Overview
Today brought a clear thread across consumer AI and creative tools. Gmail moved into the Gemini era with an inbox that answers questions and writes drafts. Video creation is racing ahead, from motion transfer to cinema-style controls to full product-video automation. Grok now watches videos for you, indie devs are playing with particles, a robotaxi tackles rush hour, and a YC-backed insurer came out of stealth with real revenue and a big round.
The big picture
Gmail’s AI Inbox arrives
Google is weaving Gemini into Gmail so your inbox prioritises what matters, answers questions in plain English, and offers quick summaries and writing help. The demo shows prompts like asking for the name of that Italian restaurant from last year, plus quicker drafting with Help Me Write. Rollout starts in the US for English users, with some features free and others under Google’s paid plans. Early reactions are upbeat on inbox relief but flag opt-out concerns and the squeeze on niche email tools.
The AI video toolkit gets sharper
Invideo added Kling 2.6 Motion Control, which maps movements from a reference clip onto a static character image, letting creators transfer dance moves or subtle head turns with tight timing. Higgsfield’s Cinema Studio v1.5 brings aperture control for real bokeh, curated aspect ratios, and a project system that makes directing less random and more repeatable. Together, these updates pull AI video towards filmmaker-style control rather than prompt roulette.
Automating product videos for entire catalogues
David Roberts shows a workflow that scrapes product images with Firecrawl, turns them into 8‑second loops with Google’s Veo 3.1, and drops the outputs in Drive. He claims about $30k saved per collection shoot and a lift in conversion on site. The thread offers a blueprint via n8n for those replying with the prompt, a sign of how practical these stacks are becoming for e‑commerce teams.
Grok now digests long videos
Paste a link and ask for a summary or questions - Grok processes long pieces and returns structured notes. The demo shows it crunching a 1‑hour interview into an organised brief on AI ethics, energy, and space, which is handy for keeping up without spending a whole evening watching.
Hands, particles, and a touch of magic
Avery built an interactive particle playground in about an hour using three.js and MediaPipe, with hand tracking that lets you guide swirls of colour by waving at your webcam. It is playful, bug‑light, and shows how fast indie prototypes can come together. Meanwhile, Zolden’s fluid sim is hypnotic - particles flow along paths of least resistance, a fun detour that is slowing progress on his physics engine, but it clearly has people hooked.
WeRide’s robotaxi in peak traffic
WeRide shared a night-time run through heavy city traffic, with overlays showing early obstacle detection, quick reactions, and clean lane changes. The company is pushing Level 4 trials in the Gulf and working with Uber in Dubai, though investors in the replies are split on how fast the business side can catch up to the tech.
Startups, meet Corgi insurance
YC announced Corgi coming out of stealth with $108m raised, a $630m valuation, and $40m ARR. The pitch is simple - tech companies can get covered in minutes with a full‑stack system that replaces back‑and‑forth with brokers. Founders Emily Yuan and Nico Laqua are going after a clear pain point for early teams.
Why it matters
Email is turning into a queryable knowledge base. If inboxes answer questions and write drafts, we spend less time on triage and more on decisions. It also means incumbents may absorb entire categories of third‑party inbox tools, so startups built on narrow email pain points will need to move fast or go deeper.
Video creation is moving from prompt luck to craft. Motion transfer, aperture control, and aspect‑ratio presets pull AI video toward camera thinking - lenses, moves, continuity. That lowers the barrier for solo creators while raising the quality bar. Rights and consent around motion transfer will need careful handling.
Automated product videos can cut costs and shorten cycles for e‑commerce. If a catalogue can be turned into consistent, on‑brand loops without a studio day, teams can update more often and test more ideas. Expect scrutiny on claims of conversion lifts and on how well these clips match each brand’s look.
AI that watches video for you changes media habits. Summaries and Q&A over long interviews or lectures free up time and make research faster, though we will still need to sample the source when nuance matters.
Indie experiments keep pushing what is possible in the browser. Hand‑tracked particle sims and GPU fluids are more than eye candy - they point to richer interfaces, accessible education tools, and new game mechanics.
Autonomy keeps advancing, but economics still rule. Tech demos in tough traffic are impressive, yet the hard part remains scale, safety assurance, and unit economics that work outside pilots.
Insurance built for startups is overdue. Faster coverage unlocks hiring, sales, and partnerships without the paperwork slog. If Corgi’s numbers hold, expect incumbents to respond with their own modern stacks.
