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Google's Gemini AI expands across devices
PLUS: OpenAI chief scientist says AI is capable of novel research
Zach Mink & Rowan Cheung
May 14, 2025
Good morning, AI enthusiasts. The AI assistant battle is moving far beyond the smartphone — with Google announcing Gemini's arrival on watches, TVs, cars, and XR headsets.
As the tech giant races to create a consistent AI layer across our digital lives, will this ecosystem play finally give Google the edge it needs against increasingly powerful rivals?
Reminder: Our next workshop with Julius AI is today at 3 PM EST. Attend and learn how to analyze any dataset using just natural language, no code or spreadsheets required! RSVP here.
In today’s AI rundown:
Google’s Gemini AI on cars, TVs, and watches
OpenAI's chief scientist: AI can drive novel research
How to connect AI coding apps with Zapier’s MCP
Trump admin scraps Biden-era AI chip controls
4 new AI tools & 4 job opportunities
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Image source: Google
The Rundown: Google just announced a major expansion of its AI assistant, with plans to bring Gemini to more Android devices and platforms like smartwatches, TVs, cars, and upcoming XR headsets.
The details:
Gemini will arrive on Wear OS smartwatches "in the coming months," allowing users to interact with the assistant naturally through voice.
The assistant is also coming to Google TV later this year, with the ability to recommend content and answer educational questions.
Android Auto will receive a Gemini integration, with the AI bringing the ability to manage in-car requests like finding destinations or reading texts and emails.
Finally, Google’s upcoming Android XR headset will also feature Gemini, creating immersive experiences with a ready-to-use multimodal assistant.
Why it matters: Despite the rise and massive acceleration of LLMs, the move to infuse consumer products with advanced AI has been slow to gain traction (looking at you, Apple). With Gemini now set to integrate across a range of Android products, the powerful model is positioning itself as the consistent AI layer connecting all devices.
TOGETHER WITH RECRAFT
The Rundown: Recraft's AI-powered design platform now includes Advanced Style Creation and Control, a new feature set designed to give creative teams more power to explore, define, and maintain a distinct brand style.
With this update, you can:
Explore limitless styles with the infinite style library
Remix styles to create something uniquely yours
Reuse and share styles to stay consistent across teams
Try the new features for free and unlock the full potential for $1 with our code RUNDOWN.
OPENAI
Image source: OpenAI
The Rundown: OpenAI's chief scientist, Jakub Pachocki, just revealed his vision for AI’s near future in an interview with Nature, hitting on topics including AI’s ability to conduct scientific research, the company’s open-source model, AGI, and more.
The details:
Pachocki said we have “significant evidence that models are capable of discovering novel insights,” but AI’s reasoning is different from that of humans.
He said that AI creating a “measurable economic impact” and novel research would satisfy his AGI definition, which he expects by the end of the decade.
OpenAI is preparing to release its first open-weight model since GPT-2, with Pachocki saying he wants it to be better than other available open models.
Why it matters: Pachocki’s AGI milestones already feel closer than his estimate, but more important are his thoughts on the evidence of AI being capable of new insights. AI has already started transforming traditional work and life — but systems that can create new scientific research will take us into truly uncharted territory for acceleration.
AI TRAINING
The Rundown: In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use Zapier MCP to connect your AI coding assistants — like Cursor, Claude, or Windsurf — with 7,000+ apps, enabling an easy way to manage emails, access docs, and automate tasks without leaving the IDE.
Step-by-step:
Visit the Zapier MCP website and click “New MCP Server” to create your connection hub.
Select your AI assistant from the dropdown menu (Cursor, Claude, Windsurf, etc.).
Add the apps you want to integrate by clicking “Add tool” and authorizing access.
Connect your AI assistant by adding the Zapier MCP configuration to your tool's settings.
Pro tip: Try simple commands first, like “draft an email to the team about project updates” or “check my calendar for tomorrow's meetings” directly from your coding environment!
PRESENTED BY CONVEYOR
The Rundown: Most vendors building with AI talk a big game. Sue, Conveyor’s AI Agent for Customer Trust, actually does the work — deploying across F1000 enterprises and leading tech companies to fully run customer security reviews, skip busywork, and keep deals moving with no headaches or delays.
Sue, the AI Agent, can:
Manage customer security requests seamlessly across teams and tools
Handle any questionnaire format
Automatically complete, reject, or escalate questionnaires
Personalize your Conveyor Trust Center with data from conversation intelligence tools
Learn more and integrate Sue into your infosec and sales workflow today.
AI REGULATIONS
Image source: Reve / The Rundown
The Rundown: The Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era rule that would have imposed controls on semiconductor export worldwide, opting instead to develop an approach focused on country-specific agreements while keeping restrictions on China.
The details:
The Commerce Dept. announced the cancellation just days before the rule was set to take effect, saying it would hurt innovation and diplomatic relations.
The new guidance also explicitly states that using Huawei's Ascend AI chips anywhere globally is now considered a violation of U.S. export controls.
The administration plans to develop replacement regulations, with Bloomberg reporting a potential shift toward a country-by-country negotiation approach.
The move comes as President Trump and tech leaders gather in the Middle East, with the UAE announcing partnerships and investments in the sector.
Why it matters: The U.S. has aligned with tech giants under the new administration, and this is a move heavily lobbied for by the kingmakers of the industry. A new structure could boost commercial interests, but may also create a complex landscape where diplomatic relations and investments define a nation's access to AI resources.
QUICK HITS
💰 Taka - Your AI Personal CFO. Ask any personal finance question and make confident decisions with a self-building canvas tailored to you*
🎨 Dream-O - ByteDance’s new image customization model
⚒ LegoGPT - Create stable, buildable LEGO designs from text prompts
📚 Deep Research - Connect OpenAI’s research tool to Sharepoint, OneDrive
* Sponsored Listing
Google is reportedly set to reveal a new software development AI agent at I/O 2025, described as an "always-on coworker" that can handle the entire development lifecycle.
TikTok launched AI Alive, a new tool that allows users to turn static photos into short-form videos directly in its TikTok Stories platform.
Notion released AI for Work, a suite of new integrated AI features including AI Meeting Notes, Enterprise Search, Research Mode, and more.
New research from nonprofit Epoch AI predicts that the scaling of reasoning models may slow significantly as soon as 2026.
Elon Musk spoke at the Saudi-U.S. investment forum, saying AI and robotics will lead to “universal high income”, where “anyone can have any goods or services they want.”
Microsoft researchers unveiled ADeLe, a new AI evaluation framework that measures how difficult a task is for an AI model and can accurately predict success or failure.
COMMUNITY
Join our next workshop today at 3 PM EST with Rahul Sonwalkar, founder of Julius AI. In this hands-on live session, you’ll learn how to analyze any dataset using just natural language, no code or spreadsheets required.
RSVP here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.
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See you soon,
Rowan, Joey, Zach, Alvaro, and Jason—The Rundown’s editorial team
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