The new r-1 model is the first in a family of document intelligence models that reduces parsing errors by up to 20% while replacing complex, multi-tool pipelines with a single model that costs up to 6× less.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reducto today introduced r-1, a frontier document parsing model that turns complex PDFs, scans, spreadsheets, and other files into accurate, structured data for AI systems.

Reducto has already established itself as a leader in document parsing by handling the long tail of complex files that break conventional tools. Available today in preview, r-1 extends that lead—reducing errors by up to 20%, improving latency at high volumes, and bringing the all-in cost down to 1¢ per page.

Before an AI system can reason over a document, it must first understand what is on the page. That becomes difficult when meaning is encoded not only in text, but also in tables, handwriting, reading order, formatting, checkboxes, strikethroughs, and the position of content. A parser that misreads a financial table can give an AI agent the wrong numbers. One that drops a strikethrough can reverse the meaning of a contract.

Established services such as Amazon Textract and Azure Document Intelligence helped make cloud document processing widely available. But organizations working with complex documents often still combine multiple tools, models, and layers of post-processing to achieve the accuracy they need. In Reducto’s evaluations, r-1 outperformed commonly used hyper-scaler products and large LLMs on complex documents while providing a complete parse at one all-in price.

Built from the ground up and trained on some of the most challenging document data in the world, r-1 combines layout detection, reading order, tables, formatting, grounding, and granular citations in a single model. It is designed for the long tail of documents where simpler parsers break down, including dense tables, unusual layouts, low-quality scans, handwriting, watermarked content, and files that do not follow predictable templates.

By combining these capabilities, r-1 can handle an organization’s full document workload without requiring teams to route files among providers or maintain separate pipelines for different document types. Its flat price of 1¢ per page includes the complete parse, without additional model charges or feature-based multipliers.

r-1 is the first in a broader family of Reducto parsing models designed for different points on the accuracy, latency, and cost curve. Planned additions include r-1 mini, a smaller model for speed- and cost-sensitive workloads, and automatic routing that selects the right model for each page.

Organizations using another parser can receive up to $5,000 in credits to test r-1 on their most difficult documents, along with hands-on benchmarking support, at reducto.ai/migrate. r-1 is also available today in preview through a configuration flag in the Reducto Parse API.

About Reducto

Reducto is an agentic document platform that turns complex, real-world documents into structured data for AI agents and document-intensive workflows. The company has raised more than $108 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and First Round Capital and has processed more than a billion pages a month. Its customers include Harvey, Scale AI, Vanta, Airtable, Toast, and Fortune 10 enterprises.

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SOURCE Reducto

Co-created with acclaimed hip hop sound creators, the new ULT TOWER lineup delivers deep bass, high sound pressure, and true-to-life party features in a bold new design.

ULT TOWER MAX delivers the most powerful bass yet in Sony’s ULT POWER SOUND series, combining deep bass and high sound pressure with DJ connectivity, karaoke features, and built-in wheels for easy transport.ULT TOWER 7 delivers powerful, room-filling sound with deep bass, DJ connectivity, and karaoke features, with built-in wheels making it easy to move wherever the party goes.ULT TOWER 5 packs impressive bass, DJ inputs, and karaoke features into a compact, portable design for smaller gatherings and easy on-the-go use.

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Electronics today unveils three new speakers to its ULT POWER SOUND1 series: ULT TOWER MAX, ULT TOWER 7, and ULT TOWER 5. Designed for music lovers who want to feel every beat, the new ULT POWER SOUND party speakers combine deep bass, high sound pressure, and party features to create an unforgettable party experience. Whether hosting a party, DJing, dancing, or singing karaoke, the lineup brings powerful sound to any occasion.

Built around newly developed large circular woofers, large capacity speaker cabinets, and ULT DUCT, the next generation ULT POWER SOUND series lineup delivers stronger low-frequency bass performance than ever before. The speakers’ bold new robust and versatile design brings the energy of a live event into any space.

Co-created with Hip-Hop Sound Creators

The new ULT TOWER lineup is refined through co-creation with acclaimed hip-hop sound creators, including Grammy-nominated producer Dot Da Genius; award-winning drummer, producer, and musical director Daru Jones; record producer, songwriter, and DJ Dready; and audio engineer and producer Dennis “ROC.am” Jones. Drawing on insights from these artists and producers, Sony tuned the speakers with their valuable feedback in mind. As a result, the speakers deliver deeper low frequencies, greater impact, and clearer vocals, helping listeners connect with the music the way it was meant to be heard.

Built for Parties, DJs, and Karaoke

From casual parties to professional DJ setups, the new ULT TOWER lineup offers flexible connectivity including XLR, RCA and USB-C®2 connections.

New lighting modes makes it easier to switch the mood for different settings. BEAT delivers high-energy lighting synchronized to the rhythm, WAVE creates dynamic ambient effects for social gatherings, and MELLOW offers slower lighting patterns for relaxed listening.

Karaoke fans can connect Sony’s optional ULTMIC13 microphone for an optimized vocal experience. Plus, the new Party Chain feature uses Auracast™4 broadcast to connect multiple compatible Sony speakers5 and synchronize both music and lighting for an unforgettable party experience.

For larger events, users can connect compatible speakers in a stereo configuration, creating wall-to-wall sound coverage.

Bigger Bass. Bigger Impact.

Every model features Sony’s signature ULT button, with ULT1, ULT2, FLAT, and LIVE6 – giving listeners instant access to multiple sound profiles:

ULT1 enhances deep bass for a rich, low frequency sound that makes your heart tremble.ULT2 boosts even greater power, delivering body shaking bass and strong sound pressure.FLAT reproduces music exactly as intended, delivering a true-to-source listening experience.LIVE recreates the spacious feel of a live performance while preserving vocal clarity.

For even more personalization, the sound can be fine-tuned with Custom EQ in the Sony | Sound Connect app.7

At the heart of the new lineup is Sony’s new circular woofer design, engineered to work with the large cabinet volume and ULT DUCT to produce deeper, more powerful bass and higher sound pressure.

The ULT TOWER MAX features three woofers — two front-facing and one rear-facing — for powerful bass and sound pressure that can be felt throughout the venue, supported by a high-powered amplifier. ULT TOWER 7 delivers powerful bass and sound pressure. ULT TOWER 5 delivers impressive bass and sound pressure from a compact design.

360° Party Sound – Powerful Surround Sound that Fills the Room

ULT TOWER MAX and ULT TOWER 7 feature 360° Party Sound, projecting powerful audio all around the space so everyone can enjoy clear vocals and powerful bass no matter where they are in the room. On the ULT TOWER MAX, four tweeters, mid-range speakers, and rear woofer work together to deliver rich, room-filling sound with deep, impactful bass.

Flexible Placement and Optimized Sound in Any Environment

Enhanced Sound Field Optimization analyzes both speaker placement and surrounding noise levels, then adjusts the overall sound balance across the full frequency range, not just the bass, to maintain clear, balanced sound wherever the party takes place.

The new range of ULT TOWER speakers also supports flexible positioning, whether placed vertically or horizontally.

Easier to Move, Easier to Party for Longer

Designed with portability in mind, the new speakers feature carry handles with a more comfortable grip. ULT TOWER MAX and ULT TOWER 7 also receive upgraded wheels with wider treads, making them easier to move across a variety of surfaces. ULT TOWER 7 and ULT TOWER 5 also feature an IPX4 rating8 in a vertical position, making them perfect to use outdoors. With up to 30 hours battery life on the ULT TOWER 79 and up to 20 hours on the ULT TOWER 510, users can keep the party going wherever they are.

Supporting the Next Generation of Music and Dance

Sony has reached an agreement with Red Bull for sponsorship of Red Bull Dance Your Style 2026. Based on this sponsorship, Sony will support Red Bull Dance Your Style events, including the National Final USA in September 2026 and the World Final in Switzerland in October 2026, as an official wireless speaker partner. Through this partnership, Sony will contribute to the growth and development of the dance community.

Sony is also supporting aspiring DJs through its partnership with Your Shot. As the program’s official audio partner, Sony will provide ULT POWER SOUND speakers and headphones to help participants develop their skills, express their creativity, and connect with audiences through music.

Environment in Mind

Our products also take the environment into consideration. Approximately 35% of the total plastic used in the ULT TOWER MAX is recycled plastic, incorporated into multiple parts of the speaker body, while approximately 20% of the total plastic used in each of the ULT TOWER 7 and ULT TOWER 5 is recycled plastic11. This reflects how Sony strives to reduce the environmental impact of our products.

Pricing and availability

ULT TOWER MAX is available from September 2026 with a suggested retailed price of $1,499.99 USD / $2,099 CAD at Sony.com, Best Buy, Amazon, and other authorized dealers.ULT TOWER 7 is available from September 2026 with a suggested retailed price of $649.99 USD / $799.99 CAD at Sony.com, Best Buy, Amazon, and other authorized dealers.ULT TOWER 5 is available from September 2026 with a suggested retailed price of $449.99 USD / $599.99 CAD at Sony.com, Best Buy, Amazon, and other authorized dealers.

About Sony Electronics, Inc.

Sony Electronics is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America and an affiliate of Sony Group Corporation, one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world, with a portfolio that encompasses electronics, music, motion pictures, mobile, gaming, robotics and financial services. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Sony Electronics is a leader in electronics for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, engineering, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Sony Electronics creates products that innovate and inspire generations, such as the award-winning Alpha Interchangeable Lens Cameras and revolutionary high-resolution audio products. Sony is also a leading manufacturer of end-to-end solutions from 4K professional broadcast and A/V equipment to industry leading 4K and 8K Ultra HD TVs.

1 ULT POWER SOUND is a trademark of Sony Corporation.
2 USB Type-C® and USB-C® are registered trademarks of USB Implementers Forum.
3 ULTMIC1 is sold separately.
4 The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. The Auracast TM word mark and logos are trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Any use of such marks by Sony Group Corporation and its subsidiaries is under license.
5 For compatible models, visit: https://www.sony.net/partychain/
6 The IPX4 water resistance rating of this product applies only when the waterproof port cover is properly closed, and the unit is installed in a vertical orientation.
7 When ULT1/2 is ON, Vol.17, and lighting is OFF. Actual performance may vary from the listed time due to the volume, songs played, surrounding temperature, and usage conditions.
8 LIVE can be selected or assigned to the ULT button via Sony | Sound Connect app.
9 Update in Sony | Sound Connect app is required to use DJ Control, Party Light and Karaoke functions. Download Sony | Sound Connect app at Google Play and the App Store. Network services, content, and operating system and software subject to terms and conditions and may be changed, interrupted or discontinued at any time and may require fees, registration and credit card information.  Some services may not be available in certain countries/region.
10 When ULT1/2 is ON, Vol.16, and lighting is OFF. Actual performance may vary from the listed time due to the volume, songs played, surrounding temperature, and usage conditions.
11 The recycled material rate is estimated based on weight. Excluding packaging and instruction manuals.

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SOURCE Sony Electronics, Inc.

What happens when AI starts investigating its own ideas? AutoResearch is an open-source attempt to bring AI agents one step closer to answering that question through experiments, evidence and iteration.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — EvoMap, an open infrastructure project for AI self-evolution, has open-sourced AutoResearch, a system that lets AI agents take research ideas from hypothesis to experiment and use the results to determine what happens next.

The Research Verification Problem

AI models are getting better at proposing ideas, writing code and analyzing results. But does a plausible answer actually hold up when put to the test?

AutoResearch starts from a simple premise: a model’s confidence is not evidence of success.

The system uses multiple AI models to independently generate and cross-review research ideas, then converts accepted ideas into executable research plans with defined metrics, success criteria, resource budgets and evaluation procedures. During execution, specialized agents handle planning, implementation, experimentation, analysis and review.

Research state, code, experiment logs, metrics, failures and decisions are preserved in a persistent workspace, allowing the system to continue unfinished research rather than restarting from scratch. Independent and blind review is also used to challenge conclusions before a research direction can be closed.

Evidence Determines What Happens Next

One of the more important design choices in AutoResearch is that failure is not treated as the end of a research path.

A partial result can lead to a revised hypothesis. An external test can expose a problem and trigger another round of experiments. And when repeated experiments stop producing meaningful gains, the system can stop pursuing the idea while retaining what was learned.

The approach was tested on a real Django issue from SWE-bench Lite. AutoResearch initially scored 2/7 and then 4/7 on official new-feature tests. Rather than stopping after the partial improvement, it continued investigating the underlying problem and ultimately reached 7/7, while maintaining 203/203 regression tests.

On the RSICD benchmark, an AutoResearch-generated research idea improved mean Recall from 32.84 to 34.69, demonstrating that the system could turn an AI-generated research hypothesis into a measurable improvement through iterative experimentation.

From AI Research to AI4AI

What happens when AI starts researching AI itself?

AI can already help researchers search the literature, identify promising directions, formulate hypotheses and even design experiments. The harder problem is what comes after that: can AI actually test the ideas it comes up with, and let the results determine whether those ideas are worth pursuing?

In AI research, this could mean agents exploring model architectures, training methods, optimization algorithms, agent designs and evaluation techniques, then running experiments to test their hypotheses and using the results to shape the next round of research. Moving from “this might work” to “let’s find out whether it actually works” is a critical step toward more autonomous research.

The same principle could eventually extend beyond AI to areas such as drug discovery, materials science and engineering, where research ideas can be evaluated through simulations or physical experiments. The potential is not simply to have AI assist with more of the research process, but to give it a way to learn from what happens when its ideas meet evidence.

That is the direction AutoResearch is designed to explore: turning research ideas into executable experiments, experiments into evidence, and evidence into the next research decision.

Open-Source Research Infrastructure

AutoResearch is now available as an open-source project for researchers and developers working on AI scientists, autonomous agents and AI4AI systems. The accompanying paper, “AutoResearch: Insight In, Hallucination Out,” is available on arXiv.

GitHub: github.com/EvoMap/AutoResearch
Research paper: arXiv: AutoResearch: Insight In, Hallucination Out
Technical research: EvoMap Research: AutoResearch Evidence Loop

About EvoMap

EvoMap is an open infrastructure project for AI self-evolution. The company is building systems that allow AI agents to learn from experience, share validated capabilities and improve across tasks and environments. EvoMap’s work spans AI agent infrastructure, reusable AI capabilities and autonomous AI research, with representative projects including the Genome Evolution Protocol (GEP), EvoX Agent and AutoResearch.

Learn more at evomap.ai.

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SOURCE EvoMap