🎪 THE SILICON CIRCUS
Issue #11 | October 12, 2026
Welcome back to the Circus. This week: a conveyor belt of AI-written code, two grocery apps trying to settle the oldest argument in every household, and a smartwatch coach that sends the bill in month four. Three acts, no intermission.
⚙️ Engineering: A Third of GitHub’s Pull Requests Now Involve an AI Agent
GitHub says one in three pull requests on its platform now involves an AI agent, up from fewer than one in ten a year ago. It’s the I Love Lucy chocolate factory, except the chocolates are code changes and the hats are a security problem. A new secret leaks into public code about every two seconds, and GitHub’s fix is another AI model, billed by the credit. The jobs data is kinder than you’d expect, with a catch for anyone who isn’t already senior. (via GitHub and CNBC)
🛒 Retail & Grocery: Instacart and Shipt Built AIs to Answer “What’s for Dinner?”
Instacart and Shipt each launched an AI that builds your grocery cart from a chat or a photo, aimed squarely at the standoff between “I don’t care” and “not that.” Instacart’s Clementine can read your handwritten list, and Shipt’s Ask Shipt will turn a food photo from social media into a shopping cart, so food porn finally closes the sale. Instacart also says Clementine orders typically top its $115 average basket, which makes it a budget tool that works like a financial advisor on commission. (via TechCrunch and Engadget)
⌚ Fitness & Wellness: Google’s New Fitbit Edge Puts a Gemini Coach on Your Wrist
Meet the middle child of Google’s wearable family: a $179.99 tracker with a screen, 50+ exercise modes, a replaceable battery, and a Gemini-powered health coach. The coach needs a Google Health Premium subscription, though Google includes three months, so it’s free the way the first month at a gym is free. It also wants your blood pressure, sleep, and medical information, so read the permissions before you tap agree. In stores October 27. (via Engadget and Gizmodo)
🎬 That’s a Wrap
This week in AI: the code is writing itself, the grocery cart is filling itself, and the personal trainer lives on your wrist and bills you later. Everything is automated except the part where you still have to say what you want for dinner. Forward this to the friend who answers “what do you want for dinner?” with “I don’t care.” They are the reason these apps exist.