Business
Web Data Diminishes: What if online publishers make it harder and more expensive to train models?
For decades, AI developers have treated the web as an open faucet of training data. Now publishers are shutting the tap. Will web data dry up?
Business
The AI Boom Is Bound to Bust: What if big investments in AI models, data centers, and hot startups don't pay off?
Leading AI companies are spending mountains of cash in hopes that the technology will deliver outsize profits before investors lose patience. Are exuberant bets on big returns grounded in the quicksand of wishful thinking?
Business
California Builds AI Regulatory Regime: The U.S.’s biggest state by population and economy passed four AI transparency bills is less than one month
In the absence of national laws that specifically regulate AI in the United States, California moved to regulate the technology within its own borders, passing four bills in less than a month.
Business
Fine-Tuning Simplified: Thinking Machines’ new Tinker API makes it easier to fine-tune models on many GPUs
The first offering from Thinking Machines Lab, the startup founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, aims to simplify — and democratize — the process of fine-tuning AI models.
Business
OpenAI Strengthens Ties With AMD: OpenAI’s latest multibillion-dollar chip deal would give it 6 gigawatts of computing power and up to 10 percent of AMD
OpenAI, strapped for processing power to drive a worldwide constellation of planned data centers, turned to Nvidia’s archrival AMD.
Business
OpenAI, Meta Diversify AI Product Lines: OpenAI and Meta launch social video apps while ChatGPT adds Pulse and Instant Checkout
OpenAI and Meta, which have been content to offer standalone chatbots or tuck them into existing products, introduced dueling social video networks and other initiatives designed to boost revenue and engagement.
Business
Claude Levels Up: Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 4.5 and the Claude Agent SDK, and overhauls Claude Code for developers
Anthropic updated its mid-size Claude Sonnet model, making it the first member of the Claude family to reach version 4.5. It also enhanced the Claude Code agentic coding tool with long-desired features.
Business
Generating Music, Paying Musicians: Sweden’s STIM built an ecosystem for training AI models on copyrighted music and compensating original artists
A Swedish organization that collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and record companies has formed a technology-legal-business ecosystem designed to allow AI developers to use music legally while compensating publishers of recordings and compositions.
Business
OpenAI On the Road to Trillion-Dollar Spending: OpenAI partners with Oracle, Nvidia, Softbank, and more to build out 20 gigawatts of data center capacity
A flurry of announcements brought into sharper focus OpenAI’s plans to build what may amount to trillions of dollars of global computing capacity.
Business
Sports Betting Goes Agentic: Gambling sites roll out AI tools that predict wins and track bets for sports fans
AI agents are getting in on the action of online sports gambling.
Business
Agents of Commerce: Google’s AP2 gives developers new tools to build agentic payments
Google launched an open protocol for agentic payments that enables agents based on any large language model to purchase items over the internet.
Business
States Ban AI-Driven Treatments for Mental Health: Illinois follows Nevada, prohibiting certain uses of chatbots unless used by licensed therapists
Illinois became the second U.S. state, after Nevada, to ban AI applications that administer psychotherapy.
Business
Knowledge Is Great, Skills Are Greater: Educators are shifting from teaching knowledge to teaching practical skills. A report from the Coursera Connect conference
This week, Coursera held its annual conference in Las Vegas. A major theme was the shift from knowledge- to skills-based education, which will help many individuals, businesses, and educational institutions.
Business
Google Must Share Data With AI Rivals: Google must share its search index, but can keep Chrome and Android
AI companies that aspire to compete with Google in search and other information-retrieval applications got a boost from the United States government.
Business
Meta, OpenAI Reinforce Guardrails: Meta and OpenAI respond to criticism by adding new rules for teens’ chatbot use
Meta and OpenAI promised to place more controls on their chatbots’ conversations with children and teenagers, as worrisome interactions with minors come under increasing scrutiny.
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