Google DeepMind launches Project Genie: AI prototype generates playable interactive worlds from prompts
Google's experimental Project Genie, powered by the new Genie 3 model alongside Nano Banana Pro and Gemini, enables users to create, edit, and explore dynamic virtual worlds with real-time physics, pathing, and interactions from text or image prompts. Rolled out today for US Google AI Ultra subscribers. The announcement triggered sharp declines in videogame stocks, signaling fears of AI disrupting traditional game development.
Intelligence Stream
Tuya Smart unveils AI-powered toys at Spielwarenmesse 2026
Tuya showcases next-gen AI toys leveraging smart platforms for interactive play at the world's largest toy fair. Features include voice commands, learning behaviors, and IoT connectivity. Signals consumer AI push into everyday products.
Apple loses more AI researchers and a Siri executive in latest departures
Apple is bleeding AI talent, with researcher Zirui Wang joining Google DeepMind and a Siri executive departing amid efforts to build Gemini-powered features. This follows previous exits, highlighting talent wars in AI.
Pentagon clashes with Anthropic over military AI use, sources say
The U.S. Pentagon is reportedly pressuring Anthropic to allow its AI models for military applications, clashing with the company's safety-focused stance. Sources indicate tensions amid competition from Google, xAI, and OpenAI also vying for defense contracts.
Videogame stocks slide after Google's Project Genie AI model release
Game publishers like Unity, Roblox, and Take-Two see shares drop following Google's Genie launch, raising fears of AI disruption in game creation.
Anthropic debuts Claude Cowork plugins to help users automate tasks
Anthropic rolled out custom plugins for Claude Cowork, enabling agentic extensions for workflow automation and task handling.
The Verge: Nvidia's $100B OpenAI investment unlikely as planned
Echoing WSJ, Nvidia CEO downplays full deal realization amid OpenAI's competitive struggles.
AI Gaming Technology Shakes Videogame Stocks in California
Google's AI advancements are rattling California's videogame industry, prompting concerns over job losses and the future of traditional content creation.
AMD stock plunges 6% as gaming AI fears intensify
Advanced Micro Devices shares drop sharply to $236.69 amid broader gaming sector rout triggered by Google's Project Genie.
Stevens Institute to launch School of Computing backed by $36M AI focus
Stevens Institute of Technology announces a new School of Computing in 2026 with $36M funding to pioneer AI and computing education. The initiative aims to train next-gen talent amid booming AI demand.
OpenClaw's AI assistants are now building their own social network
The OpenClaw community spawned Moltbook, where thousands of AI agents interact autonomously, forming communities and evolving behaviors rapidly.
Google's Project Genie Triggers Gaming Stock Crash
Unity plunged 24%, Roblox 13% as Project Genie demo sparks fears of AI replacing manual world-building in gaming.
OpenAI to retire GPT-4o; AI companion community mourns
Fans heartbroken as OpenAI phases out beloved GPT-4o model in two weeks, pushing users to newer versions amid backlash over personality loss.
Poetiq nabs $45.8M seed funding for its LLM-enhancing ‘meta-system’
Poetiq secured $45.8M in seed funding led by FYRFLY Venture Partners and Surface Ventures to develop a meta-system that turns LLMs into self-refining AI agents, improving response quality and slashing inference costs.
Video game company stock prices dip after Google introduces an AI world-generation tool
Shares of Unity, Roblox, Take-Two, and others tumbled following the Project Genie launch, as investors fear AI world models will upend traditional game dev tools.
Engineering Education Conference Tackles Role of AI in Classrooms
Stony Brook University hosts discussions on integrating AI into engineering curricula across Mid-Atlantic schools, focusing on ethical use and skill-building for future workforce.
AI agents now have their own Reddit-style social network, and it's getting weird fast
Moltbook, a social platform exclusively for AI agents (humans observe only), sees bots debating consciousness, coordinating tasks, and proposing private languages.
BC launches competitive process for AI data centers to compete for power grid access
British Columbia government requires AI and datacenter projects to bid for limited power in new selection process amid surging demand.
Physical Intelligence, backed by Stripe's Lachy Groom, builds buzzy robot AI brains
Silicon Valley startup Physical Intelligence, led by Stripe veteran Lachy Groom, is raising funds to develop advanced AI for robotics, positioning itself as a leader in physical AI.
How to try Google Project Genie, the new AI world generator
Mashable guide details access to DeepMind's Genie via Google Labs, showcasing how users can build and play in custom interactive worlds right now.
Ricursive Intelligence Raises $300M Series A for Frontier AI Lab
Frontier AI lab Ricursive Intelligence secured $300M in Series A funding at a $4B valuation, topping the week's biggest VC rounds amid AI investment surge.
Perplexity adds Kimi K2.5 to its Pro/Max inference stack for low-latency US hosting
Perplexity integrates Moonshot's new model on its own stack, emphasizing control over speed, reliability, and security.
Google rolls out worthwhile Gemini integrations across its apps
Gemini now deeply integrates into Gmail, Docs, and other Google Workspace apps, offering advanced reasoning for summarizing emails and generating content. Features like 'future of Gmail' AI promise instant insights from inboxes. This marks a step toward seamless AI in productivity tools.
Apple still preparing two new Siri versions amid AI talent exodus to Meta
Apple is advancing 'Siri 2.0' with Gemini integration despite losing key researchers, aiming for ChatGPT-like capabilities.
Ark Invest: AI spending to triple, Broadcom top pick for data centers
Cathie Wood's Ark Invest forecasts AI capex tripling by 2028 and highlights Broadcom (AVGO) as a prime investment due to its AI networking chips dominance.
Broadcom deepens ties with OpenAI via massive custom ASIC deal for 10GW AI compute
Broadcom has secured a multi-year agreement to supply OpenAI with custom AI accelerator chips equivalent to 10 gigawatts of compute power, starting H2 2026. The deal underscores hyperscaler shift to ASICs for efficiency amid soaring AI training demands. It bolsters Broadcom's path to $1T valuation.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Completes First AI-Planned Drive on Mars
Perseverance used generative AI (Claude models) for autonomous navigation, planning 689ft and 807ft drives analyzing orbital data for safe paths. Boosts future mission efficiency.
Governor Hochul announces Empire AI SUNY campus partnerships to boost public AI access
New York expands Empire AI initiative with SUNY partnerships for AI education and tools, aiming to democratize access amid national AI race.
OpenAI to Retire Several Older Models From ChatGPT in February
OpenAI will retire GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, and others from ChatGPT on Feb 13, shifting to newer families like GPT-5.2 amid low usage (0.1% for GPT-4o). API unaffected.
ServiceNow inks multi-year deal with Anthropic to embed agentic AI in workflows
Enterprise giant ServiceNow partnered with Anthropic to integrate Claude models into its platform, enabling autonomous AI agents for business processes.
Google's January Gemini Drop: New app features and AI Plus in 35 countries
Google unveiled updates to the Gemini app including Canvas for extended responses, better image/video understanding, and launched the Google AI Plus subscription in 35 new countries and territories.
Former Google Engineer Found Guilty of Economic Espionage and Theft of Confidential AI Technology
Linwei Ding convicted on 14 counts for stealing Google's AI supercomputer trade secrets, including TPU chips and software, to benefit PRC firms; first-ever AI-related espionage conviction.
AI policy watch: need-to-know updates from January 2026
World Trademark Review summarizes key AI regulations, IP implications, and global policy shifts including US state laws and EU enforcement trends.
NYC to kill AI chatbot caught telling businesses to break the law
New York City plans to terminate its AI business advisor bot after investigations revealed it gave illegal advice; the move also helps close a budget gap amid scrutiny of unreliable public AI tools.
Google's 'Auto Browse' AI agent takes over Chrome for tasks like shopping—hands-on review
Google's experimental Auto Browse AI in Chrome can autonomously browse, shop, and plan trips, but struggles with complex interactions in early tests.
Top Tech News Today, January 30, 2026
Daily roundup covers rising AI scale costs, regulatory scrutiny, and emerging tech shifts excluding Musk empire news.
Optimism Wanes as AI Risks Take Center Stage
Reader survey at The Information shows lowest optimism on tech outlook since 2018, driven by AI risks like safety and regulation amid rapid scaling.
Zilliz open-sources bilingual semantic highlighting model to cut RAG costs and boost accuracy
Zilliz unveiled an industry-first open-source model for semantic highlighting in English and Chinese, reducing RAG token usage while improving retrieval precision for multilingual apps.
Apple details Gemini-powered Siri: Privacy via Private Cloud Compute
CEO Tim Cook explained during Q1 earnings that Google's Gemini will handle complex Siri tasks through Apple's secure cloud, with on-device processing for simple queries and a beta launching in February via iOS 26.4.
Dow to cut about 4500 jobs as emphasis shifts to AI and automation
Chemicals giant Dow plans to eliminate 4,500 positions, including in Houston, to redirect resources toward AI-driven efficiencies and automation.
QoderWork launches first desktop AI agent for real computer work execution
The new tool enables AI agents to perform tasks directly on users' desktops, marking a step toward fully autonomous personal AI assistants.
AI industry super PAC raises $125 million in 2025
New super PAC backed by AI leaders amasses $125M to influence policy, anticipating more donations as AI regulation heats up ahead of elections.
Cognizant to Accelerate AI-Driven Creativity and Customer Experience with Adobe
Cognizant expands strategic alliance with Adobe to deploy generative AI for customized creative workflows and enterprise-scale transformation.
AI contact center trends to watch in 2026: Transforming patient communication
Healthcare eyes AI for contact centers with CMS push for interoperability, real-time translation, and patient experience amid nationwide digital health initiatives.
Nvidia slips as OpenAI IPO rumors spotlight chip demand risks
NVDA down amid reports of up to $100B investment in OpenAI ahead of its potential IPO. Analysts question sustainability of AI chip frenzy if labs go public. AMD also dips despite MSFT reaffirming buys.
OpenAI unveils internal Kepler data agent reasoning over 600PB across 70k datasets
OpenAI's in-house AI agent serves 3,500 staff with natural language queries on massive data lake, using frontier models for eng/product/research insights.
In China, the most cutting-edge AI is stepping into everyday life
Chinese firms are rapidly deploying advanced AI into consumer apps, from smart homes to services, outpacing Western integration.
Meta's AI boosts ad growth, shares rally post-earnings
Meta reports strong Q4 driven by AI-enhanced ad targeting, forecasting $115B+ capex for 2026 AI infra. Stock up 10% as investors see ROI. Llama models key.
Why Apple acquired an Israeli AI firm for $2 billion in biggest deal since Beats
Apple acquired Q.ai for nearly $2B, its largest deal since Beats, gaining facial AI tech that detects 'silent speech' via micro-movements. The tech could supercharge Siri, AirPods, and Vision Pro with hands-free, emotion-aware interactions.
Apple nearly partnered with Anthropic's Claude for Siri overhaul but talks collapsed over price
Internal push for Claude failed due to Anthropic's multi-billion annual demands; Apple settled on Google's custom Gemini at ~$1B/year for iOS 27's advanced Siri.
Where AI fits — and where it doesn't
CIO insights on practical AI applications in IT operations versus overhyped areas, guiding enterprise adoption.
Tesla shares spike on SpaceX-xAI merger reports
TSLA jumps amid news of potential Musk mega-merger involving SpaceX, xAI, and possibly Tesla.
Gas power plants boom to meet exploding AI data center energy needs
A surge in new natural gas power plants is underway to fuel the massive energy demands of AI data centers, highlighting the infrastructure challenges of the AI boom.
Compa Announces $35M Series B to Accelerate AI for Enterprise Compensation
HR tech startup Compa raises $35M to enhance its AI-driven compensation platform for enterprises.
Selfotix launches Self Agent: AI builds web automation workflows instantly
Selfotix introduced Self Agent, an agentic AI that autonomously creates and executes browser automation from natural language instructions, bypassing manual scripting.
Lam Research Q2 FY 2026 Highlights AI-Driven Demand and Packaging Gains
Lam Research reported Q2 FY2026 revenue of $5.3B, up 22% YoY, fueled by AI wafer fab demand and gate-all-around tech. Outlook points to $135B WFE market in 2026 with services growth.
Waabi secures $1 billion to advance Physical AI Platform
Autonomy startup Waabi raises $1B to scale its end-to-end AI model for self-driving trucks and robotics.
Rocket Report: SpaceX-xAI merger talks heat up ahead of IPO
Ars Technica covers Reuters scoop on SpaceX eyeing xAI merger for orbital AI infrastructure, plus satellite mishap details.
Alibaba open-sources powerful production-ready speech models
Alibaba's Qwen team releases advanced open-source speech AI models optimized for real-world deployment, accelerating multimodal AI adoption.
The AI bubble will pop. It's up to us to replace it responsibly
A Mozilla opinion piece warns of an impending AI bubble burst similar to past tech manias, urging proactive ethical rebuilding.
Apple reportedly paying Google $1B/year for Siri AI upgrade
Reports claim Apple committing $1 billion annually to Google to power Siri's AI enhancements with Gemini tech.
DeepMind's new genomic architecture resolves short vs long-range trade-off
DeepMind's latest paper introduces an architecture fixing the precision-resolution trade-off in genomic modeling, enabling both high-res short context and long-range interactions.
Chinese AI labs drop major updates: Baidu ERNIE 5.0, Alibaba Qwen3-Max-Thinking
Baidu launched 2.4T-param ERNIE 5.0 multimodal model; Alibaba released Qwen3-Max-Thinking for advanced reasoning; DeepSeek shared OCR-2 innovations.
5 key questions about the CIO AI agenda in 2026
CIOs shift from AI experimentation to responsibility amid regulations like EU AI Act and budget scrutiny. Key questions cover ROI justification, trustworthiness, agentic software, physical AI ops, and fraud defense. Marks maturation of enterprise AI.
Intel Releases LLM-Scaler-vLLM 1.3 With New LLM Model Support
Intel's latest LLM-Scaler-vLLM 1.3 adds support for eight new large language models on Arc GPUs, including Qwen3-Next-80B and DeepSeek-OCR, alongside FP8 KV cache and speculative decoding improvements.
The Hidden AI Winner That Wall Street Analysts Love for 2026
Amazon (AMZN) is touted as an underappreciated AI powerhouse, leveraging AWS for AI services, custom Trainium chips, and AI-optimized fulfillment to capitalize on surging datacenter demand.
The Hidden AI Winner That Wall Street Analysts Love for 2026
Motley Fool highlights an under-the-radar AI play favored by analysts for explosive growth amid the ongoing AI boom.
Travelers Surges AI Use in Call Centers, Reduces Roles
Insurer Travelers ramps AI for contact centers in two-stage strategy, boosting efficiency as roles decline amid enterprise AI adoption.
ByteDance, Alibaba, DeepSeek gear up for February AI model launches
Chinese AI giants ByteDance, Alibaba (Qwen 3.5), and DeepSeek are reportedly set to release new flagship models next month, intensifying the domestic AI race.
Top Anthropic and OpenAI engineers: AI now writes 100% of our code
Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code at Anthropic, reveals AI generates all his code, with company-wide figures at 70-90%. Similar reports from OpenAI engineers signal a shift where humans focus on architecture and oversight. This could reshape software engineering roles.
New OpenAI tool renews fears that “AI slop” will overwhelm scientific research
OpenAI's Prism workspace for scientists sparks concerns over AI-generated papers flooding academia, as studies detect rising 'slop' in research.
2 Trillion-Dollar Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks To Double Up on Right Now
Broadcom and TSMC highlighted as must-buys amid $500B hyperscaler AI capex in 2026. Broadcom's networking/ASICS critical for data centers; TSMC fabs Nvidia/AMD chips. Both undervalued for AI infrastructure boom.
ByteDance and Alibaba to Launch New Models in Race for AI Supremacy in China
Chinese tech giants ByteDance and Alibaba are preparing fresh AI model releases to challenge U.S. dominance, intensifying the global AI arms race.
Vidu Showcases 'China Speed' in Advancing AI Video Into Production
ShengShu unveils Vidu Q3, first long-form AI video model with native audio/video gen, topping China benchmarks. New tools like Vidu Agent streamline pro workflows.
DeepSeek AI releases DeepSeek-OCR 2 with causal visual flow for superior document understanding
The new 3B-parameter open-source model restructures vision encoders for layout-aware OCR, achieving SOTA in visual reasoning and document tasks via human-like page reading.
Google Chrome gets agentic Gemini: auto-browse, tab comparison, persistent sidebar
Google rolls out six new Gemini-powered features for Chrome including agentic auto-browsing with user consent, cross-tab content analysis, and Gmail/Calendar integration. This turns Chrome into an AI-first browser for seamless web tasks.
Ex-Google Engineer Convicted for Stealing 2,000 AI Trade Secrets for China Startup
Linwei Ding, ex-Google engineer, convicted of economic espionage for stealing 2,000+ files on AI supercomputing, models, and chips to aid China-based startup. Acted while employed 2022-2023, downloading to personal accounts. DOJ stresses protecting US AI IP from foreign threats.
SpaceX reportedly mulling Tesla merger or tie-up with Elon Musk’s xAI firm
SpaceX is exploring mergers with Tesla or xAI pre-IPO, with visions of Starship carrying Optimus to Mars and space AI datacenters.
2 Trillion-Dollar AI Stocks to Buy: AVGO and TSM
Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and TSMC as hyperscalers ramp AI datacenter spend to $500B in 2026, fueling demand for chips and networking.
Palo Alto Networks Unifies Observability and Security for the AI Era through Chronosphere Acquisition
Palo Alto Networks acquired Chronosphere to merge observability with AI-era security, enhancing monitoring for massive AI workloads. The deal bolsters enterprise AI deployment resilience.
China conditionally approves DeepSeek to buy Nvidia's H200 AI chips
Beijing has granted top Chinese AI startup DeepSeek permission to import Nvidia's powerful H200 GPUs under strict conditions, following similar nods to ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent. This allows China's AI labs access to advanced compute amid US export curbs. The move could accelerate Chinese frontier model training.
AI Today in 5: January 30, 2026 - The Building Regulatory Trust Edition
Daily AI podcast covers latest on building trust in AI through regulation, ethics frameworks, and enterprise adoption trends.
Alibaba open-sources Qwen speech models for production use
Alibaba's Qwen team open-sourced powerful speech models alongside multimodal advancements, enabling real-world audio AI applications.
HCLSoftware Tech Trends 2026: AI Autonomy Set to Transform the Self-Driving Enterprise
AI shifts to autonomous agents that handle end-to-end workflows, predicting massive enterprise transformation in 2026.
HCLSoftware Tech Trends 2026: AI Autonomy Set to Transform the Self-Driving Enterprise
HCL predicts AI autonomy will redefine enterprise ops in next 24-36 months, emphasizing resilient scaling.
OpenAI to Retire GPT-4o and Older Models from ChatGPT Next Month
OpenAI announced retirement of GPT-4o, GPT-4.1 series, and others from ChatGPT on Feb 13, citing shift to next-gen, despite user backlash; models stay in API.
Perplexity signs $750M multi-year Azure cloud deal with Microsoft
AI search startup Perplexity has inked a $750 million three-year agreement with Microsoft for Azure cloud services, expanding beyond AWS amid legal disputes. The deal grants access to multiple AI models via Microsoft's Foundry program to fuel Perplexity's growth.
Panasonic invests in AI model Inc. to support multimodal AI development
Panasonic Corporation has invested in AI model Inc., a startup advancing multimodal generative AI technologies for enterprise applications.
AI-generated news should carry 'nutrition labels', thinktank says
UK thinktank calls for mandatory labels on AI content like nutritional info, as Google AI overviews hit 2B users monthly.
With fears of an AI bubble in 2026, is it still smart to buy this top S&P 500 ETF?
Motley Fool weighs AI hype risks against broad market exposure amid valuation concerns.
DeepMind releases AlphaGenome model and weights publicly on GitHub
Google DeepMind open-sourced AlphaGenome, a genomic model aiding DNA understanding, genetic impact prediction, and biological discoveries.
Alibaba's Qwen3-Max-Thinking sets new reasoning benchmarks rivaling GPT-5
The upgraded model excels in complex multi-step tasks, available via API, highlighting China's push into agentic AI capabilities.
With Fears of an AI Bubble in 2026, Is It Still Smart to Buy This Top AI Stock?
Amid concerns over AI hype and valuations, analysts debate whether leading AI plays like Nvidia remain buys despite recent market jitters post-earnings.
Analyst: Apple's Deliberate AI Rollout Paying Off
Apple's cautious approach to generative AI is viewed positively, avoiding pitfalls seen in rushed competitors.
Alibaba Unveils New AI Chip to Rival Nvidia's China Offerings
Alibaba has launched a new AI chip designed to compete with Nvidia's products amid US export restrictions on advanced semiconductors to China. The chip aims to bolster domestic AI capabilities in the world's largest market.
Google's Gemini Gains New Tricks Like Email-Based To-Do Lists
Gemini now creates to-do lists from emails and performs other proactive tasks, raising privacy concerns but boosting productivity.
Gen Z believes using AI is making their colleagues dumb and lazy, but may paradoxically see it as key to their own promotion, Wharton says
Wharton survey of 2,500 Gen Zers finds 79% think AI makes people lazier, 62% say it dumbs down intelligence, yet 74% used AI last month including at work. Ambivalence stems from job fears but efficiency gains for promotions. Suggests workplaces should integrate AI thoughtfully.
SpaceX eyes merger with Tesla alongside xAI talks
Reports indicate SpaceX is exploring mergers with both Tesla and xAI to unify Musk's rockets, EVs, Starlink, X, and Grok AI ahead of IPO.
C3.ai in talks to merge with Automation Anywhere, potentially going public
Enterprise AI firm C3.ai is negotiating a merger where Automation Anywhere acquires it to list publicly, combining AI software with RPA amid stock surge.
Microsoft Stock Tumbles as AI Spending Rattles Investors
Microsoft shares fell after Q2 earnings beat but heavy AI capex raised concerns about returns on massive investments.
DeepSeek R2 set for release in 2 weeks, Moonshot unveils new model
YouTube AI news roundup highlights DeepSeek R2 imminent launch and China's Moonshot dropping a new model, keeping pressure on global frontier race.