Google DeepMind has revealed a new generation of the AI-powered Gemini Robotics platform. In the 2.5 release, Google says its robotic AI is getting tantalizingly close to completing real-world tasks as well as humans do. In fact, some Gemini robots were able to get actual work done in Mercedes-Benz factories, and the team is preparing for a day when robots operate alongside humans with an open source safety benchmark.

DeepMind’s physical AI platform has several computational layers between user input and robotic action. There’s the vision-language model piece, which is Gemini Embodied Reasoning. Essentially, it takes your instructions and uses live video to plan how the robot can accomplish the task. The other main component is the vision-language-action (VLA) that actually generates robot actions, like moving an actuator—that’s Gemini Robotics, which has been bumped to version 2.5.

DeepMind says that Gemini Robotics 2.5 is much better at tasks that require a high degree of dexterity. The model was evaluated across more than 200 activities, including serving food with tongs and using a pipette, as you would see in a laboratory. Google also showed that Apptronik’s Apollo 2 humanoid robot with Gemini Robotics 2.5 can now tie a bow with its five-fingered hands, a notable feat, because deformable objects (like ribbon) are notoriously difficult for robots to manipulate.

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The investigation of Jensen Huang by Nvidia’s board threatens the future of one of Silicon Valley’s longest-serving executives and a key enabler of the AI boom, who has no obvious successor as leader of the world’s second-most-valuable company.

Huang is fighting for survival after admitting to an extramarital affair, believed to be with an executive at a large Nvidia customer whom US officials also allege was working as a Chinese spy.

The prospect that Huang could be forced out as chief executive of the US chipmaker he co-founded more than 30 years ago has alarmed investors and allies in the tech industry. Shares in Nvidia, which late last month ceded its position as the world’s most valuable to Apple amid a broader sell-off in AI stocks, had fallen more than 5 percent by midday trading on Monday.

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The Food and Drug Administration is warning that popular obesity drugs—including Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro—may carry a “potential increased risk” of a rare eye condition that can lead to permanent vision loss.

In a drug safety communication Monday, the FDA said it will now require makers of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs to add a warning about that risk on their drug labels. The specific eye condition it warns of is called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy or NAION. The condition is caused by restricted blood flow to the optic nerve, which leads to swelling and cell death and ultimately damages the nerve, causing abrupt vision loss that can often be permanent.

It’s unknown how GLP-1 drugs may cause NAION. The condition is rare overall, occurring in somewhere between two and 10 people in 100,000 in the general population, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmologists. These small numbers have made it more difficult to determine with certainty if there is a connection. Further complicating the potential link is the fact that the risk factors for developing NAION are common among patients taking GLP-1 drugs. The risk factors include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea.

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Perhaps only a small percentage of Ars readers will care about the Polestar 2030 concept, debuted today by the electric automaker. Spun out of Volvo—once upon a time, Polestar was a racing team—the brand has leveraged the resources of parent-automaker Geely to create electric vehicles that marry a modern minimalist style with rewarding driving dynamics. But you now can’t buy any Polestars in the US, since Geely is Chinese, and banning Chinese-owned car brands enjoys remarkable bipartisan support in Congress.

The Formula 2030 is about the same length as a Polestar 2 but with a very low roofline. If anything, the two-box shape reminds me of the Saab Aero-X, one of the final concepts from the then-terminal Swedish automaker. (In many ways, Polestar has adopted Saab’s mantle.)

Polestar says the concept fits into its own segment somewhere between the next Polestar 2 and the Polestar 7—it numbers its cars chronologically (mostly), not based on size—although it’s not saying if the hatchback form factor will go into series production. Successfully packaging the rear seat passengers and a lithium-ion battery pack is something a concept needn’t worry about, after all. Rather, it’s a styling exercise, or more than one.

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