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:
Claude Is Taking Over… And ChatGPT Is Crashing Out
Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, is rapidly eclipsing ChatGPT in social media buzz, with many users canceling ChatGPT subscriptions to try Claude’s models. The platform offers three tiers—Opus for deep reasoning, Sonnet for balanced performance and cost, and Haiku for fast, affordable tasks—supporting text, images, multilingual input, and extended conversations. Its strengths include superior writing quality, strong analytical capabilities, handling large documents, robust coding assistance, cautious information handling, persistent memory, and emerging automation features. However, Claude lacks native image generation, can be overly cautious, imposes usage limits on paid plans, may lag on real‑time data, tends toward verbosity, offers limited collaboration, and can become costly at scale.
Turn AI Learning Into a 10‑Minute Daily Habit
"I keep meaning to really dig into AI, but I can't seem to find the time. I'm just so busy." If that sounds like you, @yourgirlhils and I made something just for you. Introducing the Couch-to-5K for AI—a free, fun, 30-day program...
Hyperscalers Have Their Cake and Eat It Too
Google announced up to $40 billion in funding for Anthropic, securing long‑term demand for its TPU chips and cloud capacity, while Microsoft renegotiated its OpenAI deal to drop exclusivity, retain Azure primacy and preserve a sizable equity stake. Both moves illustrate...
BridgeWise Taps X to Bring Social Media Sentiment Into Institutional Investing
BridgeWise announced a partnership with X to feed the platform’s social media stream into its AI‑driven investment suite. The API link converts X posts into real‑time sentiment scores using BridgeWise’s S‑Factor framework and Context Analytics technology. The new product, SentimentWise,...
The US Department of Education Just Finalized Its AI in Education Priority. Here’s What It Means.
On April 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education issued its final supplemental priority titled “Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education,” establishing a policy framework that will steer discretionary grant dollars toward AI‑related initiatives in K‑12 and higher education. The priority,...
Plataine Introduces Breakthrough Integrated AI Production Scheduling and Equipment Maintenance Optimization in One Platform
Plataine has upgraded its Production Scheduler to embed preventive equipment maintenance directly into AI‑driven production planning. The new feature monitors real‑time usage, automatically triggers maintenance tasks, and reshapes schedules to avoid disruptions. Powered by the Practimum Optimum™ engine, the system...
Inside Acumatica’s AI Strategy: Jon Pollock Discusses the Future of ERP
Acumatica’s 2026 R1 release embeds AI across core ERP workflows, turning the system of record into a system of execution. AI Studio integrates predictive analytics into finance, manufacturing, distribution, retail and construction processes. Immediate benefits include real‑time shop‑floor visibility, inventory...
Why AI Is Being Used As An Excuse To Stop Investing In People
In this episode, Dr. Jonathan warns that many organizations are using AI as an excuse to stop investing in their workforce, treating it as an "escape hatch" to cut training, development, and support. He highlights three core issues: the relentless...
Claude AI Boosts Financial Analyst Productivity
Top 5 Ways to Use Claude AI in a Financial Analyst Role 👇 1. Financial Report Analysis – Summarize earnings reports, extract key insights, and identify trends quickly. 2. Data Interpretation & Insights – Convert raw financial data into clear explanations and...
Amazon Unveils a Copilot for All Your Apps
Amazon announced two new AI services aimed at streamlining enterprise workflows. The first, Amazon Quick, is a desktop app that integrates with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoom and Salesforce to automate tasks like meeting scheduling without requiring an AWS account....
How Adobe Is Building AI and Agentic Tools for Brands—While Keeping an Eye on Actual Adoption
Adobe announced a suite of AI‑driven tools aimed at boosting brand visibility and agentic capabilities as AI‑assisted retail traffic surged 393% year‑over‑year in Q1 2026. The new Brand Concierge and LLM Apps let brands appear inside large language model interfaces, while...
Microarchitecture Tailored to 3D-Stacked Near-Memory Processing LLM Decoding (U. Of Edinburgh, Peking U., Cambridge Et Al.)
Researchers from Edinburgh, Peking, Cambridge and other institutions released a paper proposing a new micro‑architecture for 3D‑stacked near‑memory processing (NMP) that targets large‑language‑model (LLM) decoding. By swapping traditional MAC‑tree compute units for a compact, reconfigurable systolic array and leveraging an...
IAM’s Adaptation for AI Agents Drives M&A Deals for Silverfort, iC Consult
Silverfort, a digital identity security firm, has acquired AI‑native provider Fabrix Security to embed Fabrix’s real‑time AI decision engine into its Runtime Access Protection platform. The combined solution aims to protect human, non‑human and agentic identities at runtime, addressing the...
Anaconda Releases Desktop in Public Beta, Unifying AI Development Workflow
Anaconda has launched a public‑beta of Anaconda Desktop, a single application that merges model discovery, local LLM inference, and conda environment management. The tool extends the familiar Anaconda Navigator interface with native AI capabilities while retaining package installation, environment handling,...
3CLogic Expands Voice AI Hub
3CLogic announced an expansion of its Voice AI Hub, adding outbound voice AI agents, a multimodal AI interface, and an AI Agent Evaluator. The outbound agents can proactively manage appointments, conduct intelligent outreach, and deliver preemptive resolution, shifting from passive notifications...
Powerful AI Demands Restraint, Not Blind Automation
The more powerful AI gets, the more valuable restraint becomes. All these new developments can sometimes trigger the wrong instinct: Automate all the things. Easy there 😄 Just because you can delegate to a machine doesn’t mean you’ve found leverage....
AI That Accelerated Webb Data Will Now Sharpen Rubin Observatory Images
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, now generating about 20 TB of nightly imaging data, is turning to AI to handle its massive data stream. Researchers at UC‑Santa Cruz have adapted the machine‑learning tools that cut James Webb analysis from years to...
The Age of Agentic Commerce Has Arrived. Consensus 2026 Is Where You Can Experience It IRL
Agentic commerce—AI‑driven autonomous transactions—is moving from theory to practice, with agents already paying for APIs and settling invoices. The industry’s biggest friction points are human‑centric payment rails, prompting a race to build blockchain‑based protocols like x402 and the Machine Payments...
Gemini to Replace Google Assistant in 4M GM Cars
Big for Gemini. 4M+ cars -> Gemini replacing Google Assistant on Android Automotive for 4 million GM cars "Specifically, Gemini will soon roll out to model year 2022 and newer Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles. GM says there are...
EraDrive and Northrop Grumman Collaborate on AI-Enabled Autonomy
Silicon Valley startup EraDrive has signed a teaming agreement with Northrop Grumman to embed artificial‑intelligence into the autonomy stack of the defense contractor’s spacecraft. The partnership will demonstrate AI‑enabled rendezvous, proximity operations and onboard decision‑making, targeting pose estimation, GNC integration...
Anthropic Expands Claude Into Animation Pipelines With Blender, Autodesk, Adobe
Anthropic announced that its Claude AI now integrates with major creative‑software suites, including Blender, Autodesk Fusion, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Affinity by Canva. The new connectors let users issue natural‑language commands to generate scripts, batch‑process assets, and build project...
Tighter Policies Lead to Fewer Facial Recognition Searches for Detroit Police
Detroit police dramatically reduced facial‑recognition usage, conducting only nine searches in 2025—a 91% drop from 2023. The decline follows a 2024 settlement that imposed stricter policies limiting the technology to violent crimes and prohibiting its use as the sole basis...
Bed Bath & Beyond CEO: AI Will Lead to ‘Significant Reduction in Headcount’
Bed Bath & Beyond is pivoting to an AI‑centric model, with CEO Marcus Lemonis warning that deeper AI integration will trigger a significant headcount reduction across functions such as supply chain, IT, accounting, marketing and merchandising. The company reported its first quarterly revenue...
AI Tokenomics: Cost, Risk & AI Dependency (2026)
AI tokenomics describes the shift from free or low‑cost AI access to usage‑based pricing that treats each token processed as an operational expense. As enterprises embed generative AI across workflows, token consumption—and therefore spend—can balloon faster than budgets anticipate. Simultaneously,...
Navigating the AI Frontier in Education: New Webinar Series
Tech & Learning is launching a three‑part webinar series on AI in education, beginning May 20, 2026. The sessions cover cutting‑edge AI tools, strategies for future‑proofing students’ careers, and safeguarding AI deployments. Designed for IT directors, principals and superintendents, the series offers...
Profluent and Lilly: The Next Gene Editor Will Be Designed by AI
Profluent, an Air Street Capital portfolio company, announced a multi‑program partnership with Eli Lilly to create AI‑designed recombinases for kilobase‑scale gene editing. The deal includes an upfront cash payment, committed R&D funding, and up to $2.25 billion in development and commercial milestones...
From Pain‑Points to Growth: Log to Reinvent with AI
I used to think the best way to come up with ways to use AI was to think about a painpoint or a problem and see if AI can make it better. I no longer think that. Why? Because that...
When Authentic Writing Gets Mistaken for AI
RT @VoxOptima My op-ed was flagged as AI. It wasn’t. What happens when good writing is called AI? ~ Jennifer Farr | https://t.co/oqLK6bbZtZ @prdaily "As AI tools become more popular, the expectation to avoid publishing content written by AI has increased...
Manifest OS Raises $60m Series A to Build AI-Native Law Firm Model
Manifest OS, a New York‑based legal‑tech startup, closed a $60 million Series A round at a $750 million valuation, backed by Menlo Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital and Quiet Capital. The funding will fuel the development of an AI‑native law firm model...
OpenAI Highlights Tight Model‑AWS Integration Advantage
Emphasizing the tight training of the model to the harness seems to be a touted advantage from folks here from OpenAI on the AWS relationship. https://t.co/xtmgEHmecU
Customers Demand OpenAI on Trusted AWS Platform
Commentary here by Matt Garmin, customers have been asking us for this for a long time. They wanted to run OpenAI, but in the environment they trust = AWS. This positioning by @benthompson is also right. https://t.co/5MmOPIHecH
Manifest OS Raises $60m Series A to Build AI-Native Law Firm Model
New York‑based startup Manifest OS closed a $60 million Series A round, valuing the company at $750 million. Backed by Menlo Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital and Quiet Capital, the funding will fuel its AI‑native law‑firm model that offers fixed‑fee and outcomes‑based...
Boardfly and Virgo Boost Google TPU V8 Performance
The Boardfly interconnect topology and Virgo datacenter network make the forthcoming Google TPU 8 AI accelerators do a lot more work that prior TPUs. $GOOG $NVDA https://t.co/4wHUW0f044
AI Gives Tiny Teams Leverage Over Massive Workforces
A 5-person team using AI can outpace a 50-person team that isn't. The competitive advantage isn't capital anymore. It's leverage.
Vendavo Named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for B2B Pricing & Rebate Optimization Software
Vendavo has been positioned as a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for B2B Pricing & Rebate Optimization Software. Gartner highlighted the company’s completeness of vision and ability to execute, underscoring its AI‑powered pricing, quoting and rebate capabilities. Vendavo says the...
75+ New AI Prompts for E‑Commerce Success
I've just updated my E-commerce AI Toolkit for April 2026. 75+ new prompts for video ads, landing pages, and product research. New workflows for store optimization and content strategy. Comment 'AI KIT' and RT. I'll send it over. Free, as...
Build Low‑Code Agents Using Oracle Agent Studio
And how to build an agent low code / no code to it intent based development with @Oracle agent studio. #OracleARSummit https://t.co/FfsFbLaRbg
Anan Data Center to Provide 40MW AI Infrastructure for Crusoe in Israel
Crusoe has signed a long‑term agreement with Israel’s Anan Data Center to secure up to 40 MW of AI‑focused data‑center capacity at Anan’s under‑construction Afula facility. The deal, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, positions Israel as a strategic...
Amazon Connect Talent Anonymizes Candidates to Curb Bias
MYPOV: On the ethical AI front, this is interesting. Amazon Connect Talent anonymizes candidates, helping to reduce human preconceptions that come with seeing candidate demographics and personally identifiable information. #HR #WhatsNextWithAWS #AWS
No-Code Agentic Apps Require Voice Input for Intent
And @chrismleone underlines they no code for Agentic apps means voice input for the agent Intent. #OracleARSummit https://t.co/xeM2C0Zhlp
Fragmented AI Policy Threatens US Leadership as Government Scrambles to Keep Pace
Appian Corp. announced that its new head of government relations, Joe Vidulich, is actively engaging federal and state policymakers to address AI policy fragmentation. Speaking at Appian World 2026, Vidulich warned that 50 separate state AI rules create a chaotic...
Using AI to Excuse Patient Denials Damages AI’s Reputation
Letting companies use AI as a smokescreen for why patients are getting denied healthcare is going to be terrible for AI's brand https://t.co/eltFYOkih6
AI Adoption Stalls in CI/CD Over Trust and Integration Gaps
Why is AI adoption inside the CI/CD workflow lagging? Is it a trust issue, as called out here? Or are the products (or integration points) lacking what today's AI apps and teams demand? I don't know. https://t.co/edozQzlVba
DeepSeek V4 Launches on ZenMux: Free, Powerful, Ultra‑cheap
DeepSeek V4 just went live on ZenMux with free versions at launch. Same coding power as Claude Opus 4.7. 7x cheaper on Pro. 90x cheaper on Flash. 1M native context. MIT licensed. Here's how to swap it into Claude Code in 3 minutes 👇...
Ambient AI Revives Paper-Chart Conversation Flow, Boosts NPS
Juniper Health says ambient AI is helping bring conversations in the exam room back to something closer to the paper chart days. And patients are responding—Net Promoter Scores are at an all-time high. 🔗https://t.co/doV7kX4Zg3 @NextGen @WHClinics #JuniperHealth #HITSM https://t.co/sThLZIEPIl
Google Workspace AI: Transformative Layer or Better Copilot?
1/ @GoogleWorkspace just made its strongest move yet from “AI in the productivity suite” to “AI as the operating layer for work.” My top provocation for CIOs: Does it genuinely animate work directly + agentically? 🧠⚙️ Or just add better copilots to...
AI Skills Toolkit Boosts Critical Thinking for Your Work
My friend @PhilipJoubert has put together an incredible useful set of AI skills that you can use to improve your thinking. Bring in your favorite thinkings to critique your memos, blog posts and research. npx skills add philipjoubert/dojo-public \ --global...
Anthropic Launches Claude Connectors for Major Creative Tools
New connectors -> Anthropic partners with Blender, Autodesk, Adobe, Ableton, and others to launch connectors that integrate Claude directly into professional creative workflows https://t.co/gqpuOcQ6GI https://t.co/ATn6oyu5vQ
AI Agents Poised to Dissolve Data Silos with AWS
Will AI agents finally break down data silos? I’m "relatively” optimistic. Jigar Thakkar is talking about how to do this with Amazon Quick #WhatsNextWithAWS #AWS https://t.co/SnP4khetyO
AI's Real Economic Impact: Use Cases, Models, Labor Shift
My latest post exploring AI in terms of economics: actual use cases, business models, the bubble, impacts on labor. https://t.co/9EfeNs7PcC https://t.co/P246cYJ9Kq