Robots Get Real

Hugging Face's $299 desktop robot revolution, Perplexity's browser challenge to Chrome, and Cursor's autonomous coding agents in Slack…

In this edition we’ll be covering…

• Hugging Face’s Reachy Mini robot launch

• Perplexity’s Comet taking aim at Google Chrome

• A tutorial on how to use Cursor background agents in Slack

• 6 essential AI industry updates

• 3 AI tools to add to your workflow

• And much more…

The Latest in AI

Robots Become Desk Pets…

Hugging Face just dropped a $299 desktop robot, and the robotics industry might never be the same.

The AI platform that's become the GitHub of machine learning is now bringing robotics to your desk, quite literally.

Reachy Mini is a compact robot that sits next to your laptop like the world's smartest desk pet. But don't let its adorable appearance fool you—this thing could democratize robotics development faster than you can say "npm install"...

What's making waves:

• Two models launched: the $299 Reachy Mini Lite (wired) and $449 wireless version, both shipping late summer into fall 2025.

• Native integration with Hugging Face Hub means instant access to thousands of pre-built AI models and the ability to share robotics apps through "Spaces."

• This is perfect timing as Hugging Face crossed 10 million AI builders on their platform, and CEO Clément Delangue noted "more and more of them are building in relation to robotics."

So What?

Hugging Face is trying to do to robotics what they did to AI models, making the impossible accessible. At $299, they're not just selling a robot; they're selling the future of human-robot collaboration to millions of developers who couldn't afford a $30K research bot (cough cough, Tesla Optimus).

Clearly, they're leveraging their massive developer ecosystem.

Expect to see some seriously creative applications emerge from bedrooms and dorm rooms worldwide.

Tool Spotlight

Perplexity’s Browser Ambitions Go Full Speed

Perplexity just fired the first real shot at Google Chrome's browser dominance with Comet, their new AI-powered browser. While everyone's been focused on search, Perplexity quietly built the browser for the AI era.

Launched yesterday, Comet isn't just another Chrome clone with AI features sprinkled on top. It's a rethinking of what browsing should look like when artificial intelligence is your co-pilot…

Key features driving the browser wars:

• Initially exclusive to Perplexity Max subscribers ($200/month) before rolling out invite-only to wider audiences.

• Built-in Comet Assistant acts as an AI agent that automates routine tasks directly in the browser without context switching.

• Designed for "browsing at the speed of thought" with native AI integration throughout the entire experience, not just search.

And if you are a Max user (or have access off the waitlist), here’s how you can get started:

1. Access the browser: Subscribe to Perplexity Max ($200/month) or wait for an invite. Once approved, visit comet.perplexity.ai to download the browser.

2. Meet your AI assistant: Comet Assistant lives in your browser and can interpret page content, answer questions about what's on your screen, and automate repetitive tasks. Simply ask it to "summarize this article" or "fill out this form based on my previous entries."

3. Browse with AI-first search: Instead of traditional link-based results, Comet delivers real-time, cited AI-generated answers directly in the browser. Every search becomes a conversation with sources automatically included.

So What?

Google's had a comfortable browser monopoly for over a decade, but AI is creating the first real opening for disruption since Chrome dethroned Internet Explorer.

Perplexity's betting that when AI becomes central to how we interact with the web, users will want a browser built from the ground up for that reality.

Get Your Hands Dirty!

Your Favorite AI Coding Buddy Just Moved to Slack

Cursor just changed the game for developers everywhere with Background Agents integration in Slack. As we all might have heard, Cursor is the AI-powered code editor that's been taking over development teams faster than coffee disappears from office kitchens.

Background Agents are Cursor's async AI workers that can edit and run your code in remote environments while you focus on other tasks. Think of them as having a junior developer who never sleeps, never gets distracted, and can work on multiple branches simultaneously.

Now you can literally have AI write code for you directly from Slack conversations. Here's how to set it up:

1. Connect the integration: Head to your Cursor settings, then Tools + Integrations and click Connect next to Slack. You'll install the Cursor app in your workspace and authenticate your account.

2. After installing in Slack, you’ll be redirected back to Cursor to finalize setup. Connect GitHub (if not already connected) and pick a default repository.

3. Start coding from Slack: Simply mention @Cursor in any channel or thread with your coding request. For example: "@Cursor fix the login bug in the authentication module" or "@Cursor [repo=mycompany/frontend] add responsive design to the dashboard"

4. Customize with commands: Use advanced options like @Cursor [branch=main] [model=o3] [prompt] to specify which branch, AI model, and repository to work with. The agent reads entire thread context, so your team's discussion becomes part of the coding instructions.

Quick Bites

Stay updated with our favorite highlights, dive in for a full flavor of the coverage!

Apple's top AI executive Ruoming Pang has left to join Meta, marking another high-profile departure as the iPhone maker struggles with its AI rollout according to Bloomberg reports.

Microsoft and OpenAI announced a new AI Training Academy partnership with the American Federation of Teachers, aiming to prepare educators for AI integration in classrooms nationwide.

Amazon Web Services built a custom heat exchanger system specifically designed to cool NVIDIA GPUs for AI workloads.

LangChain published insights on "the rise of context engineering," exploring how providing better context to LLMs is becoming as crucial as prompt engineering for building reliable AI applications.

A fascinating 12-Factor Agents presentation from AI Engineering reveals engineering patterns for building reliable LLM applications, covering scalability and maintenance techniques that work regardless of how powerful models become.

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, late on Wednesday released its latest flagship AI model, Grok 4, and unveiled a new $300-per-month AI subscription plan, SuperGrok Heavy (more to come on this from us).

Trending Tools

🗒️ Notion AI - Use Notion AI to transform your workspace into an intelligent knowledge hub that writes, summarizes, and organizes your thoughts faster than you can think them.

📊 Excelmatic - AI-powered data analysis and visualization.

📱 Virly AI - Create stunning LinkedIn content that actually converts with AI.

The Neural Network

Word on the digital street is that OpenAI has ALSO has something brewing in the browser space… 👀

Until we Type Again…

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