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Amazon on Monday launched its latest AI model, designed to take over a user’s web browser and perform simple tasks. The move places the e-commerce giant in more direct competition with artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, which are also developing AI “agents.” The model, called Nova Act, is currently available as a “research preview” for developers, meaning its not yet open to the general public. It can complete tasks such as browsing the web and making purchases without supervision. For instance, the company demonstrated Nova Act searching for apartments within biking distance of a specific train station. It can also handle more nuanced instructions like “dont accept the insurance upsell.” “We think of agents as systems that can complete tasks and act in a range of digital and physical environments on behalf of the user,” Amazon wrote in a blog post on Monday. These types of agents are still in their early stages, but tech companies are placing big bets that agentic AI represents the next major frontier. OpenAI recently released “Operator,” a tool that automates web-based tasks, along with Deep Research, which it says can gather information from across the web and summarize it into digestible reports. Anthropic, the creator of Claude, and Google have also introduced AI agents. Nova Act is part of Amazon’s Nova series, first announced in December 2024, which is capable of generating text and images. “The Nova Act SDK is a crucial step forward, toward building reliable agents by enabling developers to break down complex workflows into atomic commands (e.g., search, checkout, answer questions about the screen),” the company wrote.
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E-Commerce
Some of Abir Barakats earliest childhood memories are of her fathers fascination with tatreez, a traditional Palestinian embroidery involving hand-stitching patterns and motifs on clothing, scarves, bedspreads, and pillows. Her father would collect thobestatreez-embroidered loose-fitting dresses worn by Palestinian women, ultimately amassing an extensive collection of unique, traditional tatreez pieces crafted decades ago by women in Palestine. My memory is how passionate he was about it and how he would tell us different stories about (tatreez), says Barakat. He would acquire these old Palestinian dresses [some of which] are museum pieces, honestly, because they can no longer be found. After nearly 15 years of working in various marketing roles, Barakat decided to combine her experience with her passion for tatreez and begin preserving historical tatreez pieces. It was such a rich history and a rich heritage that it had to be repurposed, she says, adding that a lot of these villages that the embroidery comes from no longer exist. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeel Design (@jeeldesign) Thats why she started Jeel, which means eneration in Arabica name she chose because it reflects her goal of preserving a rich heritage and passing it down to future generations. Since the brands launch in 2014, it has grown into a profitable business selling a range of vibrant tatreez embroidery, amassing more than 18,000 Instagram followers. With the United Nations Cultural agency warning that tatreez is at risk of disappearing from collective memory, brands like Jeel and others are focused on preserving Palestinian heritage. [Photo: Suzy Tamimi] Tatreez and the fabric of Palestinian identity Historically, tatreez also formed a Palestinians cultural identity as the embroidery weaves the origins and history of Palestinians into its diverse patterns and colors. They would even know the social status of a person depending on what she is wearing, Barakat says. The headpieces in the Palestinian costumes would reflect if that person is rich or not. Just like tatreez created a strong identity for Palestinian people decades ago, Barakat started Jeel hoping the craft would do the same for her. Despite growing up in Jerusalem as a Palestinian Muslim, she says she often grappled with understanding her identity, feeling that it was constantly under threat. Every Palestinian would tell you there is always a piece of us that feels we need to preserve [our heritage] because we feel endangered at every point of our life, Barakat says. We feel always jeopardized to make sure we say we exist because at every level of our existence, we are being challenged about being Palestinian. [Photo: Suzy Tamimi] This pressing need to preserve Palestinian identity also motivated Suzy Adnan Tamimi, a New York-based Palestinian designer, to begin making tatreez designs of her own in 2014. Two years into the project, Tamimi got a unique opportunity which she defines as her “launchpad”: In 2016, the United Nations invited her to design a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Palestinian dress for an exhibition aimed at preserving Palestinian identity. She created a modern-day gown from tatreez scraps she bought from Hanan Munayyera renowned curator and collector of tatreez embroidery. The gown was displayed at the United Nations Headquarters for a month. Her experience at the United Nations deepened her passion for reinventing tatreez, exploring ways to modernize the craft and bringing Palestinian embroidery to a more global audience. Today, Tamimis tatreez brand boasts more than 29,000 followers on Instagram. She works with Palestinian women in refugee camps in the West bank city of Jenin to repurpose tatreez embroidery, integrating it with modern designs. Her modern take on tatreez has enabled her brand to attract a younger demographic. I started coming up with ideas that were very innovative and new and fresh, like (tatreez embroidered) sneakers or guitar straps or jumpsuits, sweatsuits, bucket hats. So, kind of like an urban sportswear vibe, says Tamimi. Growing awareness amid crisis As Israel’s assault on Gaza has worn on, both Barakat and Tamimi have seen growth in their followersleading to mixed feelings about the growth of tatreezs visibility being driven by the ongoing killing of Palestinians. It’s kind of a confusing situation where you feel like, this is trending right now, but this is not really a trend, she says. Tamimi is ardently focused on preserving the tatreez stitches through innovation and plans to further showcase the beauty and history of Palestine through this art form. Her Freedom Fighter collection is a tribute to resilience and a powerful statement about the resilience of Palestinians. More recent additions to her storealongside the custom embroidery she offersinclude sweaters, T-shirts, and hoodies featuring a 1950s chest panel from a tatreez thobe. On the back, the products read these stitches speak of existence. When I pick up an old piece of embroidery from Palestine, sometimes I’m in tears because I can feel the energy in each piece, says Tamimi. I want them to live on and that’s why I bring them to life.
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E-Commerce
Stocks of major vaccine makers dropped on Monday after the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official Dr. Peter Marks resigned, citing conflicts with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. over his views on immunization. RFK Jr. is a longtime critic of vaccines, and has a history of making controversial and scientifically inaccurate claims. Shares of Moderna (MRNA) slid 11%, Novavax (NVAX) was down 6%, BioNTech (BNTX) fell about 7%, and Pfizer (PFE) dropped 2% in early trading. Meanwhile, gene therapy developers including Solid Biosciences (SLDB) and Taysha Gene Therapies (TSHA) plummeted between 14% and 29% by midday. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF fell almost 5%. At the time of this writing, Moderna was still down almost 9%, Novavax was down about 7%, and Pfizer was down about 1% in midday trading as vaccine stocks continue to slide. It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies, Marks wrote in his resignation letter to acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner, in reference to HHS secretary RFK Jr. According to the Wall Street Journal, Marks was forced on Friday to either resign or be fired. Marks has been with the FDA since 2012, and has overseen the division for vaccines, biotech drugs, and blood products since 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marks was a key member of the team that oversaw the production of COVID vaccines. His departure is raising serious concerns on Wall Street about the future of drug approval and safety in the U.S., with some analysts questioning if the move will hamper the FDA’s ability to ensure safe and effective treatments that will reach patients. Analysts are also expressing concern over how the situation might affect the biotech industry. “It’s no secret that biotech has been under immense pressure recently given broader macro issues,” BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman told Reuters. “This unfortunate update does nothing to reassure investors or provide relief.” Marks’s departure comes as RFK Jr. plans to lay off 10,000 employees at the HHS department and close regional offices, in a bid to reshape the country’s health agencies as part of the Trump administration’s cost-cutting agenda.
Category:
E-Commerce
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