🗞️In this edition

• SoftBank’s $5.4 billion robotics comeback

• Workflow Wednesday #40 ‘Future of AI’

• Gemini enterprise enters workplace AI battle

• In other AI news –

  • Bank of England warns of growing risk that the AI bubble could burst

  • Google expands its virtual try-on tool globally, now includes shoes

  • Cisco unveils chip to link AI data centers across long distances

  • 4 must-try AI tools

Masayoshi son revives SoftBank’s robotics ambitions with $5.4 billion deal

♨️News –  SoftBank is stepping back into the robotics game with a $5.4 billion plan to acquire ABB’s robotics division. The deal, which still needs regulatory approval, marks a major push by founder Masayoshi Son to turn his long-held vision of “Physical AI” into reality.

👨‍💻Fast facts – 

• The acquisition strengthens SoftBank’s growing robotics portfolio, which includes Skild, AutoStore Holdings, and Agile Robots.

• Masayoshi Son described Physical AI as a “groundbreaking evolution” that will “propel humanity forward.”

• Robotics is one of four key focus areas for SoftBank, alongside chips, data centers, and energy.

• The move follows Son’s broader goal of developing super intelligent AI.

• 🤓Open Tools POV – SoftBank’s return to robotics shows how AI innovation is expanding beyond digital systems and into the physical world. The company’s focus on Physical AI could redefine how machines interact with humans in everyday life.

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This Week in Workflow Wednesday #40: Future of AI

Workflow #1: Turn AI headlines into a 90-second audio brief with ElevenLabs.io (free).

Step 1: Sign up. Open Speech > Text to Speech.

Step 2: Save three test voices: Anchor_2030. Documentary_Clear. Friendly_Access.

Then we dial Stability and Clarity, add pronunciation rules, script the brief ………… and finish the build inside Workflow Wednesday, plus 2 bonus workflows

Google Cloud takes on Microsoft and OpenAI with Gemini enterprise

☕News – Google Cloud just launched Gemini Enterprise, a new AI platform designed to bring powerful automation tools to everyday office workers — not just developers or IT pros. Priced at $30 per user per month, the platform aims to take on Microsoft’s Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise by offering an all-in-one workspace for employees to chat with company data, run tasks, and generate content.

👨‍💻Fast facts – 

• Announced ahead of the Gemini at Work event, the platform unifies Google’s AI models, agents, and generative tools in one place.

• Employees can use it to automate workflows, search data, and create materials  without coding.

• It integrates with major business tools like Salesforce, SAP, and ServiceNow.

• A demo showed an AI agent creating a marketing campaign from scratch, complete with emails and social media assets.

• Gemini Enterprise supports over a dozen languages and is available globally.

🤓Open Tools POV –  Google Cloud is betting big on accessibility and integration. By merging its fragmented tools into one seamless platform, it’s taking a direct swing at Microsoft and OpenAI for control of the workplace AI market.

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📢 What else is happening?

• Bank of England warns of growing risk that AI bubble could burst // Possibility of ‘sharp market correction has increased’, says Bank’s financial policy committee

• Google’s virtual try-on shopping tool expands to more countries, now lets you try on shoes // The feature works by asking users to upload a photo to see how real clothes might look on them. Now, users can visualize how different pairs of shoes would look on them

• Cisco rolls out chip designed to connect AI data centers over vast distances // The new networking chip is designed to connect artificial intelligence data centers, with the cloud computing units of Microsoft and Alibaba enrolling as the chip's customers

👩🏼‍🚒Discover mind-blowing AI tools

1. ZeroBot - A voice-enabled chatbot that allows users to have conversations with a computer friend that talks like a real person

2. Vidnoz - A tool that allows users to create talking avatar videos by simply selecting a photo and writing a script

3. PitchPower - A software service that helps consultants and agencies create powerful proposals quickly

4. Flowrite - A Chrome extension that helps users write emails and messages 5x faster