Author: Advanced AI Editor

‘Critterz’ will release in 2026 What’s the story OpenAI is diving into the world of cinema by backing Critterz, an animated feature film. The movie, which will be released worldwide in 2026, will use OpenAI’s tools and computing resources to speed up production. The collaboration hopes to show how AI can cut down on time and costs in filmmaking. Instead of the usual three years, Critterz will be completed in just nine months with a budget of less than $30 million—well below what major animated productions usually cost. ‘Critterz’ sequel to 2023 short film of same name The Critterz project…

Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: Skechers held the grand opening for its first U.S. performance store in Miami, Florida, on Aug. 29, according to a press release. Located at Dolphin Mall, the over 26,000-square-foot Skechers is the footwear brand’s largest factory mall store to date and follows the opening of other performance-focused Skechers stores in Canada, Belgium, Germany and Chile. Those locations range in size from 7,500 square feet to 10,700 square feet. The Miami store carries the complete range of Skechers performance footwear, apparel and…

Last Tuesday, Judge Amit Mehta issued what was billed as a landmark ruling in the government’s antitrust case against Google. The headlines screamed “search shake-up” and “historic blow.” But if you take a closer look, you’ll see a ruling that’s more dry ice smoke machine than earthquake. For Google, this was less a day of reckoning than a day of relief. Appeal, appeal, appeal The first thing to remember is that Google has already promised to appeal. And when companies like Google say “appeal,” they don’t mean a quick trip to the neighborhood court down the street. They mean a…

The Headlines BAYEUX TAPESTRY TRAVAILS. In a letter to the Guardian, British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan attempted to reassure readers concerned that the nearly 900-year-old Bayeux Tapestry will be in good hands when it travels to his museum next year. The unprecedented agreement to loan the 11th-century tapestry from France to Britain has been interpreted as a diplomatic gesture between the two countries. Still, art historians, particularly ones based in France, have since protested the initiative: a petition with over 71,000 signatures claims that French president Emmanuel Macron ignored expert advice warning the tapestry was too fragile to be moved to the UK. Cullinan flatly refuted that claim. “Since a partnership…

Listen to the article 2 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. In an already tenuous consumer landscape, unemployment is gaining and hiring is slipping — a double whammy that looms over the economy. In August, the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%, the highest in almost four years, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile “hiring has slowed, is slow, and risks slowing further,” according to UBS economists led by Jonathan Pingle. “The reason that is a problem is because the prevailing narrative that firms are not laying…

VALLETTA, Malta, Sept. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sparkvia AI has Launched an AI-Powered writing platform, purpose built for the XRP Ledger and powered by a transparent, pay-as-you-go credit system. Alongside the product rollout, the company has opened the SPARK (SPK) public sale live now at https://sale.sparkvia.ai/. At the center of the platform is over 116 AI-powered writing tools. A production-grade tools, that turns a short prompt keyword, an outline, or a few bullet points into a coherent draft content in seconds. When the draft is ready, creators export to plain text or Markdown for immediate use across blogs, newsletters,…

Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: Dick’s Sporting Goods has completed its $2.4 billion acquisition of Foot Locker and announced a slate of executives to lead the business going forward, according to a Monday press release. Foot Locker will be run by Dick’s Executive Chairman Ed Stack and two presidents. Ann Freeman, a 26-year Nike veteran, will be president of Foot Locker North America. Dick’s plans to announce a president of international for Foot Locker but has yet to do so. Foot Locker CEO Mary Dillon…

On CNBC’s “Mad Money Lightning Round,” Jim Cramer said Elbit Systems Ltd. ESLT is very good and he likes the stock. “The stock is just a straight up stock,” he added.Supporting his view, Elbit Systems, on Aug. 13, reported better-than-expected second-quarter results and secured a $1.6 billion defense contract in Europe.“That’s still one more of multiple stocks that are involved in the construction of the data center,” Cramer said when asked about Preformed Line Products Company PLPC. “Because there’s so many of them, they’re starting to trade at a discount. Don’t freak out, the business is good.”On the earnings front,…

A new report by MIT Technology Review Insights reveals how brands can deliver enhanced customer experience, balancing AI with the human touch. The new report, “The connected customer,” is an MIT Technology Review Insights report sponsored by NiCE. This report draws on in-depth interviews with senior executives and experts from Metrigy Research and NiCE, conducted in the first half of 2025. It seeks to understand how organizations are deploying AI in their customer services capabilities to improve customer satisfaction and increase efficiency. “The future of customer experience isn’t humans versus machines, it’s humans powered by machines,” said Barry Cooper, president, CX division, NiCE. “When AI and automation…

Google is bringing new AI video generation capabilities to Google Photos with the integration of its Veo 3 software. This new feature allows users in the U.S. to transform static images into four-second videos. Users can find the new options—”Subtle movements” and “I’m feeling lucky”—under the Create tab in Google Photos. Read: Study finds signs of accelerated aging in stem cells exposed to space According to Google spokesperson Michael Marconi, the new feature can make subjects in a photo dance or add effects like confetti. The upgrade to Veo 3 replaces the previous Veo 2 software, improving the resolution and…