Recent Posts
Deals•Feb 11, 2026
Utopai East Acquires Alquimista Media to Bring AI to Korean Film Industry
Utopai East, the Korean arm of Silicon Valley AI film studio Utopai Studios, has acquired Alquimista Media, the production company of Korean film executive Hyun Park, for an undisclosed sum. The deal, announced in February 2026, aims to integrate AI tools into Korean filmmaking, enabling creators to produce high‑budget sci‑fi and other projects previously considered unfeasible.
Fast Company AI
News•Jan 13, 2026
Slack’s Automated Bot Is Getting an Upgrade Into an AI Workplace Helper
Slack is revamping its native Slackbot into an AI‑powered workplace assistant for paid customers. The new bot can summarize discussions, retrieve data from integrated apps, draft reports and Canvas documents, and schedule meetings via plain‑language prompts. Leveraging retrieval‑augmented generation, it...
By Fast Company AI
News•Jan 12, 2026
How to Build an AI Innovation Pipeline that Creates Real Long-Term Value
At the start of 2026, firms are launching AI transformation programs, yet most pilots fail to deliver returns. The article presents a playbook for building a repeatable AI innovation pipeline, illustrated by Aurora Windows, a midsize manufacturer. By conducting a baseline...
By Fast Company AI
News•Jan 12, 2026
The Surprising Ways AI Could Reduce Bias at Work
The article examines two dominant AI anxieties—job automation and bias amplification—and argues that, while AI won’t eliminate prejudice, it can undercut human bias when deployed thoughtfully. It highlights that AI reshapes work by automating low‑value tasks and exposing inefficiencies, while...
By Fast Company AI
News•Jan 9, 2026
Deepfakes Drastically Improved in 2025. They’re About to Get Even Harder to Detect
In 2025 deepfake technology leapt forward, delivering photorealistic faces, voices, and full‑body performances that can fool most viewers. The volume exploded from roughly 500,000 instances in 2023 to about 8 million by year‑end, a near‑900% annual growth rate. New video generation...
By Fast Company AI
News•Jan 7, 2026
CES 2026: Entertainment Leaders Talk About AI, Creators, and Innovative Tech
CES 2026 turned its massive stage toward entertainment, featuring more than 25 panels on AI, creator economies, and advertising. The event spotlighted the debut of Tilly Norwood, the first fully AI‑generated actor, reigniting copyright and ethical debates. Industry leaders from...
By Fast Company AI
News•Jan 5, 2026
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Traffic. It’s Stealing Your Authority
AI has become the main interpreter of online content, delivering answers directly to users instead of linking back to original sites. This shift means publishers lose traffic regardless, but risk losing authority when their work is summarized without context. Generative...
By Fast Company AI
News•Jan 2, 2026
Maslow’s Hierarchy of AI Fluency Training
In 2026, enterprises face a surge in AI upskilling demand, yet many programs stumble without a structured development framework. Candice Faktor proposes a Maslow‑style hierarchy that moves organizations from basic AI literacy to full co‑intelligence integration. The model outlines five...
By Fast Company AI
News•Jan 2, 2026
5 Soft Skills that Set Exceptional Leaders Apart
At the Web Summit, Upwork CEO Hayden Brown highlighted a surge in demand for soft leadership skills as AI automates routine work. LinkedIn’s Work Change Report warns that 70 % of skills will shift by 2030, making emotional intelligence, conflict management,...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 30, 2025
AI Agents 2025 Recap: What Happened and What to Expect Next Year
2025 marked a decisive shift as AI agents transitioned from research prototypes to everyday productivity tools. Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol, launched late 2024, standardized large language model integration with external software, enabling autonomous tool use. The year saw open‑weight models...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 30, 2025
Build Responsible AI for Education
Artificial intelligence is reshaping education as the workforce demands new skills, prompting institutions to adopt AI tools rapidly. While enthusiasm for AI grows, many solutions, such as Google’s homework help and OpenAI’s Study Mode, have added friction for teachers and...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 30, 2025
Is AI Getting Smarter, or Information Leakier?
Prospero.ai’s AI‑driven Net Options Sentiment gauge flagged a sudden shift to zero on Oct. 9, warning of a bearish market move before any public news. Within minutes, a Trump tweet about a China trade war triggered a sharp sell‑off, validating the...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 29, 2025
SoftBank to Acquire DigitalBridge for $4 Billion
SoftBank Group announced a $4 billion acquisition of DigitalBridge Group, offering $16 per share—a 15% premium to the prior close. The deal values DigitalBridge at $2.92 billion and is slated to close in the second half of next year. By adding DigitalBridge’s...
By Fast Company AI
Deals•Dec 29, 2025
SoftBank Group to Acquire DigitalBridge Group in $4B Deal
SoftBank Group announced it will acquire DigitalBridge Group for $4 billion, expanding its AI‑related digital infrastructure portfolio. The $16 per share offer values DigitalBridge at $2.92 billion, a 15% premium, and the transaction is expected to close in the second half of...
Fast Company AI
News•Dec 26, 2025
Can AI Help Solve the Power Problem It Created?
Artificial intelligence is accelerating demand for electricity, exposing the limits of the United States' aging power grid. While AI offers tools for smarter energy use—such as precise demand forecasting, predictive maintenance, and real‑time cooling—these capabilities alone cannot close the capacity...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 26, 2025
How AI Is Changing the Patient Journey
AI has moved from automating routine tasks to adapting to patient emotions and context, with platforms like Cedars‑Sinai Connect, CompanionMx, and Feel Therapeutics leading the charge. Hospitals are pairing large language models with note‑taking apps such as Nabla and Heidi,...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 24, 2025
Can Teacher Wisdom Steer the AI Transition in Education?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering K‑12 classrooms, sparking concerns about equitable access and the risk of widening the digital divide. DonorsChoose, which serves 90% of U.S. public schools, reports a surge in AI‑related funding requests, climbing from roughly 600 last...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 24, 2025
Key Workforce Trends to Watch in 2026
In 2026 the workplace is being reshaped by three intersecting forces: AI‑augmented workflows that could generate $2.9 trillion in U.S. economic value, a rapid shift toward skills‑first hiring and upskilling, and a stagnant labor market that leaves new graduates facing tougher...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 24, 2025
Google Is Betting on Carbon Capture to Lower Data Center Emissions. Here’s How the Tech Works
Google has signed a corporate power purchase agreement to back a new natural‑gas power plant in Illinois equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. The plant will supply electricity to Google’s expanding AI‑driven data centers, which can demand from...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 24, 2025
Google Is Betting on Carbon Capture Tech to Lower Data Center Emissions. Here’s How It Works
Google has signed a corporate power purchase agreement to fund a new natural‑gas power plant in Illinois that incorporates carbon capture and storage (CCS). The plant will supply electricity to Google’s expanding AI data centers, which can draw between a...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 23, 2025
Consuming News From AI Shifts Our Opinions and Reality. Here’s How
Meta's decision to end its professional fact‑checking program sparked criticism over trust and reliability. Meanwhile, AI large language models are increasingly used to generate news summaries, headlines, and content across platforms. New research reveals these models exhibit communication bias and...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 23, 2025
Detecting AI-Written Text Is Challenging, Even for AI. Here’s Why
Detecting AI‑generated text remains a thorny problem despite advances in both human expertise and automated tools. Studies show that seasoned users can sometimes spot AI writing better than current detectors, but such skill is not widespread. Most institutions rely on...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 22, 2025
Can Human-Led AI Spark a New Era of Generosity?
For five decades U.S. charitable giving has hovered at 2.5% of GDP, despite record‑high donations in 2024. Scott Brighton argues that human‑led, agentic AI can connect data across causes, predict needs, and turn generosity into measurable impact. The piece positions...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 22, 2025
Alphabet Buys Data Center Energy Specialist Intersect for $4.75 Billion to Help Power AI
Alphabet announced a $4.75 billion acquisition of Intersect, a San Francisco‑based data‑center energy specialist. The deal follows a prior $2.1 billion stake purchase and will close in the first half of next year. Alphabet plans to keep Intersect operationally independent while leveraging its...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 22, 2025
I Correctly Predicted ChatGPT. Here Are My 6 AI Predictions for 2026
Thomas Smith, a 15‑year AI veteran who correctly foresaw ChatGPT, outlines six AI forecasts for 2026. He highlights a looming showdown as Google’s Gemini model begins to erode OpenAI’s dominance, prompting Sam Altman to issue a "code red" and accelerate...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 22, 2025
SoftBank Is Racing to Close a $22.5 Billion OpenAI Funding Gap Before 2026
SoftBank Group is scrambling to secure a $22.5 billion funding commitment for OpenAI before the end of 2026, leveraging asset sales, margin loans against its Arm stake, and other cash‑raising tactics. The effort follows the sale of its $5.8 billion Nvidia position...
By Fast Company AI
Deals•Dec 22, 2025
Alphabet Acquires Intersect for $4.75 B to Boost AI Data‑center Energy
Alphabet announced the acquisition of Intersect, a data‑center energy specialist, for $4.75 billion. The deal lets Intersect operate independently while helping Alphabet secure sustainable power for its AI‑driven data centers.
Fast Company AI
Deals•Dec 22, 2025
Alphabet to Acquire Intersect for $4.75 B to Power AI Data Centers
Alphabet announced on Dec 22 2025 that it will acquire data‑center energy specialist Intersect for $4.75 billion. The deal, completing in the first half of next year, will keep Intersect operating independently while bolstering Alphabet’s AI‑driven data‑center energy strategy.
Fast Company AI
News•Dec 20, 2025
Why the ‘One Chatbot per Child’ Model in Classrooms May Be Flawed
School districts such as Houston and Miami are signing multimillion‑dollar contracts to deploy generative AI chatbots in K‑12 classrooms, driven by cost pressures and a desire to appear innovative. Tech giants and both Republican and Democratic administrations are championing AI...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 19, 2025
Wall Street Recovers From Losses Earlier in the Week, as AI Stocks Climb
Wall Street rebounded on Friday, with the S&P 500 up 0.8% and the Nasdaq gaining 1%, trimming earlier losses. AI‑focused technology stocks led the charge, highlighted by Nvidia’s 3.4% rise and Broadcom’s 2.4% gain. Oracle’s 7% jump followed its agreement to...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 19, 2025
AI’s Butterfly Effect: The Danger of Cascade Failures
The article warns that as AI systems become tightly interwoven across enterprises, small glitches can trigger cascade failures that ripple organization‑wide. Interconnected models, shared data pipelines, and common compute resources amplify localized errors into systemic disruptions. The 2010 Flash Crash...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 18, 2025
Deepfakes Are No Longer Just a Disinformation Problem. They Are Your Next Supply Chain Risk
In February 2025, engineering firm Arup lost $25 million after attackers used AI‑generated video and audio to impersonate senior leaders and convince an employee to transfer funds. The breach highlighted a critical weakness: a lack of identity resilience, the ability to...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 17, 2025
OpenAI Might Change App Design Forever
OpenAI has opened ChatGPT to third‑party developers, allowing apps to be invoked directly within conversational flows via @‑mentions or contextual suggestions. Early partners such as Adobe, Target, Canva and Figma are already offering image editing, shopping and design tools that...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 17, 2025
5 Predictions for AI’s Growing Role in the Media in 2026
Fast Company columnist Pete Pachal outlines five predictions for AI’s influence on media in 2026. He emphasizes that copyright disputes will intensify as publishers block AI crawlers while AI firms cling to fair‑use defenses. Google retains a competitive edge because...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 17, 2025
This Guy’s Obscure PhD Project Is the only Thing Standing Between Humanity and AI Image Chaos
Dr. Eric Wengrowski, a Rutgers PhD graduate, turned his decade‑long steganography research into Steg AI, a startup that embeds invisible watermarks in images to track their movement online. The technology has gained unprecedented attention as AI‑generated imagery proliferates, prompting the...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 15, 2025
Surprise, Surprise: People Don’t Want AI Slop on ‘SNL’
Saturday Night Live aired brief visual segments that many viewers immediately identified as AI‑generated, dubbing them “AI slop.” The images, described as hazy and poorly connected, sparked vocal backlash on Reddit and Bluesky. The reaction occurs amid a broader wave...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 15, 2025
National Security Experts Warn Extremist Groups Are Experimenting with AI. Here’s How
National security experts warn that extremist groups, including ISIS and al‑Qaida, are experimenting with generative AI to produce propaganda, deep‑fakes, and multilingual messaging. The technology allows even poorly funded cells to scale recruitment, spread disinformation, and enhance cyber‑attack capabilities. Recent...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 15, 2025
How to Transform AI From a Tool Into a Partner
The article outlines a roadmap for evolving AI from a simple automation tool to a strategic partner. In Stage 1, AI performs narrow, repetitive tasks while humans retain full decision authority, exemplified by document classifiers and chatbots. Stage 2 introduces AI‑driven analysis...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 12, 2025
Why AI Errors Are Inevitable and What that Means for Healthcare
AI systems inevitably produce errors because of inherent data and model limitations, a fact highlighted by everyday mishaps from misheard voice assistants to hallucinating chatbots. The article warns that extending AI into high‑stakes domains like healthcare—exemplified by a 2025 U.S....
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 12, 2025
How Trump Is Blocking U.S. States From Regulating Artificial Intelligence
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that directs the Attorney General to form a task force aimed at blocking state‑level artificial intelligence regulations. The order also orders the Commerce Department to identify “problematic” rules and threatens to withhold federal...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 12, 2025
OpenAI Just Released Its New GPT-5.2 Model. Here’s What You Need to Know
OpenAI launched GPT-5.2, an incremental upgrade to its GPT-5.1 model. The new version delivers faster inference, higher efficiency, and stronger performance on coding, math, and long-duration agentic tasks. Benchmark results show modest gains across industry standards, though the architecture remains...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 11, 2025
The Disney-OpenAI Tie-Up Has Huge Implications for Intellectual Property
Disney and OpenAI announced a three‑year partnership that will let ChatGPT and Sora users generate images and videos featuring more than 200 Disney characters, starting in early 2026. The agreement includes a joint steering committee to oversee how Disney’s intellectual...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 11, 2025
OpenAI Turns 10 Today. Where Will It Be in Another Decade?
OpenAI marked its tenth anniversary, recalling its 2015 launch as a nonprofit backed by Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Over the decade the firm pivoted to a for‑profit model, propelling ChatGPT into mainstream use and reshaping the generative‑AI market. Leadership...
By Fast Company AI
News•Dec 11, 2025
Cars to AI: How New Tech Drives Demand for Specialized Materials
Generative AI’s rapid growth is creating a surge in demand for critical minerals and specialized materials needed for high‑performance chips and data‑center hardware. The article draws parallels with the automobile boom, which reshaped suburbs and sparked new material requirements, and...
By Fast Company AI