Need to Know News - October 23rd, 2025
In this week's Need to Know News edition:
🤖 The Columbia University study that proves how generative AI can lift online sales by 16.3%... while keeping labor and advertising costs completely flat.
🤖 Amazon's new AI feature that analyzes a shopper's history to make the perfect recommendation... and what its rollout to millions of users signals for the future of e-commerce.
🤖 How two 20-year-old college dropouts turned a common classroom annoyance into a profitable AI company with 5 million users... in just six months.
And a whole lot more!
Google's New Hub Offers 3,000 Courses to Boost Your AI Skills
Want to learn AI from tech titan, Google? The company’s new "Google Skills" hub makes it possible. This one-stop shop combines 3,000 courses from DeepMind, Google Cloud, and more, all in a single platform. It’s built for everyone, from students to seasoned developers.
You can earn skill badges and official certifications or just take short "AI Boost Bites" to sharpen your knowledge. While many options are free, including a course on generative AI leadership, full access to all the materials will require a Google Cloud subscription.
Colombia Business School Study: Generative AI Boosts Online Sales by 16% at No Extra Cost
Generative AI can lift online sales by up to 16.3% without extra costs. A new study offers rare, concrete proof of this boost in real-world results. Researchers ran large-scale tests on a major online marketplace, keeping labor and prices the same.
They found that AI tools, like a pre-sale chatbot that speaks many languages, helped shoppers find the right items faster. This increased the number of people making a purchase, adding about $5 in value per customer each year. The biggest winners were small sellers and new shoppers.
🚀 Missing One of These 5 Essential 'Copy Blocks' Could Cost You A Fortune!
Two $100+ million copywriters discovered what REALLY drives conversions—5 simple building blocks arranged in a specific order. This framework is so powerful that beginners are generating 5-figure profits with it. And you can learn the full system in just 33 minutes.
Discover All 5 'Copy Blocks' Now
Google's AI Video Tool Now Lets You Add and Remove Objects
AI filmmaking just got a director's chair. Google is rolling out major updates to its AI tool, Flow, powered by the new Veo 3.1 model. For the first time, you can add generated audio to your clips.
The tool now gives you more precise control too. You can insert new objects into a scene, remove unwanted ones, or even create a seamless video between two images you provide. Flow will naturally fill in the background.
Can't Decide? Amazon's New AI Button Will Choose For You
Struggling to pick the right product on Amazon? A new AI feature called “Help Me Decide” is here to help. The button appears after you’ve viewed several similar items. With one tap, the tool analyzes your shopping history and preferences to recommend the best product for you.
It explains exactly why it made its choice, using product details and customer reviews. The feature also provides an upgrade pick and a budget option for comparison. It’s currently rolling out to millions of U.S. customers on the Amazon mobile app.
Anthropic Gives Claude a Memory to Compete with ChatGPT
The new feature, rolling out to Pro and Max subscribers, automatically remembers details from your past conversations. You stay in charge, though. You can see exactly what Claude remembers, tell it to forget specific details, or create separate "memory spaces" for different projects. You can even copy and paste memories from other bots to get started.
Claude Can Also Now Access PubMed and Analyze Lab Data
Claude is turning into a true research partner for scientists. (and marketers in the health space). The latest model, Sonnet 4.5, already scores higher than humans on some lab-related tasks.
The biggest update is how it connects to the tools scientists use every day. Claude can now directly access research from PubMed, pull records from Benchling, and create figures with BioRender. It can even use new “Agent Skills” to follow specific lab procedures, like analyzing genomic data.
OpenAI Study: AI Is More of a Helper Than a Job Stealer
Is AI coming for your job? Not according to a new study from OpenAI and Harvard. Researchers found that people mainly use ChatGPT to support their decisions. They use it for seeking information, getting guidance, and as a writing aid. OpenAI’s chief economist, Ronnie Chatterji, says this makes the chatbot more of a helper than a replacement. He compares its impact to the internet, calling it an “accelerant” for workers.
Shoppers Love AI Assistants, But They Create New Fraud Risks
AI is changing how we shop, but it's creating a big headache for stores. A new study from Riskified found that 73% of shoppers now use AI for help with buying decisions. They use it to find product ideas and compare prices. And most are ready to let an AI agent make purchases for them.
But this creates a huge problem. When fraud happens, who is to blame? The lines are blurry, leaving stores at risk for costly disputes. It's a classic case of making things easy for shoppers creating new dangers for businesses.
Two 20-Year-Olds Built an AI Notetaker with 5 Million Users
An AI notetaker built by two 20-year-old dropouts now has 5 million users. It started when co-founder Sarthak Dhawan struggled to listen in class and take notes at the same time. He and Rudy Arora created Turbo AI to solve that problem.
The tool automatically turns lectures, PDFs, or YouTube videos into notes, quizzes, and flashcards. It's grown from one to five million users in just six months and is already profitable. And it’s not just for students. Professionals are now using it to summarize reports, showing its broad appeal.
Cargill Using AI to Get More Meat from Every Cow
With the US cattle herd at a 70-year low, meatpacker Cargill is using AI to get more from every animal. The company has installed AI-powered cameras in its plants to watch how meat is cut. This system gives workers real-time feedback with a simple smiley face system, showing if too much meat is left on the bone.
Its a much needed attempt to boost efficiency as cattle prices soar. CEO Brian Sikes says even a 1% yield increase could mean 200 million more pounds of food. He believes companies that don't embrace AI will end up in the "graveyard"
Thanks for reading.
Until next time!
The AI Marketers
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