1. To Direct Google's New Voice Model, You Write It a Character Bio Simon Willison opened Google's prompting guide for Gemini 3.1 Flash TTS and found something he didn't expect. The example prompt wasn't a list of parameters. It was a screenplay.

2. Allbirds' Stock Jumped 600% on an AI Pivot. The Company Has No AI Product. Allbirds once sold wool sneakers. Now it sells three letters.

3. Agents Passed the Benchmarks. The Missing Production Stack Arrived This Week. Agents can browse the web, write code, and fill out forms. What they cannot do, reliably, is run in production without breaking things no one can see.

In Brief

• Anthropic's Valuation Makes Some OpenAI Backers Reconsider At least one dual investor told the Financial Times that justifying OpenAI's latest round requires assuming an IPO valuation above $1.2 trillion. Anthropic's $380 billion valuation now looks like the relative bargain, prompting some LPs to shift allocation between the two. TechCrunch

• Adobe Adds Conversational Editing Across Creative Cloud via Firefly AI Assistant Adobe shipped a Firefly AI Assistant that lets users describe edits in plain language instead of switching between individual Creative Cloud apps. The assistant interprets text prompts and applies changes across images, video, and design files from a single conversational interface. The Verge

• Google Launches Standalone Gemini App for Mac Google released a native Mac app for Gemini with an Option+Space shortcut that opens a floating chat window. Users can ask questions and share their current screen without leaving whatever app they're working in. The Verge

• Apple Threatened to Remove Grok From the App Store Over Sexual Deepfakes Apple privately warned xAI in January that Grok would be pulled from the App Store for failing to block nonconsensual sexual deepfakes on X, according to NBC News. The threat was made behind closed doors and did not result in removal. The Verge

• LinkedIn Says Hiring Is Down 20% Since 2022 but Blames Interest Rates, Not AI LinkedIn's internal data attributes the post-2022 hiring slowdown to macroeconomic conditions rather than AI-driven automation. The company stopped short of ruling out future AI impact on job volumes. TechCrunch

• Boston Dynamics' Spot Now Reads Industrial Gauges Using Gemini Boston Dynamics integrated Google Gemini into its Spot robot to read analog gauges and thermometers during facility inspections. The pairing replaces manual gauge-reading rounds in industrial environments. Ars Technica

• Hightouch Hits $100M ARR After Launching AI Agent Platform for Marketers The data activation startup grew ARR by $70 million in 20 months, driven by an AI agent platform that automates marketing workflows. Hightouch's total user base spans enterprise marketing and data teams. TechCrunch

• Gitar Exits Stealth With $9M to Use AI Agents for Code Security Review Gitar built an agent-based system that audits code for security flaws — including code originally written by AI. The startup raised $9 million in its debut round. TechCrunch

• AI Learning App Gizmo Raises $22M Series A With 13 Million Users Gizmo, an AI-powered study platform, closed a $22 million Series A. The app has reached 13 million users by generating personalized flashcards, quizzes, and study plans from uploaded course materials. TechCrunch

• Thiel-Backed Startup Objection Lets Users Pay to Challenge News Stories Using AI Objection built a platform where users can file AI-evaluated complaints against published journalism. Critics argue the system could discourage source cooperation and whistleblowing by adding financial risk to reporting. TechCrunch

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