🎮NPCs that think? Welcome to the future of gaming
👋 Welcome! Today, we’re covering a range of topics from global push for policy-backed AI advancements to exploring the synergy between AI and video gaming. Get ready for a full spectrum of insights that will keep you informed and engaged!
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AI & TECH
G7 unites on AI – At Canada’s G7 summit, leaders signed one of six joint statements—one on artificial intelligence—pledging coordinated AI policies, shared frameworks, and open‑source collaboration across member countries. It signals a major push for global tech governance and trusted AI development.
Latin America goes local on AI – A coalition of 12 Latin American countries has announced “LatAm-GPT,” an open-source language model launching in September to support regional languages—including Rapa Nui—and boost AI access.
AI gains a million-book boost – Harvard and Boston Public Library just released nearly 1 million digitized public-domain books—spanning 500+ years and 254 languages—into open access. It’s a goldmine for training large language models, offering rich historical text without copyright constraints. Expect a new wave of AI trained on forgotten classics.
CAREER & WORK
From PM to painter to influencer– After eight years in tech, a British product manager walked away from a £550/day (~$750/day) gig in April to pursue painting full-time. She used contract work and a solo exhibition to validate the shift, integrated Shopify + print-on-demand, and generated £16K in April. Her Instagram Reels went viral (5.3M views in 30 days), even prompting outreach from Meta.
Amazon’s AI makeover heads for pink slip – Amazon CEO Andy Jassy revealed that as generative AI and intelligent agents take over routine corporate work, “we will need fewer people doing some of the jobs being done today” over the next few years. Still, he says new roles in development and strategy will emerge.
Gen Z overqualified, underemployed – Despite stellar resumes, graduation, internships and grades, many Gen Zers are landing in retail or returning to school. About 41% are in roles that don’t require a degree—highlighting a deep mismatch between expectations and reality.
ECONOMY & FINANCE
Stablecoin reaches its next milestone – In a landmark 68–30 vote, the U.S. Senate passed legislation establishing a regulatory framework for dollar-backed stablecoins. The bill aims to provide oversight, consumer protections, and clear rules for issuers, potentially unlocking wider institutional adoption. This could reshape the digital asset landscape as stablecoins inch closer to mainstream finance.
Fed eyes bank rule makeover – The Federal Reserve has scheduled a meeting to review potential changes to bank capital and leverage rules. The move comes amid pressure from banks arguing that current regulations restrict lending capacity, especially for smaller businesses. Any easing could increase credit availability but also reignite debates on financial system stability.
Retail sale takes a huge punch – U.S. retail sales dropped sharply, marking the steepest decline in two years. Consumers pulled back amid higher prices from lingering tariffs, uncertainty over interest rates, and unusually wet spring weather dampening foot traffic. The slowdown raises fresh concerns about consumer resilience, a key pillar of the still-fragile economic recovery.
VC & FUNDING
Uncountable rockets on R&D platform – San Francisco-based Uncountable secured $27M in Series A funding to supercharge its AI-driven platform that streamlines industrial R&D. By automating experiment design, data analysis, and optimization, Uncountable aims to help labs accelerate innovation cycles across industries like chemicals, materials, and biotech.
Funds pump in as Bitcoin seizes the stage – CoinShares reports a massive $1.9B inflow into crypto funds—$1.3B went into Bitcoin, $583 M to Ethereum, plus smaller bets on altcoins like XRP and Solana. Bullish vibes persist despite recent volatility.
Spotify’s founder bets big on defense –Spotify founder Daniel Ek’s VC firm, Prima Materia, co-led a €600 million (~$694M) funding round into Helsing, a European defense tech firm. The goal is to use strategic capital aimed at bolstering the continent’s technology autonomy.
BIG THINK
AI in Gaming: Totally Necessary Synergy with Ethical Cliffs
AI is now tangibly reshaping video games, enriching content and interaction in ways previously relegated to scripted design.
Epic Games recently launched a Persona Device in Fortnite’s Unreal Editor, allowing creators to build lifelike, voice‑enabled NPCs—like AI-powered Darth Vader—enhancing immersion but stirring controversy. Players have praised the dynamic realism, yet unforeseen behavior prompted quick patches and legal scrutiny over deepfake likeness usage and prompted SAG‑AFTRA complaints about actors’ rights.
Meanwhile, Microsoft Research unveiled Muse, an AI that can both generate gameplay visuals and simulate player actions in real time, shifting testing and design workflows toward automation. This could accelerate development pipelines, but critics warn it might devalue human QA roles and curb creative nuance.
These advances reflect a broader shift—procedural and generative AI is embedding customization and sophistication into game worlds. Research demonstrates how agents can learn to play and adapt across thousands of games, suggesting a future where in-game systems evolve dynamically.
But reality remains mixed. Many traditional game AI systems—like Bethesda's Radiant AI—still rely on scripted behaviors for predictable consistency. True player-centric NPCs remain technically and ethically complex.
Opponents argue the rush toward AI may marginalize human roles—not only voice actors , but also writers and testers. Meanwhile, overreliance on generative systems may create cookie‑cutter or emotionally hollow content if creativity becomes secondary.
Actionable Insights:
Embed Human Oversight in AI Workflows: Even as AI streamlines content generation, maintain dedicated human roles for testing, storytelling, and quality assurance to preserve emotion and narrative depth.
Protect Creative Labor Ethically: Implement clear policies ensuring voice actors, motion‑capture artists, and writers retain rights and compensation in AI‑enabled pipelines—balancing innovation with respect for creative livelihoods.
JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES
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Entry-Level Procurement Financial Analyst | Full time | In‑office | Everett, WA
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THE NUMBER:
90%
of all the data in the world has been generated in the last two years, highlighting the exponential growth of digital information
WISDOM
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”