Today's AI Pulse
Macron bets on AI with €75 bn SoftBank pledge to cement France’s tech future
French President Emmanuel Macron is securing a SoftBank pledge of up to €75 bn (≈$86 bn) for AI projects, branding the effort “Project Marengo.” The plan leverages France’s nuclear power to build low‑cost data centres and position the country as Europe’s AI hub.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Waymo acquires Apple’s Arizona Proving Ground for $220M
Elon Musk Unveils Orbital Data Centers, Ties Funding to $75 B SpaceX IPO
Elon Musk announced that SpaceX will launch data‑center satellites to power AI workloads from orbit, and he positioned the plan as a cornerstone of a confidential $75 billion IPO filing that could value SpaceX at $1.75‑$2 trillion. The proposal raises questions about energy costs, technical feasibility, and the future of big‑data infrastructure.
AI Finally Closes Search Loop, but Trust Remains Uncertain
The evolution of search has always been "Find". Google never got there but, now, AI has. AI is the first time it feels like the loop is actually closed. But it raises a new question: How much do you trust the answer?
Real Home Robot Maids Are Here: How X Square Robot Merges Automation with Human Partnership
X Square Robot, in partnership with 58.com, has launched China’s first home‑cleaning robot service, allowing consumers in Shenzhen to book a combined human‑robot cleaning team. The AI‑powered humanoid robot autonomously performs structured tasks such as wiping surfaces and organizing items,...
Weekend Reading: AI’s Analysis of Soda and Alcohol Marketing on Social Media
Vital Strategies' Canary platform used AI to analyze soda and alcohol marketing on social media. It found Coca‑Cola appeared in 795 posts during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, generating about 6 billion impressions, while digital alcohol ads posted nearly 4,000...
Niantic Turns Pokémon GO Data Into AI Gold
The guys behind Pokémon GO just pulled off the greatest pivot in tech. Shaan and I chatted about this on the pod recently. For years, millions of players walked around cities capturing street-level video data. Now the game's hype is gone. But Niantic is...
The Hidden Reason Your AI Assistant Feels so Sluggish
AI assistants feel sluggish because agent‑driven workloads overload traditional data platforms. Large language models fire dozens of concurrent short SQL queries per prompt, demanding sub‑second response times that batch‑oriented warehouses can’t meet. This mismatch drives latency and rising costs, prompting...
Ep 748: Plugins, Microsoft’s AI Comeback and New AI Video. 7 New AI Features You Should Be Tracking
In this episode Jordan Wilson breaks down seven fresh AI updates, spotlighting the return of ChatGPT plugins now live in the Codex store, Google Gemini’s new ability to import chat histories, and Slack’s overhaul that transforms its bot into a...
Cisco Joins COMPUTEX 2026 Keynote Lineup with Focus on Full-Stack AI
Cisco will make its inaugural appearance on the COMPUTEX 2026 keynote stage, with Senior Vice President Jeremy Foster presenting a "full‑stack approach to AI" on June 1. The four‑day event in Taipei, running June 2‑5, expects roughly 1,500 exhibitors across 6,000 booths...
Oracle APEX and Artificial Intelligence: How a Low-Code Platform Is Arguably Changing the Rules of Enterprise Development
Oracle APEX now bundles artificial‑intelligence features directly within Oracle Database 23ai and APEX 24.1, letting developers add semantic search, generative AI, and predictive analytics through ordinary SQL without middleware. The platform’s low‑code approach reduces prototype cycles to a few days and...
AI Winners Show Massive Revenue Growth, Some Still Overvalued
Top 10 AI beneficiaries by est. NTM revenue growth 👇 $MU (Micron) +175% $SNDK (Sandisk) +171% $SKH (SK hynix) +148% $AAOI (Applied Optoelectronics) +103% $LITE (Lumentum) +88% $CRDO (Credo Tech) +77% $AVGO (Broadcom) +75% $NVDA (Nvidia) +69% $ALAB (Astera Labs) +57% $SIMO (Silicon Motion) +43% Some of these are clearly stretched. But...
I Let Claude Make AND Post My Instagram Carousel. Here's What Happened.
A creator tested whether Claude, an AI language model, could not only write a 10‑slide Instagram carousel but also publish it automatically via PRISM’s MCP integration. The prompt produced a narrative‑driven carousel in the creator’s voice, and PRISM posted it...
Penguin Random House Sues OpenAI for Copying Children's Books
Another AI lawsuit, this time for OpenAI (again) -> Penguin Random House sues OpenAI for copyright infringement, alleging its LLM "memorized" a popular German children's book series and can reproduce the content "In response to the prompt “Can you write a...
The Honest Truth About Making Money with AI (2026 Guide)
The AI Side Hustles That Actually Make Money (2026 Guide) by Tanvir I is a Kindle book that outlines 22 concrete AI‑driven income systems, from freelancing to YouTube automation, with exact tool recommendations and step‑by‑step workflows. It positions itself against...
Chrome Builds Shopping Profiles via Structured Content Extraction
Super interesting from Dan -> Chrome’s New Shopping Classifier "The classifier doesn’t look at raw HTML. It doesn’t look at the DOM directly either. Chrome uses a structured content extraction system called AnnotatedPageContent, accessible via the Chrome DevTools Protocol method...
U.S. Holds 43% of Global Data Centers, Europe Trails
The Countries With the Most Data Centers Key Takeaways: 👉 The U.S. hosts 43% of the world’s data centers, with 4,088 total. 👉 Germany and the UK are nearly tied for second place, separated by just one facility. 👉 Europe’s FLAP-D corridor remains a...
How to Use Claude Cowork as a CHRO
Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) are overwhelmed by operational chaos, juggling scattered files, overdue reports, and urgent CEO requests. In a recent experiment, a CHRO used Claude Cowork, an Anthropic AI assistant, to organize 20 disordered HR documents, generate a...
Minimal AI Savings Dampen Municipal Switch Incentive
Former head of M&A at $CSU on how AI affects switching costs "The delta in terms of potential cost saving is minimal and the incentive to switch becomes less. If you're managing whatever it is for a municipality, say in Europe,...
Dola Seed 2.0 Pro Is Here: The Multimodal Leap
BytePlus unveiled Dola Seed 2.0 Pro, a multimodal AI model that rivals GPT‑5.2 and Gemini 3 Pro on early benchmarks. The model is now natively integrated into Kilo Code’s ecosystem—including a VS Code extension, CLI, and KiloClaw—and offered free for a limited period....
Introducing Intelligent Document Processing with Zoho RPA
Zoho has added Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) to its RPA platform, enabling bots to extract data from PDFs, images, and handwritten files using AI. The no‑code, drag‑and‑drop interface lets users define extraction regions, keywords, and field mappings without scripting. Extracted...
Marvell Ushers in the 1.6T Era with Expanded Optical DSP Platform Portfolio, Redefining AI Data Center End-to-End Connectivity
Marvell Technology announced an expanded 1.6 Tb/s optical DSP portfolio, adding four new 3 nm products—Ara T, Ara X, Petra and Aquila M—to its existing line. The new DSPs target higher power efficiency, link reliability, flexible gearbox configurations and built‑in MACsec security for AI‑focused data...
Rubrik Rolls Out Industry’s First Semantic AI Governance Engine
Rubrik unveiled its Semantic AI Governance Engine (SAGE), the first industry‑wide solution that uses a custom small language model to interpret natural‑language policies and control autonomous agents in real time. The engine replaces static rule‑sets with intent‑driven governance, enabling the...
How Worried Should You Be About an AI Apocalypse?
The article questions whether the public should fear an AI‑driven apocalypse, noting that super‑intelligent systems remain a speculative concept. It contrasts AI risk with climate change, emphasizing that AI threats are harder to measure due to limited data. While science‑fiction...
Stop Stressing About AI Token Costs (And What to Actually Pay Attention To)
The article argues that worrying about AI token costs is premature because prices are falling dramatically, similar to how texting became free. While loading extensive context profiles—sometimes 20 pages—does increase token usage, the incremental cost is negligible for individual workflows....
Generative AI-Powered Voice Technology in Agricultural Advisory Services: Lessons From India
A generative AI voice agent developed by Farm Vaidya now provides real‑time, context‑specific agricultural advice to Telugu‑speaking smallholders in southeast India. The system leverages mobile phones, bypassing the need for broadband, and delivers guidance on inputs, pest control, weather, and...
AI Art Is Human Art
A recent study published in *Advanced Science* compared visual creativity across four groups: professional artists, the general public, generative AI operating alone, and generative AI guided by human prompts. Artists achieved the highest creativity scores, followed by the general population,...
ServiceNow CEO Builds New Business Model Around AI
ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott announced that the company’s total addressable market has ballooned to at least $600 billion, up from roughly $90 billion when he took the helm. The rapid leap in AI model capabilities since late 2023 has forced software firms...
AI Agents Will Price Token ROI Against Human Hires
The end game for AI agents is companies making decisions like do we give a product team $200K to hire another developer or an extra $150K in Claude credits? It will be similar math to hiring contractors versus full timers. The...
How to Build a Personal Context Portfolio and MCP Server
The episode dives into the emerging "agentic era," emphasizing that AI agents need well‑structured context to function effectively. Host explains how enterprises struggle with unstructured data, citing Michael Chen’s insights, and introduces the concept of a Personal Context Portfolio—a modular,...
Two Impactful AI Projects, Not Ten, Secure $200K
You don’t need 10 AI DS projects. You need 2 that matter: 1. ML app that predicts something real 2. RAG + agent app that saves time for a team That’s a portfolio that will land you a $200K career. 👉Here's your 1st one: https://learn.business-science.io/registration-ai-workshop-2
DEEPX Expands NPU Partnership With Lotte Innovate After PoC Approval
DEEPX announced on April 2 that its DX‑M1 neural processing unit has cleared Lotte Innovate’s proof‑of‑concept validation, prompting the two firms to move into a mass‑production phase. Lotte Innovate selected the DX‑M1 for its strong computational performance, efficient thermal management and...
Qualcomm Joins Korea's 'Challenge AX' Program to Support AI Startups
Qualcomm announced its participation in South Korea’s Challenge AX program, a government‑backed initiative linking AI startups with large corporations. The company will act as a demand‑side partner alongside LG Electronics, offering joint development of robot control, autonomous mobile robots, and on‑device...
The Sequence Opinion #836: Insurance for AI Agents ? Not as Crazy as You Think
Software engineering is undergoing a paradigm shift as developers increasingly rely on large language models to write code through natural‑language prompts, a practice dubbed “vibe coding.” By 2026, these models are capable of autonomous, multi‑step research loops, evolving into “vibe...
AI Workflow Could Finally Make Tiny Web Projects Profitable
There's a type of project that makes most agencies uncomfortable: the small website job. Good enough to take, because the client relationship matters or the referral came from someone important. Too small to profit from, because design and build time eats...
AI and ADR Neutrals: When Should Its Use Be Disclosed? Three Emerging Approaches to Transparency in Mediation and Arbitration Practice
Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering mediation and arbitration, prompting a debate over whether neutrals should disclose its use. Practitioners are considering three emerging approaches: treating AI as a routine professional tool with no disclosure, offering limited transparency about its administrative...
Just Because We Can: The Strategic Risks Of Automating Everything
The article warns that the rush to automate every task with agentic AI creates hidden operational, economic, and environmental risks. It illustrates how a simple voice command relies on multiple cloud services, turning a trivial action into a potential point...
Balancing AI Competition and Collaboration Boosts Writer Skills
Writers who balance both rivalry and collaboration with AI maintain stronger skills and adaptability, achieving productivity gains without sacrificing long-term expertise. This dual approach may be key for creative professionals navigating AI integration. aiwriting
UBTech Offers $18 M Chief Scientist Salary, Defying Chinese AI Norms
Chinese Humanoid Robot Maker UBTech Offers $18 Million to Hire Chief Scientist The advertised salary is unusual for a Chinese AI industry that’s eschewed the mega pay packages that the likes of Meta Platforms Inc. have put together for elite...
Amidst Global Uncertainty, Enterprise Tech Spending Holds Steady: Arundhati Bhattacharya
Salesforce South Asia CEO Arundhati Bhattacharya says enterprise technology spending in India remains steady despite global uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. The company completed its Informatica acquisition, adding roughly 5,000 employees and bringing its India headcount to about 17,000. While AI...
Japanese Firms Adopt Chinese Hospitality Robots Despite Security Concerns
AI startup trains Chinese humanoid robots in Japanese hospitality Japan companies eye tech from China despite security risks due to lack of options https://t.co/bWAquSZSTu via @NikkeiAsia
AI Fuels Emerging Gender Gap Alongside Productivity Gains
AI isn’t just reshaping productivity and threatening to kill jobs. It’s also creating a new gender gap https://t.co/IlgkI5NHAE
Clevertize Elevates Saumya Agrawal to Co-Founder
Clevertize has promoted Saumya Agrawal, a trainee who joined at the agency’s inception, to co‑founder as it marks eight years in business. The move formalises her long‑standing leadership role and signals a deeper commitment to AI‑enabled marketing and creative services....
R/Programming Bans AI LLM Posts, Demands Quality Discussion
The largest programming community on Reddit just banned all content related to AI LLMs — r/programming is prioritizing only high-quality discussions about AI https://t.co/HgPS46xeuZ
Fast Setup, Low Cost Beats Slow, Pricey Alternative
Claude Cowork setup: 2 minutes. OpenClaw setup: 50 hours. Same result. Different cost. Choose wisely. https://t.co/MFj5pVF0o6
Code & Chips to Curtail Carbon: Leveraging AI to Promote Green Electrons
AI is projected to reduce global CO₂ emissions by 5‑10% versus business‑as‑usual, with a potential 2.4 GtCO₂e cut by 2035 from power and mobility sectors alone. Real‑time AI analytics could boost renewable output up to 20%, delivering an additional 1.8 GtCO₂e reduction....
AI Agents Threaten Software Interfaces' Relevance to Investors
Fidelity to institutional investors: AI agents will erode the value of your software interfaces. Not disrupt. Erode. If an agent can finish your customer's task without opening your product, what makes you essential? That's the question. https://t.co/uHaWRaSCqt
AI-Generated Markdown Streamlines Code Review Feedback
not sure if this is a new thing, but seeing this be very effective for code review at @remote: instead of submitting line-by-line comments, get AI to generate a large markdown file with all suggested changes, including some extra context on...
Vastnaut Launches AI‑Powered 4×4 Exoskeleton, Pre‑Orders Open with $10 Deposit
Vastnaut announced the Vastnaut One, the first AI‑powered 4‑joint × 4‑motor exoskeleton designed for hikers, photographers and field professionals. The lightweight 2.7 kg device is now available for pre‑order with a fully refundable $10 deposit, positioning it as a potential game‑changer for endurance‑focused...
AI Robots Boost Preschoolers' Mastery Motivation in Health Education
Researchers at a leading university have demonstrated that AI‑robot‑supported, task‑based learning significantly raises preschoolers' intrinsic motivation and mastery orientation in health education. The peer‑reviewed study, published in Nature, marks a measurable step forward for educational technology aimed at early childhood...
Take-Two Has Seemingly Laid Off an Unspecified Portion of Its AI Team, Including Its Head of AI
Take‑Two Interactive has dismissed its head of artificial intelligence, Luke Dicken, and an unspecified portion of the AI team, just two months after CEO Strauss Zelnick said the company is actively embracing generative AI. Dicken, who joined in January 2023 after a...
PgEdge Launches MCP Server for Postgres, Pushing Message‑Based Protocol Over APIs for AI Agents
pgEdge announced a production‑ready MCP Server for Postgres, positioning a message‑based communication protocol as a superior alternative to traditional APIs for AI agents. The service promises built‑in security, deep schema introspection and reduced token consumption, aiming to curb hallucinations and...