AWS AI leader on the future of large language models | Amazon earnings preview

Can an AI “teammate” boost your company’s marketing efforts? That’s the promise of Spok, a new tool from Seattle startup Forum3 that uses generative AI and other technologies to automate much of the legwork around researching and planning marketing campaigns. Read more.

Amazon earnings preview: Analysts will be watching for any evidence of monetization from the company’s various AI efforts. Amazon reports its second quarter earnings Thursday. Read more.

• Related: AI will also be in the spotlight for Microsoft, which reports earnings later today. 

Avi Schiffmann is back, and he brought a Friend. The former Seattle-area high school student (above), who wowed the world with his Covid-tracking website four years ago, raised $2.5 million for a new startup that relies on a wearable AI-enhanced pendant that is always listening and is meant to be the ultimate digital companion. Read more. 

DoorDash delivery is getting more expensive for consumers in Seattle. The company is tacking on more fees as part of its response to a minimum pay law for drivers. Read more.  

University of Washington researchers took a closer look at Elon Musk’s claim that his Neuralink brain implant could provide “better than normal vision.” A new study points out how the brain’s vision system relies on complex interactions between neurons that don’t directly translate into a pixel-by-pixel picture. Read more.

As Washington state looks to electrify its ferry system, a Swedish maritime battery startup is opening a manufacturing and sales outpost in Marysville. Read more. 

Stealthy Seattle aviation startup Outbound Aerospace is attracting backers for its blended-wing airplane design that takes advantage of advances in 3D printing and lightweight materials. Read more.

Hot Links: 

• Microsoft called on Congress to take up new legislation to combat the use of AI deepfakes to defraud seniors or abuse children. (Microsoft on the Issues)

• Amazon says it set a new record for Prime delivery speeds with more than 5 billion items arriving the same or next day globally — a 30% jump over last year. The company is also making a push to expand rural delivery speeds. (About Amazon, Wall Street Journal)

• Companies may be hurting their sales when they include “artificial intelligence” in product descriptions, according to a study by Washington State University researchers. (WSU Insider)

• Bill Gates chats with 2024 Washington State Teacher of the Year Blaire Penry, and comes away impressed by her techniques for online education. (Gates Notes)