Tesla's 'creepy' robots, Google buys Wiz, and Meta's headache

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Image for article titled Tesla's 'creepy' robots, Google's biggest buy, and Meta's headache: Tech news roundup — Image: Tesla, Photo: Michael M. Santiago (Getty Images), Justin Sullivan (Getty Images), Justin Sullivan (Getty Images), Chip Somodevilla (Getty Images), Justin Sullivan (Getty Images), Justin Sullivan (Getty Images), Justin Sullivan (Getty Images), Joe Raedle / Staff (Getty Images), Noam Galai (Getty Images)

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Elon Musk on why Tesla’s Optimus robots look like the ‘creepy robots’ from a Will Smith movie

Tesla’s Optimus robot featured in a mockup handed out by the company.

Tesla’s (TSLA) Optimus robots have come a long way from their often-mocked introduction in 2021 when a human dressed in a costume appeared onstage for a demonstration. However, while the overall design has changed between the first and second generations of the humanoid bot, it still doesn’t look very personable.

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Google will buy cybersecurity startup Wiz in its biggest acquisition ever

Google (GOOGL) on Tuesday announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz for $32 billion in an all-cash transaction.

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Meta doesn’t want you to read this book. So of course it’s a best-seller

Meta (META) prohibited a whistleblower from promoting her tell-all memoir. The book climbed all the way to number three on Amazon’s (AMZN) bestsellers list shortly after.

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Turns out people are using AI like a personal shopper

People are increasingly treating generative-AI chatbots like personal shopping assistants, Adobe (ADBE) said on Monday.

The software and research firm surveyed 5,000 U.S. consumers and found that 39% have turned to AI for online shopping help, while 53% said they intended to do so this year. However, this doesn’t mean ChatGPT research typically ends with a purchase.

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Oracle is now letting businesses create their own AI agents — no coding required

Oracle (ORCL) unveiled a new feature on Thursday that allows businesses to build their own AI agents. No coding necessary.

“We’ve been infusing AI, we’ve been building agents, and the tools we have been using internally at Oracle we are now making available for customers and partners,” Oracle applications development & strategy group vice president Miranda Nash said.

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8 underused Amazon Alexa features you should know about

Amazon’s (AMZN) popular virtual assistant Alexa has many tricks up its sleeve. Although everyone is familiar enough with its ability to play music, set up a timer or answer questions, Alexa has many more features. Here are eight underused ones you should know about.

Tesla's 'creepy' robots, Google's biggest buy, and Meta's headache: Tech news roundup

Plus, it turns out people are using AI like a personal shopper