Perplexity acquires Read.cv, expanding into professional social networking
AI search leader Perplexity has acquired Read.cv, a platform for professionals to share writing and insights, signaling a push beyond search into social features powered by AI. The move aims to create an AI-native network challenging traditional platforms like LinkedIn.
Intelligence Stream
Google launches TranslateGemma: Open models for 55 languages
Gemma 3-based 4B/12B/27B translators outperform larger rivals, optimized for edge devices and multilingual apps.
ScaleLogix AI launches investor-grade infrastructure platform
New platform democratizes AI economy access for businesses/investors with licensing, consulting, and done-for-you agencies.
Netverse Releases Raychel, a Context-Aware AI Companion Designed to Interact with People
Netverse launches Raychel, an AI alarm clock with vision, memory, and emotional AI for context-aware interactions in personal spaces. Processes locally for privacy, features radar snooze and sleep visuals.
Thinking Machines Lab cofounders return to OpenAI amid internal drama
Two cofounders of Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab, including one fired over office relationship, rejoined OpenAI along with other researchers. The moves highlight talent churn in AI labs. A third cofounder also departed.
xAI seeks injunction against California AI data disclosure law
xAI has asked a federal judge to block enforcement of California’s new AI transparency law. The company argues that the law would force it to disclose trade secrets and violate the US Constitution.
Musk's Grok AI faces more scrutiny after generating sexual deepfake images
Elon Musk restricts Grok's image generator on X following global outrage over explicit deepfakes, amid ongoing probes in multiple countries.
Seela launches all-in-one AI creative platform for image generation
Seela unveils a unified platform offering multi-model AI comparison and image generation tools, targeting creators with seamless access to top models.
Can a New GPT Accelerate Human–AI Collaboration in Science?
SciSciGPT, built on Claude but adaptable to GPT models, shows promise in enhancing scientific research through specialized AI assistance.
Bill Gates warns AI will change society and jobs faster than expected
In his latest annual letter, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates emphasizes that AI's societal impact will accelerate beyond predictions, urging preparation for rapid job transformations.
Cloud CISO Perspectives: Practical guidance on building with SAIF
Google Cloud shares guidance on Secure AI Framework (SAIF) for securing AI and mitigating risks. Includes tools for security leaders building AI applications.
ChatGPT tests ads as a new era of AI begins
OpenAI starts testing targeted ads in ChatGPT, a pivotal monetization step two days after Google rules out ads in Gemini.
Gartner forecasts global AI spending at $2.53T in 2026
Surging to $3.33T in 2027, driven by enterprise adoption and infra buildout. Validates explosive market growth.
State AI laws face federal scrutiny in new executive order
Key takeaways from EO establishing federal AI policy framework, impacting patchwork state regulations.
From OpenAI's offices to a deal with Eli Lilly — how Chai Discovery became one of the flashiest names in AI drug development
Chai Discovery, an AI drug discovery startup, secured a deal with Eli Lilly after spinning out from OpenAI. It uses foundation models for novel molecule generation. Highlights the booming AI-for-science sector.
Nvidia suppliers halt H200 output after China blocks chip shipments, FT reports
Suppliers of parts for Nvidia’s H200 chips have paused production after Chinese customs officials blocked shipments of the AI processors from entering China. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Congress scrutinizes AI chatbots amid mental health boom
Lawmakers probe AI tools used for therapy as one-third of US adults have tried chatbots, raising safety concerns.
Amateur mathematicians solve long-standing problems with AI assistance
Pros stunned as hobbyists use AI tools to crack tough math puzzles, heralding a new collaborative era in mathematics.
Google brings AI video generator Flow to all Workspace users
Google's Flow, which creates videos from text prompts or images, is now available across Workspace plans, expanding AI creative tools for enterprises.
2026 AI trends: Memory explosion drives HBM demand surge
Inference and larger contexts fuel DRAM/HBM boom, spotlighting MU, SNDK, SK Hynix as key plays.
MIT unveils recursive language models to overcome AI context limits
New approach allows handling much longer contexts efficiently, advancing agentic AI capabilities.
Apple and Google strike multi-year AI deal to power next-gen Siri with Gemini models
Apple will leverage Google's Gemini foundation models and cloud infra for enhanced Apple Intelligence features, including a smarter Siri arriving this year. The non-exclusive partnership prioritizes privacy via on-device and Private Cloud Compute while accelerating Apple's AI roadmap.
OpenAI expands ChatGPT Go $8/mo tier globally with GPT-5.2 access
Low-cost subscription now in US and worldwide, offering more messages, files, images vs free tier plus better memory. Ads incoming; slots between free and Plus.
What Gemini features you get with Google AI Pro [Jan 2026]
Breakdown of Google AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions, evolved from Gemini Advanced with new I/O 2025 capabilities.
Seela launches all-in-one AI creative platform integrating text-to-image and video tools
New platform combines generative AI for images, videos, and editing in one suite, targeting creators with seamless workflows.
Introducing ChatGPT Go, now available worldwide
OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT Go globally for $8/month, offering 10x more usage than free tier with access to GPT-5.2 Instant. Launched in India last year, it's now the fastest-growing plan after expanding to 170 countries.
Washington, DC Demonstrates Deployed AI Workforce Systems at CES 2026
DC showcases AI platforms like TalentCapital.ai serving 100K+ residents with 80K job matches. Emphasizes responsible AI as public infrastructure for talent pipelines amid CES crowd.
OpenAI and Anthropic launch health-focused chatbots
ChatGPT Health and Claude for Healthcare enable secure medical data integration for personalized wellness insights.
TSMC earnings preview Nvidia's AI chip runway
Strong AI demand in TSMC results eases fears of slowdown, signaling robust outlook for Nvidia and peers despite macro noise.
OpenAI to test ads on ChatGPT free and Go tiers
OpenAI announced plans to introduce non-personalized ads at the bottom of ChatGPT responses in the US, funding global access while protecting user experience.
Ads coming to ChatGPT: How OpenAI plans to monetize without alienating users
WIRED details OpenAI's ad strategy: contextual, non-targeted ads only in free tiers starting soon.
The Batch: Governments vs. Grok, Meta Buys Agent Tech, Healthcare Chatbots
DeepLearning.AI's latest roundup covers Grok controversies, Meta's agent acquisition, and limits of AI retrieval in healthcare.
Retail's AI future: From product design to checkout, everywhere
At NRF show, retailers demo AI across shopping pipeline, signaling full AI integration in commerce.
US companies' AI adoption soars with ChatGPT subscriptions exploding
Axios charts reveal surging enterprise spend on paid AI models like ChatGPT amid productivity push. Over 60% of adults now kick off tasks with AI tools.
GIGABYTE Strengthens NVIDIA Partnership to Drive Innovation in AI-Powered Gaming
Gigabyte unveils AI-enhanced motherboards and laptops with NVIDIA at CES aftermath, focusing on gaming and creative AI workflows.
Google's Gemini AI Shopping Tool Rewrites E-Commerce
Gemini powers a new personalized product discovery engine, blending search, recommendations, and shopping into seamless AI-driven experiences.
GIGABYTE strengthens NVIDIA partnership for AI-powered gaming and creative solutions
GIGABYTE expands collaboration with NVIDIA to advance AI integration in gaming hardware and creative workflows at CES 2026.
‘Show me the money’ time for AI as political risks loom
2026 tests if Big Tech's $300B+ AI capex delivers profits amid investor skepticism and $1T funding gap. OpenAI eyes $100B equity raise at $750B valuation. Trump-era policies fuel boom but earnings scrutiny intensifies.
ClickHouse raises $400M Series D, acquires Langfuse for LLM observability
ClickHouse secures $400M in funding to scale analytics and AI infrastructure, simultaneously acquiring open-source LLM observability platform Langfuse and launching native Postgres support for unified workloads.
Qualcomm unveils on-device AI push at CES 2026
Qualcomm showcases future of edge AI with new Snapdragon platforms emphasizing local inference for agents and multimodal tasks. Highlights include efficient NPUs rivaling cloud models for mobile robotics and AR. Positions Qualcomm as key enabler for consumer AI explosion.
Five9 launches unified CX AI platform with Google Cloud
Five9 integrates Gemini and Vertex AI for enterprise contact centers, streamlining agent workflows with real-time insights.
Skild AI raises $1.4B at $14B+ valuation for robotics intelligence
Pittsburgh-based embodied AI startup secures massive funding to advance physical world AI models amid robotics boom.
AI cloud startup Runpod hits $120M ARR, started with Reddit post
GPU cloud provider for AI training scales rapidly amid compute crunch, bootstrapped from community origins. Highlights booming demand for accessible AI infra beyond hyperscalers.
NVDA vs. AVGO vs. AMD: Jefferies Names Its 'Top AI' Chip Pick
Jefferies selects Broadcom as the premier AI chip investment over Nvidia and AMD amid intensifying data center competition.
Etched.ai reportedly secures $500M for AI superintelligence chips
Chip startup Etched.ai lands massive funding in weekly roundup, focusing on specialized AI semiconductors.
Mira Murati's Thinking Machines suffers wave of defections back to OpenAI
Cofounders Brett Zoph and Luke Metz, plus key researchers, exit the startup amid compute shortages, limited pay, and unclear roadmap, highlighting talent crunch for new AI labs.
Trump wants tech companies to foot bill for new power plants due to AI
President-elect Trump proposes that Big Tech fund massive new power generation to support surging AI data center electricity needs. This highlights the growing energy crunch from AI expansion.
Nine tech IPO contenders to watch in 2026
The Information highlights promising AI and tech firms eyeing public markets this year.
Anthropic launches Claude for Healthcare with HIPAA-ready tools
New suite of Claude models and infrastructure tailored for healthcare, enabling secure AI assistance for clinical notes, patient data analysis, and life sciences research. Positions Anthropic against OpenAI in medical AI.
AI lifts Alphabet to $4T valuation, but competition remains fierce
Alphabet hits $4 trillion market cap, second only to Nvidia, propelled by AI triumphs like Gemini powering Apple's Siri upgrade and new personalization features. Intense rivalry persists with Nvidia's AI factory dominance and chip upstarts challenging incumbents.
Riot Platforms surges 11% on AMD data center lease for AI pivot
Bitcoin miner Riot acquires 200-acre Texas site and inks 10-year, $311M+ lease with AMD for 25MW AI data center starting Jan 2026. The deal marks Riot's shift to high-margin AI infrastructure amid surging compute demand. Total potential value could hit $1B with expansions.
NVIDIA and Eli Lilly launch $1B AI drug discovery lab
NVIDIA partners with Lilly on massive AI co-innovation center for accelerating drug design via foundation models and physical AI. Investment up to $1B targets robotics-enabled discovery. Signals pharma's all-in on generative AI for billion-dollar pipelines.
Google launches Personal Intelligence beta: Gemini 3 reasons over your personal data securely
New feature packs vast personal context from Gmail, Photos into 1M token window for tailored agentic responses, beta in Gemini app.
Google unveils TranslateGemma: Open models for 55-language translation
Built on Gemma 3, these efficient open-source models boost translation accessibility and performance across diverse languages.
Yann LeCun leaves Meta to launch physical world AI startup
Meta's AI research chief Yann LeCun exits to found a company building world models for real-world intelligence, dismissing LLMs as dead end. The startup eyes physics, cause-effect reasoning for agents and robotics. LeCun's move intensifies race in non-LLM AI paradigms.
In the AI economy, the 'weirdness premium' will set you apart
Fortune interviews economist on how uniquely human traits like creativity thrive as AI automates routine jobs.
AI in Personal Finance: The Promise and the Limits
Article explores how AI is transforming personal finance apps but highlights risks like data privacy and biased advice.
Artificial intelligence: Council paves the way for the creation of AI gigafactories
The EU Council adopted an amendment to accelerate construction of massive AI data centers, dubbed 'gigafactories,' to boost European competitiveness.
Anthropic Democratizes Agentic AI with Claude Cowork
Anthropic launched Claude Cowork, a macOS app preview allowing Claude to access local folders for file management, data transformation, and parallel workflows. It targets non-technical users for desktop automation. Announced Jan 12, it's a step toward agentic AI.
Anthropic appoints Irina Ghose as Managing Director of India ahead of Bengaluru office
Move signals Anthropic's expansion into key market with growing AI talent and demand.
Elyos AI raises $13M Series A for AI agents in skilled trades
Elyos AI secures $13M to develop autonomous AI agents that assist plumbers, electricians, and other trades with diagnostics, planning, and execution.
Basecamp Research launches AI models for programmable gene insertion
Basecamp Research and NVIDIA launched aiPGI platform with EDEN models trained on BaseData, achieving 100% success in gene insertion designs for cancer treatments and 97% for antimicrobial peptides.
AI Speech Recognition Chip Market Size to Hit USD 10.19 Billion by 2033
Market report projects explosive growth in AI speech chips, driven by voice assistants and edge computing.
Elon Musk's X to block AI chatbot Grok from making explicit images of real people
X is updating policies to prevent Grok from generating non-consensual explicit images, amid rising deepfake concerns.
AMD highlights AI future at CES 2026 keynote
AMD unveils innovations in on-device AI compute with Ryzen AI 400 series launching soon.
AI supply chain 'hiccup' tops 2026 market risks
Morningstar flags potential disruptions in AI hardware as key threat despite booming demand.
Mira Murati's Thinking Machines loses co-founders to OpenAI
Co-founders of ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati's new AI lab defect back to OpenAI, highlighting talent wars in frontier AI.
Jefferies raises Nvidia PT to $275 on accelerating AI model updates
Analyst upgrades NVDA target citing faster-than-expected AI model refresh cycles boosting compute demand. Notes low P/E relative to growth despite premium valuation. Reinforces NVDA's AI leadership.
ClickHouse bags $400M Series D for AI analytics infrastructure
Open-source database leader led by Dragoneer expands to power AI workloads in real-time analytics.
Intel Releases Updated LLM-Scaler-vLLM With Continuing To Improve Intel Arc GPU Support
Phoronix covers Intel's latest open-source tool for scaling LLMs on Battlemage GPUs, enhancing GenAI deployment on consumer hardware.
Wikipedia founder: AI firms must pay 'fair share' for training data
Jimmy Wales hails deals with Amazon, Meta, Microsoft but pushes more AI labs to compensate creators amid content licensing surge.
Apple partners with Google on Gemini models to enhance Siri and iPhone AI features
Apple has struck a multi-billion-dollar cloud deal with Google to integrate Gemini AI models into Siri and other iPhone features, supplementing its existing ChatGPT partnership. This outsourcing strategy addresses Apple's lag in AI infrastructure amid lower spending and talent exodus. It highlights Big Tech's race to embed advanced AI on devices.
Researchers prove LLMs memorize and regurgitate copyrighted books verbatim
Stanford and Yale study shows GPT-4.1, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Grok 3, Claude 3.7 Sonnet output full book excerpts like '1984' at 94%+ accuracy, weakening 'fair use learning' defense in lawsuits.
Replit launches Mobile Apps with AI agent support for iOS previews
Developers can now build, preview, and publish mobile apps directly via Replit Agent.
This Week's Top Five Stories in AI: Microsoft, xAI, Anthropic, BMW
AI Magazine rounds up latest: xAI funding rumors, Anthropic enterprise push, Microsoft agent tools, BMW AI manufacturing.
OpenAI Secures Multi-Year Compute Agreement With Cerebras Valued at Over $10B
OpenAI inks massive compute deal with Cerebras Systems, valued north of $10B, securing 750MW of wafer-scale AI training capacity to fuel future model development.
United States and Taiwan Announce $250B Investment Pact to Expand AI and Semiconductor Manufacturing
The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced a landmark trade and investment agreement with Taiwan, committing Taiwanese semiconductor and technology companies to invest $250 billion directly into U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and related AI production and innovation. The agreement aims at strengthening domestic chip capacity and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains. Taiwan will also provide $250 billion in credit guarantees to support further expansion.
Keysight Launches AI-Powered Toolkit to Accelerate Semiconductor Modeling
Keysight's new ML Toolkit in Device Modeling Software cuts model development from weeks to hours, reducing parameter steps from 200+ to <10 for faster PDK delivery and DTCO in chip design.
Depthfirst raises $40M Series A for AI-native cybersecurity
Cybersecurity startup Depthfirst secures $40M to advance AI-driven defenses against evolving threats. The funding will accelerate development of autonomous security agents. It underscores growing demand for AI in enterprise security.
VoiceRun announces $5.5M seed for code-first AI voice agents
VoiceRun lands $5.5M to build enterprise-grade AI voice agents powered by code integration. The platform targets low-latency, customizable voice AI for business use. Funding highlights voice AI's enterprise potential.
Syracuse Lands $24M US Contract to Advance Embedded AI for Defense
Syracuse University secures a $24 million Air Force Research Lab contract to develop next-gen embedded AI technologies.
AI will transform the ‘human job’ and enhance skills, says science minister
UK's Patrick Vallance says AI/robots will handle repetitive tasks, boosting productivity via humanoid tech and precision like surgery. Contrasts London mayor's mass unemployment warning; gov't invests £52m in robotics hubs.
More Than 60% of US Adults Now Start New Tasks With AI
A new PYMNTS survey reveals over 60% of US adults turn to AI tools when beginning unfamiliar tasks, signaling mainstream adoption.
Zhipu AI breaks US chip reliance with first major model trained on Huawei stack
Chinese firm Zhipu releases GLM model fully trained on Huawei Ascend chips, achieving frontier performance without Nvidia or US tech amid sanctions.
WeLab Secures $220M Series D to Boost AI-Driven Fintech in APAC
Hong Kong-based digital bank WeLab raises massive $220M to expand AI-powered lending and banking services across Asia amid regional growth.
AI Leaders Weekly Briefing – January 16, 2026
OpenAI, Meta, and xAI pledge billions for AI infrastructure and compute amid intensifying competition; Elon Musk advances lawsuit against OpenAI.
Higgsfield Extends Series A to $130M, Reaches $1.3B Valuation as AI Video Platform Scales Rapidly
AI video generation startup Higgsfield has raised an additional $80 million, bringing its Series A to $130 million and valuing the company at $1.3 billion. Founded by former Snap AI exec Alex Mashrabov, the platform enables creators to generate and edit short-form videos. It now has over 15 million users and a $200 million annualized revenue run rate.
Replit grabs $400M at $9B valuation in the AI coding race
AI coding platform Replit is raising $400 million in new funding at a $9 billion valuation, tripling its prior value amid competition with OpenAI and Cursor. The round fuels development of AI coding agents and mobile app tools. Replit aims for $1 billion in revenue by 2026.
Companies continue to splash out on AI despite disillusionment
Gartner forecasts worldwide AI spending to reach $2.5 trillion in 2026, up 44% from 2025, rising to $3.3T in 2027 even amid hype cycle trough. Infrastructure leads at $1.3T, followed by services and software.
This Week's Top 5 Stories in the Data Centre Industry
OpenAI/SoftBank $1B into SB Energy for Stargate AI data centers; Gulf states join Pax Silica AI supply chain; Meta secures 6.6GW nuclear for AI; Microsoft optimizes water for AI infra; BlackRock shifts to data center energy.
Korea’s homegrown AI model race moves ahead with three firms, minus early losers
SK Telecom, LG AI Research, Upstage advance in gov't project; SK's A.X K1 boasts 519B params, largest domestic LLM, adding multimodal, multi-lang soon. Final two teams by year-end.
Nozomi Networks Unveils Vantage IQ Private AI for OT/IoT Security
Cybersecurity firm launches on-prem AI assistant to analyze OT/IoT threats, aiding industrial security teams.
E-Commerce & AI Commerce News Digest (January 16, 2026)
Key updates include Walmart-Google agentic commerce partnership and FIS's major acquisition to advance AI-driven shopping experiences.
China’s Zhipu Unveils New AI Model Trained on Huawei’s Chips
Chinese AI firm Zhipu has launched its first major model trained entirely on Huawei's Ascend chips, breaking reliance on Nvidia GPUs. This marks a milestone in China's push for AI self-sufficiency amid US export curbs. The model demonstrates competitive performance in key benchmarks.
Creatium solves AI's 'Math Problem' with accurate technical content generation
New platform generates precise learning content from algebra to accounting, addressing AI's longstanding math accuracy issues for education and training.
Google unveils TranslateGemma as OpenAI steps up its own AI translation push
Google launched TranslateGemma, open-source models on Gemma 3 for 55 languages, efficient on devices with 4B-27B params outperforming larger rivals. Supports multimodal like image text. Amid OpenAI's ChatGPT Translate rivalry.
Google flexes another AI advantage with Gemini Personal Intelligence beta
Google publicly rolls out beta of Gemini's Personal Intelligence feature, granting access to users' Gmail, Google Photos, and Calendar for hyper-personalized responses and insights. Aims to deepen integration across Google ecosystem.
OpenAI Releases GPT-5.2-Codex Programming Model API
OpenAI launched GPT-5.2-Codex, an agentic coding model excelling in long-term software tasks like building massive codebases autonomously. Integrated into Cursor and GitHub, it marks a leap toward AI software engineers.
Spring AI Agentic Patterns (Part 2): AskUserQuestionTool
Spring AI introduces agent tool that clarifies user intent before acting, advancing agentic workflows.
Publication of NTT IOWN Technology Report-- Quantum Leap
NTT releases report on IOWN tech for data centers, AI, and quantum computing implementation from Expo onwards.
Gene Munster Warns Wall Street Is Underestimating 2026 AI Demand
Analyst Gene Munster predicts Nvidia could grow over 65% in 2026, citing TSMC's record revenue and margins as evidence of accelerating AI capex.