Charlie Fink

Netflix Buys Affleck’s Secret AI Company, Claude Dethrones ChatGPT, Smart Glasses Lead MWC, AI Layoffs Hit Block Ben Affleck's Secret AI company, Smart glasses dominate Mobile World Congress 2026 as AI reshapes tech. Anthropic tops the App Store, Block cuts 4,000 jobs.

Ben Affleck's Secret AI company, Smart glasses dominate Mobile World Congress 2026 as AI reshapes tech. Anthropic tops the App Store, Block cuts 4,000 jobs.​ bitl.to/5jn9

Pentagon Presses Anthropic Guardrails, Gemini’s Agentic Debut, Viture Raises $100 Million Pentagon pressures Anthropic over AI limits, Google Gemini expands agentic multistep features, and Viture secures $100 million to scale XR glasses.

Pentagon pressures Anthropic over AI limits, Google Gemini expands agentic multistep features, and Viture secures $100 million to scale XR glasses. bitl.to/5i77

Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs Prompts $1 Billion, Ricursive AI Chip Design Snares $335 Million, Google Joins AI Music Parade Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs raises $1 Billion, Ricursive secures $335 Million for AI chip design, and Google adds Lyria 3 music generation to Gemini.

Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs raises $1 Billion, Ricursive secures $335 Million for AI chip design, and Google adds Lyria 3 music generation to Gemini.​ bitl.to/5geL

Musk’s Xs Merge, Apple Acquires Q AI, Google’s Record Haul, ElevenLabs Nabs $500 Million, $100 Million For Abovitz’ AI X Merges X AI And Space X, Apple Acquires Q AI, Synthbee, Raises $100 billion, Amazon Invests in OpenAI, Amazon invests in OpenAI, And The Super Bowl of AI Commercials.

I literally choked on the amount of AI news this week. It took hours to compile it, but it's only a five minute read for you. Enjoy! and Wow!!! bitl.to/5dsb

Musk’s Xs Merge, Apple Acquires Q AI, Google’s Record Haul, ElevenLabs Nabs $500 Million, $100 Million For Abovitz’ AI X Merges X AI And Space X, Apple Acquires Q AI, Synthbee, Raises $100 billion, Amazon Invests in OpenAI, Amazon invests in OpenAI, And The Super Bowl of AI Commercials.

I literally choked on the amount of AI news this week. It took hours to compile it, but it's only a five minute read for you. Enjoy! and Wow!!! bitl.to/5dsb

Amazon AI Cuts, Snap Spins Out AR, VR Content Studios Retreat Amazon cuts jobs and shutters stores, Snap spins out AR glasses, VR studios pull back, Apple and OpenAI prepare AI hardware, and Google launches Genie 3, a AI world-gen model.

Amazon cuts jobs and shutters stores, Snap spins out AR glasses, VR studios pull back, Apple and OpenAI prepare AI hardware, and Google launches Genie 3, a AI world-gen model. bitl.to/5cDH

Xreal And Viture’s Ugly Legal Fight Shines A Negative Light On XR Xreal sued its main competitor, Viture, for patent infringement on its older XR glasses design, despite being named a lead partner for AndroidXR.

www.forbes.com/sites/charli...

Holywater Raises Additional $22 Million To Expand AI Vertical Video Platform Fox backed Holywater raises $22 million to expand its AI powered vertical video streaming platform, scaling mobile-first episodic content, microdramas, and data driven IP discovery.

I woke up early to talk to CEO Bodgan Nesvit in Ukraine about the vertical streaming platform Holywater he calls "The Netflix of Vertical Streaming." bitl.to/5Ybh

Apple Picks Gemini For Siri, More Meta VR Cuts, Higgsfield AI Snares $130 Million, Xreal Grabs $100 Million Apple selects Google’s Gemini for Siri as Meta cuts Reality Labs, Higgsfield raises $130 Million, and Xreal secures $100 Million ahead of its Android XR Aura smartglasses launch.

Apple selects Google’s Gemini for Siri as Meta cuts Reality Labs, Higgsfield raises $130 Million, and Xreal secures $100 Million ahead of its Android XR Aura smartglasses launch. bitl.to/5YRU

Higgsfield Raises $130 Million As Generative AI Video Becomes Marketing Infrastructure Higgsfield raises $130 million as brands adopt generative video for high volume marketing production, hitting a $200 million run rate in under nine months.

Higgsfield raises $130 million as brands adopt generative video for high volume marketing production, hitting a $200 million run rate in under nine months.​ bitl.to/5YJ1

CES 2026 Closes With Robots, China, And AI Everywhere CES 2026 wrapped with humanoid robots, consumer robotics, Chinese manufacturers in force, and AI integrated into displays, wearables, appliances, and XR devices.

CES 2026 is in the rearview mirror. As always, for me, it's the people that you meet that count a whole lot more than gadgets. bitl.to/5XAs

Special From CES 2026: AI Strategy, Tariffs, and the Future of Consumer Tech - Gary Shapiro, CEO Podcast Episode · The AI XR Podcast · 01/03/2026 · 59m

What to expect #CES2026 from the man himself, CTA CEO ​@GaryShapiro. bitl.to/5VeG

Think there was no news over the holidays? Catch up on what you missed. www.forbes.com/sites/charli...

Thanks To Sora, I Won The US Open, Starred In A Western, And Walked On The Moon Download Sora and put yourself in the picture. Experiences once reserved for actors, and athletes can now be generated on demand. You will love it.

I don't know if I have enough dopamine left for this! tinyurl.com/29yyybsg

Snap Reaches One Billion, Meta’s New XR Apps, OpenAI’s Ive Teases Design, Suno AI Settles Snap nears 1 billion users, Meta unveils WorldGen, Warner cuts a deal with Suno, Ive and Altman tease OpenAI hardware, Apple adds Vision Pro sports content, Meta expands Hyperscape, Pico readies MR he...

You’d think Thanksgiving week would bring the tech news cycle to heel for a few days. The streets and freeways here in So Cal are eerily empty but not the news. It’s not Thanksgiving week anywhere else in the world, so it keeps turning. tinyurl.com/25pxeyyl

Hollywood works to navigate rise of AI as ‘smaller screens’ have become ‘flooded’ by AI content | Fox News Video Chapman University professor Charlie Fink discusses the impact of the A.I. boom on the Hollywood industry on ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum.’

www.foxnews.com/video/638558...

A Decade In The Making, HaptX Team Debuts Full Body VR Haptics 1HMX introduces Nexus NX1, a full body VR system combining haptic gloves, locomotion, and detailed motion tracking, will be used for training humans and robots.

Haptics stuff! Interesting coverage of a forthcoming release from HaptX (now 1HMX) by @charliefink.bsky.social, a little bit wild to see that fantastical graphic from a decade actually come to fruition now. Curious abt which of HaptX's partnerships remain intact tho...
www.forbes.com/sites/charli...

Who Owns The Dreams Of An AI Machine? AI is reshaping authorship, ownership, and jobs. Legal experts say human control still defines who can claim creative credit

I'm especially proud of this one. tinyurl.com/29846ond

Stabilty AI Beats The Rap, Maps Talk Back, Power Hungry AI, Coke’s New AI Ads Stability AI wins in court, Google Maps gets chatty, AI drives up power use, and Coca-Cola rolls out a new wave of generative holiday ads.

Stability AI wins in court, Google Maps gets chatty, AI drives up power use, and Coca-Cola rolls out a new wave of generative holiday ads.​ tinyurl.com/2yrtkgsu

Robot Replacements, Galaxy XR, $133 Million Raised By General Intuition, ChatGPT’s Atlas Browser Amazon automation threatens 500k jobs, Meta cuts 600 AI roles, Samsung debuts $1800 dollar Galaxy XR, GI raises $133m, OpenAI’s Atlas browser and Rocket’s $15m seed.

Amazon automation threatens 500k jobs, Meta cuts 600 AI roles, Samsung debuts $1800 dollar Galaxy XR, GI raises $133m, OpenAI’s Atlas browser and Rocket’s $15m seed.​ tinyurl.com/2yo4xecx

Decart Brings Real-Time AI To Real-Time Creators At TwitchCon At TwitchCon San Diego, Israeli startup Decart showcased real-time generative video with Geenee AR, letting streamers transform their live feeds instantly with AI.

DecartAI showcased real-time generative video with GeeneeAR, letting streamers transform their live feeds instantly with AI.​ tinyurl.com/26j928sf

Samsung Galaxy XR Launch, Epiminds, Flint AI Raise Seeds, Anduril Reveals EagleEye Anduril unveils EagleEye MR helmet for infantry, Epiminds raises $6.6M for AI marketing agents, and Flint secures $5M to automate website creation.

Anduril unveils EagleEye MR helmet for infantry, Epiminds raises $6.6M for AI marketing agents, and Flint secures $5M to automate website creation.​ tinyurl.com/235te7aj

OpenAI Lets You Sora For Free, Gorkipedia, Signs Of AI Bubble OpenAI’s Sora app goes viral with free AI video generation, Elon Musk unveils Grokipedia, and Nvidia’s $2B investment in Grok raises fresh questions about an AI bubble.

​OpenAI’s Sora app goes viral with free AI video generation, Elon Musk unveils Grokipedia, and Nvidia’s $2B investment in Grok raises fresh questions about an AI bubble.​ tinyurl.com/29ohpwxc

Moonlake AI’s $27 Million Seed, OpenAI’s Sora 2 App, Apple Pivots From Vision Pro Moonlake AI raises $27 million for generative game worlds, OpenAI debuts Sora 2 video and audio app, and Mira Murati launches Tinker AI tool, Microsoft's New CEO.

Moonlake AI raises $27 million for generative game worlds, OpenAI debuts Sora 2 video and audio app, and Mira Murati launches Tinker AI tool, Microsoft's New CEO. tinyurl.com/27mqulkp

Adobe Adds Luma, Runway, Marey AI Video To Firefly, AI XR Glasses Sales Surge Adobe brings Luma, Runway, and Moonvalley video models to Firefly Boards, AR smart glasses shipments soar, Apple bets on XR series for Vision Pro

Adobe brings Luma, Runway, and Moonvalley video models to Firefly Boards, AR smart glasses shipments soar, Apple bets on XR series for Vision Pro tinyurl.com/28q4ttnw

Meta Intros Ray-Ban AR Display Glasses, Tik Tok’s New Deal, $200 Million For Nothing Meta launches Ray-Ban AR Display Glasses with Neural Band, TikTok faces forced U.S. sale, Nothing raises $200M for AI smartphones, Snap bets big on Specs AR.

Meta launches Ray-Ban AR Display Glasses with Neural Band, TikTok faces forced U.S. sale, Nothing raises $200M for AI smartphones, Snap bets big on Specs AR. tinyurl.com/29m4vg32

Anthropic, Replit, And Higgsfield AI Raise Over $13 Billion, XR’s Virtue, Mojo Vision, Raise $175 Million A busy week for AI/XR finance stories, Apple's new AirPod 3 does real time translation, Meta to unveil new AR glasses next week, Open AI makes a movie, Amazon's new AR

So many other stories that would have been headlines last month this week, too: Venice Immersive, Reply AI Contest Winners, Predators hide in plain sight in Meta Horizon Worlds (shocked! shocked!) tinyurl.com/298dvwxq

Google Escapes Breakup, Salesforce AI Layoffs, ‘Asteroid’ Debuts On AndroidXR Judge spares Google punishment for search monopoly, Salesforce trims jobs due to AI, Liman debuts 'Asteroid' in Venice, China backs brain chips, Supersonik lands $5 Million.

Judge spares Google punishment for search monopoly, Salesforce trims jobs due to AI, Liman debuts 'Asteroid' in Venice, China backs brain chips, Supersonik lands $5 Million.

The AI/XR Podcast August 22nd, 2025 ft. Ft. Devon Eriksen, Author of Theft of Fire: Orbital Space #1 Podcast Episode · The AI/XR Podcast. · 08/22/2025 · 56m

This week's guest is author @Devon_Eriksen_ a brilliant guy who completely disagreed when I said the internet and social media are incompatible with democracy. Instead, he contends social media has finally set the truth free. What do you think? tinyurl.com/2d2wwcjp

Will OpenAI Sell Ads? Plus New AI Glasses From Meta And HTC OpenAI faces an ad dilemma, Meta preps Hypernova AR glasses, HTC launches Eagle AI eyewear, and Invisible Studio brings AI to short-form video creators.

OpenAI faces an ad dilemma, Meta preps Hypernova AR glasses, HTC launches Eagle AI eyewear, and Invisible Studio brings AI to short-form video creators.​ tinyurl.com/28tjzgwd