The value of AI agents, systems that can carry out tasks for humans, is evident, with opportunities for productivity gains, especially for businesses. However, the performance of large language models (LLMs) can hinder the effective deployment of agents. Salesforce's AI Research seeks to address that issue. Also: 60% of AI agents work in IT departments - here's what they do every day On Thursday, Salesforce launched its inaugural Salesforce AI Research in Review report, highlighting the tech company's innovations, including new foundational developments and research papers from the past quarter. Salesforce hopes these pieces will help support the development of trustworthy and capable AI agents that can perform well in business environments.

Bora Chung's Red Sword is set on a disputed planet While there are no big names publishing new science fiction novels this May, there are some real gems nonetheless – including a big tip from me, Grace Chan's near-future Every Version of You. I want to press it into the hands of everyone I know. There are also two fascinating sci-fi-edged thrillers out this month, by Adam Oyebanji and Barnaby Martin, while Catherine Chidgey's creepy The Book of Guilt has intrigued me enough to make it my next read – if it's not ousted by Bora Chung's real history-inspired story of war on an alien planet, Red Sword, that is… Set in late-21st-century Australia, this novel (published in Australia in 2022 but out now more widely) follows Tao-Yi in a world where most people spend their lives in an immersive virtual reality called Gaia. Every morning, she climbs into a pod in her apartment to enter Gaia, where she works and socialises. In the real world, the unrelenting heat of the sun means there are no trees left and hardly any animals: this is a terrifying vision of the future.

The BBC announced a new addition to its Maestro series of masterclasses, featuring its first posthumous teacher, Agatha Christie, presenting her writing tips in 4K video. The best-selling author of literature in human history teaches an 11-lesson course on writing mysteries, and the BBC seems very aware of the issues circling AI, which provokes a mix of intrigue and, honestly, wariness. Christie, who died in 1976, has had her likeness composited through a blend of licensed images, limited footage and past audio recordings. That data has been blended with actor Vivien Keene, who'performs' the words of Christie on video. This is a more cautious approach.

Ukraine's parliament is expected to ratify a controversial minerals deal with the United States in a decisive step towards securing the latter's long-term commitment to the war-battered country amid stalled efforts to strike a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire. The deal, signed by Kyiv and Washington on Wednesday, pushed by US President Donald Trump and after protracted negotiations, marks an inflection point of sorts in the war, granting the US priority access to Ukraine's critical minerals as a means of deterring future Russian aggression. However, it stops short of offering specific security guarantees and questions remain over accessing minerals in areas under Russian control. Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday that the deal "marks an important milestone in Ukraine–US strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Ukraine's economy and security". "We're expecting it to be discussed and ratified by Ukraine's parliament later today," said Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi, reporting from Kyiv.

Older Google TV and Chromecast devices are finally getting the Home Panel feature, allowing you to control your smart home devices from your TV. The feature was initially launched with the Google TV Streamer last year, but Google opened a public preview program to let users enroll older devices. Now, the feature appears to have launched widely and quietly. The latest update began rolling out earlier this week, and reports indicate users are using the Home Panel feature on discontinued Chromecast devices and Google TV sets, including Hisense TVs. Also: These old Google Nest thermostats may soon be obsolete - but it's not all bad news The Home Panel on Google TV lets you control Google Home-compatible smart devices by accessing them on the right side of your TV.

The CyberGuy explains steps you can take to protect yourself from scams. Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, leveraging advanced tools like generative AI to con unsuspecting victims. According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, mobile consumers worldwide lose over 1 trillion annually to scams. To combat this growing threat, Google is rolling out cutting-edge AI-powered scam detection features for Android users. However, while Google's efforts are impressive, there are additional steps you can take to protect yourself from scams.

Later this year, Boston Dynamics plans to put its all-electric humanoid Atlas robot to work in a Hyundai factory. The new version of the bot, evolved from the hydraulic Atlas model that's been performing viral video demos since 2013, made its public debut last spring. But while the company's dog-like Spot and warehouse robot Stretch are already deployed at industrial sites, the Hyundai pilot will be the first time Atlas is used in commercial manufacturing. Boston Dynamics, which was acquired by Hyundai for 1.1 billion in 2021, is coy about how the robot will be used, but the general idea is that it's designed to be stronger and more reliable than a human worker. "The robot is going to be able to do things that are difficult for humans," Boston Dynamics spokesperson Kerri Neelon says.

Imagine if all of our cars could drive themselves – autonomous driving is becoming possible, but to what extent? To get a vehicle somewhere by itself may not seem so tricky if the route is clear and well defined, but what if there are more cars, each trying to get to a different place? And what if we add pedestrians, animals and other unaccounted for elements? This problem has recently been increasingly studied, and already used in scenarios such as warehouse logistics, where a group of robots move boxes in a warehouse, each with its own goal, but all moving while making sure not to collide and making their routes – paths – as short as possible. Multi-agent path finding describes a problem where we have a group of agents – robots, vehicles or even people – who are each trying to get from their starting positions to their goal positions all at once without ever colliding (being in the same position at the same time).

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is rapidly emerging as a robust framework for organizations seeking to harness the full power of generative AI with their business data. As enterprises seek to move beyond generic AI responses and leverage their unique knowledge bases, RAG bridges general AI capabilities and domain-specific expertise. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of companies are already using RAG AI services, with adoption accelerating as the technology matures. The bad news: According to Bloomberg Research, RAG can also vastly increase the chances of getting dangerous answers. Before diving into the dangers, let's review what RAG is and its benefits.

Mount Sinai urology chair Dr. Ash Tewari joins'Fox News Live' to discuss the PSA test designed to catch the'silent killer.' A new means of prostate cancer screening could emerge as an alternative to the PSA test, which has long been the first-line option. Using machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, Swedish researchers analyzed urine samples from more than 2,000 men with prostate cancer, along with a control group. They determined that the simple, non-invasive urine test was able to detect biomarkers of prostate cancer with a high degree of accuracy -- and could also determine the grade (stage) of the disease. The results were published in the journal Cancer Research.