Google taught a robot to screw in a lightbulb.
Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics 2 controls a humanoid's whole body at once, OpenAI cuts the price of its newest AI by up to 80%, Microsoft posts its best day since 2008 while Meta slides, Philippine exports hit a record on AI chip demand, and Singapore's Temus backs Manila's Thinking Machines.
One AI now runs a robot's whole body
Google DeepMind released Gemini Robotics 2, its first system that controls a humanoid's legs, torso, arms and fingers all at once, so the machine can walk, crouch and hold its balance while its hands do the work.
OpenAI just made its AI 80% cheaper
OpenAI cut the price of GPT-5.6 Luna, the fastest version of its newest AI, by 80%, and dropped its mid-tier Terra by 20%, about three weeks after both went on sale.
Microsoft's best day since 2008
Microsoft stock jumped more than 15%, its biggest one-day gain since 2008, after its cloud business passed 100 billion dollars, while Meta fell 8% as investors balked at how much it is spending on AI.
AI chips drove PH exports to a record
Philippine exports hit $8.8 billion in June, the biggest month since record-keeping started in 1991, after shipments of chips and components rose 33.4% on demand from AI data centers abroad.
Singapore just backed a Manila AI firm
Temus, an AI company set up by Singapore's Temasek, invested in Thinking Machines, the Manila firm founded by Stephanie Sy in 2015 that became OpenAI's first services partner in Asia Pacific.