SunBrief#42: Perplexity AI Makes $34.5B Bid for Google Chrome

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Today in SunBrief 🌞

• Transform Your Mornings With Trade

• Perplexity AI Makes $34.5B Bid for Google Chrome

• Stock Updates

• The Smartest AI Library on the Internet

• Google’s new AI model can run on your smartphone

• AI Highlights of the Week

• HTC takes on Meta over AI Glasses

• Too Important to Miss

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Perplexity AI Makes $34.5B Bid for Google Chrome

The Article: Perplexity AI wants to buy Google Chrome for $34.5B

AI start-up Perplexity, backed by Nvidia and SoftBank, has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer for Google’s Chrome browser, despite being valued at only $14 billion.

Key Points:

• Ambitious Offer: Perplexity pledges to keep Chrome’s underlying Chromium code open source, invest $3B over two years, and retain the default search engine.

• Regulatory Context: A U.S. federal judge may issue a ruling on Google’s search antitrust case this month, though Google plans to appeal and is unlikely to sell Chrome.

• AI Strategy: Owning Chrome would give Perplexity leverage against rivals like OpenAI, while its existing AI browser, Comet, could integrate with Chrome users.

Why It Matters:
The bid underscores the growing importance of web browsers in AI competition and highlights the high stakes of user data and search traffic in Big Tech’s AI ambitions.

Stock Updates

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Google’s new AI model can run on your smartphone

The Article: Gemma 3 270M: Compact AI for Task-Specific Use

OpenAI-backed Gemma launches Gemma 3 270M, a 270M-parameter model built for instruction-following, text structuring, and efficient on-device AI.

Key Points:

• Compact & Efficient: 270M parameters, 256k-token vocabulary, uses just 0.75% battery for 25 conversations on Pixel 9 Pro.

• Instruction-Following: Pre-trained and tuned for tasks like text classification and data extraction.

• Production-Ready: QAT checkpoints enable low-cost, privacy-conscious deployment on devices or lightweight infrastructure.

Why It Matters:
Gemma 3 270M delivers specialized AI that’s fast, accurate, and energy-efficient, ideal for developers building task-specific models.

AI Highlights of the Week

• Godfather of AI’ Says Superintelligence Could Wipe Out Humans
  AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton warned that superintelligent AI could wipe out humanity unless it’s built with “maternal instincts” that make it care for people. He predicts AGI could arrive within 5–20 years, bringing medical breakthroughs but also huge risks.

  Others, like Fei-Fei Li, call for human-centered AI preserving dignity, while Emmett Shear favors collaboration with AI. Hinton regrets not focusing more on safety earlier in his career.
  

• Meta AI Allowed Bots to Flirt With Kids, Spread Misinformation, and Racist Content
  A leaked Meta policy shows its AI chatbots were allowed to flirt with children, spread false medical info, and even argue racist claims under certain conditions.

  Meta admitted the child roleplay rules were a mistake and removed them but left other controversial allowances — including on race, health misinformation, and violent imagery — in place. The disclosure raises fresh concerns over safety and ethics in Meta’s AI push.
  

• The Trump administration may take a stake in Intel

  Intel shares jumped 7% on reports that the Trump administration may take a stake in the company to boost U.S. chip production.

  The move could revive Intel’s stalled Ohio fab and follows a meeting between CEO Lip-Bu Tan and Trump.
  

• AI Designs New Antibiotics to Target Drug-Resistant Superbugs
  AI has designed new antibiotics to target drug-resistant superbugs like gonorrhea and MRSA.

  Built atom-by-atom, these drugs are still far from clinical use but could open a new pipeline for antibiotic discovery, addressing the crisis caused by antibiotic resistance. Researchers say AI is revolutionizing drug development and molecular prediction.

HTC takes on Meta over AI Glasses

The Article: HTC Launches VIVE Eagle AI Glasses

HTC has unveiled the VIVE Eagle, AI-powered smart glasses combining voice assistance, music, smart photography, and real-time translation, designed for everyday wear.

Key Features:

• Voice & AI Interaction: Control photography, reminders, and recommendations using HTC’s VIVE AI, compatible with OpenAI GPT and Google Gemini.

• Smart Photography: 12MP ultra-wide camera with hands-free, voice-activated photo and video capture.

• Real-Time Translation: Supports 13 languages for instant translation of captured content into spoken audio.

• All-Day Use: 235mAh battery provides ~4.5 hours of music playback and up to 36 hours of standby; supports fast magnetic charging.

• Privacy & Security: Data stored locally with AES-256 encryption; recording automatically disabled if privacy is at risk.

VIVE Eagle aims to blend fashionable design with AI functionality, making technology a seamless part of daily life.

Too Important to Miss

ChatGPT mobile app earns over $2 billion

Gemini AI Just Got a Major Memory and Privacy Boost

DeepSeek Delays New AI Model Launch Over Chip Limitation

Apple Plots Expansion Into AI Robots, Home Security, and Smart Displays

Sam Altman will reportedly back a startup that takes on Musk’s Neuralink

Last Week’s Poll Result

• Do you think GPT-5 will make significant improvements in health-related AI tasks?

  Yes, 55.56%. Maybe, 27.78%. No, 16.67%.

  

• Do you think AI like Perch will revolutionize wildlife conservation?

  Yes, 40.00%. Maybe, 60.00%. No, 00.00%.

  

• Do you think providing ChatGPT Enterprise to U.S. government agencies for $1 is a good move?

  Yes, 43.75%. Maybe, 31.25%. No, 25.00%.

  

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