Speaking on TSMC's first quarter earnings call, CEO C.C. Wei summed up AI demand.

"AI-related demand continues to be extremely robust. The shift from generative AI and the query mode to agentic AI and command and action mode is leading to another step-up in the amount of tokens being consumed. This is driving the need for more and more computation, which supports the robust demand for leading-edge silicon. Our customers and customers' customers, who are mainly the cloud service providers, continue to provide us with their very strong signal and positive outlook. Thus, our conviction in the multiyear AI megatrend remains high, and we believe the demand for semiconductors will continue to be very fundamental. Supported by our robust technology differentiation and broad customer base, we maintain strong confidence for our full year 2026 revenue to now grow by above 30% in U.S. dollar terms."

A few quick headlines on the LLM front.

• Google updated AI Mode in Chrome so you can open links without switching tabs.
• OpenAI launched GPT-Rosalind, an AI model for life sciences research.
• OpenAI updated its Codex desktop app to take on more tasks beyond coding.
• Bloomberg reports that the OMB is looking to allow their agencies to use Anthropic’s Mythos model.
• Google outlined Gemini app integration between Personal Intelligence and Nano Banana 2.

Netflix reported first quarter earnings that were solid, but provided an outlook that fell short of expectations. In addition, Reed Hastings will step down as chairman.

The company projected second quarter revenue of $12.57 billion, below the $12.63 billion Wall Street estimate. In a shareholder letter, Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters said the following:

• "We are continually expanding how we can leverage AI to improve the member experience, and in Q1 we acquired InterPositive to provide our creators with a broader set of GenAI tools. We are also redesigning our mobile experience, including the launch of vertical video at the end of the month."
• "Our advertising revenue remains on track to reach $3B in 2026, up 2x year-over-year."
• "Over the next few years, we will continue to leverage technology to create a more personalized, more immersive, and more interactive experience for our members."
• "We’ve been using machine learning and AI for many years, and as the technology advances with GenAI, we continue to find new opportunities to deliver an even more seamless experience for members and expand possibilities for storytellers. This includes using GenAI to improve recommendations for members through deeper content understanding so we can recommend the right title at the right moment, test conversational discovery experiences, and improve the breadth and quality of our promotional assets."

The employment market for recent college graduates is improving, according to a ZipRecruiter report.

In the report, ZipRecruiter said the share of grads landing a job within three months of graduation rose to 77%, up from 63% from a year ago. ZipRecruiter noted that AI adoption is still affecting the entry level market.

Key findings:

• Graduates who worked during school found jobs at twice the rate of those who didn't.
• 40% of recent grads completed internships.
• 38% of grads are considering starting their own business.

Also see: Your AI talent planning algorithm is common sense

You have an ID? Welcome to Claude's new workflow where it will ask for ID verification for certain features. In a blog post, Anthropic said:

"We are rolling out identity verification for a few use cases, and you might see a verification prompt when accessing certain capabilities, as part of our routine platform integrity checks, or other safety and compliance measures."

Claude will take passports, driver's licenses or state/provincial ID cards and national identity cards. You'll need to hold the physical document in hand and take a selfie on phone or webcam. The verification typically takes less than 5 minutes.

Smartphone shipments fell 4.1% in the first quarter due to price increases and memory shortages, according to IDC data. IDC said the first quarter slowdown is "a mild precursor for what lies ahead in 2026."

Salesforce is going headless and extending its entire platform via APIs, MCP and CLI commands for humans and agents to build. The move extends Salesforce as a platform and means you can now work outside of the Salesforce environment.

The effort, Salesforce Headless 360, is outlined in a blog. My bet is that the ability to go headless is going to be critical to evaluating your software vendor.

• SaaS under the microscope: How to evaluate your vendor

Meta and Broadcom said they will extend their partnership to co-develop multiple generations of Meta's MTIA chips. Broadcom CEO Hock Tan will leave Meta's board. The expanded partnership indicates Meta is ready to rapidly scale its custom chips for AI workloads.

• Meta launches new set of AI chips, but its approach is the big lesson

Large language model (LLM) giants have new favorite words: Repeatable and routines.

Anthropic launched routines in Claude Code in research preview. A routine is a Claude Code automation you configure once and run on a schedule. Claude Code routines can schedule code reviews, API calls and GitHub chores. Routines are available on Anthropic Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans.

On a more personal level, Google launched Skills, repeatable AI prompts that users can run in Chrome with a keyboard shortcut. You can set up your own Skill or use a set of more than 50 presets.

Bottom line: AI agents are going mainstream on multiple levels.

Instacart acquired Instaleap, which is a global fulfillment platform for retailers scaling online.

The move expands Instacart's international footprint and builds out its enterprise offerings. Instacart is best known for its online grocery delivery, but is pitching retailers with offerings including Storefront Pro, a commerce platform, Carrot Ads, Caper Carts and FoodStorm.

Amazon announced the Amazon Leo Aviation Antenna, which aims to deliver reliable internet connectivity to airlines with up to 1 Gbps download and 400 Mbps uploads. That speed roughly equates to what a lot of folks see for their home broadband.

Amazon has said that Leo is a big push for the company as it offers broadband using low-orbit Earth satellites. The company said the antenna has no moving parts and can be installed quickly. Ongoing maintenance is expected to be minimal.

Stanford HAI released its 2026 AI Index Report and it's worth a read for a few themes:

• The US-China model gap has closed.
• The US hosts the most AI data centers and most of the chips are fabricated in Taiwan.
• AI capabilities are outpacing governance and safety.
• Productivity gains from AI mean declining entry-level employment.

I'll loop back to this one, but it's a good overview of where AI stands at the moment.