AI funding rounds, acquisitions, partnerships and leadership changes, plus regulation, copyright lawsuits and big compute deals.
De-extinction startup Colossal BioSciences just secured $200M in fresh funding, lifting its valuation to a massive $10.2 billion. The company will use the capital to push forward genetic engineering for the woolly mammoth, thylacine, and dodo, with tech aimed at species preservation and human healthcare.
OpenAI just announced a new content partnership with Axios, funding four new tech-enabled local newsrooms in cities like Pittsburgh and Kansas City. The deal brings Axios reporting directly into ChatGPT search with explicit citations and backlinks, as OpenAI deepens its push to turn media publishers into allies rather than copyright adversaries.
Apple just joined the board of the Ultra Accelerator Link (UALink) Consortium alongside Alibaba and Synopsys, throwing its weight behind an open interconnect standard for AI data center chips. UALink is designing an open alternative to Nvidia's dominant NVLink. Why it matters: As Apple scales Apple Intelligence and reportedly develops custom server silicon, backing an open interconnect gives it more control over its future infrastructure.
Sony just revealed new patents exploring how AI can predict player movements to reduce online gaming lag. Using a camera to track player behavior and anticipate inputs, the company is also looking into AI to catch cheaters and detect player frustration. It is still on paper, but it hints at how PlayStation might tackle latency.
President Biden just signed an executive order to fast-track US AI data center construction by leasing federal lands. The Defense and Energy departments must identify at least three sites each by February 28th to host gigawatt-scale facilities. While developers must fund clean power and source US-made chips, the move sparks heavy backlash over grid strain and climate goals.
Microsoft just launched its Quantum Ready program, offering workshops, skilling resources, and security roadmaps to help organizations prepare for practical quantum computing. The initiative focuses on building hybrid applications that blend quantum hardware with classical supercomputers and AI, addressing a skills gap where only 12% of business leaders feel ready for quantum tech.
Amazon's major revamp of Alexa is running into serious technical roadblocks, according to the Financial Times. Rohit Prasad, head of Amazon's AGI team, admitted that hallucinations must drop "close to zero" alongside cutting response lag and integrating hundreds of third-party apps. Insiders warn a launch won't happen anytime soon.
OpenAI just appointed Adebayo Ogunlesi, founding partner of Global Infrastructure Partners and a senior managing director at BlackRock, to its board of directors. Ogunlesi brings decades of elite experience in transnational finance and mega-scale infrastructure. As AI labs race to secure data centers and power, his arrival signals OpenAI's aggressive push into physical infrastructure.
Mayo Clinic just teamed up with Microsoft Research and Cerebras Systems to build specialized foundation models for healthcare. The projects use chest X-rays to automate radiology reporting and patient exome data to tailor treatments for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Why it matters: bringing multimodal AI directly to clinical scans and genomics could drastically cut diagnosis times.
Microsoft and Pearson just signed a multiyear deal to develop new AI learning tools and certifications. Pearson will rely on Azure and roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot across its entire workforce, while Microsoft extends its Pearson VUE certification contract through 2029. Why it matters: Companies want AI, but finding workers trained to use it remains the biggest bottleneck.
OpenAI just published an "economic blueprint" outlining how it wants the U.S. government to support and regulate AI. The document urges Washington to slash red tape for data centers and nuclear power, adopt voluntary federal safety standards over fragmented state bills, and protect developers' ability to train on publicly available copyrighted web data.
OpenAI and Google are now buying YouTubers' unpublished, raw video footage for $1 to $4 per minute to train video generators like Sora and Veo. Licensing middleman Troveo AI has already paid creators over $5 million for unused 4K and drone clips. Why it matters: The race for video training data is turning cutting-room-floor scraps into an unexpected cash windfall.
Israeli startup FireDome has developed an off-grid wildfire defense system inspired by Israel's Iron Dome. The setup combines AI cameras with a mechanical launcher that fires eco-friendly retardant capsules up to a quarter-mile away when flames are detected. Field tests are scheduled to begin in May 2025.
Nvidia just publicly pushed back against the Biden administration's new 200-page "AI Diffusion" rule, calling it misguided overreach. The chip giant argues the sweeping restrictions micromanage how semiconductors and even consumer gaming PCs are sold globally, hurting American competitiveness rather than protecting it.
Mercedes-Benz just partnered with Google Cloud to power its next-gen MBUX Virtual Assistant using Gemini. The smart navigation agent can handle complex multi-turn chats and remember conversation context throughout a trip, debut set for the new CLA running MB.OS later this year.
The Biden-Harris Administration just released an Interim Final Rule on AI diffusion, reshaping how computing power moves across the globe. It lifts export restrictions for 18 core allies and creates verified end-user statuses, while strictly clamping down on closed-weight model transfers to adversaries. Basically, Washington wants the world's AI running exclusively on American rails.
Vectara's benchmark shows Zhipu AI's GLM-4-9B-Chat and Google's Gemini-2.0-Flash-Exp tied for the lowest hallucination rate at just 1.3%, followed by OpenAI's o1-mini at 1.4%. The numbers prove that smaller, specialized models can easily match or beat giant frontier LLMs when it comes to factual accuracy.
NVIDIA just released its latest retail industry report, revealing that nearly 90% of retailers and CPG brands are now using or testing AI. Over 94% reported cuts in operating costs, with generative AI largely deployed for marketing content and predictive analytics.
Edelman just released its curated AI Top Voices list to help brands communicate AI initiatives through trusted figures. With 74% of people trusting individuals over institutions, the agency vetted B2B creators across LinkedIn and YouTube based on credibility, engagement, and ethical alignment.
Garmin just won a CES Innovation Award for its next-gen Unified Cabin solution, built alongside Qualcomm's Snapdragon Cockpit Elite platform. The setup uses generative AI to generate personalized cabin themes, brings dedicated voice assistants and audio to every passenger seat, and relies on UWB sensors to detect seat occupancy.
