Gauth; it becomes the tool teachers are less likely to ban because it actually helps students understand rather than shortcut their way through assignments.
👀 Read more about Google's new study tools!
🎵 Adobe Firefly Now Creates Music, Voiceovers, and Sound Effects in One Studio
Adobe made its audio generation tools generally available in Firefly, letting creators generate commercially safe music, voiceovers, and sound effects without leaving their creative workflow.
What's now available:
- Generate Music: creates universally licensed original tracks tuned to your video's length and mood, safe for commercial use with no copyright takedown risk
- Generate Speech: turns a script into natural voiceovers with control over voice, pacing, and emotion, powered by the Firefly Speech Model, with the option to use ElevenLabs
- Generate Sound Effects: creates custom sounds matched to the action, timing, and energy of your content
- Firefly AI Assistant now has a free tier with daily generations
- Gemini Omni Flash, added as a new model option, accepts video, audio, and image inputs alongside text to turn rough ideas into storyboarded first cuts quickly
- Gemini Omni Flash joins existing models from Google, Kling AI, Luma AI, OpenAI, and Runway inside Firefly
What creators are saying:
- Fashion creator Esther Rehema: "What used to take me hours and hours of searching for the right song can now take seconds"
- Brand content creator Madeline Salazar: "When I am making content for a brand, there is always the complication of licensing the background music. Using Generate Music, I am able to create a soundtrack that is unique to the video I'm making"
Why it matters:
Music licensing has been the hidden tax on every content creator's workflow - hours spent searching for tracks they're legally allowed to use, then paying separately for the rights.
Adobe folding commercially safe music generation directly into Firefly removes that entire problem, which matters more to brand creators and agencies than any quality benchmark, because getting hit with a copyright claim on a client deliverable is a career problem, not just an inconvenience.
👀 Read more about Adobe Firefly's audio tools!
My Latest LinkedIn & X/Twitter Posts:
- 10 powerful ways to use ChatGPT’s Deep Research (view post)
- Prompting cheat sheet for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok & Gemini (view post)
- How to use Copilot in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint (view post)
- 15-step roadmap to learn AI from beginner to expert (view post)
- Top 11 free AI tools from Google and how to use them (view post)
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New AI Tools to Boost Your Productivity:
- Gemini 3.6 Flash: Fast multimodal AI for reasoning & everyday tasks.
- CloudByte PMS: Tracks AI usage and costs across teams.
- Photo to Video AI: Turns images into videos with Veo 3.1 Fast.
- Hoocs AI: Transcribes audio and video into text.
- TrustGrowth: Audits websites for search and AI visibility.
- Nebula: Runs business tasks with AI agents.
- Appwrite: Provides backend infrastructure for building apps.
- Twenty: Open-source CRM for managing customer relationships.
- LandingBoost: Audits landing pages for conversion issues.
- AI Song Maker: Generates songs from text or lyrics.
- Blastra: Manages and optimizes business directory listings.
- Faceless: Creates and auto-posts faceless videos.
- Paravo: Finds, converts, and re-engages clients.
- Swiftsell: Automates customer calls and WhatsApp chats.
- Berd: Runs multiple AI agents in one desktop app.
This Week's Top AI News Headlines:
- ChatGPT Adds an Apple Messages Plugin that Lets Users Ask the AI Assistant to Draft and Send Text Messages on their Behalf Directly through Apple’s Messages App (View Article)
- Google Introduces New Tools to Help Publishers Offset AI-Driven Traffic Losses, Including More Control Over How their Content Appears in AI Search and New Ways to Turn Search Visitors into Paying Subscribers (View Article)
- Anthropic Expands Claude’s Gmail and Google Drive Connectors to Cowork on Mobile and Web, Letting Users Access Emails and Files while Claude Handles Multi-Step Work Across their Connected Google Data (View Article)
- Perplexity Introduces Brain, an Agentic Memory System that Automatically Organizes Information from AI Research and Conversations into a Living Knowledge Wiki that Can Be Reused and Updated Over Time (View Article)
- Google Expands AI Max for Search Campaigns with New Testing and Planning Tools, Helping Advertisers Compare AI-Powered Campaign Performance and Forecast Results Before Committing More of their Advertising Budget (View Article)
- OpenAI Adds Transparent Background Generation to the GPT-Image-2 API, Letting Developers Create Reusable AI-Generated Image Assets for Product Imagery, Graphic Design, Websites, and Marketing Campaigns (View Article)
- Meta AI Launches a macOS Desktop App with System-Wide AI Dictation, Letting Users Hold the Fn Key and Transcribe Speech Directly into Any App without Switching Between Tools (View Article)
- Google Will Let Users Customize the Discover Feed with Natural Language AI Prompts, Giving People More Direct Control Over the Topics and Types of Content Recommended to them (View Article)
- Sakana AI Updates its AI Translation System to Improve Translation Quality and Better Preserve Meaning and Context Across Languages, Expanding its Use for Multilingual Content and Communication (View Article)
- Google Expands its Student AI Offer, Giving Eligible College Students Free Access to Google AI Pro with Advanced Gemini Features and AI Tools Designed to Support Studying, Research, Writing, and Learning (View Article)
- OpenAI Commits to Zero Data Retention for Eligible API Customers, Allowing Organizations to Use OpenAI Models without Having their Prompts or Responses Stored after Processing (View Article)
- Replit Introduces Free Mode, Letting Anyone Build Apps with its AI Coding Agent without a Paid Subscription, Making AI-Powered Software Development More Accessible to New and Casual Developers (View Article)
- Bengaluru Startup Murf AI, a Voice Technology Company that Creates Realistic AI-Generated Speech, Launches a Lower-Cost Voice Model to Compete with OpenAI and ElevenLabs (View Article)
- Meta Brings Pocket to U.S. Users, an AI-Powered App that Lets People “Vibe Code” Games with Natural Language Prompts and Instantly Play and Share their Creations with Others (View Article)
- Salesforce Introduces Slack Code, an AI-Powered Coding Workspace Built into Slack that Lets Developers Work with AI Agents to Write, Review, and Ship Code without Leaving their Team Conversations (View Article)
- Black Forest Labs Adds AI Video Upscaling to FLUX, Letting Creators Increase the Resolution and Visual Quality of Generated or Existing Videos for Sharper, Higher-Quality Outputs (View Article)
- xAI’s Grok 4.6 Becomes Generally Available on Amazon Bedrock, Giving Developers Access to the Flagship AI Model with a 500,000-Token Context Window and Configurable Reasoning for Long-Running Agents and Visual Work (View Article)
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Have a wonderful week!
Andrew Bolis
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