Hi tech & AI enthusiasts, this week's highlights:
Claude Can Now Control Your Computer, Open Apps, and Work Your Desktop
Google's New Vibe Design Tool Turns Words Into Polished App Designs
Cursor Built Its Own AI Coding Model, and It Rivals the Best for a Fraction of the Cost
The Lab: How to Design Websites With Google Stitch
AI Image of the Week: Future Office Working Holographic
Let’s get into it.
▲ AI TOOLS
Anthropic added full computer use to Claude. Claude can now see your screen, move your mouse, click through apps, and navigate your browser on your behalf. It is Anthropic's answer to OpenClaw, and it works on macOS now.
What you need to know
Full desktop control: Claude can open applications, click buttons, fill in forms, navigate websites, and work across your tools. When there is no direct integration for a tool, it operates the app on your screen directly.
Connected apps first, screen control second: Claude uses your Slack, Calendar, and other integrations before touching the screen. It only asks for screen access when there is no other way.
Recurring tasks built in: Set Claude to scan your email every morning or pull a report every Friday, and it handles it automatically from that point on.
Key Ideas
▲ Why it matters: With the massive popularity of OpenClaw with similar capabilities Anthropic shipped its own version that solves some of the prior fears of security issues and vulnerabilities. Now for a $20 subscription you can start building and automating directly with Claude.
▲ AI DESIGN
Google launched an updated Stitch, a free AI design platform that generates high-fidelity web and app designs from text descriptions. Describe a landing page or dashboard and it builds it. Talk to the canvas with your voice and it updates the design as you speak.
What you need to know
Text or voice: Type a description or use Voice Canvas to talk through changes. The AI listens, asks clarifying questions, and updates the design live.
Design by feeling: Instead of specifying exact layouts, describe the mood you want ("premium and clean, like Stripe") and Stitch generates multiple directions that match.
Export ready: Every design exports with editable layers to Figma or as working website code you can use directly. Free during beta.
Key Idea
▲ Why it matters: Professional design has always required either skills or budget. Stitch removes both barriers, letting any business owner generate and export a polished landing page or app design in minutes.
▲ AI DEVELOPMENT
Anysphere, the company behind AI code editor Cursor, shipped Composer 2, a third-generation in-house model. It matches the best coding AI from OpenAI and Anthropic on independent tests, at roughly one-tenth to one-twentieth of the price.
What you need to know
Competes with big names: Composer 2 topped Anthropic's best model on an independent coding test and sits close to OpenAI's flagship. Scores have nearly doubled across three versions since October.
Dramatically cheaper: It costs roughly 1/10 to 1/20 the price of competing models at similar speeds.
App company turned model builder: Cursor went from using other companies' AI to building its own that competes with the best.
Key Idea
▲ Why it matters: The cost of AI development keeps getting cheaper. For developers and businesses this means lower barriers to entree for in house software or building products for B2B or B2C markets.
▲ EVEN MORE NEWS
Other big ideas from the past week.
Midjourney Image
▲ AI Cow Collars Hit $2 Billion: Peter Thiel's Founders Fund is leading a round that would double New Zealand startup Halter's valuation to over $2 billion. Its solar-powered AI collars create virtual fences and let farmers manage cattle from their phones.
▲ Anthropic Interviews 81,000 People About AI: Claude interviewed 81,000 users across 159 countries in 70 languages. Top hope: professional excellence. Top fear: AI getting things wrong. 67% were net positive overall, with developing regions the most optimistic.
▲ Musk Unveils $25B Terafab Chip Factory: A joint Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI facility in Austin aiming to produce 50x the world's current AI compute output. 80% would go toward space-based AI satellites launched via Starship.
The Lab
▲ AI EDUCATION
Google's new AI design tool lets you describe what you want in plain English and generates professional web and app designs instantly. Free to use, no design experience needed.
What you'll learn:
How to write effective prompts that get the best design results
How to use Voice Canvas to talk through design changes hands-free
How to build interactive prototypes by connecting multiple screens
How to export to Figma with editable layers or get working website code
🔬 Interested in learning about AI for business? Join The Lab waitlist.
▲ AI IMAGE SHOWCASE
Create this type of image with Midjourney
Person working at desk surrounded by floating holographic AI interfaces, cyberpunk style, neon purple and teal lighting, moody atmosphere, cinematic --ar 4:3 --raw --sref 2490504630 --v 7Image Usage Suggestion: Productivity tool marketing, SaaS landing page visuals, or any content about AI transforming how we work.
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Thanks for reading, until next time.
Stay curious,
Matt Lok, Editor
Brought to you by Metalabs. Digital marketing consulting specialising in AI.