AI News and Headlines

Another Early AI Accounting Startup Just Bit the Dust
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Another Early AI Accounting Startup Just Bit the Dust

Botkeeper, an early AI accounting platform founded in 2015, announced its closure after eleven years despite achieving high‑accuracy transaction coding and a sophisticated AI suite. The company raised substantial venture capital and built an “Infinite” platform that could reconcile data...

By Going Concern
Opkey Launches Design Studio for ERP Implementation Planning
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Opkey Launches Design Studio for ERP Implementation Planning

Opkey introduced Design Studio, an AI‑driven module within its application lifecycle automation platform that streamlines ERP and HCM implementation planning. The visual canvas embeds more than 20 domain‑specific AI agents to automate discovery, requirements capture, process mapping, and configuration design....

By ERP Today
Managing Legal Risk in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: What Key Stakeholders Need to Know Today
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Managing Legal Risk in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: What Key Stakeholders Need to Know Today

In 2026 enterprises are scaling AI from pilots to company‑wide deployments, prompting a surge in legal exposure across governance, compliance, privacy, contracting and IP. Boards face heightened fiduciary duties under the Caremark standard, yet only 36% have formal AI oversight...

By JD Supra (Labor & Employment)
Football Commentator Permits EA to Use an AI Version of His Voice for EA Sports FC
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Football Commentator Permits EA to Use an AI Version of His Voice for EA Sports FC

EA Sports FC commentator Guy Mowbray has authorized Electronic Arts to clone his voice using artificial intelligence, allowing the game to generate pronunciations for more than 20,000 footballer names. Mowbray currently records each name several times to capture different emphases,...

By GamesIndustry.biz
Generative AI Reduces M&A Costs by 20%, McKinsey Says
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Generative AI Reduces M&A Costs by 20%, McKinsey Says

McKinsey reports that generative AI has slashed M&A costs by roughly 20% and accelerated deal timelines by 10% to 30%. The technology enables faster target identification, due diligence, and integration, especially amid geopolitical and supply‑chain disruptions. Bain finds one in...

By CFO Dive
Canadian Fintech Investment Down Nearly 75% Last Year, After Record-High 2024
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Canadian Fintech Investment Down Nearly 75% Last Year, After Record-High 2024

Canadian fintech investment plunged 75% in 2025, falling to US$2.4 billion across 113 deals, down from a record US$9.9 billion in 2024. AI and digital‑asset firms dominated the reduced deal flow, while later‑stage platforms attracted the bulk of capital. The three biggest...

By Financial Post — Finance
OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity Near Approval to Host AI Directly for the U.S. Government (Exclusive)
NewsFeb 18, 2026

OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity Near Approval to Host AI Directly for the U.S. Government (Exclusive)

OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity are on the cusp of receiving FedRAMP 20x authorization, allowing them to host AI services on their own clouds for U.S. government use. The approval will be limited to low‑impact, pilot deployments but marks a shift toward...

By Fast Company AI
Loft Orbital, SmartSat CRC to Demonstrate Wildfire Detection Technology
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Loft Orbital, SmartSat CRC to Demonstrate Wildfire Detection Technology

Loft Orbital and Australia’s SmartSat Cooperative Research Center have begun a joint mission to test AI‑driven wildfire detection software on Loft’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellites. The system uses hyperspectral imaging to differentiate smoke from ordinary cloud cover and to flag nascent blazes,...

By Via Satellite
Arista Hints at In-the-Works Telemetry Tools to Manage AI Fabrics
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Arista Hints at In-the-Works Telemetry Tools to Manage AI Fabrics

Arista Networks announced extensions to its telemetry stack aimed at AI‑driven environments, adding host‑level data such as RDMA counters, NIC buffering, and flow‑control metrics to its CloudVision platform. The new capabilities will merge in‑network and host telemetry into a single,...

By Network World
Albertsons Outlines Top 4 AI Priorities
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Albertsons Outlines Top 4 AI Priorities

Albertsons announced four AI priorities for fiscal 2026—digital customer experience, merchandising, labor, and supply chain—backed by a full cloud migration and unified data platform. Chief technology officer Anuj Dhanda emphasized these are long‑term investments already delivering measurable impact, such as...

By CIO Dive
Cutting-Edge Technologies Are Poised to Transform Orthopedics
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Cutting-Edge Technologies Are Poised to Transform Orthopedics

Orthopedic surgery is rapidly adopting AI, robotic assistance, VR/AR and wearable digital tools, shifting from experimental concepts to routine practice. AI now supports imaging interpretation, predictive risk modeling, personalized surgical planning, training simulations and remote postoperative monitoring. Robotic platforms improve...

By Healio
Intel Turns To Microsoft’s Copilot Studio For Partner Support After Dialing Back Phone Use
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Intel Turns To Microsoft’s Copilot Studio For Partner Support After Dialing Back Phone Use

Intel is launching "Ask Intel," an AI‑driven virtual assistant built on Microsoft’s Copilot Studio, to handle customer and partner support after scaling back phone and social‑media channels. The assistant can open cases, verify warranties and route complex issues to human...

By CRN (US)
Niqo Robotics Showcases 3-in-1 Precision AI Robot at Southwest Ag Summit 2026
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Niqo Robotics Showcases 3-in-1 Precision AI Robot at Southwest Ag Summit 2026

Niqo Robotics unveiled its 3‑in‑1 AI robot at the Southwest Ag Summit, demonstrating a single‑pass solution for precision weeding, crop thinning, and targeted spraying. The showcase followed a successful pilot that generated the company’s first commercial order in the region....

By RoboticsTomorrow
INL Enlists NVIDIA on ‘PROMETHEUS’ AI Effort to Halve Nuclear Deployment Timelines Under DOE Genesis Mission
NewsFeb 18, 2026

INL Enlists NVIDIA on ‘PROMETHEUS’ AI Effort to Halve Nuclear Deployment Timelines Under DOE Genesis Mission

Idaho National Laboratory has teamed with NVIDIA to launch PROMETHEUS, an AI‑driven autonomous reactor demonstration under the DOE Genesis Mission. The partnership targets a 50% reduction in nuclear deployment timelines and multi‑billion‑dollar cost savings by embedding AI across design, licensing,...

By POWER Magazine
NextGen Supply Chain Conference 2026 Opens Speaker Submission Process
NewsFeb 18, 2026

NextGen Supply Chain Conference 2026 Opens Speaker Submission Process

The NextGen Supply Chain Conference 2026 has opened its speaker submission window, inviting senior supply‑chain leaders to present case studies at the event scheduled for Oct. 21‑23, 2026, in Nashville’s W Hotel. The conference’s theme, “Innovate. Upskill. Transform.”, signals a shift...

By Supply Chain Management Review (SCMR)
Recurring Revenue Strategies for the AI Business Era
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Recurring Revenue Strategies for the AI Business Era

The article examines how AI’s high variable costs are reshaping recurring‑revenue models, moving firms away from flat‑rate SaaS subscriptions toward hybrid, usage‑based, and outcome‑based pricing. It cites McKinsey data showing 50% of firms plan AI adoption and highlights that 72%...

By SmartData Collective
Sumo Logic Moves Into Sovereign Cloud Regions in Europe
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Sumo Logic Moves Into Sovereign Cloud Regions in Europe

Sumo Logic announced the extension of its cloud‑native analytics platform into the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and an AWS data center in Switzerland. The move lets customers keep logs, telemetry, and security data within national borders, satisfying GDPR and other...

By ChannelE2E
Spirent Luma Brings Agentic AI to Network Testing, Slashes Triage Time
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Spirent Luma Brings Agentic AI to Network Testing, Slashes Triage Time

Spirent Communications, now part of Keysight, launched Luma, an agentic AI platform that automates network test case generation, root‑cause analysis, and knowledge retrieval. Built on a domain‑specific knowledge graph, deterministic rule engine and a suite of 10‑12 specialized AI agents,...

By Network World
AI Agents and How to Govern Them: Tailscale, Sayvint Offer Solutions
NewsFeb 18, 2026

AI Agents and How to Govern Them: Tailscale, Sayvint Offer Solutions

AI agents are moving from occasional chat tools to always‑on assistants, prompting enterprises to confront identity‑governance gaps. Tailscale introduced Aperture, an open‑alpha governance layer that ties AI usage to user or workload identities, offering policy controls, audit‑ready session logs, and...

By Biometric Update
Snowflake CEO: ‘I’m Not In The Business Of Selling AI. I’m In The Business Of Creating Value.’
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Snowflake CEO: ‘I’m Not In The Business Of Selling AI. I’m In The Business Of Creating Value.’

Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy told CRN that the company’s focus is on creating customer value, not merely selling AI. He highlighted the rapid expansion of Snowflake’s partner ecosystem to more than 14,200 global partners, a 22% year‑over‑year increase. Ramaswamy emphasized...

By CRN (US)
Snowflake Partners: AI’s Impact Can Withstand A Potential Bubble
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Snowflake Partners: AI’s Impact Can Withstand A Potential Bubble

Snowflake’s ecosystem of solution partners says AI’s impact will endure despite concerns of a bubble. Executives from BlueCloud, RiskSpan, Viewnear and Slalom stress that solid data foundations and cost‑driven efficiencies are essential for sustainable AI adoption. They note a shift...

By CRN (US)
Outcome-Based Business Models Gain Traction In The Channel As A Way To Navigate AI Economics
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Outcome-Based Business Models Gain Traction In The Channel As A Way To Navigate AI Economics

Solution providers are abandoning hourly billing in favor of outcome‑based models as AI automation turns software development into a commodity. Eduardo Ramos founded Viewnear to align pricing with measurable client results, leveraging Snowflake’s data platform and AI tools. RiskSpan and...

By CRN (US)
[Webinar] AI Trade Secrets: Litigation Trends and Risk Management - March 4th, 9:00 Am - 10:00 Am PST
NewsFeb 18, 2026

[Webinar] AI Trade Secrets: Litigation Trends and Risk Management - March 4th, 9:00 Am - 10:00 Am PST

Fenwick & West’s March 4 webinar will examine the surge in trade‑secret litigation targeting AI companies’ core assets, such as algorithms, training data, and deployment strategies. The session will dissect recent high‑profile cases and the sizable damages awarded, highlighting how employee...

By JD Supra – Legal Tech
Milwaukee Sheriff Moves to Integrate Biometrica Despite MPD Facial Recognition Freeze
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Milwaukee Sheriff Moves to Integrate Biometrica Despite MPD Facial Recognition Freeze

Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office has signed a letter of intent to partner with Biometrica, aiming to access its UMbRA facial‑recognition database. The draft contract would let the sheriff’s office search a de‑identified collection of mugshots, felony warrants and missing‑person images,...

By Biometric Update
Amazon Halts Blue Jay Robotics Project After Less than 6 Months
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Amazon Halts Blue Jay Robotics Project After Less than 6 Months

Amazon has halted its Blue Jay warehouse robotics project less than six months after its public debut. The multi‑armed robot, unveiled in October to speed same‑day delivery, was built in roughly a year—significantly faster than Amazon’s prior robot programs. Amazon says...

By TechCrunch Robotics
CharmHealth Advances Its AI Strategy With MCP Server
NewsFeb 18, 2026

CharmHealth Advances Its AI Strategy With MCP Server

CharmHealth introduced its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, a secure, standardized interface that lets AI applications access electronic health record (EHR) data directly within the clinician’s workflow. The server translates natural‑language requests from large language models into structured EHR interactions,...

By Digital Health Global
National Robotics Week 2026 Underscores Robotics as a Critical U.S. Industry and Workforce Engine
NewsFeb 18, 2026

National Robotics Week 2026 Underscores Robotics as a Critical U.S. Industry and Workforce Engine

National Robotics Week runs April 4‑12, 2026, spotlighting robotics as a strategic U.S. industry. Organized by MassRobotics, the week aggregates over a hundred events nationwide, linking manufacturers, startups, and research labs. Partnerships such as Microsoft’s sponsorship of STEM sessions and...

By RoboticsTomorrow
OpenAI Must Stop Using ‘Cameo’ Term in Sora App, Judge Rules
NewsFeb 18, 2026

OpenAI Must Stop Using ‘Cameo’ Term in Sora App, Judge Rules

A U.S. district judge granted a preliminary win to video‑request platform Cameo, ordering OpenAI to stop using the "Cameo" label for its Sora AI video feature, citing likely consumer confusion and recent deep‑fake controversies. OpenAI had previously renamed the feature...

By Mashable AI
AI Connected to Slightly More Hiring, but Growth Favors Older Workers with Less Exposure
NewsFeb 18, 2026

AI Connected to Slightly More Hiring, but Growth Favors Older Workers with Less Exposure

Payroll data from Gusto shows that small businesses that increase AI‑exposed work see modest revenue gains and a slight rise in hiring. For every 10‑point boost in AI exposure, monthly revenue climbs about 2.2% after six months, while headcount grows...

By Accounting Today
ECL Targets AI Data Centers with Fuel-Agnostic Power Platform
NewsFeb 18, 2026

ECL Targets AI Data Centers with Fuel-Agnostic Power Platform

ECL unveiled FlexGrid, a power‑agnostic platform that lets modular data centers draw electricity from hydrogen, natural gas, renewables or diesel. The system is designed for AI training and inferencing workloads, allowing operators to start with modest 2‑10 MW grid connections and...

By Network World
Pakistan Super App for Gov’t Services, Document Verification Advances Toward Launch
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Pakistan Super App for Gov’t Services, Document Verification Advances Toward Launch

Pakistan’s government is set to launch a mobile "Super App" that will consolidate public services, document verification, and digital payments into a single platform. The initiative builds on NADRA’s National Digital Identity system and the existing Pak ID app, leveraging...

By Biometric Update
‘The Future Is About Fixing Business Problems:’ New Charter CEO On AI‑Native MSP Strategy
NewsFeb 18, 2026

‘The Future Is About Fixing Business Problems:’ New Charter CEO On AI‑Native MSP Strategy

New Charter Technologies is reshaping the managed services provider (MSP) model by embedding AI into its core operations, turning reactive support into automated, self‑healing processes. The company recently hired Microsoft veteran Michelle Curtis as chief revenue officer to drive a...

By CRN (US)
Williams-Sonoma to Test Ads in ChatGPT
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Williams-Sonoma to Test Ads in ChatGPT

Williams‑Sonoma has joined OpenAI’s ad pilot, becoming one of the first retailers to test sponsored placements inside ChatGPT. The experiment will surface high‑end home‑goods ads to free and Go users as they ask product‑related questions, while paid subscribers remain ad‑free....

By Retail Dive
Don’t Run From Scary Times. Here’s How AI Helps You Prioritize What Really Counts
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Don’t Run From Scary Times. Here’s How AI Helps You Prioritize What Really Counts

Amid economic uncertainty, the article urges businesses to double down on core strengths and customer relationships, using AI as a strategic ally. It highlights how AI can surface top‑performing products, personalize marketing, and provide real‑time data to guide decisions. By...

By Entrepreneur
Frist Cressey Ventures Raises $425M Fund to Invest in AI-Native Care
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Frist Cressey Ventures Raises $425M Fund to Invest in AI-Native Care

Frist Cressey Ventures closed an oversubscribed $425 million Fund IV, lifting its assets under management close to $1 billion. The new fund zeroes in on early‑stage, AI‑native healthcare companies that can reshape care delivery. Strategic limited partners such as Cigna, MedStar Health and...

By HIT Consultant
Loman AI Expands POS Partnerships with SpotOn
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Loman AI Expands POS Partnerships with SpotOn

Loman AI announced a new partnership with SpotOn, extending its voice‑AI phone answering service to another leading restaurant point‑of‑sale platform. The integration lets the AI pull real‑time menu, reservation and inventory data directly from the POS, enabling more natural, accurate...

By Food On Demand
Identy Joins Africa’s Push for Digital Identity in Humanitarian Healthcare
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Identy Joins Africa’s Push for Digital Identity in Humanitarian Healthcare

Identy is partnering with the volunteer NGO HumanCoop to roll out offline facial‑recognition tools for undocumented patients in northern Mauritania, creating portable digital medical IDs that work without internet. The initiative will initially cover the Bir Mogrein community of over 2,500...

By Biometric Update
The Hidden Cost of AI: Why Data Debt Is Actually a Human Problem
NewsFeb 18, 2026

The Hidden Cost of AI: Why Data Debt Is Actually a Human Problem

At the Digital Lounge in Davos, IT leaders highlighted a hidden crisis: data debt is draining human capacity more than technology. Legacy SAP systems and fragmented data require teams to spend countless hours cleaning and governing information, leading to transformation...

By ERP Today
Google Adds Music-Generation Capabilities to the Gemini App
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Google Adds Music-Generation Capabilities to the Gemini App

Google has integrated DeepMind’s Lyria 3 music‑generation model into its Gemini app, launching a beta feature that creates short tracks with lyrics and AI‑generated cover art. Users can describe a song or upload a photo or video, prompting Gemini to produce...

By TechCrunch Apps
Google Adds Lyria 3 AI-Music Model to Its Gemini App
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Google Adds Lyria 3 AI-Music Model to Its Gemini App

Google has integrated DeepMind’s Lyria 3 generative‑music model into its Gemini app, expanding the multimodal AI assistant’s capabilities to include music creation. The update reaches Gemini’s more than 750 million monthly active users, allowing them to generate 30‑second tracks from text, images...

By Music Ally
Finpace Introduces Halcyon AI Layer to Its Core Banking Stack
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Finpace Introduces Halcyon AI Layer to Its Core Banking Stack

Finpace unveiled Halcyon, an AI‑driven layer integrated with its core banking platform, aimed at accelerating change management for African financial institutions. The solution interprets business intent, orchestrates actions across data and workflow systems, and embeds governance to ensure compliant, auditable...

By IT News Africa
Successfully Implementing AI in Banking: Insights From Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Successfully Implementing AI in Banking: Insights From Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies

Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies outlined how the UK fintech is scaling AI across its organization, emphasizing company‑wide adoption, engineering productivity, and cultural change. He highlighted that AI tools have delivered productivity improvements of two to ten times for engineers...

By Finovate
EDGX CEO Details the Startup’s Push for AI-Enabled Onboard Processing
NewsFeb 18, 2026

EDGX CEO Details the Startup’s Push for AI-Enabled Onboard Processing

Belgian AI space startup EDGX secured €2.3 million funding to accelerate its Sterna edge‑AI computer for satellites and has already signed a €1.1 million multi‑unit contract with a satellite operator. CEO Nick Destrycker says the company will focus on European defense and...

By Via Satellite
Ambient AI in the Exam Room: For Better Care and Better Caring
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Ambient AI in the Exam Room: For Better Care and Better Caring

Leonard Calabrese argues that ambient artificial intelligence—low‑cost, always‑on tools integrated into the exam room—can free clinicians from the constant EMR distraction and restore genuine face‑to‑face interaction. By handling routine documentation and patient‑message drafting, AI lets physicians focus on non‑verbal cues...

By Healio
AI Claim Assistant Now Taking Auto Damage Claims Calls at Travelers
NewsFeb 18, 2026

AI Claim Assistant Now Taking Auto Damage Claims Calls at Travelers

Travelers Companies has launched an AI Claim Assistant, an agentic voice service built on OpenAI’s models, to field auto‑damage claim calls. The system guides callers from initial consultation through claim submission, provides policy details, and enables photo uploads, appraisals, rental...

By Carrier Management
Architecting Agentic Operations for Supply Chain – A Practical View of A2A and MCP
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Architecting Agentic Operations for Supply Chain – A Practical View of A2A and MCP

The article proposes a layered architecture—Agent‑to‑Agent (A2A) for coordination and Model Context Protocol (MCP) for capability—to move AI in supply chains from isolated pilots to production‑scale operations. By publishing Agent Cards, A2A lets specialized agents discover and invoke each other...

By Logistics Viewpoints
AI in Healthcare Starts Long Before the Exam Room
NewsFeb 18, 2026

AI in Healthcare Starts Long Before the Exam Room

AI-driven clinical tools are rapidly improving diagnosis and treatment, but they leave patients exposed to hidden financial risks. A case of an autonomous AI ER physician resulted in a $37,000 out‑of‑network bill, highlighting systemic navigation failures. While clinical AI promises...

By Employee Benefit News
Microsoft Says Office Bug Exposed Customers’ Confidential Emails to Copilot AI
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Microsoft Says Office Bug Exposed Customers’ Confidential Emails to Copilot AI

Microsoft confirmed a bug in its 365 Copilot Chat that allowed the AI to read and summarize customers' confidential emails for weeks, even when data‑loss‑prevention policies were in place. The issue, tracked as CW1226324, affected both draft and sent messages...

By TechCrunch (Cybersecurity)
Deploying AI 'Allows Doctors to Be Doctors' Again
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Deploying AI 'Allows Doctors to Be Doctors' Again

Innovaccer released the whitepaper "Autonomous Healthcare" outlining AI’s role in alleviating clinicians’ administrative load. The report highlights AI‑powered documentation, scheduling, and data integration tools that can reclaim up to 30% of physicians’ time. CEO Abhinav Shashank argues that these efficiencies...

By Healthcare Finance News (HIMSS Media)