⚡️Manus Is Quietly Becoming An AI Powerhouse

The agent era is heating up.

Manus AI launched Manus Slides and text-to-video this week, expanding from task execution into creative production. Instead of switching between tools like Gamma, Synthesia, or Runway, you can now build decks and generate videos directly inside the agent.

Captions released Mirage Studio, the first fully licensed foundational model for acting, built to generate lifelike video performances with facial expressions, body movement, and synced audio from just a script. Microsoft’s Bing app now includes a free, Sora-powered video generator that turns prompts into cinematic clips in seconds. And Google’s SignGemma translates sign language in real time, built to improve day-to-day communication for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Let’s get into it.

”I think machines can make life easier for men, if men do not let the machines dominate them."

^{– John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States}

📈 5 Must-Know AI Tools

Brand24 – AI-powered social listening and media monitoring platform that helps businesses track, analyze, and respond to online conversations about their brand, competitors, and industry. It monitors over 25 million sources,

Humva – Turn scripts into studio-quality videos using hyper-realistic AI avatars—no actors, no cameras, just pure prompt magic.

Browse AI – Scrape data from any website without writing code—track prices, extract listings, and automate research in minutes.

FinalRound AI – Beat the interview jitters with AI-generated questions and feedback designed to help you land the job.

Replit – Your all-in-one coding playground. Build websites, apps, and AI tools right in your browser—with real-time collaboration and an AI coding sidekick to boost your flow.

Manus

Manus Is Quietly Becoming an AI Powerhouse

Manus AI is designed to be an autonomous agent to execute tasks from start to finish. Whether you're building a presentation, researching a topic, planning content, or now even generating videos, Manus is built to act like a full-stack AI teammate.

This week, the team just dropped Manus Slides and a Text-to-Video Generator, pushing it into the same arena as OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo, and productivity platforms like Notion and Gamma. Except Manus isn’t choosing one lane — it’s going for all of them.

🔍 What Just Dropped

📊 Manus Slides
Type a single prompt like “Slide deck on AI in healthcare”, and Manus instantly generates a clean, structured, editable deck — ready to export as PowerPoint or PDF. Great for pitches, lessons, meetings, or client decks.

🎬 Manus Video Generation
Enter a prompt, and Manus writes, visualizes, and animates a full short-form video. It plans the scenes, adds narration, and generates the sequence without needing external tools. Perfect for explainers, social content, or storytelling.

^{Who Can Use It?
Both features are live now for Basic, Plus, and Pro users. You’ll need an account on manus.im to try them.}

Manus is moving beyond chat and into real task execution. By combining content generation with tools like Slides and Video, it shows what AI agents are capable of when they think, build, and deliver in one flow. Most platforms still separate video, docs, and presentations. Manus brings them together in a single system that actually completes work. If you’re tracking where AI is headed, this is one of the clearest signals yet.

👉 Try Manus for yourself

ALPHA DROP

(Where we spotlight one powerful tool or feature to help you stay ahead.)

First and Only Fully Licensed Foundational Model for Acting

Captions just launched Mirage Studio, and it’s not just another avatar tool. It is the world’s first and only fully licensed foundational model for acting. This isn’t talking-head content. It’s full-body, expressive AI actors powered by a single audio file or script.

No cameras. No actors. No studio. Mirage lets you spin up commercial-grade video in minutes, with realistic gestures, facial nuance, and lip sync that actually lands. It’s like Synthesia met Runway, studied acting, and got a Hollywood glow-up.

⚡️ What’s New

• AI Video Actors – Upload a script or voice track, and Mirage auto-generates a video with a realistic virtual human performing it.

• Style Control – Customize your “actor” with image prompts, references, or avatars to match your brand or mood.

• Real Expressions – Fine-tuned gestures, head movement, and emotion—way beyond typical static avatars.

• Multilingual Output – Supports over 29 languages for global, scalable campaigns.

• Web-Based Editor – No fancy hardware or pro tools needed. Edit, preview, and export entirely in-browser.

🚀 What You Can Use It For

• Launch ad-ready video campaigns without a camera crew or studio.

• Create localized content at scale in dozens of languages.

• Power UGC-style product demos, explainer videos, or brand reels.

• Prototype AI-hosted media formats without hiring actors

Mirage Studio isn’t just another face-swapping gimmick. It’s laying the groundwork for AI-native content creation that is scalable, affordable, and borderline indistinguishable from the real thing. If your brand touches video, this one’s worth a test drive.

Early access is live, but full capabilities are still rolling out, including better avatar creation and “in-scene” controls for full narrative videos.

📖 Read the full announcement
👉 Try Mirage Studio

Microsoft

Bing Just Got a Built-In AI Video Studio

Microsoft just rolled out Bing Video Creator, a new AI feature powered by OpenAI’s Sora model. Anyone with the Bing app on iPhone or Android can now generate short, cinematic videos straight from a text prompt — no subscriptions or pro tools required.

It’s currently mobile-only, but Microsoft says desktop and Copilot support are coming soon, with access via Bing.com/create once it’s live. This is the first time Sora is available to the public for free outside of ChatGPT Plus, and it’s built directly into a mainstream consumer app.

🎬 What Makes It Cool

• Totally Free – No subscription needed. Use Standard mode or redeem Microsoft Rewards for faster generations.

• Mobile-First – Works inside the Bing app (iOS and Android), optimized for vertical video (9:16).

• Sora-Powered – Runs on the same model OpenAI teased earlier this year — famous for generating photorealistic, story-driven clips.

• No Prompt Engineering Needed – Just describe what you want, and the model handles the rest.

• More Coming – Microsoft says widescreen support (16:9) and web rollout are on the way.

AI video generation is going mainstream — and fast. By baking Sora into a free, mobile app, Microsoft is giving millions of users direct access to powerful creative tools that were previously locked behind paywalls or private demos. It’s the first real sign that AI-native content creation is going mass-market. If you’re a creator, marketer, educator, or just someone with a wild imagination… this is worth playing with.

📱 Start creating with Sora — download the Bing app here.

Google

Google’s New AI Can Translate Sign Language Instantly

Google just introduced SignGemma, a new on-device AI model that translates sign language into text by analyzing hand, body, and facial movements. Optimized primarily for American Sign Language (ASL) and English, SignGemma operates directly on devices like smartphones and laptops, eliminating the need for cloud processing

The model aims to bridge accessibility gaps for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, turning everyday devices into live sign translators. Google is now inviting early testers, developers, and researchers to try it out and help shape its development.

👉 Want to get involved? Join the SignGemma pilot here.

🔥 Must-Read Free AI Resources

Want to level up fast? Here are some of the best free resources we've found:

Guides:

• Build AI Agents (OpenAI Practical Guide)
  A step-by-step playbook on designing and deploying AI agents for real-world use. Read the Guide →

• OpenAI Cookbook
  Your go-to resource for code examples, integrations, and best practices when working with OpenAI models. Browse the Cookbook →

• Google’s Prompt Engineering Whitepaper
  Master the art of crafting powerful prompts, from fundamentals to advanced techniques. View the Whitepaper →

Courses:

• Harvard's AI Courses
  Learn the foundations of AI, machine learning, and more — from one of the top universities. Explore Courses →

• Google Cloud’s AI Training
  Learn AI, machine learning, and LLMs from Google’s experts. Earn badges, build real skills, and learn at your own pace. Start Learning →

• OpenAI’s AI Academy
  Learn how to use AI from the source. OpenAI Academy offers free lessons on prompt engineering, large language models, and more — with no signup required. Join the Academy →

• Microsoft’s AI & Tech Courses
  Learn AI, machine learning, and cloud tools with step-by-step training from Microsoft. Browse Courses →

• NVIDIA’s AI Courses
  Access expert-led courses on AI, deep learning, and accelerated computing. Explore the platform →

⚡ Quick Reads

AI & TECH JOBS

Looking to make your next career move?

These companies are hiring for AI:

Durin: Principal Data Scientist – Build real-time ML systems for autonomous drill rigs. Architect pipelines, fine-tune models, and transform how mineral exploration works. On-site in El Segundo, CA—equity + full benefits.

Aleph: Engineering Manager, Applied AI – Lead a remote AI team building the future of finance. Own strategy, ship AI-powered features, and push the limits of FP&A with LLMs. Backed by YC, Bain, and Khosla.

Salesforce: Responsible AI Data Scientist – AI Red Teamer – Break Salesforce AI before bad actors do. Red team LLMs, find vulnerabilities, and shape the future of responsible AI. Based in SF, part of the ethical tech vanguard.

Chartmetric: AI & ML Ops Engineer Intern – Intern with the team behind the top music data startup. Ship LLM features, fine-tune models, and build multi-modal infra for AI in music. 3-month paid gig in San Mateo, CA.

Free Resources to Increase Productivity

Boost your productivity with our free, downloadable resources—no sign-up required! Whether you're new to AI or ready to level up, we’ve got you covered.

What’s Inside: 
📄 AI Starter Kit
📄 Prompt Starter Kit 
📄 5 Practical Automation Workflows 

👇 Download everything in one click:
🔗 AI Innovations Hub – Free Downloadable Bundle

Explore Our AI Tools Directory

Looking for the best AI tools? Our Free AI Tools Directory is your ultimate resource for discovering top-notch AI solutions. We've done the heavy lifting by curating only the best tools, so you can focus on what matters most—getting things done.

We’re not here to hype AI — we’re here to help you actually use it, understand it, and learn as it evolves. Whether you’re testing a new tool, trying to automate something tedious, or just trying to keep up with what’s happening, we hope this newsletter gave you something genuinely worth your scroll.

We’ll be back soon with more ways to explore, build, and stay ahead in the AI world.

Until then, follow us on Instagram for the latest scoops and real-time updates.

Catch you in the next one,

— AI Innovations Hub