Anthropic has introduced a new general feature called Skills that lets Claude AI access specialized expertise on demand to more efficiently deploy agents in enterprise workflows. “Claude will only access a skill when it’s relevant to the task at hand,” like when working with Excel or following an organization’s brand guidelines, Anthropic explains. Skills are folders that include instructions, scripts and resources that Claude can load as needed. And users can also build their own for use across Claude apps, Claude Code, the Claude Agent SDK and the Anthropic API. Anthropic joins tech giants such as OpenAI, Google and Microsoft in efforts to make AI agents more practically useful. Continue reading Anthropic Adds Prebuilt and Custom Agent ‘Skills’ to Claude

Deezer, the Paris-based music streamer, has teamed with TikTok to let users share songs, playlists and listening data on the mobile video platform. Listening stats from “My Deezer Month” and “My Deezer Year” can now be shared straight to TikTok. The move expands a relationship TikTok initiated last year when it added Deezer to its “Add to Music” program. The collaboration gives Deezer, which claims 9.6 million subs, broader reach while providing TikTok users a way to connect over shared interests. Also this month, Deezer added a protocol that allows music to be shared on other streaming music platforms. Continue reading Deezer Partners with TikTok to Let Fans Share Music and Data

Salesforce is reimagining Slack as a conversational AI assistant with agentic capabilities that can also serve as the gateway to third-party agents within the operating system. The upgrade, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year, will feature native AI experiences built into Agentforce for Sales, IT and HR Service, Tableau and more. Salesforce’s Slack redesign could position the app to compete with Microsoft’s Copilot and Teams as the conversational AI layer inside an enterprise’s daily workflow — the place to talk to both people and agents, accessing and interacting with a company’s data. Continue reading Salesforce Retools Slack as Agentic AI Assistant for Enterprise

DirecTV is bringing user interaction to its screensavers, which will offer things like shoppable ads, powered by generative AI shopping platform firm Glance AI. The experience will begin rolling out next year to DirecTV subscribers using Google Gemini TV devices. Glance AI says it developed the technology in conjunction with Google. Among the uses are “creating an AI feed of your favorite sports leagues on your idle-screens or helping your kids discover their next dream vacation.” Overall, Glance AI on TV will offer users the opportunity “to engage with content from hundreds of top American brands and millions of catalogs.” Continue reading DirecTV Partnering with Glance AI for Interactive Screensavers

Charter Communications, the nation’s largest cable TV operator, is launching the Spectrum App Store for its flagship TV brand. The digital storefront — accessible through the My Spectrum App and on Spectrum.net — will allow Spectrum customers without a traditional TV package to manage and purchase streaming apps à la carte. The move is an effort to appeal to younger audiences, which cable has been losing to streaming standalones like YouTube for the past 10 years. Charter also announced Spectrum is partnering with Apple to present a slate of immersive 2025-26 season L.A. Lakers games on the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. Continue reading Charter Announces Spectrum App Store, Lakers on Vision Pro

Snapchat is developing a virtual 3D world where users can adopt Bitmoji avatars and socialize in an immerse digital environment. Called “Bitmoji Plaza,” the digital town center will live in the web version of the Snapchat app. The move shows Snap Inc. expanding its horizons and potentially setting up for other virtual worlds in preparation for the 2026 release of the company’s consumer AR glasses. While a Bitmoji world is an elementary transition to the metaverse, Snap is also expanding the use of Bitmoji stickers with a new app that lets Android and iOS users add them to messages. Continue reading Bitmoji Plaza: Snapchat Is Launching Virtual World on the Web

Amazon is updating its AI business toolkit with a new automation subscription designed to speed office work. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is rolling out Quick Suite, an agentic AI application that connects across internal repositories and, via the model context protocol (MCP) to more than 1,000 third-party business apps. The result aims to transform how employees “find insights, conduct deep research, automate tasks, visualize data, and take actions across apps,” according to AWS. “Working with an AI agent is now as simple as chatting with a teammate,” Amazon suggests, explaining that “Quick works to help you go from insight directly to action.” Continue reading AWS Quick Suite a One-Window AI Integration and Agent Tool

Word out of OpenAI’s first DevDay event in almost two years is that the company wants to make its generative AI chatbot ChatGPT more like an “operating system.” A demo by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman showed apps including Spotify, Canva, Figma and Zillow responding to typed commands inside a chat. The company also released a new Apps SDK in preview so developers can start building for the ChatGPT platform. “Building with the Apps SDK makes it possible to reach over 800 million ChatGPT users at just the right time,” according to OpenAI. Other pilot partners include Booking.com, Coursera and Expedia. Continue reading OpenAI Debuts Features That Make ChatGPT More Like an OS

Meta Platforms is launching new AI features including Business AI, a new sales concierge service that aims to guide customers “from discovery to purchase” with AI-powered messaging agents appearing on Meta ads, threads and your company’s website. Meta is launching the Meta AI business assistant, an AI chat experience that will help optimize campaign targeting and resolve account issues, via Ads Manager and Business Support Home. There are also new generative video tools and expanded access to Meta’s creator discovery APIs to matchmake businesses with influencers and other grassroots partners. The news was shared as marketers convene for Advertising Week New York. Continue reading Meta Boosts AI Ad Tools: Adds Brand Chatbots, Creator APIs

Microsoft has combined Copilot AI capabilities with productivity apps and cloud storage in a new subscription tier called 365 Premium that is priced for individual users at $20 per month. The move comes 18 months after Copilot Pro subscriptions debuted for $20 monthly. The new product merges the AI power of Copilot Pro with the Microsoft Office suite for a low price. Upping the ante further, Microsoft is bringing “vibe working” to Microsoft 365 Copilot with the introduction of Agent Mode in Office apps and Office Agent in Copilot chat. Media outlets suggest 365 Premium will allow Microsoft to better compete against OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which does not have its own dedicated productivity tools. Continue reading Microsoft 365 Premium Mixes AI, Office ‘Vibe Working’ Agents

Adobe is bringing a free “pro quality” version of Premiere to iPhone, so YouTubers, filmmakers, music video editors, commercial producers and other creators can edit video on the fly. While tools like ByteDance’s CapCut and Meta’s Edits have become popular for mobile, Adobe’s move marks a major productivity step for those aspiring to more than social video, particularly through integration with the entire Adobe tools ecosystem. The Adobe Premiere mobile app features what Adobe promises are “studio-quality audio enhancements, perfectly timed AI sound effects, precision editing on a multi-track timeline, AI content generation and more.” Continue reading Adobe’s Pro Quality Premiere Video Editor Is Free for iPhones

Amazon is bringing new levels of immersion and interactivity to the NBA on Prime, with features including opt-in personalized bet tracking with FanDuel, customizable Multiview, and AI-powered Key Moments and Rapid Recap. Tipping off on its 11-year agreement with the NBA on October 24, viewers will experience “personalization, engagement and broadcast quality with a comprehensive suite of interactive features and AI-powered enhancements,” according to Amazon. The NBA is also teaming with AWS and harnessing AI to bring live stats and in-depth analytics to fans during games. AWS becomes the official cloud partner of the NBA, WNBA, and others via the multiyear partnership. Continue reading Amazon Teams with NBA, FanDuel to Offer AI Stats, Features

Sora 2 is here, “marking a giant leap forward in realism,” claims OpenAI. And it includes sound and dialogue generation, catching up to Google’s Veo 3. Coming nearly two years after Sora was first introduced, the new model is being released in conjunction with a free iOS social app with a vertical feed and “swipe-and-scroll” functionality like TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. Available in the U.S. and Canada, the fee version — which currently requires an invitation — is also available at sora.com. ChatGPT Pro subscribers can access an experimental, higher quality Sora 2 Pro model online only. Continue reading OpenAI Sora 2 Vid Generator Has Sound and Social Features

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is expanding its functionality to include in-app shopping. The new feature, called Instant Checkout, is powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol developed by OpenAI and Stripe. ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users in the U.S. can now buy products conversationally, starting with domestic Etsy sellers. Shopify’s merchants will be added soon, with plans to ramp up to “more than a million” of the e-commerce platform’s clients, including Glossier, Spanx and Vuori. The move lays the groundwork for OpenAI’s segue to agentic shopping. Instant Checkout currently supports only single-item purchases, with multi-item carts coming soon, according to OpenAI. Continue reading OpenAI ‘Instant Checkout’ Adds In-App Shopping to ChatGPT

OpenAI has added parental controls for ChatGPT’s Web interface, with mobile controls coming soon. The controls give parents the ability to reduce or remove certain content and dial down personalization by turning off ChatGPT’s transcript memories. At the same time, OpenAI has added the ability to restrict image generation with the launch of Sora parental controls for ChatGPT-connected teen accounts. There are also controls for sending and receiving direct messages through the app. OpenAI says the changes aim “to give families tools to support their teens’ use of AI.” To activate control access, parents must have their own accounts and teens will need to opt in. Continue reading OpenAI Rolls Out New Parental Controls to Help Protect Kids