The Latest in AI Video Game Characters, SXSW, and Apple Vision Pro
Emerging Tech Roundup — March 14, 2025
The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.
This week in tech: ‘World’s first’ fully autonomous AI agent unveiled in China, Sony experiments with AI-powered PlayStation characters, Microsoft holds a 50th anniversary and Copilot event in April, OpenAI pours $12B into CoreWeave, Bluesky weighs a proposal that gives users consent over how their data is used for AI, Apple Vision Pro users can now check out an immersive Metallica concert film, and DeepMind's latest AI model can help robots fold origami and close Ziploc bags.
‘World’s First’ Fully Autonomous AI Agent Unveiled in China, Handles Real-World Tasks
(Interesting Engineering, March 9)
A team of software engineers has developed Manus, claiming it to be the world’s first fully autonomous AI agent capable of independently executing complex tasks without human guidance. Unlike traditional AI chatbots that require user prompts, Manus proactively makes decisions, manages multiple specialized sub-agents, and works asynchronously to complete tasks like apartment hunting based on various factors. This breakthrough signals a shift toward self-sufficient AI systems, sparking both excitement over its capabilities and concerns about job displacement and accountability.
Sony is Experimenting with AI-Powered PlayStation Characters
(The Verge, March 10)
Sony is developing an AI-powered prototype of at least one PlayStation game character, with an internal video revealing an interactive version of Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West. Demonstrated by Sharwin Raghoebardajal, the prototype allows players to hold real-time voice conversations with Aloy, complete with AI-generated responses and facial animations. While still in the experimental stage, the project—developed with Guerrilla Games—signals Sony's exploration of AI-driven characters in future gaming experiences.
Microsoft is Holding a 50th Anniversary and Copilot Event in April
(The Verge, March 10)
Microsoft is hosting a 50th anniversary and Copilot event on April 4 at its Redmond headquarters, celebrating its founding in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The event will feature CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, and other company leaders, highlighting what’s next for Copilot on the consumer side. Amid speculation, Microsoft is reportedly developing its own MAI AI reasoning models, which could compete with or even replace OpenAI's models in Copilot.
In Another Chess Move with Microsoft, OpenAI is Pouring $12B into CoreWeave
(TechCrunch, March 10)
OpenAI has signed a five-year, $11.9 billion deal with cloud provider CoreWeave, securing AI infrastructure while also acquiring $350 million in CoreWeave equity. Previously, CoreWeave’s largest customer was Microsoft, which accounted for 62% of its revenue in 2024, making this a major shift as the company prepares for its IPO. This deal also highlights the evolving tensions between Microsoft and OpenAI, as OpenAI diversifies its AI computing partnerships beyond its primary backer.
Bluesky is Weighing a Proposal that Gives Users Consent over How Their Data is Used for AI
(TechCrunch, March 10)
At SXSW, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber announced that the platform is developing a user consent framework for how data can be used in AI training. While Bluesky doesn’t train its own AI on user posts, its public nature has already enabled third parties to scrape content—as seen in a dataset of 1 million posts discovered on Hugging Face last year. Meanwhile, competitor X has openly integrated user data into xAI’s training process, fueling user migration to Bluesky, which has now surpassed 32 million users in two years.
Apple Vision Pro Users Can Check Out a Short, Immersive Metallica Concert Film This Week
(Engadget, March 12)
Apple and Metallica are bringing an immersive concert experience to Apple Vision Pro, allowing users to watch performances of "Whiplash," "One," and "Enter Sandman" from the band's M72 World Tour starting March 14. Captured using 14 Apple Immersive Video cameras in 180-degree video with spatial audio, the set aims to deliver a high-fidelity VR concert experience. Additionally, an EP from the show, M72 World Tour: Mexico City, will launch on Apple Music this Friday with spatial audio support.
DeepMind's Latest AI Model Can Help Robots Fold Origami and Close Ziploc Bags
(Engadget, March 12)
Google DeepMind has introduced Gemini Robotics, a new AI model designed to advance robot control by enhancing generality, interactivity, and dexterity. Built on Gemini 2.0, the model enables robots to adapt to novel situations, respond effectively to human and environmental inputs, and perform fine motor tasks with greater precision. DeepMind sees this as a major step toward developing general-purpose robots capable of more sophisticated and autonomous interactions.
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