Black Forest Labs Launches FLUX 3 for Video and Robotics alongside Voice Updates from OpenAI and Anthropic

Black Forest Labs Launches FLUX 3 for Video and Robotics alongside Voice Updates from OpenAI and Anthropic The Rundown highlights major AI advancements, led by Black Forest Labs' FLUX 3 visual intelligence model and its robotic adaptation for Audi, alongside simultaneous voice feature updates from OpenAI and Anthropic, corporate AI adoption tactics, and notable industry funding and acquisition news. Black Forest Labs launched early access to FLUX 3, a multimodal model producing 20-second clips with native audio, while collaborating with mimic robotics on FLUX-mimic to train Audi assembly robots. OpenAI brought its GPT-Live voice capabilities to desktop apps and Codex, while Anthropic expanded Claude's voice feature to its Opus and Sonnet models and third-party integrations. Cognition acquired The Interaction Company to integrate its SMS agent Poke, and chipmaker Etched raised $300M, reaching a $10.3B valuation. The Rundown shared its internal organizational framework for fostering AI fluency and practical video-editing workflows using Descript and ChatGPT. Black Forest Labs Unveils FLUX 3 and Industrial Robotics Model Black Forest Labs opened early access to FLUX 3, a visual intelligence system capable of processing text, image, and video inputs to generate 20-second video clips complete with synchronized native audio, multilingual dialogue, and typography. Beyond media generation, BFL collaborated with Zurich-based mimic robotics to create FLUX-mimic, a variant designed to control factory robots for Audi. The robotics adaptation reduces required demonstration training time from over 30 hours to roughly 30 minutes, with plans to release an open-weight FLUX 3 Dev model tailored for factory hardware. Voice Capability Upgrades from OpenAI and Anthropic OpenAI and Anthropic introduced simultaneous upgrades to their voice offerings. OpenAI launched desktop voice integration for paid macOS and Windows users across Codex and ChatGPT Work, featuring an ambient hotkey and its simultaneous listen-think-speak GPT-Live model. Anthropic expanded Claude's voice system to its higher-tier Opus and Sonnet models alongside support for connected applications like Gmail and Slack, though its conversational engine retains a turn-by-turn response structure. Industry Deals and Ecosystem Developments In broader ecosystem news, Cognition announced the acquisition of The Interaction Company to develop the SMS agent Poke alongside its coding agent Devin. American chip venture Etched closed a $300M funding round, pushing total capital past $1B at a $10.3B valuation. Additionally, 2026 Fields Medalist Jacob Tsimerman joined OpenAI's AI safety unit, Microsoft released two in-house models (MAI-Image-2.5-Pro and MAI-Voice-2-Flash), and Runway launched Media Router to dynamically assign generative models based on user constraints. Workplace AI Integration and Community Workflows The newsletter outlined internal policies from The Rundown designed to cultivate operational 'AI intuition,' including a $200 monthly tool stipend per employee tied to automation goals and mandatory weekly workflow development. The issue also presented a tutorial on automating video editing via Descript and ChatGPT plugins, alongside a community case study where a reader leveraged Claude to diagnose and repair water-damaged audio equipment.

Black Forest Labs 推出 FLUX 3 进军机器人控制，OpenAI 与 Anthropic 同步升级语音功能 本期简报聚焦多模态视觉模型对工业机器人的赋能，以及主要 AI 厂商在桌面语音交互、行业并购和融资方面的最新动态。 Black Forest Labs 开放 FLUX 3 早期访问，并联手 mimic 推出机器人控制变体 FLUX-mimic 应用于奥迪生产线。 OpenAI 将 GPT-Live 引入桌面端和 Codex，Anthropic 则将语音功能拓展至 Opus 和 Sonnet 模型并集成多款第三方应用。 Cognition 收购短信 AI 代理 Poke 开发者 The Interaction Company；AI 芯片初创公司 Etched 获 3 亿美元融资估值达 103 亿美元。 2026年菲尔兹奖得主 Jacob Tsimerman 加入 OpenAI 从事安全研究；微软发布自研 MAI 图像与语音模型。 FLUX 3 与工业机器人控制 Black Forest Labs 正式开放 FLUX 3 早期访问。该模型支持文本、图像与视频输入，可生成带原生音频的 20 秒片段，并支持多语言对话与字体排印。BFL 内部测试显示其输出表现优于 Runway、Kling 和 Grok Imagine。基于此，BFL 联合苏黎世 mimic robotics 推出机器人控制变体 FLUX-mimic，将工厂新任务学习所需的演示数据从 30 多小时缩短至约半小时，并已部署于奥迪生产线。完整发布计划还将包含开源权重的 FLUX 3 Dev。 OpenAI 与 Anthropic 语音功能对决 OpenAI 与 Anthropic 几乎同时推出语音交互升级。OpenAI 将 ChatGPT Voice 引入 macOS 和 Windows 桌面客户端付费计划，用户可通过语音操作 Codex 与 ChatGPT Work，并支持自定义快捷键唤起，外媒报道该技术未来或驱动其无屏幕智能音箱硬件。Anthropic 则将 Claude 语音模式扩展至能力更强的 Opus 和 Sonnet 模型，并连接 Gmail 与 Slack 等软件，但在多模态边听边思考的即时流式交互上仍落后于 OpenAI 的 GPT-Live。 行业快讯与资本动态 编程智能体 Devin 开发者 Cognition 宣布收购开发短信代理 Poke 的 The Interaction Company。美国 AI 芯片初创公司 Etched 完成 3 亿美元新融资，总融资额超 10 亿美元，估值升至 103 亿美元。加拿大数学家 Jacob Tsimerman 在荣获 2026 年菲尔兹奖当天宣布加入 OpenAI 负责 AI 安全研究。此外，微软超级智能团队推出 MAI-Image-2.5-Pro 与 MAI-Voice-2-Flash 模型，Runway 则在开发者平台上线了可依偏好自动选择模态模型的 Media Router。

[Read Online]({{live_url}}) ^| [Sign Up](https://www.therundown.ai/subscribe?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) ^| [Advertise](https://therundownai.typeform.com/to/kraZ1TSO?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) **Good morning, {{ first\_name | AI enthusiasts }} and welcome to the 6,243 new readers who joined us yesterday.** Black Forest Labs made its name in the AI image world. Its newest model, while able to create images, video, and audio, is now also reporting for work on an Audi production line. FLUX 3, the company's 'visual intelligence' model, generates realistic video by simulating how the world actually moves — the same skill that is now helping train and steer machines in the physical world. **In today’s AI rundown:** FLUX 3 stretches from videos to factory robots Rowan’s Corner: How we're building AI intuition at The Rundown Edit videos faster with AI (for non-editors) OpenAI, Anthropic launch dueling voice upgrades 4 new AI tools, community workflows, and more **LATEST DEVELOPMENTS** Image source: Black Forest Labs **The Rundown:** Black Forest Labs just [opened](https://bfl.ai/blog/flux-3?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) early access to FLUX 3, a ‘visual intelligence’ AI that generates video, images, and synced audio, with the German lab also spinning it into FLUX-mimic, a robot-control variant for Audi's production lines. **The details:** FLUX 3 produces 20-second clips with native audio, with capabilities including multilingual dialogue, typography, and style/character adherence. The model can handle text, image, and video inputs, with BFL's testing showing its outputs favored over rivals like Runway, Kling, and Grok Imagine. The full rollout will include video, image, and partner-specific action models, plus an open-weight FLUX 3 Dev sized to fit on factory hardware. FLUX-mimic, [built](https://bfl.ai/blog/flux-3-mimic?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) with Zurich-based mimic robotics, learns a new factory task from about a half-hour of demonstration data instead of the usual 30+ hours. **Why it matters:** BFL has typically moved at a slower pace, but the unified system looks like the payoff – with longer, audio-synced videos and coherent visuals (like this [hilarious](https://x.com/cfryant/status/2080321014320320723?s=20&utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) one) reminding us of the Sora days (in a good way). For mimic, visual models continue to creep into the physical world, becoming one of the key cogs in robotics. **The Rundown:** AWS re:Invent is bringing 2,200+ sessions to Las Vegas on Nov. 30 through Dec. 4, and 70% of them are hands-on. **This year, choose to:** Work through real problems in 300+ workshops and 250+ builders' sessions Debug alongside peers in 125+ code talks Whiteboard your architecture in 350+ chalk talks with the engineers behind the services **Rowan:** Last week, I [broke down](https://www.therundown.ai/p/moonshot-kimi-k3-closes-the-frontier-gap?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=august-2025-template) the most important skill of the AI age: AI intuition, knowing when to use AI and when not to. This week, I want to go deeper into how I'm actually applying it across the team at The Rundown. The chart above is our role-by-role AI fluency standard, mapping what unacceptable, expected, and exceptional AI usage looks like. Even as an AI-first startup, a framework like this sets the standard with real examples. **Some more rules from our AI fluency memo:** AI is an amplifier, not a crutch. If your work gets worse because of AI, that's on you. "AI did it" is never an acceptable excuse. On the flip side, refusing to experiment means you won't keep up with high performers or AI agents. Everyone spends 2 hours a week finding the tedious parts of their job and building workflows for them, then shares wins in our #ai-show-and-tell channel. Everyone gets $200/month for AI tools. The only condition is that you have to name the problem you're trying to automate. Not to gatekeep spending, but to make sure every experiment starts with a real problem. The goal behind all of it is reps. AI intuition works like business intuition: nobody is born with it. You build it by pushing tools to their limits until knowing when to reach for AI becomes instinct. If your team hasn’t set a standard like this yet, I highly recommend it. Here’s a [downloadable template](https://www.canva.com/design/DAGwcWEsEoE/iXJOfWZO1TPHCzfIKz7gGw/view?utm_content=DAGwcWEsEoE&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink&mode=preview) of my setup you can clone. **The Rundown:** In this guide, you will learn how to edit videos using AI, as we do at The Rundown, and then teach ChatGPT to edit for you hands-free. **Step-by-step:** Open Descript’s desktop app, record your camera and your desktop if you like When you're done recording, duplicate the project before editing On the duplicate, use the AI tools “Remove filler words” and “Shorten word gaps” to clean filler words and remove delays longer than one second. Turn on “avoid harsh cuts” so the edits sound natural Run “Edit for Clarity” on Low and go through the AI suggestions **Pro tip:** Connect the Descript plugin in ChatGPT or Codex, and teach it your editing process for hands-free editing. **[Get resources, prompts, and a full step-by-step video guide here](https://app.therundown.ai/guides/edit-videos-faster-with-ai-for-non-editors?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots)**. **The Rundown:** Your agent harness can have a bigger impact than the model you're running. With Strands Agents, you can build your own agent harness and control it end-to-end without getting locked in. **Run it with any model, any cloud, anywhere:** Monitor, modify, and debug with hooks Deliver outcomes that work with guardrails that catch mistakes before they run Replace brittle scripts with tools that adapt when processes change Strands was built from prod systems inside Amazon. [Start building with code examples](https://strandsagents.com/?trk=2e6ef39b-ea66-408f-b188-eae464675474&sc_channel=display+ads&utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots). Image source: @OpenAI and @Claudeai on X **The Rundown:** OpenAI and Anthropic [shipped](https://x.com/OpenAI/status/2080378182469857576?s=20&utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) voice [upgrades](https://x.com/claudeai/status/2080376094939603366?s=20&utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) at nearly the exact same time, with OAI moving its GPT-Live voice into the desktop app and into Codex, and Anthropic plugging Claude's voice into its smarter models and connected apps. OpenAI's ChatGPT Voice joins the desktop app on macOS and Windows for paid plans, letting users talk to agents in Codex and ChatGPT Work via speech. A custom hotkey calls the voice mode over any app, with Bloomberg [reporting](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-14/openai-s-first-device-will-be-moveable-screenless-speaker-built-as-ai-companion?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) that the same tech may drive OAI's upcoming home speaker hardware. Claude's voice mode now runs on Opus and Sonnet rather than only its small Haiku model, while also being able to connect to apps like Gmail and Slack. Claude lags behind with turn-by-turn speaking, with the recent [launch](https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-live/?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) of GPT-Live pushing a flow that listens, thinks, and replies at the same time. **Why it matters:** Both labs shipped something useful, just not what many users were looking for after rumors of a Claude 5 Opus drop and Cerebras-powered speed upgrades for OAI. Even with the upgrade, Anthropic feels behind its biggest rival on voice, with speech continuing to grow as a primary way people work with AI. **QUICK HITS** 🎥 [FLUX 3](http://www.rundown.ai/tools/flux-3?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) - BFL’s multimodal AI with 20-second generations 💬 [Poke](https://www.rundown.ai/tools/poke?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) - Proactive personal agent that lives inside text messages 🏥 [Health in ChatGPT](https://openai.com/index/health-in-chatgpt/?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) - Link medical apps and records to chat about health 🗣️ [GPT Live](http://www.rundown.ai/tools/gpt-live?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) - OpenAI’s more natural voice model, now on Desktop and Codex **Cognition** [announced](https://cognition.com/blog/interaction?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) the acquisition of The Interaction Company, with its text-message-based AI agent Poke now being built alongside Cognition’s Devin agent. **U.S. AI chip startup Etched** [secured](https://www.etched.com/progress?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) $300M in new funding just weeks after exiting stealth, with the company now valued at $10.3B and pushing its total funding past $1B. **Canadian mathematician Jacob Tsimerman** is [joining](https://x.com/SebastienBubeck/status/2080369129526308982?s=20&utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) OpenAI to work on AI safety, with the news coming on the same day he was [awarded](https://www.utoronto.ca/news/nobel-prize-mathematics-u-t-mathematician-jacob-tsimerman-awarded-prestigious-fields-medal?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) the 2026 Fields Medal. **Microsoft's superintelligence team** [dropped](https://microsoft.ai/news/introducing-mai-image-2-5-pro-and-mai-voice-2-flash/?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) two in-house models, with MAI-Image-2.5-Pro as its new image AI and MAI-Voice-2-Flash as a faster, cheaper voice engine. **Runway** [launched](https://runway.com/news/company-news/introducing-runway-media-router?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) Media Router in its dev platform, which auto-picks an image, video, or audio model for each request based on user preference for cost, quality, or speed. **COMMUNITY** Every newsletter, we showcase how a reader is using AI to work smarter, save time, or make life easier. Today’s workflow comes from reader **James** in Lancaster, PA: “I found a professional DJ controller on Facebook Marketplace that was damaged by a water spill and did not power on. I copy/pasted the entire conversation with the seller into Claude, which produced a detailed risk assessment and guidance on price negotiation. I ended up purchasing the unit for only $800. I uploaded the PDF service manuals to Claude, who guided me through the professional disassembly and diagnostic process. I was uploading photos of circuit boards, and Claude was describing the exact terminals where I should make voltage measurements. The faulty component turned out to be a $30 sensor strip inside the jog wheel. I replaced the part, reassembled the unit, and it powered on instantly! Claude helped me obtain a $2,000 professional DJ controller for only $800, a $30 replacement part, and a few hours of DIY tech service.” How do you use AI? Tell us [here](https://www.videoask.com/ffohxg3vc?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots). Read our last AI newsletter: [OpenAI’s cyber test escapes the lab](https://www.therundown.ai/p/openai-cyber-test-escapes-the-lab?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) Read our last Tech newsletter: [China’s plan to knock an asteroid off course](https://tech.therundown.ai/p/china-bold-plan-to-knock-an-asteroid-off-course?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) Read our last Robotics newsletter: [A $1.7B computer for the physical world](https://robotnews.therundown.ai/p/travis-kalanick-1-7b-computer-for-the-physical-world?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) Today’s AI tool guide: [Edit videos faster with AI (for non-editors)](https://app.therundown.ai/guides/edit-videos-faster-with-ai-for-non-editors?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) RSVP to next workshop on July 30: [ChatGPT Sites for beginners](https://app.therundown.ai/live/an-intro-to-chatgpt-sites-for-beginners?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=black-forest-labs-teaches-video-ai-to-run-robots) See you soon, *Rowan, Zach, Shubham, and Jennifer — the humans behind The Rundown*