🎉 Copilot Agents, Robots in the Field, Perplexity Shopping, Near-Infinite Memory, Ideogram Training
Microsoft Copilot Gets Agents, Figure Robots Demonstrate Skills in BMW Factory, Perplexity Extends into Shopping, AI Never Forgets, Ideogram Canvas Training
Welcome to this week’s edition of AImpulse, a four point summary of the most significant advancements in the world of Artificial Intelligence followed by a cool new AI tool i’m trying out this week.
Here’s the pulse on this week’s top stories:
What’s Happening: Microsoft just introduced a suite of new specialized AI agents for Microsoft 365 at its annual Ignite Conference, alongside automated Copilot Actions, application development features, translation tools, and more.
The details:
New agents include a Self-Service agent for HR / IT tasks, a SharePoint agent for document search and insights, a meeting note taker, and more.
The update also includes tools for developers to build their own agents through Copilot Studio, with capabilities for autonomous background operation.
Copilot Actions enables users to create custom automation templates for recurring tasks like compiling weekly reports or summarizing communications.
In 2025, Teams will get a real-time translation agent that can interpret and mimic conversations in up to nine languages while preserving speakers' voices.
Why it matters: By integrating AI agents directly into Microsoft’s billion-plus users' daily workflows, this release could normalize agentic AI faster than any previous rollout. Just as users now reach for specific apps or plugins to solve particular problems, specialized agents could soon become the natural first stop for getting work done.
What’s Happening: Figure CEO Brett Adcock posted an update on the company’s humanoid robots working in BMW's Spartanburg facility, which are achieving breakthrough performance metrics with improvements in speed and accuracy for their autonomous operations.
The details:
Figure 02 robots perform 1,000 daily autonomous component placements in the BMW factory, focusing on critical battery cell installations.
The fleet can now handle EV battery assembly tasks 400% faster than its initial deployment in August, and precision rates have also improved 7x.
The autonomous fleet can lift, transport, and accurately position battery components onto car frames without human oversight.
Engineers use exact digital replicas of the factory floor to perfect robot movements and decision-making before live deployment.
Why it matters: The rise of general-purpose humanoid robots in real industrial applications is happening fast — and it feels like we’re nearing a turning point in practical robot automation. The partnership with robotics firms and auto companies is a major proof point for the eventual deployment into homes everywhere.
What’s Happening: Perplexity just introduced a new shopping experience for its Pro users in the United States, allowing users to leverage AI to research, identify, and buy products directly on the platform.
The details:
The system goes beyond basic product search, understanding complex queries like "stuff I need for a disco party" and providing curated recommendations.
Pro subscribers get a "Buy with Pro" feature with free shipping, allowing one-click purchases without leaving Perplexity's interface.
A new "Snap to Shop" tool lets users photograph real-world items and instantly find them online.
Unlike traditional e-commerce sites, recommendations are currently unsponsored and driven purely by AI analysis of product information.
Why it matters: AI has already been infused into the search giants, but this move is a direct shot at users' traditional process when researching a product to buy. As we’ve seen with search engines, the challenge will be maintaining truly unbiased recommendations and avoiding the commercial allure of ads.
What’s Happening: Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman just revealed the company has created prototypes with "near-infinite memory" capabilities in a new interview with Times Techies, calling it the ‘critical piece’ of AI development.
The details:
Microsoft's prototypes can allegedly maintain persistent memory across unlimited sessions, breaking through current limitations.
Suleyman expects this technology to be available by 2025, enabling AI systems that "just don't forget" with ongoing, evolving dialogues.
Suleyman also said that memory is an ‘inflection point’ that makes it worth investing time in chats, changing the current frustrating and shallow experience.
The Microsoft AI CEO also noted a coming shift from AI understanding and seeing context to a true proactive companion over a reactive chatbot.
Why it matters: While we’ve seen memory efforts from systems like ChatGPT, Suleyman’s ‘hollow’ description accurately portrays those early iterations. Unlocking the ability for limitless memory can lead to models that can form lasting, evolving relationships with users and better understand their needs and goals.
AI Training: Ideogram lets you turn product photos into custom-sized marketing assets with legible text.
Step-by-step:
Upload your product photo to Ideogram Canvas.
Use "Extend" to adjust the image to your desired marketing format.
Select "Magic Fill" and choose your preferred selection tool (brush, lasso, or rectangle).
Add AI-generated text effects and export your marketing-ready asset.
Pro tip: Create templates by saving your favorite aspect ratios and styles for consistent branding across all your product marketing materials.