AI Spotlight keeps you up-to-speed on the latest cool stuff in AI and tech. This week, we'll show you new tools, how businesses can use AI, and what's hot in the world of AI.

In today’s email:

• Netflix Begins Testing AI-Powered Search with Help from OpenAI

• Google Unveils Big AI Ambitions at Cloud Next 2025

• Amazon Launches Nova Sonic Voice Model: “A Next-Gen Voice Model”

• Tutorial: Transform Any Image into a New Style with GPT-4o

• 📢Top AI Tools of the Week

Netflix Begins Testing AI-Powered Search with Help from OpenAI

Netflix is bringing a new twist to search—and this time, it’s powered by OpenAI. The streaming giant is testing an AI-driven search tool that lets users find shows and movies using natural language and mood-based queries, going far beyond the typical title or actor search.

The feature is currently available on iOS devices for users in Australia and New Zealand, with plans to expand to the U.S. and other markets soon. Unlike Netflix’s usual feature rollouts, this one is opt-in, signaling both the experimental nature of the tool and the company’s caution around how AI is perceived—especially in the Hollywood labor landscape.

While Netflix already uses machine learning for recommendations, this tool represents a bolder, more conversational approach to personalization, letting users ask for shows that fit their exact mood or vibe.

Key Points

• The new tool uses natural language and mood-based search to surface more nuanced viewing suggestions.

• Available for iOS users in Australia and New Zealand, with U.S. expansion on the horizon.

• Unlike typical Netflix features, users must choose to test this one, likely due to its experimental nature.

• Netflix has long used AI for recommendations but is now exploring new applications, including in filmmaking and internal processes.

• CEO Ted Sarandos insists AI won't replace creatives, but Netflix remains under scrutiny from industry workers wary of job impacts.

  Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-11/netflix-tests-new-ai-search-engine-to-recommend-shows-movies

Google Unveils Big AI Ambitions at Cloud Next 2025

At this year’s Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas, Google pulled back the curtain on its latest AI innovations and infrastructure upgrades, showcasing a bold vision for enterprise AI. The tech giant announced major advancements across its Gemini models, AI hardware, agent-based systems, and cloud networking—all aimed at gaining ground against Microsoft and Amazon in the AI cloud race.

With a 20x surge in Vertex AI usage over the past year and over 4 million developers building with Gemini, Google made it clear: it’s all-in on AI—from smart agents to industry-grade AI chips, and from enterprise security to on-prem deployments in regulated sectors.

key Points

• New Ironwood TPUs offer 10x performance boost for enterprise AI workloads.

• Gemini 2.5 Flash delivers fast, cost-effective responses for high-volume use cases.

• Agent Dev Kit and A2A protocol launch, enabling multi-agent AI systems.

• Cloud WAN boosts network speed by 40% using Google’s global fiber.

• On-prem AI with Nvidia & Dell targets regulated sectors like healthcare and finance.

  
  Source: https://technologymagazine.com/articles/google-cloud-next-2025-the-announcements-you-need-to-know

Amazon Launches Nova Sonic Voice Model: “A Next-Gen Voice Model”

Amazon has officially launched Nova Sonic, its newest generative AI model built for natural, real-time voice interactions. Designed to rival voice AI from OpenAI and Google, Nova Sonic brings a serious upgrade in speed, accuracy, and conversational flow—and it’s already being used to power Alexa+, Amazon’s revamped voice assistant.

Available through Amazon Bedrock via a new bi-directional streaming API, Nova Sonic is 80% more cost-efficient than GPT-4o, and it excels in speech recognition and multi-user interaction scenarios. With this launch, Amazon is making a big leap toward its vision of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) that can handle complex tasks across modalities like voice, video, and sensory data.

key Points

• Nova Sonic responds in 1.09 seconds, faster than OpenAI’s GPT-4o, and handles interruptions smoothly in conversation.

• High Speech Accuracy With a 4.2% word error rate across five languages, Nova Sonic beats rivals in noisy or multi-speaker environments.

• The model is already powering Amazon’s new Alexa+, capable of routing requests to APIs, web data, or apps based on context.

• Available now via Amazon Bedrock, with streaming API support for real-time enterprise application

• Nova Sonic kicks off Amazon’s larger plan to build multi-modal AI systems that mimic human capabilities across devices and tasks.

  
  Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/08/amazon-unveils-a-new-ai-voice-model-nova-sonic/

Transform Any Image into a New Style with GPT-4o

Want to give your image a whole new vibe? With GPT-4o in ChatGPT, you can instantly restyle any image into iconic looks just by typing a prompt.

→ Here’s how to do it:

1. Open ChatGPT and select the GPT-4o model.

2. Upload Your Image

Use This Prompt Format:

“Recreate this image with a style: [ Your Chosen Style]”

Style Ideas to Try:

1. Studio Ghibli – Soft, dreamy visuals with a magical, hand-painted feel.

2. Pixar – Clean, colorful, 3D animation with expressive characters.

3. Dragon Ball – Bold lines, dramatic poses, and anime energy explosions.

4. Lego – Your scene turned into plastic bricks and mini-figures.

5. Hand-knitted Doll – Cozy, textured, and crafted with yarn – like your image came from grandma’s workshop.

6. Funko Pop – Big heads, tiny bodies, and a collectible figurine vibe.

7. Rick and Morty – Wacky sci-fi style with chaotic colors and exaggerated expressions.

8. Hanna Barbera – Classic 60s cartoon style with vintage simplicity and charm.

9. Manga – Black-and-white, detailed lines with expressive emotions straight from Japanese comics.

10. Simpsons – Yellow-toned, flat cartoon characters with satirical flair.

11. South Park – Cutout animation look with intentionally crude visuals and humor.

12. Gothic Stop Motion – Dark, moody, Tim Burton-esque style with eerie textures.

13. Barbie – Glamorous, sparkly, and super pink with fashion-forward flair.

✨ Just upload, prompt, and watch your image take on a whole new personality. It’s that easy!

Top AI Tools of the Week

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