This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. South Korea’s hottest new bachelors are chip workers Baek, a 35-year-old manager at the South Korean semiconductor titan SK Hynix, was enrolled in a matchmaking company a year ago. In a…

Station F, a Paris-based startup hub founded by French billionaire Xavier Niel, is gearing up for a new edition of its F/ai accelerator program in a bid to strengthen its positioning as a stepping stone for promising AI startups.

Table of Contents Building a Multimodal Chatbot with Qwen3-VL Instruct and Thinking Models Qwen3-VL Vision-Language Model: Architecture, Training, and Capabilities Qwen3-VL Architecture Overview: SigLIP2 Vision Encoder and Multimodal Transformer Design Training Pipeline: Multimodal Pretraining with Image-Text and Video-Text Data Performance… The post Building a Multimodal Chatbot with Qwen3-VL Instruct and Thinking Models appeared first on PyImageSearch.

Akash Sriram / Reuters: Broadcom agrees to expand its Apple partnership through 2031 to develop and supply custom chips; in 2023, the companies announced a multibillion-dollar 5G deal  —  Broadcom (AVGO.O) said on Monday it has agreed to expand its partnership with Apple (AAPL.O) through 2031 to develop and supply custom chips …

CNBC: Anthropic signs a 20-year, ~$19B lease to use a TeraWulf data center in Kentucky, set to have a ~400MW capacity and to start delivering power in H2 2027  —  Anthropic on Monday signed a 20-year lease to use a TeraWulf data center in Kentucky.  —  The data center, located about an hour southwest …

Natalie Breymeyer / Axios: AI agent training platform Bespoke Labs raised $40M across a seed led by 8VC and a Series A led by Wing, saying the funding gives it almost two years of runway  —  Bespoke Labs, an AI agent training platform, raised $40 million across seed and Series A funding, CEO Mahesh Sathiamoorthy tells Axios exclusively.

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Best-worst comparisons, MaxDiff-style judging, and Plackett-Luce utility scores give agent teams a cleaner way to decide which configs to ship, prune, and route toward next. The post Stop Ranking Agent Configs by Average Score appeared first on Towards Data Science.

You build an agent with five tools.

The new model will be officially unveiled in late September.

The author (left) was worried about her daughter (right) living at home while in college. Courtesy of Marion Ruybalid My husband and I couldn't afford room and board for our daughter, so she still lives at home. I was worried about how living at home would affect her social life. She has been able to maintain friends, but we've had to adjust household rules for her. When my 18-year-old daughter's scholarship letter arrived in the mail for college, I was amazed that she'd been awarded so much. Ellie was offered $33,429 toward the $46,000 needed for tuition through scholarships and grants. However, as a residential college, another expectation was living in the dorm. These extra room and board costs added up to around another $10,000. My husband and I both worked, but we would have needed to take out a loan for the additional fees. Even though we wanted her to have the complete college experience, neither of us thought it was wise to go into unnecessary debt. Our home, located in a small town in Washington State, was only 15 minutes away from the school, making it hard to justify the expense. It was a difficult decision for all of us I remembered that most of my college life had happened outside the classroom. I'd loved talking to my roommate after classes. My friendships were formed by bonding over which foods to avoid in the cafeteria and by going snowshoeing with my dorm section right before Christmas break. My husband and I also met during these formative years at a campus church service. Asking Ellie to continue sharing a room with three younger siblings didn't exactly scream college. "But then, I'm basically giving up having a real social life," she told us. "You can spend as much time on campus as you want," I promised. "Let's make sure you join some of the clubs, you can study at the library, and you can spend some of your earnings from your job on going out with friends." She built a social life that works for her Over the next nine months, Ellie met some great people. Living between two worlds, campus and home, left room for her to see a few high school friends on occasion when they happened to be in town. She found ways to participate in campus life by joining student groups such as the Asian Pacific Islander Club and the Theology Club. They provided opportunities to share meals with peers, watch movies, and enjoy themed events. Prior to college, she spent hours taking dance classes. These skills came in handy when a friend and her choreographed Sevillanas, a dance that originated in Spain, for the Multicultural Fair. I enjoyed having the opportunity to watch her college experience grow. Our family went through a few adjustments My husband and I needed to decide whether she would need a curfew. There was one time when we locked her out of the house at 11 p.m., forgetting she was at an activity that started at 8 p.m. Having a college student at home means that, whether we like it or not, we are living that schedule with her. I can't go to sleep without knowing she is home safe. Thankfully, she doesn't like to stay out past midnight. Although we love eating meals together, we knew Ellie wouldn't always have time to join us. But without us asking, Ellie volunteered to make a few breakfasts a week, and she helped clean up afterward because that was going to be the only time that she would consistently be home. She didn't want her siblings to resent her for not doing chores. It also gave her some quiet time before she left for school around 7:30 a.m. Even though living at home as a freshman in college wasn't Ellie's first choice, all of us have welcomed having more time to spend together. We've also liked preparing meals for her friends and opening up our home as a retreat away from campus. During her second year of college, we hope that the benefits will continue to surprise us. Read the original article on Business Insider

In the first half of this year, investors poured $15 billion into seed- through growth-stage rounds for companies in Crunchbase cleantech, EV and sustainability-focused categories. That puts funding on track to slightly exceed the 2025 tally, which was the lowest in several years.

This hybrid V8 has organic-looking 3D-printed components and shatters lap records.

Many venture capital LPs have reacted to recent economic uncertainty by concentrating investments in megafunds, mistaking perceived safety for better returns while potentially sacrificing the higher upside that venture investing is meant to deliver. In this guest commentary, Sara Zulkosky, co-founder and managing partner of Recast Capital, contends that smaller emerging VC managers are a more attractive source of long-term returns for investors willing to look beyond the crowd.

An AI companion sounds dystopian, but it has become a common thread in the wider conversation about the perils of generative AI. What it refers to is essentially a conversational agent built to sustain an ongoing, personal relationship with a user, with the memory and steady persona that keep it consistent from one session to […] The post China’s AI companion rules: what Beijing is really going after appeared first on AI News.

The author has started thinking more about his parents' aging as his kids grow up. Maskot/Getty Images/Maskot My kids are getting older, and time is going by more quickly. I didn't realize parenting would make me think so much about my own parents. As my kids grow up, I've been thinking more about my own parents aging. I didn't expect my kids getting older to make me think so much about my parents. When my kids were little, my wife and I were consumed by the immediate demands of parenting. There were diapers to change, lunches to pack, and sleepless nights to survive. The vast majority of my attention was focused forward on helping my kids grow up. But now my daughter and son are on the cusp of turning 12 and 10, respectively, and they've become more independent and are beginning to develop lives of their own. As a result, I've found myself paying more attention to the other end of my family spectrum. While my kids are growing older, so are my parents. And living hundreds of miles away has made that reality feel impossible to ignore. I notice changes I never used to notice My wife and I moved from Calgary to Nelson, British Columbia, in 2017. The decision was a big one, and while it gave our family a lifestyle we love, it also put seven hours of highway between us and our parents. Because we don't see them every week or even every month, our time together has become more precious. When I was younger, aging seemed gradual, something everyone experienced, but far off in the distance. But now, since we only see my parents a few times a year, the changes they are going through have become more noticeable. They are still healthy and active, but I find myself paying attention to their aging in a way I never did before. They have a little more gray hair. They walk a little slower up the stairs. Each visit reminds me that time is moving forward, whether I'm ready for it or not. Watching my kids grow makes time feel more tangible Parenting constantly reminds you how quickly life changes. I see it in my own house every day. My daughter is becoming a young woman (she already rolls her eyes at every lame dad joke I make). My son spends more time with his friends than he does following me around the house like he used to. To be honest, it makes me sad. The stages I once thought would last forever are coming to a close almost overnight. But watching that happen with my kids has changed how I see my parents. For years, my parents seemed fixed in my mind. They were simply Mom and Dad. The people who picked me up from soccer practice, taught me how to drive, and helped us buy our first house. Now, I realize they aren't frozen in those roles. They're getting older, and their lives are changing too. Somehow, it took becoming a parent myself to fully understand that. Parenting has made me more grateful As my wife and I navigate the challenges of raising kids, I have a greater appreciation for what my parents did for my brothers and me. I've also developed a better understanding of the sacrifices they made. All the worry and stress I caused them. The patience and selflessness they displayed over the years. The way they were always there for me, time after time. And as I watch my children slowly need me less, I realize my parents have been experiencing their own version of that process for years. The older my kids get, the more aware I become that life isn't moving in a single direction. It's happening on both ends at once. My children are becoming more independent. My parents are getting older. And I'm standing somewhere in the middle, trying not to take either for granted. It's a strange place to be. But it's made me more present and appreciative for this one, beautiful chance at life we get. Read the original article on Business Insider

A Florida police officer met a woman on a TV set, surveilled her for weeks, stalked her, and nearly caused a head-on collision while chasing her to pull her over.

John China and Andrew Kresse co-lead a team of more than 550 JPMorgan employees. JPMorgan John China and Andrew Kresse co-lead a global team of more than 550 people at JPMorgan. The Innovation Economy team banks high-growth startups and has grown rapidly in recent years. Kresse and China told Business Insider how they use their distinct backgrounds to execute the strategy. Sometimes JPMorgan executives receive emails from a colleague who signs off in all caps: JACK. JACK, however, isn't one person. It's the shared identity of John China and Andrew Kresse, who co-lead the bank's Innovation Economy team for founders and venture capital firms. The nickname started as a practical solution, Kresse told Business Insider. "People kept on writing emails like, 'Dear John and Andrew,'" he said. "And I was like, let's not waste time. Let's give them something easy." However, the acronym of their initials — John, Andrew, China, Kresse — also reflects the united leadership from the two very different bankers. A Silicon Valley veteran recruited from SVB and a nearly two-decade JPMorgan executive, they have spent the past year figuring out how to co-lead a fast-growing business. Since Silicon Valley Bank collapsed and JPMorgan bought First Republic Bank, the firm has aggressively grown its Innovation Economy team. They're competing with the likes of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Citi to bank startups from the earliest stage. China became a leader on the team in 2023 after 27 years at Silicon Valley Bank, and Kresse became a co-head in 2025. Together, they oversee more than 550 people advising more than 11,000 companies and are squarely focused on executing the long-term strategy and scaling the team. Part of that means undercutting the narrative that JPMorgan is best for established companies looking to go public. "We want founders to understand that we're here for them from the beginning, and that's probably something that the industry doesn't yet fully understand," China said. Growing JPMorgan's startup business together Though it started in 2016, the Innovation Economy business rapidly expanded from 2023 to last year, quadrupling its client base and hiring more than 200 bankers and leaders. The team banks companies pre-seed through $2 billion in revenue or an IPO, when they transition over to JPMorgan's corporate banking team. The two have built the business on opposite sides of the country. China is on the West Coast and brings decades of experience building relationships in the venture community. Kresse is on the East Coast and knows JPMorgan from his years expanding commercial banking internationally and his time as the CEO of Chase Business Banking. "You have to divide and conquer, and you have to delegate," Kresse said, especially on such a large and global team. The leaders don't have a highly structured way of communicating, but they're always available by phone or email on days when they're not physically together, Kresse said. Their conversations range from guiding the team and making hiring decisions, to brainstorming client solutions and tackling internal projects. "We're like a pair of coaches calling audibles as the game unfolds," he said. They often travel separately, and who goes where is dictated by their distinct strengths, but they always reference JACK, China added. When they're not on the road, living on opposite coasts extends their joint workday. As China sees it, the key to making joint leadership work, especially in such a fast-paced business, is to "always presume innocence." "Maybe someone gets left off an email or a team isn't looped in quickly enough, and we assume positive intent," he said. In an email, he added that people "often think co-leadership means competition or confusion, but it's really about collaboration." "Having two of us with different perspectives helps us solve problems, motivate our team,m and spend more time with them and with clients," he said. Before officially becoming co-leaders, the duo got to know each other partly through building out client advisory boards abroad, in Europe and Asia. "I knew John was a good guy before we were co-heads, which is always the best thing: to have an informal relationship and partnership before anything formal," Kresse said. Their relationship extends beyond work. When they're not talking business, Kresse said, they're swapping stories about their kids — "John's are a bit older, so I get to hear some of his lessons learned" — and trading friendly jabs over football. China roots for the Raiders; Kresse is a lifelong Bills fan. An "athletic stance" for AI startups No area of their business is moving faster than AI. Though the Innovation Economy team banks companies across eight sectors — applied tech, health tech, and life sciences, to name a few — China and Kresse said they've never seen anything like the pace of the AI boom. There can be as many as 10 new AI companies in a week, Kresse said. Their team isn't responsible for picking winners and losers — they'll work with companies opening their first checking account and companies getting ready to go public. China said the next generation of AI companies to keep an eye on are those building agents that will sit atop models. It's those founders who, if all goes well, will develop relationships with China and Kresse's team, and, by extension, JPMorgan. "We take an athletic stance," China said about AI companies. His team is staying ready to support companies hoping to become the next OpenAI through their "accelerated growth." Read the original article on Business Insider

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As AI evolves quickly, there's a debate over who is responsible for training workers. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images Leaders and employees don't always agree on who's responsible for AI upskilling. Because the technology is changing so fast, traditional corporate training won't cut it. "We all have to learn a new thing, even if it means doing it on our own time," one CEO said. Larry Gadea wants the people who work for him to stay up to speed on AI. That might mean doing some homework. The founder and CEO of the workplace software company Envoy said the company is investing in AI training to help employees embrace the technology as a tool that can help them do better work. Yet he also believes workers have to take responsibility for learning outside the office. "We all have to learn a new thing, even if it means doing it on our own time," Gadea said. As AI rewrites the instruction manual for job categories such as software development, a new question is emerging: Who is responsible for making sure workers keep up? While many business leaders now view AI fluency as a baseline skill, bosses and workers are sometimes divided over how much responsibility belongs to employers and how much belongs to employees themselves. That tension showed up in a recent survey by the management and technology consultancy Emergn. About eight in 10 CEOs said employees should take responsibility for upskilling themselves, while a similar share of employee respondents said companies should provide AI training. At Envoy, which helps companies manage office visitors and desk and room reservations, employees often demonstrate AI tools they've built and explain how they developed them during all-hands meetings, generally twice a month. Individual teams also meet regularly to discuss ways AI can improve workflows, such as automatically preparing account histories for sales calls. The point, Gadea said, isn't to prove expertise. It's to normalize experimentation. Gadea said he frequently uses the term "imposter syndrome" to remind employees that the tech is new for everyone. "You're literally saying, 'Hey guys, it's OK. We're all learning together,'" he said. The challenge of formal training Figuring out how to teach workers about AI has been one of the biggest management challenges in recent years. Companies have tried a variety of methods during the traditional 9-5, including hackathons, training weeks, and dashboards to illustrate AI use. Some workers are spending nights and weekends running experiments they can show off when they're back at work. Of course, not all workers are as excited about AI as the boss might be. Research shows a gap between employees' and employers' eagerness to embrace tech. In practice, workplace learning has long been a shared responsibility between employers and employees. About 60% of workplace learning tends to be self-directed through resources like articles and videos, said RJ Bannister, the chief operating officer at the executive compensation and corporate governance consultancy Farient Advisors. Another 30% comes from hands-on experience, including working with colleagues and on projects, and about is 10% from formal training sessions, he said. AI can make the process more efficient by letting people work through more topics in less time, Bannister said. Yet, he added, workers still need to apply what they learned to make it stick. Bannister compares worker training and development to how a company spends money to maintain factory equipment. It's another way, he said, of making workers feel that when it comes to new technology like AI, "they're a part of a solution, as opposed to just seeing it solely as a threat." At the private crypto exchange GoDark, founder and CEO Denis Dariotis said many employees simply learn by doing. In part, that's because while they might be experienced software engineers, most didn't start their careers in crypto trading, he said. "There is a lot of our team that's sort of just thrown into the deep end, and then they have to figure it out," Dariotis said. GoDark doesn't require formal AI training for its roughly three dozen workers. To keep up, employees share articles and ideas in Slack, sometimes after hours, though Dariotis, who also runs the crypto infrastructure firm GoQuant, said he doesn't expect people to spend their evenings learning after regularly putting in 12-hour days. At the same time, Dariotis said he doesn't mind seeing it. "I think everyone has this natural interest in the work," he said. Learning at the pace of AI Aside from limited time in the workday, another challenge is ensuring that any company training stays current. Companies can't rely on quarterly training sessions when new AI models and capabilities arrive every few weeks, said Kathy Gersch, CEO of the change-management firm Kotter. "You're not training on a process or how to use a technology," she said, adding that what is current this month might be different by the next. Instead of relying solely on formal classes, companies should build systems that help employees continuously share what they're discovering with one another, Gersch said. When corporate training is offered, it's often too generic and not tied to a company or a job, said Mark Ma, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Business. That can make it less useful. For Gadea, learning AI isn't only about succeeding at Envoy. Workers who want to move to another company, he said, will increasingly be expected to demonstrate proficiency with AI tools. Gadea said that's yet another reason to put in the work — both on and off the clock. Do you have a story to share about your AI experience at work? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider