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Sound built its reputation on concentrated, high-conviction bets in category-leading AI labs, while Kutcher's new fund appears to be chasing the layer underneath those companies — the infrastructure and energy that power them.

The rowhouses on 4th Street SW in Washington, DC, were built in 1794. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC The homes in Southwest Washington, DC, known as Wheat Row, were built in 1794. One of the properties is now on the market for $1.15 million. The home's features include seven fireplaces and moldings that date back more than 200 years. In 1794, there were just 15 states in the Union, Philadelphia was still the nation's capital, and George Washington was leading armed forces through Pennsylvania to put down the Whiskey Rebellion. That same year, a collection of rowhouses in Washington, DC, known as Wheat Row, was being constructed. They still stand today, and one of the homes is up for sale. Located on 4th Street SW near Washington, DC's Southwest waterfront, the home is listed for $1.15 million after a recent $150,000 price cut. The property blends historic character with updates designed for modern living, according to Eric Stewart, the home's listing agent from Long & Foster Real Estate. "It's comfortable for contemporary living and enjoyment, but with the heart of classic colonialism," Stewart told Business Insider. The seller, a retired history professor, has an appreciation for the home's past, according to Stewart. He added that the ideal buyer would carry this same appreciation. "Everybody wants to be able to see something built in that era, but not everybody wants to live in a home from that age," Stewart said. The homes in Wheat Row are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and were among the first housing developments built in DC after it was chosen to become America's capital city. Today, the home is fitted with more modern amenities, sparing potential buyers the conditions the first residents endured before DC had a sewage system. Take a look inside this historic Wheat Row home. The homes on Wheat Row have had many different owners throughout their history. The Wheat Row homes in the 1930s. Library of Congress The Wheat Row homes were constructed by James Greenleaf starting in 1794. The Wheat Row name comes from an early 19th-century resident of one of the homes, John Wheat, a gardener and messenger for the US Senate. The buildings later took on non-residential functions in the mid-20th century. In the 1940s and '50s, the Barney Neighborhood House, a community service organization, occupied multiple Wheat Row homes, including the one for sale. Other units were used as a location for the US Service Men's Club and a daycare, according to the National Register of Historic Places. With their inclusion in the Harbour Square development project in the '60s, the homes all reverted back to residences. Today, the 3,408 square-foot home is defined by its high ceilings and hardwood floors. The house's interior stays true to the colonial style. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC Though the four-floor home is narrow and compact, the 12-foot ceilings make for a spacious interior. Hardwood floors cover nearly the entire house, including the stairs. Handcrafted designs and other historic touches are seen throughout the house. 1317's wooden moldings likely date back to over 200 years ago. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC The home has eye-catching millwork in nearly every room. According to Stewart, the home's wooden moldings date back to the 19th century and possibly earlier. This extensive woodworking was common in this era of homes, with moldings and trims produced by skilled artisans influenced by European styles, according to Pebbles & Thorns Woodworking. Chandeliers and colonial light fixtures appear throughout the house. Colonial-style light fixtures appear throughout the home. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC In multiple rooms, there are low-hanging chandeliers or candle-like light fixtures, once again defined by the colonial era. Chandeliers were once a symbol of wealth and extravagance, and while that standard is still reflected in modern design, the introduction of electric lighting in the late 19th century allowed for more affordable chandeliers, per The Examiner News. An elevator allows for easy access between the home's four floors. The home features an elevator. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC Even though the elevator was added in 2005, it has a classic charm, with all-wooden walls inside. A kitchen renovated in the 1960s mixes retro with classic. To give the kitchen a modern redesign, it could cost roughly $100,000. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC The home's large kitchen was last renovated over half a century ago, meaning it would need about $100,000 of work to bring it into the modern era, by Stewart's estimates. Alternatively, a buyer could work to restore the kitchen's true colonial look and feel with classic wooden cabinets and finishes. The home has four bedrooms and two living spaces. One of the home's four bedrooms. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC This not only creates the potential for multiple residents, but the home's four different floors also allow for privacy. It has four full bathrooms, plus a powder room. The house's basement bathroom. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC The home's 1950s bathrooms could also be renovated. One quirk is split bathrooms on the third and fourth floors — they have a shower and toilet/sink separated by a wall. A total of seven fireplaces keep the house warm. Fireplaces were often the centerpieces of homes in Wheat Row's era, explaining the home's staggering seven. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC Common for the time period, the property's centerpieces are its seven fireplaces, which appear on every single floor of the home. Although this defining feature adds to the home's quaintness, it creates hurdles for any buyer considering renovation. Stewart said that the rooms' layout around the fireplaces complicates any attempts at reconfiguration. The property suits multiple kinds of buyers, according to the listing agent. Renovation possibilities make the home a desirable home for buyers with a creative vision. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC "We're looking for a buyer who likes a home that is older in style and feel and embraces the uniqueness of the property, or somebody that has the vision to restore the majesty of the property, but refresh and renew it into a 21st-century rowhouse," Stewart said. With lots of opportunities for renovation, the home could appeal to buyers looking for a project. "It poses a good value for someone who has a vision," Stewart added. The home is for sale at an uncertain time in the DC housing market. One of 1317's living rooms. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC Stewart said the housing market in Southwest Washington, DC, has been struggling after a wave of job cuts last year. Historic homes like the Wheat Row home could attract outside buyers looking to stake their claim in pieces of American history. The home is less than five minutes from DC's Southwest Waterfront. Wheat Row residents share rooftop access. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC The Wheat Row homes sit along DC's Washington Channel, running parallel to the Potomac River. Wheat Row residents, as part of the Harbour Square co-op, get access to a rooftop deck, which overlooks the water. Other co-op amenities include a shared heated pool, gardens, and a fitness center. The property has quick access to attractions in The Wharf, the waterfront's mixed-use neighborhood. The Wharf saw a redevelopment project in the 2010s and '20s. Justin Callas/Arume, LLC The home sits in the middle of a booming modern neighborhood known as The Wharf, which has undergone redevelopment over the past two decades. The area is filled with theaters and concert halls, offices, restaurants, and public spaces. Editor's note: This story was originally published in February 2026 and was updated in July 2026 to reflect the property's price drop. Read the original article on Business Insider

“We will own nothing, it's truly sad.”

Getty Images AI helps retailers detect return fraud, boosting efficiency in reverse logistics operations. Retailers employ AI to manage high return volumes, ensuring quicker refunds and customer loyalty. AI spots unusual return patterns, aiding in fraud prevention and enhancing retail operations. It's not uncommon for a consumer to order the same shirt in three sizes, then return the two that don't fit. But what happens when the consumer swaps the labels and returns different shirts, or buys a dress for an event, wears it once with the tag tucked in, then returns it? These are examples of return fraud, a retail-industry risk that's on the rise "in both scale and sophistication," said Juan Hernandez-Campos, the chief operating officer at Happy Returns, a software company that manages returns and is part of UPS. Today, about 9% of returns are fraudulent, according to the 2025 Retail Returns Landscape report published by the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns last October. With fraud a persistent problem amid growing return volumes, merchants can no longer rely on the "highly manual" methods they previously used to process returns, Campos said. Instead, retailers and their software partners are turning to AI to help manage reverse logistics, the part of the supply chain that involves handling returns and restocking inventory. Narvar, which works with companies including DSW and Newell Brands, touts AI technology that processes billions of consumer data points to detect fraud. Meanwhile, Loop is using AI to automate decisions and unearth fraud for customers like Keen and Princess Polly. Jackie Swanson, a managing partner at Gartner Consulting, said retailers have shifted over the last 18 months from machine-learning-enhanced fraud detection to AI systems. The goal? Stop fraud in its tracks, reduce losses, and speed up legitimate returns, getting inventory back to sale as quickly as possible. Among retailers with more than $1 billion in annual revenue, "almost all of them have something in place," Swanson said, with apparel, beauty, and footwear at the forefront due to their high return rates. AI can tackle return fraud Caroline Reppert, the senior director of AI and technology policy at the National Retail Federation, said reverse logistics is "emerging as a key focus area" as retailers consider how to use AI. Retailers are contending with return fraud issues like overstated quantities — when a consumer claims they returned more items than they actually did — empty-box returns, or sending boxes filled with rocks, label tampering, and counterfeit substitutions. Some consumers engage in wardrobing, in which they use or wear an item for a short time before returning it. One big advantage of AI, according to Campos, is that it can analyze large volumes of return data to identify patterns that could be tough to find manually. For example, Happy Returns — whose clients include Everlane, Pact, and Under Armour — uses a technology called Return Vision, which detects discrepancies in merchandise like incorrect logos, altered tags, differences in materials, or product swaps. If Return Vision spots one of these issues, it feeds the data to retail dashboards in real time, allowing retailers to view potential problems quickly, Campos said. Retailers can see why the return was flagged and photos of the returned items. They then have evidence to dispute any consumer claims, even before the item reaches the warehouse. Happy Returns also uses AI-based behavioral risk scoring, which identifies potentially high-risk returns based on return frequency, timing, geography, and historical behavior. The returns can be flagged for human review before retailers issue a refund. That said, retailers reveal a mixed picture on AI for return fraud. In NRF's report, only 45% of companies said they believe AI and machine learning are truly effective at preventing return fraud on their own. Bully Max, which makes dog food and supplements, uses AI systems from Shopify and Chargeflow to detect return fraud, according to CEO Matthew Kinneman. If fraud occurs or a consumer files a chargeback, the AI automatically generates evidence on Bully Max's behalf to submit to the credit card company. That said, Kinneman acknowledged that AI isn't perfect. The company has to manually send screenshots to the credit card company, for example. "We've found that human review is still essential," he said. A speedier return Fraud isn't the only use case for AI in reverse logistics. Bully Max also uses AI to spot patterns, like recurring return reasons. Then the team can improve a product's page and description, providing more accurate information before consumers make a purchase. "In many cases, preventing a return is more valuable than processing one efficiently," Kinneman said. Swanson said her clients are also using AI for predictive returns and warehousing decisions. In the former, AI models proactively flag orders that are likely to be returned and suggest alternate sizes or products before the consumer finalizes their purchase. In the latter, when a return arrives at a retailer's warehouse, AI recommends whether the retailer should resell, liquidate, or even destroy the item based on its potential resale value. Returns have historically been manual and time-consuming, Reppert told Business Insider. AI "allows retailers to handle higher return volumes with greater speed and consistency." Faster processing also benefits consumers by providing a quicker refund for returned merchandise, Campos said. A positive return experience can build brand loyalty and encourage consumers to make another purchase with the retailer, he added. Read the original article on Business Insider

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Figure 1: Decision Execution Platforms by Databricks Forward Deployed EngineeringDecision...

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Reinforcement learning (RL) is central to aligning language models, from reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF) within AI assistants to newer... Reinforcement learning (RL) is central to aligning language models, from reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF) within AI assistants to newer reinforcement learning with verifiable rewards (RLVR) workflows for reasoning and agent tasks. RL is now becoming a practical technique for specialized AI where enterprises need more accurate agents for domain-specific workflows. Source

"You gods don't speak in ways we understand."

The autonomous vehicle space is starting to feel like a repeat of the 2016 hype cycle. Travis Kalanick is back building a robotics company, and the talent wars and capital are heating up the same way they did the first time around. The money’s flowing back, and it’s the people who lived through that first wave who are building the next one.  […]

US lifts curbs on Anthropic’s advanced Fable and Mythos models.

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Ram Iyer / TechCrunch: Venice AI, which offers access to 200+ AI models while allowing users to retain their privacy, raised a $65M Series A led by Dragonfly at a $1B valuation  —  Concerns over the impact of AI chatbots on mental health, personal safety, harassment, and disinformation have forced AI developers …

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Starliner's certification may be delayed to 2027, 10 years later than Boeing's original schedule.