Author: Geek Planet

Last Wednesday, COSM 2025 featured a most interesting panel discussion between neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and historian of scinece historian of science Michael Shermer. The question was, “Does neuroscience show that we are mere biological machines?” On Monday, we looked at Egnor’s view that the evidence that the mind is not merely the brain is quite strong. Shermer, executive director of the Skeptics Society, takes the opposite view. Yes, we are machines He summarized his views in an opening statement which he also posted at X: My opening statement:Humans are biological machines that evolved from previous biological machines going back billions…

Last month, Pennsylvania-based regional grocery chain Giant Eagle announced a $100 million investment in its products and stores over the next two years. The investment comes alongside a new business strategy called “Because it Matters” that will define its future growth, with efforts such as a new brand campaign, seasonal pricing initiatives, expanded employee training and store remodels. It also follows a significant shift in strategy away from convenience stores and toward pharmacies. In June, Giant Eagle said it agreed to transfer pharmacy prescriptions for 78 Rite Aid locations to Giant Eagle stores, as Rite Aid completed the closure of…

Opal is now inside the Gemini web app, which means you can build reusable AI mini-apps right where you already manage Gems. If you’ve been waiting for an easier way to create custom Gemini tools without writing code, this is Google’s latest experiment to try. Google Labs describes Opal as a visual, natural-language builder for multi-step workflows, the kind that chain prompts, model calls, and tools into a single mini app. Google also says Opal handles hosting, so once an app’s ready, you can share it without setting up servers or deploying anything yourself. Go to Gems manager and try…

Branded entertainment seems to be making a comeback. Call it marketing déjà vu. Over the past few weeks, brands like restaurant chain Cava, retail brand Hot Topic and wedding website Zola have each launched episodic content starring influencers and creators. All signs point to yet another attempt by brands to be part of culture rather than advertise around it. Maybe this time, with the bet on creators, it’ll stick. “The ultimate goal is you want to become part of the narrative versus just getting somebody to drive [a purchase] in the moment,” said Simeon Coker, head of creative at Valerie. Over the…

Google Labs just introduced CC, an experimental AI productivity agent built with Gemini that sends a Google CC daily briefing to your inbox every morning. The idea is to replace your usual tab-hopping with one “Your Day Ahead” email that spells out what’s on deck and what to do next. If you like the habit of checking a daily summary like Now Brief on Galaxy phones, CC is Google’s take, but with a different home base. Instead of living as something you check on your phone, Google is putting the briefing in email and letting you reply to it for…

For better or worse, AI is changing the industry, which means even influencer marketing and creators are going to have to adapt.Which is why Digiday has charted what influencer marketing is expected to look like next year, how creators expect it to transform their landscape and whether or not consumers are really on board with any of it. Marketers are open to influencer marketing operations becoming automated with AI We saw the industry in uproar over the numerous headlines back in summer about Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg stating that by the end of 2026, the full ad process will be…

AI video tools like OpenAI’s Sora are edging into mainstream culture while marketers watch — some intrigued, others concerned.The promise of near-instant, realistic video may sound like a dream for cash-strapped, content hungry brands. However, marketers are increasingly nervous about risks such as copyright liability, brand safety and ethics, wanting answers before committing to public-facing AI-video produced ads, according to four creative agency and marketing execs. The number of AI video apps on the market is growing. In addition to Sora, there’s a list that includes Midjourney, Google Veo and Meta Vibes. Meanwhile, marketers are grappling with the synthetic social…

Google has just announced a new AI model in the Gemini 3 series, one that is focused on speedy responses. Say hello to Gemini 3 Flash, which is claimed to offer “frontier intelligence” and aims to speed up the Google Search experience for users.  What’s the big shift? Gemini 3 will be integrated within the AI Mode in Search. In case you missed it, AI mode is the new conversational version of Search that is now available as its own mode, alongside the vanilla “blue link” mode, image, news, videos, and shopping, among others.   The whole idea behind AI mode…

L’Oréal is building a data layer beneath its creator economy push.The cosmetics giant is looking for partners to help make sense of the data from all its creator campaigns, according to two separate sources familiar with the plans.  Think of it as a search for creator-CRM specialists but with a layer of predictive analytics and measurement tools built in to better understand what’s working, what’s not and where to invest next.  Whoever gets the gig will work with L’Oréal’s marketers to knit together data on what the company is paying creators across brands, campaigns and platforms, and match it to…

New allegations against Meta, which operates Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, claim, with piles of evidence, that the company downplayed its products’ harmful side effects on children. Basically, Meta executives know that the social media apps they sustain hurt kids and yet did nothing to change. Charlotte Alter reports in Time, The following allegations against Meta come from the brief filed in an unprecedented multidistrict litigation. More than 1,800 plaintiffs — including children and parents, school districts, and state attorneys general — have joined together in a suit alleging that the parent companies behind Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube “relentlessly pursued…