Today's AI Pulse
Odyssey lands $310M Series B, valued at $1.45B
Odyssey announced a $310 million Series B round that values the AI lab at $1.45 billion. The round was led by Natural Capital and included backers such as Amazon, AMD Ventures, GV, EQT and IQT. In parallel, Odyssey struck a preferred‑cloud deal with AWS to use Trainium silicon for large‑scale model training.
Also developing:
Kyla Robinson Joins Bed Bath & Beyond as Chief Technology & Transformation Officer
Kyla Robinson, who spent 5.5 years leading technology at Spanx, announced her move to Bed Bath & Beyond as Chief Technology and Transformation Officer. The hire comes as CEO Marcus Lemonis signals a major AI‑driven restructuring that could cut headcount across multiple functions.
Auto‑rigged Soldier Model Brings Full Movement to Three.js
Also waited quite long with this because I was scared it'd be difficult But I generated a new soldier model now in @tripoai (sponsor of the Vibe Jam), and will also try auto-rig it, that gives it a skeleton, so I...
The Viral Notes Writer GPT Is Now Available on Claude. And You Can Schedule Your Notes Directly From The Chat.
The creator of the Viral Notes Writer GPT announced its rollout as a Claude skill, letting users access the same AI‑driven note generation inside any paid Claude plan. A companion bundle pairs the skill with Finn’s Substack Notes for Claude...
AI-Powered Permitting Takes Off in Bakersfield with Symbium Partnership
Bakersfield has become the first U.S. city to roll out an AI‑driven instant permitting system, teaming with San Francisco‑based startup Symbium. The platform automates approvals for solar, EV charging, energy storage, reroofs and HVAC upgrades, offering developers a faster path...
Litera Appoints Grant Hewlett to Spearhead AI‑driven Firm Intelligence Portfolio
Litera announced the hiring of Grant Hewlett, a 15‑year legal‑tech veteran, to head its AI Firm Intelligence portfolio. The move underscores Litera’s strategy to embed artificial intelligence into the tools lawyers already use, aiming to boost efficiency and growth for...
‘If You’re Boring, It’s Good to Know that You’re Being Boring.’
Harvard’s Barker Center hosted a panel on the ethical fallout of empathetic AI chatbots, highlighting how design tricks that simulate caring can mislead users, especially in health contexts. Panelists cited a JAMA study showing patients rate AI responses as more...
Abbott Secures FDA Clearance for Ultreon 3.0 AI‑Powered OCT Platform
Abbott announced FDA approval and CE Mark for its Ultreon 3.0 AI‑powered optical coherence tomography platform, enabling real‑time, high‑resolution coronary imaging during PCI procedures. The clearance removes a key regulatory barrier and positions Abbott at the forefront of AI‑driven cardiac...
Klaar Unveils AI‑Native Compensation Planning Module Powered by Comprehensive
Klaar announced the launch of a new compensation planning module built on Comprehensive’s platform, bringing AI‑powered performance signals into pay decisions. The integration promises faster, more defensible and equitable compensation cycles for enterprises that already use Klaar’s performance management suite.
Anthropic Opens Claude Security Public Beta to Scan Enterprise Codebases for Vulnerabilities
Anthropic has rolled out Claude Security in public beta, giving Enterprise‑tier Claude customers a tool that scans entire codebases for vulnerabilities and generates targeted patches using the Opus 4.7 model. The launch follows a closed preview that reportedly helped hundreds of...
Amazon Q Developer End-of-Support Announcement
Amazon announced the end of support for its Q Developer IDE plugins, with full deprecation scheduled for April 30, 2027. New Q Developer sign‑ups cease on May 15, 2026, and the Opus 4.6 model will be retired, while Opus 4.7 is available only on the new...
Los Alamos Scientists Team Up to Advance Lab’s AI Mission
Los Alamos National Laboratory’s ArtIMis project hosted a winter hackathon that brought together about 30 team members to integrate the URSA agentic AI system with newly‑trained scientific foundation models. The effort linked URSA’s ability to summarize literature, write code, and...
AI Server Power Density Triggers Global Data Center Power and Cooling Overhaul
Rising AI server power density is compelling data‑center operators worldwide to adopt centralized, higher‑voltage (400V‑800V DC) power distribution and upgraded cooling architectures. The shift promises greater energy efficiency but creates new challenges for suppliers, investors, and carbon‑reduction goals.
CoStar Posts 23% Q1 Revenue Surge, Extends Double‑Digit Growth to 60 Quarters
CoStar Group announced a 23% jump in first‑quarter revenue, its 60th consecutive quarter of double‑digit growth. The surge, driven by a 20% lift in new bookings and AI‑enhanced Homes.com activity, prompted the company to raise its full‑year adjusted EBITDA guidance...
‘Just Looping You in’: Why Letting AI Write Our Emails Might Actually Create More Work
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are increasingly being used to draft, summarize and reply to emails. A recent ARC Centre survey found that 45.6% of Australians have tried generative AI, and 82.6% of those users employ...
Voice AI Investment Surges as Enterprise Applications Gain Traction
Venture investors poured over $7 billion into voice‑AI startups in Q1 2024, eclipsing any prior period. Companies such as ElevenLabs, Synthesia and Runway secured large funding rounds as the technology moves beyond consumer gadgets into enterprise workflows. The global voice‑recognition market,...
Magnificent Seven Earnings Set to Sway S&P as AI Spending Comes Under the Microscope
Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms and Microsoft will release quarterly results after the close on Wednesday, together accounting for nearly one‑fifth of the S&P 500’s market cap. Traders are watching AI‑related capex guidance and the implied $750 billion options move, while futures...
US Stocks Hit Record Highs in Wall Street’s Best Month Since 2020
U.S. equities surged in May, with the S&P 500 posting a 7% monthly gain – the strongest performance since 2020. The Nasdaq and Dow Jones also reached fresh all‑time highs, buoyed by robust corporate earnings and a softening inflation outlook....
SAP Blocks AI Startups by Locking API Access
the latest from the API wars front: SAP is now locking down its API access to third parties, essentially blocking AI companies. Like many others, SAP can't really compete on building its own agents, so the next best thing is...
AI Chatbot Cheat Sheet: Comparing ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and More
The 2026 AI chatbot cheat sheet ranks the leading conversational agents by capability, ecosystem integration, and ideal use cases. ChatGPT remains the most widely adopted with 900 million weekly users and the powerful GPT‑5 model, while Google Gemini offers the best...
5WPR Launches 'In Tune With AI' Index Ranking 50 AI‑aligned Celebrities
Talent Resources and 5WPR unveiled the second‑volume "In Tune With AI" index, ranking 50 celebrities, athletes and creators by how generative AI engines describe them. The index, released April 29, 2026, highlights 22 non‑U.S. figures and scores operators up to...
Google Cracked AI Monetization. Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon Haven't.
Google’s latest earnings showcase a coherent AI monetization strategy that hits all three value‑creation modes—removing middlemen, unlocking new revenue streams, and expanding the ecosystem—propelling its stock up 9%. In contrast, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon all beat forecasts but lack clear...
Excel's Automation Features Are Faster than ChatGPT, but Most People Never Find Them in the Menus
Microsoft Excel packs a suite of automation tools that can outpace generic AI solutions like ChatGPT for routine data tasks. Features such as Power Query, PivotTables, Office Scripts, Flash Fill, and dynamic array functions let users import, clean, analyze, and...
Amazon Deploys AI Hiring Platform Connect Talent and Introduces 'Humorphism' Agents
Amazon announced Connect Talent, an AI-powered hiring system that screens, interviews and notes candidates with minimal human input, and unveiled its 'humorphism' approach to make software feel more human. The rollout, revealed at an April 27 event, signals Amazon's deeper...
Employers Are Blindsiding Candidates with AI Interviews—And Scaring Them Off
AI-driven interviews have become mainstream, with Greenhouse reporting that two‑thirds of job seekers have already faced an AI screening, a 13‑point rise in six months. The lack of disclosure is prompting candidates to abandon processes—38% quit after an AI interview...
Two Officials Suspended over Fake AI Research in South Africa’s Draft AI Policy
South Africa’s communications department withdrew its draft National AI Policy after it was discovered that the document contained fabricated references generated by AI tools. Two senior officials were placed on precautionary suspension pending an internal investigation. A similar breach was...
Economy Rebounds to 2% Growth in Q1, Spurred by AI Spending
U.S. economic growth rebounded in Q1 2026, expanding at a 2% annualized rate as record AI investment lifted business spending. Equipment and structures outlays surged 10.4%, the strongest pace since Q2 2023, while consumer spending rose 1.6% despite a 44%...
Single Brain Automates Ad Insights and Creative Scaling
Many people have been *talking* about having a single brain to help them get things done faster. Here’s an example of ours in action where you ask an agent how your ads are performing, then ask a creative agent to create...
Microsoft Touts Copilot Growth, Boosts Spending as Revenues Soar
Microsoft announced that its 365 Copilot tool now has over 20 million paid seats, with customers holding more than 50,000 seats quadrupling year‑over‑year. AI revenue run rate surged 123% to roughly $37 billion, contributing to an 18% rise in Q3 revenue to...
AI Spots Pancreatic Cancer Years Before Symptoms Appear, Study Finds
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic unveiled REDMOD, an AI system that can spot early signs of pancreatic cancer on routine CT scans up to three years before a formal diagnosis. In a study of nearly 2,000 scans, the model identified...
AI Sandboxing Is Having Its Kubernetes Moment
Anthropic unveiled its Mythos model, which independently discovered and exploited zero‑day vulnerabilities in major operating systems and browsers, including a 27‑year‑old kernel bug. The demonstration highlights the danger of running thousands of workloads on a shared Linux kernel in Kubernetes,...
AI Shifts From Chat to Enterprise‑Level Execution
𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭… 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Ling-2.6-1T is a 1 trillion parameter open model built for real work. It can: Run multi-step workflows Use tools Write and debug code Handle massive context And it does this with less token usage and better...
Students Will Take the Lead on Crafting a Model AI Policy for Schools
Dozens of superintendents and a select group of students will convene in Boston for a three‑day workshop aimed at drafting a model AI use policy that districts nationwide can adopt. The event, organized by AASA and MIT’s Day of AI,...
One Prompt Turns Granola Meeting Into Video
You can now type this into Claude: "Pull my latest Granola meeting and turn it into a 60-second HeyGen video." Claude pulls the meeting from Granola, drafts the script, hands it to HeyGen for rendering, and gives you back a finished video....
Design Guardrails to Stop Malicious AI Robot Exploits
A new Science #Robotics Focus calls for the careful design of guardrails to prevent malicious users from tricking AI-enabled robots into dangerous or violent behaviors. @AlexRobey23 @zicokolter @pappasg69 https://t.co/AS5v7FEOon
The Structural Transformation of Healthcare AI: The Ascendance of Forward Deployed Engineering
The Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) model, originally forged at Palantir, is reshaping healthcare AI by embedding engineers directly within hospital IT environments to bridge the gap between algorithmic potential and production reality. FDEs handle live data integration, MLOps, and regulatory...
Self‑driving Robot Labs Spark Debate on Replacing Biologists
Will self-driving ‘#Robot labs’ replace biologists? Paper sparks debate by Ewen Callaway @Nature Learn more: https://t.co/CfOHJ2PcV3 #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/utwGlUIRVV
AI: Monopolies, Money Manipulation, and Boring Reality
The truth is that AI is a boring story of monopolization, financial manipulation, and extraction, clothed in techno-optimistic fraud. Obviously AI matters, it just matters in a boring way.
The Jobs Apocalypse Playbook: What It Would Actually Take to End Human Work and Why It Won't Happen
The article outlines a speculative "Jobs Apocalypse Playbook" that lists eight preconditions required for a civilization‑scale collapse of human work due to AI. It contrasts the sensational narrative—AI wiping out half of entry‑level white‑collar jobs and pushing unemployment to double...
Non‑competes, Not AI, Are Shrinking Labor’s Income Share
There's no evidence for broad AI labor displacement, but there's plenty of evidence for the labor share of income dropping dramatically due to noncompetes and employer consolidation. Gee I wonder why elites want to talk about AI's threat to jobs....
Frameworks for Assessing Agentic AI Capabilities
How can we best evaluate #AgenticAI? by Elham Tabassi Ramayya Krishnan @BrookingsInst Learn more: https://t.co/KXn9VVEyfi #GenerativeAI #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #MI https://t.co/PSAfEczwFk
I Switched to Linux for Local LLMs and Setup that Took Hours on Windows Took Minutes
The author migrated from Windows to Linux for running local large language models with Ollama and found the Linux experience dramatically faster and more reliable. On Windows, the installer often defaults to CPU, requires WSL2, Docker configuration, and manual GPU...
After Dissing Anthropic for Limiting Mythos, OpenAI Restricts Access to Cyber, Too
OpenAI announced that its upcoming GPT‑5.5 Cyber tool will be released only to vetted "critical cyber defenders" after Sam Altman publicly criticized Anthropic for limiting access to its Mythos product. Prospective users must complete an online application that verifies their...
Ecommerce Trends: What Anthropic, OpenAI and Google Are Each Doing in Agentic Commerce
Anthropic unveiled Project Deal, an internal pilot where 69 employees used Claude‑powered agents to buy and sell items on a Craigslist‑style marketplace. The experiment generated 186 transactions totaling over $4,000, with participants rating fairness at a mid‑range 4 out of...
Human Oversight Essential: AI Can't Fully Guard Cybersecurity
Why We Can’t Let #AI Take the Wheel of Cyber Defense by Steve Durbin @SecurityWeek Learn more: https://t.co/m9sL8PCrDB #CyberSecurity #Infosec #IT #Technology https://t.co/10zENgTC6l
Speed to Power: How Developers Are Restructuring for AI Demand
Developers of AI‑driven data centers are abandoning pure scale‑first designs in favor of a "speed to power" approach, prioritizing rapid access to electricity over sheer capacity. With global data‑center electricity demand projected to triple by 2029, grid constraints and interconnection...
Cursor Makes Coding More Enjoyable than Native AI Editors
Narrative violation: Finding it's more fun to work within Cursor than in the native Codex or Claude Code apps. Not a massive difference, but just enough to keep me there. And obviously easier to play with new competing models as...
Anthropic's Mythos Has Landed: Here's What Comes Next for Cyber
Anthropic unveiled Claude Mythos, a large‑language model that can automatically locate and exploit zero‑day vulnerabilities across major operating systems and browsers, demonstrating the find on a 27‑year‑old OpenBSD flaw. The rapid, machine‑speed discovery has alarmed the cybersecurity community, prompting fears of...
Wyndham Pitches AI as Antidote to Hotel Margin Squeeze
Wyndham Hotels raised its full‑year RevPAR outlook while unveiling an AI‑driven toolkit aimed at easing margin pressure for its franchisees. The company is deploying voice‑assistant agents and upgraded booking platforms to boost ancillary sales and streamline operations. Although the technology...
Ling‑2.6‑1T Delivers Better Results With Minimal Reasoning
Ling-2.6-1T is interesting because it’s built to do more with less. It can give better results without needing long, detailed reasoning steps, which a lot of teams will find helpful.
Fractal Overhauls Operations, Appoints Three New AI Chiefs
Fractal, the AI and advanced analytics firm, announced a sweeping operational overhaul and the appointment of three new AI chiefs to steer its newly defined enterprise AI pillars. The restructuring, effective April 30, introduces AI‑led Transformation, AI Foundations, and AI...