NEWS YOU CAN’T MISS

Forget NBA - Tech Bros Are The New Superstars

If you thought NBA superstars had the biggest contracts out there, think again.

The New York Times reports that top AI researchers are now being courted like elite athletes - with personal calls from tech CEOs and pay packages north of $250 million. 💸

Take Matt Deitke for example: the 24-year-old AI founder got a call from Mark Zuckerberg this summer, offering him $125M to join Meta’s “superintelligence” team. After he said no, Zuckerberg came back with an offer worth double (which Deitke accepted).

It’s a growing trend:

• AI researchers are being scouted with nine-figure offers from Meta, OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft.

• Meta is reportedly offering not just money but vast compute resources (like 30,000 GPUs per person) to sweeten the deal.

• Some recruits are sharing offers in Discord and Slack groups to strategize and negotiate like pros.

Why it matters: The best AI researchers are few, and the stakes are enormous. As one observer put it… if you're spending $80 billion a year on infrastructure, what’s another $5 billion to land the team that might build the future?

And unlike sports leagues, there’s no salary cap in Silicon Valley. Fun fact: Steph Curry’s four-year contract was $35 million less than Deitke’s AI offer. 😳

Shopping Dresses Online? Try Before You Buy

I love online shopping, but with clothes, I worry they won’t fit and I’ll have to return them.

Starting today, shoppers in the US can do exactly that. Google is rolling out a new AI-powered tool that lets you virtually try on clothes using a full-body photo of yourself - directly from Google Search.

Just tap the “try it on” icon, upload your photo, and within seconds, you’ll see a realistic preview of how the item might look on your frame. It’s designed to help you shop faster and more confidently, without needing a dressing room.

Sign me up!

And coming this fall: a generative AI feature that offers outfit and room inspiration. You’ll be able to search for looks (like a “green flowy dress for a garden party”) and see visual suggestions along with shoppable options.

With these updates, Google’s aims to make online shopping more personal, intuitive, and visual. This is a whole new revolution for shopping as we know it. Will I still shop for clothes in physical stores? Maybe. But with AI like this, I might not need to. 😉

Meet Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TII in Abu Dhabi

Celebrating this week’s Woman in Tech 🥳: Meet Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi, where she leads research across quantum, AI, and digital security.

Dr. Aaraj earned her PhD with highest honors from Princeton University. Early in her career, she worked at IBM and Intel - helping develop secure computer chips that now protect passwords, encryption keys, and system safety in billions of devices worldwide.

She led global tech strategy projects at Booz & Company and later directed national-scale secure systems at the UAE’s DarkMatter Group.

Today, Dr. Aaraj leads at Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research arm of the UAE’s Advanced Technology Research Council, which was established to drive scientific and technological leadership in the region.

She first joined TII to head research in cryptography and autonomous robotics, and became CEO in 2024. Dr. Aaraj now oversees over 1,100 scientists working on tech that supports secure and autonomous systems.

Dr. Aaraj also teaches at Mohamed Bin Zayed University of AI. Her honors include the Arab Woman Awards, the Femtum Leap Innovation Award, and the Wu Prize for Research Excellence.

Through both science and leadership, the dynamic and highly accomplished Dr. Aaraj is shaping the UAE’s future as a global hub for advanced technology. 😎

AI Around The World:

In the US, Uber is rolling out its “women preferences” feature, letting female riders choose to be matched only with female drivers. The feature, first launched in Saudi Arabia, is now available in 40 countries. It aims to improve safety and comfort, starting with a pilot in Detroit, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

In India, the movie Raanjhanaa is being re-released with a happier AI-generated ending. The 2013 romantic drama tells the story of an interfaith love that ends in heartbreak and death. The original director (Aanand L Rai) isn’t on board, calling the change disrespectful to the story and its creators.

In China, at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Premier Li Qiang proposed a global AI governance body focused on safety, inclusivity, and equitable access, especially for developing nations. The move underscores China’s bid to shape global AI norms.