Applications And Tools AI News & updates this week

Deploying DeepSeek on 96 H100 GPUs

lmsys.org • Aug 29, 2025

Article URL: https://lmsys.org/blog/2025-05-05-large-scale-ep/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45064329 Points: 90 # Comments: 28...

TL;DR

SGLang team successfully replicates DeepSeek's inference system using prefill-decode disaggregation, expert parallelism, and large-scale load balancing, achieving a throughput of 52.3k input tokens per second and 22.3k output tokens per second.

Key Takeaways:

PF disaggregation optimizes prefill and decode phases separately, reducing latency and improving efficiency.
EP and EPLB achieve a significant speedup of 1.49x (prefill) and 2.54x (decode) by addressing workload imbalances across GPUs.
DisposableTensor and expert workload extraction tools enhance memory management and analysis, providing insights for optimization and simulation.

911 centers are so understaffed, they’re turning to AI to answer calls

techcrunch.com • Aug 27, 2025

The company offers an AI voice assistant that helps 911 centers handle non-emergency calls....

TL;DR

Aurelian, a startup founded from Y Combinator, raises $14 million to deploy its AI voice assistant in 911 call centers, helping offload non-emergency call volume.

Key Takeaways:

Aurelian's AI voice assistant can triage non-urgent issues and recognize real emergencies to transfer calls to human dispatchers.
The company has been deployed at over a dozen 911 dispatch centers across the US, and is handling thousands of live calls daily.
Aurelian's technology is designed to address the high turnover rates and understaffing problems in 911 dispatch centers by automating non-essential calls.

Assort Health nabs $50M to automate patient phone calls, sources say

techcrunch.com • Aug 27, 2025

The company's AI voice agents are designed to take over high-volume, repetitive tasks like scheduling, cancellations, and frequently asked questions n...

TL;DR

Assort Health, a startup using AI for patient communication in healthcare, has raised $50 million in a Series B round at a $750 million valuation.

Key Takeaways:

Assort Health's AI voice agents automate tasks like scheduling and cancellations, enabling human staff to focus on complex patient interactions.
The startup has experienced rapid growth, with annual recurring revenue exceeding $3 million, despite only recently expanding beyond orthopedic and physical care offices.
Assort Health joins a growing list of startups leveraging AI to alleviate patient phone call volume in medical offices, indicating increasing adoption of AI in the healthcare industry.

Gemini Nano Banana improves image editing consistency and control at scale for enterprises – but is not perfect

venturebeat.com • Aug 26, 2025

The long awaited image editing model nanobanana from Google, now renamed Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, has finally released to the public....

TL;DR

Google releases Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, a new image model allowing enterprises to edit images with more control and consistency than previous models.

Key Takeaways:

Gemini 2.5 Flash Image maintains character likenesses between different images and has more consistency when editing pictures.
The model is integrated into the Gemini app and available for all paid and free users, with all images generated including Google's SynthID watermark.
Google's new image model aims to compete with rival providers such as AI21, Qwen, and OpenAI, as the fight for capable and realistic image and edit capabilities intensifies.

How one AI startup is helping rice farmers battle climate change

techcrunch.com • Aug 26, 2025

Mitti Labs is working with The Nature Conservancy to expand the use of climate-friendly rice farming practices in India. The startup uses its AI to ve...

TL;DR

Mitti Labs, a New York-based startup, leverages partnerships and AI-powered technology to measure methane emissions from rice paddies and promote climate-friendly practices among hundreds of thousands of farmers in India.

Key Takeaways:

Mitti's AI-powered models measure and report on methane emissions from rice paddies, enabling farmers to implement climate-friendly practices and improving their bottom line by 15%.
The startup focuses on developing projects that reduce methane emissions and works with partners like The Nature Conservancy to extend its reach and offer SaaS solutions to third parties.
Rice farming is a significant source of human-caused methane emissions, contributing around 10% to 12% of the total, and Mitti's technology helps bring climate-friendly practices to millions of smallholder farmers in Asia.

Lessons from building an AI data analyst

www.pedronasc.com • 9h ago

Article URL: https://www.pedronasc.com/articles/lessons-building-ai-data-analyst Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45094256 Points: 6...

TL;DR

To build an AI data analyst, it's necessary to go beyond text-to-SQL, leveraging multi-step plans, external tools, and context to provide accurate and reliable answers.

Key Takeaways:

The product of AI analysis is context; a semantic layer encodes business meaning, sharply reducing SQL complexity and providing a single source of truth.
Retrieval is a recommendation problem; mix keyword, embeddings, and fine-tuned rerankers, optimising for precision, recall, and latency.
To improve performance, route between fast and reasoning models, cache aggressively, and keep contexts short, with continuous model evaluation to avoid drifts.

Show HN: Banana AI – Completely free Nano Banana image editing

banana-ai.org • Yesterday

Article URL: https://banana-ai.org/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45081561 Points: 4 # Comments: 0...

TL;DR

Banana AI is a user-friendly AI image editing tool powered by Google's Nano Banana technology, allowing users to edit photos effortlessly with simple text prompts.

Key Takeaways:

Banana AI achieves 1-2 second processing speeds for photo edits
It maintains consistent identity across multiple edits, ideal for creating avatars, branding visuals, or transforming portraits into unique artistic styles
The tool offers batch editing for multiple images, making it suitable for content creators, marketers, or anyone needing consistent edits across a series of images

SynthID

deepmind.google • Aug 30, 2025

Article URL: https://deepmind.google/science/synthid/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45071677 Points: 12 # Comments: 2...

How to Stop Google from AI-Summarising Your Website

www.teruza.com • Aug 29, 2025

Article URL: https://www.teruza.com/info-hub/how-to-stop-google-from-ai-summarising-your-website Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45...

TL;DR

Google's AI-generated summaries in search results, known as AI Overviews, are forcing website owners to choose between losing visibility or control over their content.

Key Takeaways:

Google's AI Overviews are taking content from websites and potentially directing traffic away, forcing website owners to make an unfair choice.
The only current workaround recommended by Google is to set snippet length to zero using `max-snippet:0`, which significantly decreases click-through rate.
Regulatory investigations in the EU and UK aim to hold Google accountable for potentially stifling competition and harming publishers through its AI Overviews feature.

Vocal Image is using AI to help people communicate better

techcrunch.com • Aug 29, 2025

With an interactive library that includes tongue twisters, breathing exercises, and advice on gestures, Vocal Image is also leaning more and more into...

TL;DR

Estonia-based startup Vocal Image, which uses AI to coach people's voice and communication skills, has raised a $3.6 million seed round and is growing rapidly, now claiming $12 million in annual recurring revenue with 50,000 paid users.

Key Takeaways:

Vocal Image has reached $12 million in annual recurring revenue, up from $6.5 million in less than a year.
The startup now has 50,000 paid users and 20 people on its team, with a majority of Belarusian exiles.
Vocal Image has amassed over 1 million real-voice samples through its community-driven Voice Rating feature.

Show HN: Grammit – Local-only AI grammar checker (Chrome extension)

chromewebstore.google.com • Aug 28, 2025

Hey HN, I wanted a grammar checker that didn’t send my writing to someone's servers, so we built Grammit, a Chrome extension that runs grammar checks ...

TL;DR

Grammit, an AI-powered grammar checker, provides local AI-based corrections, rephrasing, and drafting capabilities, ensuring user data remains private and secure.

Key Takeaways:

Grammit offers AI-powered grammar corrections and rephrasing capabilities.
The tool operates locally on-device, ensuring user data remains private and secure.
Grammit supports various writing tasks, including emails, social media posts, and chat messages.

The next step for content creators in working with AI bots: Introducing AI Crawl Control

blog.cloudflare.com • Aug 28, 2025

Cloudflare launches AI Crawl Control (formerly AI Audit) and introduces easily customizable 402 HTTP responses....

TL;DR

Cloudflare introduces AI Crawl Control, enabling content creators to license their content to AI crawlers using customizable 402 HTTP status codes.

Key Takeaways:

Content creators can now send customizable 402 response codes to AI crawlers, specifying licensing terms and contact information.
Cloudflare's AI Crawl Control aims to strike a balance between blocking unwanted crawlers and enabling legitimate licensing opportunities.
The solution paves the way for new monetization models and direct communication channels between content creators and AI companies.

How a 16-year-old company is easing small businesses into AI

techcrunch.com • Aug 28, 2025

Whether AI is a bubble or not, it's helping some small businesses save real money. Here's how one has cautiously approached adoption....

TL;DR

Netstock's AI-powered Opportunity Engine, used by its customers, has served up 1 million recommendations, with 75% of them valued at $50,000 or more, and has helped smaller businesses avoid inventory mistakes and empowered their less-experienced staff.

Key Takeaways:

Netstock's Opportunity Engine has successfully empowered less-senior warehouse staff to make data-driven decisions, especially during off-hours, thereby creating efficient inventory management.
The AI-powered tool has helped its customers avoid inventory mistakes by analyzing and summarizing large amounts of data from Enterprise Resource Planning software.
The tool's reinforcement learning mechanism uses customer feedback to improve its recommendations, with a focus on outcome-based incentives rather than user engagement metrics.

Libby’s library app adds an AI discovery feature, and not everyone is thrilled

techcrunch.com • Aug 26, 2025

Libby launches "Inspire Me," a genAI feature that helps its users find books to borrow from local libraries....

TL;DR

Libby e-book and audiobook app adds 'Inspire Me' AI-powered book recommendation feature, sparking debate about AI's role in reader discovery.

Key Takeaways:

Libby's new 'Inspire Me' feature relies on AI-powered book recommendations based on user prompts or saved titles.
AI-powered recommendations prioritize titles that are immediately available to borrow from users' local libraries.
Some Libby users and librarians express concerns about AI's role in reader discovery and potential privacy issues.

Google is building a Duolingo rival into the Translate app

www.theverge.com • Aug 26, 2025

Google is putting AI-powered language learning tools into its Translate app. The new feature, rolling out now in beta, can create customized language ...

TL;DR

Google is integrating AI-powered language learning tools into its Translate app, allowing users to practice speaking and listening in a new language in real-time.

Key Takeaways:

The new feature can create customized language lessons based on users' skill levels and goals, similar to Duolingo.
Live translation is now available in the Translate app, allowing users in the US, India, and Mexico to have back-and-forth conversations across 70 languages.
The feature uses Gemini AI models to generate AI-generated transcription and audio translation in real-time.

Show HN: AfriTales – Discover the Magic of African Storytelling

afritales.org • 14h ago

Hi HN,I've been working on AfriTales, a flutter based mobile app that brings African folktales into modern stories narrated episodes wrapped in a chil...

No Clicks, No Content: The Unsustainable Future of AI Search

bradt.ca • Yesterday

Article URL: https://bradt.ca/blog/no-clicks-no-content/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45084016 Points: 39 # Comments: 35...

TL;DR

AI companies' reliance on third-party content to train their models may lead to a content drought that ultimately harms their own sustainability.

Key Takeaways:

AI-powered search platforms like Google and ChatGPT are reducing the incentive for businesses to produce high-quality content as they increasingly rely on AI-generated responses.
The lack of high-quality content may ultimately harm the accuracy and relevance of AI-powered search results, potentially creating a vicious cycle.
Regulation may be necessary to address the issue, but new laws could take time to develop, and existing laws may not be effective in addressing the problem.

Showrunner wants to turn you into a happy little content prompter for the ‘Netflix of AI’

www.theverge.com • Aug 29, 2025

As one of the cofounders behind Oculus Story Studio, Edward Saatchi knows how hard it can be to sell people on new tech that bills itself as revolutio...

TL;DR

Showrunner, a new AI-powered platform from Fable, aims to gamify Hollywood's pivot to AI and enable users to create custom content by prompting AI-generated scenes.

Key Takeaways:

Showrunner uses generative AI to create scenes based on user prompts, with the goal of producing a new kind of interactive entertainment experience.
The platform currently offers a free service, but plans to introduce a paid subscription model at a cost of $10-$20 per month.
Fable aims to partner with major studios like Disney to develop branded models that can generate scenes based on licensed IP, enabling users to create millions of new scenes and episodes.

The Pixel 10’s AI screamed at us

www.theverge.com • Aug 29, 2025

This seems to be the year that Google's AI features are actually starting to add up to something useful. After a week testing the Pixel 10 Pro, my col...

TL;DR

Google's Pixel 10 Pro AI features show promise, but also exhibit issues, such as the live translate feature breaking down into screeching sounds.

Key Takeaways:

The Pixel 10 Pro's AI features show some promise and can be useful, at least when they work as expected.
Google's AI-infused Pro Res Zoom feature in the camera app seems accurate and un-AI-like, until it encounters text and becomes a jumbled mess.
Other companies, such as Dish, Intel, and Elon Musk's xAI, face their own challenges, including failed business ventures and lawsuits.

Dentist built a Cephalometric Analysis App with Claude Code

reddit.com • Aug 29, 2025

I am a dentist, who got frustrated with the App which we used to do cephalometric evaluations in the clinic I work at. One day something in my head sn...

TL;DR

A dentist created a cephalometric analysis app using Claude Code and React, focusing on accuracy, editability, and exportability, as a replacement for a previous program.

Key Takeaways:

The app includes a calculation system with editable landmark points, lines, distances, and angles, allowing users to create custom templates.
It features a measurements tab with color-coded values and descriptions, as well as a landmark placing system with image zoom and contrast adjustment.
The app exports to .ceph files, which can contain project data, and PDF files, including a comparison mode for overlaying and comparing cephalometric evaluations.

Google adds iPhone-like ‘Calling Cards’ to its Phone app

www.theverge.com • Aug 29, 2025

Google’s Phone app is adding “Calling Cards” that let you customize the appearance of contact screens for incoming calls. They’re similar to the Conta...

TL;DR

Google adds 'Calling Cards' to its Phone app, allowing Android users to customize images, colors, and text on contact call screens.

Key Takeaways:

Customize images, colors, and text on contact call screens, similar to iPhone's Contact Poster feature.
The update includes a 'Take a Message' feature that automatically answers and transcribes voicemails when a user misses a call.
Calling Cards are only available on Pixel 4 phones or newer, and on Pixel Watch 2 models or newer when paired with Pixel 6 or more recent Google phone models.

Taco Bell’s AI drive-thru plan gets caught up on trolls and glitches

www.theverge.com • Aug 28, 2025

Taco Bell’s plan to outfit hundreds of drive-thrus with an AI voice assistant isn’t going exactly as the chain expected. Dane Mathews, Taco Bell’s chi...

TL;DR

Taco Bell is re-evaluating its plan to use AI voice assistants in drive-thrus due to customer frustrations and troll attempts.

Key Takeaways:

Over 500 locations across the US have deployed AI technology in drive-thrus as part of Taco Bell's initial plan.
The company is now considering alternative uses for the technology, such as in less busy restaurants with shorter lines.
Other fast-food chains like McDonald's, Wendy's, and White Castle are also experimenting with AI technology in their drive-thrus.

Rendering a Game in Real-Time with AI

blog.jeffschomay.com • Aug 28, 2025

Article URL: https://blog.jeffschomay.com/rendering-a-game-in-real-time-with-ai Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45051188 Points: 86...

TL;DR

A developer used AI to render a game in real-time with ASCII to full frame image generation in 100 milliseconds or less using fal.ai's lightning-fast inference capabilities.

Key Takeaways:

By leveraging fal.ai's WebSocket connection, Base64 encoded image streaming, and optimized inference models, the developer achieved real-time image generation at 10 FPS with around 1-second latency.
The project utilized various AI models, including ControlNet and image-to-image models, with mixed success in achieving the desired layout and visual fidelity.
The use of LoRA (Latent Optimization, Regularization, and Augmentation) allowed for fine-tuning the model to achieve better visual consistency, but at the cost of increased latency and expense.

Beyond the Editor: How I'm Using Continue CLI to Automate Everything

blog.continue.dev • Aug 27, 2025

/r/nextjs/comments/1mgpcuv/ai_programming_today_is_just_enhanced/AI can feel magical when you’re filling in a function, but when you step back and try...

TL;DR

The Continue CLI provides an AI-powered automation tool that can execute bash commands, drive workflows, and asynchronously work on tasks while the developer is not at the keyboard.

Key Takeaways:

Continue CLI allows developers to automate tasks beyond the editor, such as triaging issues, running bash commands safely, and driving workflows.
The tool's permission system enables secure collaboration and sharing of permission configurations among team members.
The roadmap for the Continue CLI includes features like lower intervention rates, more sophisticated rule engines, and enterprise-ready features for teams that require audit trails and compliance.

Google will now let everyone use its AI-powered video editor Vids

www.theverge.com • Aug 27, 2025

Google is rolling out a basic version of Vids to everyone. Until now, the AI-powered video editor has only been available to Google Workspace or AI pl...

TL;DR

Google is making its AI-powered video editor, Vids, available to the general public with a basic version that includes templates, stock media, and some AI capabilities.

Key Takeaways:

The basic version of Vids lacks new AI features, such as AI-generated avatars and the image-to-video tool, but offers some AI capabilities.
Google bets that Vids can help companies save time and money when producing product demos, training videos, or support content.
The AI-powered editor is designed to quickly pull together video presentations with AI video editing and creation tools, such as a feature to help create a storyboard with suggested scenes and stock images.