Axios

Meta on Wednesday debuted Muse Spark, a homegrown AI model it says significantly narrows the performance gap with models from OpenAI, Anthropic and others.

Why it matters: The model — code-named Avocado and built over the past nine months by a team led by Alexandr Wang — is a major upgrade over its Llama 4 models, Meta tells.

Visa is rolling out a new platform for a future where AI agents do the shopping for consumers.

Why it matters: Visa is racing to stay embedded in transactions as AI platforms take over checkout.

Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But the economic fallout from five weeks of effective closure is just beginning.

Why it matters: Supply chains don't unsnarl overnight. The gloomiest forecasts for the U.S. economy from the war may not come to pass, but shortages and price shocks will continue to pinch the world for months.

• Moreover, there's no certainty that the two-week ceasefire will turn into lasting peace.

President Trump pulled back from the brink last night, after having threatened to destroy Iran's "civilization," agreeing to a two-week ceasefire.

• In so doing, he also may have saved the next generation of defense-tech companies.

Cummings Aerospace successfully tested an anti-armor warhead for its Hellhound S3, a 3D-printed weapon that blurs the line between drone and missile.

Why it matters: The Pentagon is hungry for cheap, smart munitions.

• This internally funded trial sets the Huntsville-based company up for future military demonstrations and exercises.

Anthropic published the capabilities of Claude Mythos Preview, its latest model that the company will allow a select group of tech and cybersecurity companies to test before releasing similar models to the public.

Why it matters: The detailed safety evaluation reads like a thriller about an AI that has learned some of humanity's most devious behaviors.

The rise of chatbots and AI search engines is forcing big brands to invest in new generative engine optimization that favors third-party validation, as opposed to traditional search engine optimization, which can still be gamed with paid media.

Why it matters: The ad market for chatbots and AI search engines is still nascent, which means brands need to rely on strong organic and earned media coverage to reach consumers using AI tools.

The 2026 box office is off to its strongest start since the COVID-19 pandemic, raising hopes in Hollywood that theatrical moviegoing has staying power in the streaming era.

Why it matters: Success at the box office gives studios and distributors more leverage to preserve theatrical release windows, a key revenue driver for the industry.

The Iran war has scattered the highly concentrated helium supply chain, knocking out a significant share of global production for a practically irreplaceable element.

Why it matters: Helium does more than fill party balloons: It's critical for cooling highly advanced tech and integral to chip production and medical imaging. Now, roughly a third of the world's supply is in limbo.

OpenAI has a new plan for how policy might adapt to a world of massive economic disruption. It's a fascinating window into how builders of AI view the likely economic and political fallouts of their technology.

The big picture: The 13-page document released Monday seeks to lay down a marker for the kinds of policy shifts that might help AI advances create broad prosperity, rather than a divided society with a handful of AI-turbocharged elites and a mass underclass.