BIGGEST AI RAISES THIS WEEK
- OpenAI $11B
- Mirendil $1B · Series A
- Mercor $750M · Series D
- Fractile $720M · Series CThrive Capital, Founders Fund
- UFORCE $700M · Series A
- Agile Robots $500M · Series F
TOP INVESTORS · 30 DAYS
- Y Combinator 4 deals · $133.9M in rounds
- Seedcamp 4 deals · $19.7M in rounds
- General Catalyst 3 deals · $300M in rounds
- Heartcore 3 deals · $24.4M in rounds
BITCOIN, ETHEREUM, STABLECOINS AND THE RULES
BTC $66,732 ▼3.0%ETH $1,888 ▼2.3%SOL $75.26 ▼3.9%XRP $0.99 ▼1.7%24 hr · CoinGecko
US courts target $1.2B in stolen Binance funds, yet victims face a new hurdleBitcoin miners pay Paraguay $350 million a year, but AI is pushing them outDiesel prices plunge 8%, yet Bitcoin traders face a squeezeHere’s what happened in crypto todayAdam Back makes case for simpler security as Blockstream launches Bitcoin custody systemMore crypto news →Dormant Bitcoin Wallets Wake Up After 16 Years, Moving $6.9 MillionFBI warns active $400M crypto scam targets your friends by replacing your face in videosBitcoin plunges to $68,000 as Anthropic IPO frenzy adds to market jittersFed Chair Warsh Wants Answers on AI Inflation—and Bitcoin May Feel the ImpactTrump’s First Democratic Picks for SEC and CFTC Could Reshape Crypto’s RegulatorsDOTS · MUSE · GROK BOT · INSTINCT · GEMINI SPARK · OPENCLAW
AI agent startup LangChain hits $3B valuationCLAUDE Claude’s Duet agent is a little neurotic and surprisingly helpfulDOTS OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT Wallet to let Dots AI agents make purchasesMUSE Sierra releases Poppy 1.0 as Shopify and Meta’s Muse sign onGROK BOT xAI prioritizes AI coding tools and its Grok Bot agent productMore AI agent news →MUSE Meta's Muse AI agent now handles your phone call chores for $20 a monthGROK BOT Grok Bot Did a Week of Painful Work in 5 Minutes for Elon Musk’s MotherMUSE Meta brings Pixel-like Call for Me features to Muse for $20/monthGROK BOT Grok Bot 1.0 Launches With Proactive AI Teammates for Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Video CallsDOTS I tested OpenAI’s Dot and Anthropic’s Duet for weeks – and all I got was one helpful notificationAG TECH, FOOD AND THE MONEY BEHIND THEM
21st.Bio Files for EU Approval of Animal-Free Whey Protein, Calls for Faster RegulationFUNDING Agrifood Signals: Applied Carbon nabs $72m for biochar, redalpine & Just Climate close fundsFUNDING Amyris bets on sweet proteins with Oobli acquisitionAI USDA rolls out AI tool to catch crop report errorsAI AI is taking over R&D: What this means for the food industryMore farm & food news →ROBOTS Fira USA: from autonomous narrow-track tractors to 15-metre-wide spot sprayersROBOTS Study: Small field robots could cut onion growing costs by 75%ROBOTS Robots in the Orchard: Why Fruit Thinning Is the Next Big Test for Agricultural AutomationFUNDING South Korea’s SeaWith to Build $15M Cultivated Meat Facility in Food Tech HubROBOTS Naïo extends robot Oz with new plug-planting implementTHE WEEK'S AI WRITING, ONE POST PER WRITER
NOTABLE ESSAYS
- ReflectionsSam Altman · Jan 2025IN TODAY'S NEWS: OPENAI
- Open Source AI Is the Path ForwardMark Zuckerberg · Jul 2024IN TODAY'S NEWS: OPEN MODELS
- Software 2.0Andrej Karpathy · Nov 2017IN TODAY'S NEWS: AI AND CODING
MEDICINE, WELLNESS, HOSPITALS AND THE FDA
Patient comfort with AI’s clinical decisions tied to provider oversight: GallupHow AI Is Helping Care Teams Get Patients the Right Care, SoonerDespite concerns, AI becomes daily fixture in physician workflowsIs AI Really Saving Hospitals Money? A New Study Raises Questions About the Cost of AI-Driven CareSTAT+: New documents raise more questions about Medicare’s AI prior-authorization experimentMore AI in health →Oura makes bet on AI in healthcare with $625M Counsel Health buySTAT+: Why this former ER doc thinks giving AI less information is sometimes betterSTAT+: MDCalc launches a ‘rumble strip’ for doctors using generative AI toolsSTAT+: Men’s use of chatbots for therapy, and earnings season highlightsNew Campaign Wants AI Applications To Look Beyond SpeedAI LABS
Image: AWS Machine Learning
Production MLOps at GS Caltex with Amazon SageMaker Canvas, part 1 Architecture patterns for fast session startup on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore runtime XYBench: Helping with the problem behind the question Introducing ChatGPT Wallet How Amplitude ships product improvements in 1–2 days with OpenAILLMON: An LLM-Native Markup Language, now in Granite 4.1 3B and 8B Introducing Gemini 4 Hydrogen Gondola doubles revenue as its team builds more with Codex More AI labs news →Holiday Extras is rethinking what it can build with Codex Supporting research on AI and children’s safety
Using wearables to enable cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) risk profiling for personalized coaching AlphaGenome 2: Deciphering how cells read DNA to better understand disease How AI Helps Recyclers Turn Mixed Waste Into Reusable Material Gemini 4 Carbon is now available NVIDIA Expands Open Source Commitment With OpenShell Contribution and New AI Infrastructure
Introducing AlphaProof Code: a breakthrough in verifying complex software at depth Opening the datasets behind our AI weather models Exploring the world's languages with Language Explorer Practice Makes Precise: At CoRL, NVIDIA and Partners Reveal How Robots Rehearse Delicate Work in Simulation
INDIA Nvidia scandal looms over US-China AI talks Economic TimesINDIA Jensen Huang exit and US scrutiny imperil $3 billion in Chinese AI projects reliant on Nvidia Economic TimesRoute coding agent requests to the right model on Amazon Bedrock with NVIDIA NeMo Switchyard AWS Machine LearningEUROPE Jensen Huang's ouster likely traces back to Nvidia's risky business practices more than his personal life The DecoderExport-banned Nvidia chips are behind China’s most powerful AI models — uh-oh, Jensen! TechCrunchWORLDWIDE How Jensen Huang’s exit from Nvidia impacts China’s AI supply chain Rest of WorldJensen Huang and the End of the Founder Fairy Tale Wired
ANTHROPIC · OPENAI · GOOGLE · GROK · CHINA · OPEN MODELS
CHINA The Endless Frontier Open-Sources Fx-Bio-1031, a Qwen-Based Model That Runs Bioinformatics AnalysesCHINA Tencent Hunyuan's Hy Realtime Voice Model Decides When to Search and Can Sing on RequestANTHROPIC Claude MeetingsOPENAI OpenAI rebuilt AI shopping from scratch with ChatGPT WalletANTHROPIC Banks bar Chinese and Hong Kong investors from Anthropic IPO over US export controlsMore LLM news →OPENAI OpenAI board member worries an AI "takeover" of society could be months awayANTHROPIC Anthropic's Claude for Manufacturing plugs AI directly into factory software to automate industrial workflowsOPENAI ChatGPT’s new Wallet lets AI agents shop and check out for youOPEN llama.cpp v1.0.0 : A stronger foundation for the local AI ecosystemCHINA ByteDance’s AI chip chief has submitted his resignation, report saysGROK Elon Musk’s AI Group Guts Grok Video Generation TeamGOOGLE Google rolls out Gemini 4 Hydrogen, finally replacing 3.8 FlashGOOGLE Google faces calls for AI moratoriums in schools after Gemini pilot backlashGOOGLE Gemini 4 Hydrogen and OrchestratorOPEN Hugging Face CEO vows to keep fighting for open source AI after Jensen Huang’s exitNEW IN HAVE I BEEN PWNED
CastleRAT: 179,745 accountsYouHack: 7,160,849 accountsСберСпасибо (SberSpasibo): 3,288,711 accountsHarvard: 850,537 accountsBreach data: Have I Been Pwned (CC BY 4.0)
LAWS, RULES AND HOW GOVERNMENTS USE AI
Nearly 70 percent of US agencies use generative AI, and unions are finally catching up with guardrailsProhibited AI Practices under the AI ActUnited Kingdom-Norway Joint Statement of intent on Artificial IntelligenceGilbert + Tobin rethinks the business of law with AISovereign AI and British Business Bank invest in British firm developing the next generation of AI hardwareMore AI policy & government →Nancy Pelosi’s replacement is ready to regulate AISMALL TEAMS TAKING ON THE GIANTS
ADOBE I ditched Adobe Acrobat for a self-hosted alternative and I won't be going backADOBE The best Adobe Illustrator alternatives for all budgets and skill levelsGOOGLE I replaced Notion with TickTick on my Google Pixel to get faster daily task managementTHE BIG APPS After a month with 4 Notion alternatives, only one beat Notion on databasesADOBE I ditched Inkscape for an open-source Illustrator rival built with AIMore David and Goliath stories →THE BIG APPS Axon Enterprise vs. Figma: Do Tasers or Cloud Services Make for a Better Stock Buy for 2027?AI NEWS
Photo: Photo-Illustration: Jobanny Cabrera; Getty Images / Wired
Microsoft 365 Crawls Back to Life After a 24-Hour Outage The Work Moves Outward Former OpenAI researcher says he found Nvidia Blackwell fingerprints hidden inside six Chinese AI models What’s really at stake in the Jensen Huang saga ElevenLabs’ new app combines meeting note-taking and dictation for teamsIsrael’s VCs see opportunity for challengers in Nvidia’s turmoil Jensen Huang didn’t show confidence in his successor, report says This Startup Is Betting on AI Microdramas to Get More Black Stories in Hollywood More AI news →Democrats launch Nvidia investigation, write scathing letter on Huang’s ‘scheme’ with Trump Jensen Huang Didn’t Name His Own Replacement as One of Tech’s Most Powerful Women
Nvidia privately confirmed it could track chips to fight smuggling, even as industry publicly questioned feasibility Massive Microsoft 365 outage disrupts Outlook, Teams, Copilot worldwide Ars Live: What drone attacks on data centers mean for modern life in the cloud No, AI agents did not discover a previously unknown Maya site Oh, Palantir is ‘progressive’ now, is it?
Google DeepMind Staff Tap the UK Government to Escalate Their Unionization Fight Google pushes privacy angle as Gemini-powered smartglasses debut starting at $395 The DeFoor Report Is Now in the ChatGPT and Claude App Directories The backlash about data centers might really just be about electricity Nancy Pelosi’s replacement is ready to regulate AI
Innovating with AI in the special chemicals industry
GET THE APP
Put the DeFoor Report on your home screen. One tap, opens like an app. Free, no app store.
On iPhone or iPad: tap the Share button (the square with an arrow), then Add to Home Screen.
SUBSCRIBE: the weekly email, or add the Report to your AI →
REPORT THE NEWS: send us a tip →
WHO'S HIRING, WHO'S CUTTING, AND THE WORK ITSELF
Job applicants say they are using AI to discover, investigate companiesWeek in review: Can AI root out manager bias?Microsoft’s massive outage puts its AI-driven layoffs under scrutiny‘They’ve cut all entry-level jobs’: unlikely seaside town on frontline of AI threatUK Retailers Are Hiring for AI and Pulling Back on Other RolesAI-Driven Tech Layoffs Could Trigger a 1.6 Million Job RecessionSpaceX Commits $74B To New AI Campuses While Musk Eyes Hiring Former Nvidia CEO, Starship Readies Flight 15Ellavox Is Now Ellaworx AI - Reflecting Growth from Voice AI Specialists to Enterprise AI Workforce ProviderMore AI and jobs news →AI-related job creation to outpace losses by 2030, says GartnerFinance Jobs Training AI (Remote)People can’t stop trolling AI job ‘interviewers’Australian companies face 'AI washing' claims after wave of job cuts, offshoringMost solopreneurs turn to AI before hiring others, data suggests. Here’s whyManaging AI Agents Like Employees: 6 Processes To RethinkWhite-Collar Hiring Hit Its Fastest Pace Since 2022 Despite AI Job FearsNOW HIRING
1,448 open AI roles · 403 new this week · most wanted: Solutions & customer · top pay $850K
CAPITAL ONE Manager, Data Scientist - Optimization & Experimentation 2 LocationsHARVEY Legal Engineering Manager, In-House (Corporate) ChicagoSALESFORCE Talent Advisor, AI Labs Canada - TorontoOPENAI Model Safety Program Manager, User Safety & Risk Operations San FranciscoCITI Python and PySpark Machine Learning Data Scientist Gurugram Haryana IndiaAll active AI listings →Hiring for AI? List your jobs →SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES
AI tools might help teachers. Students? Not so much, research review finds‘AI Slop’ Papers Published Under Prominent Academics’ NamesGoogle faces calls for AI moratoriums in schools after Gemini pilot backlashAfter Google warns schools about disabling AI feature, Chicago protesters say ‘we don’t want your Gemini’Classroom Technology Use: Separating Educational Screen Time From Personal UseMore AI education news →How K-12 IT teams can improve incident response times and neutralize cyber threatsMajority of students report misusing tech during school hoursTEACHER VOICE: The future of personalized learning cannot be built on technology aloneThe Day the Take-Home Essay Died: How I Stopped Grading AI and Started Designing Real LearningMemphis parents complained of a school laptop shortage. Now MSCS wants to buy 25,000 more.TOP TECH, AI & BUSINESS PODCASTS THIS WEEK
RISING FAST Hard Fork up 994% on last week · now #2
- 1All-In: Jensen OUT as Nvidia CEO: "Spy" Scandal, Export Restrictions, Market Impact1.1M views this week · 3 episodes ▲2
- 2Hard Fork: Inside the Downfall of the Most Powerful Man in A.I.581K views this week · 2 episodes NEW
- 3Moonshots: Jensen’s Departure, NVIDIA’s succession plan, AI doomer response, and Demis talks RSI538K views this week · 3 episodes ▼2
- 4Prof G Pod: Jensen Huang Bet Nvidia on China. Now What?325K views this week · 5 episodes ▼2
- 5TBPN: Tech World Debates Jensen’s Exit179K views this week · 12 episodes NEW
Wing invests $125 million in US drone manufacturing to support nationwide expansionZipline raises an unbelievable $1.5 billion to build nationwide drone delivery networkNeura Robotics partners with E.ON to bring humanoid robots to energy infrastructureTesla Cybercab orders open at $29,990 + $299/mo, only in Robotaxi zonesBuild a Robot Pick-and-Place Simulation with SimReady AssetsMore robot news →Six AGIBOT G2 Robots Complete 1,730 Tasks in 24-Hour Shanghai Convenience Store TrialHow Rhoda AI is using video data to create generalized AI models for robotsRobot Talk Episode 170 – Robots in the real world, with Daniela ShchegelskayaNarwal builds robot vacuums to serve regional needsArs Live: What drone attacks on data centers mean for modern life in the cloudHOLLYWOOD, MUSIC, TV AND GAMES
Homeland Secretary Assures FAA Crisis Is ‘Not Another 9/11,’ Won’t Rule Out AI Mishap or Cyber AttackReservoir expands copyright lawsuits against Suno and Anthropic to more than 2,500 songs combinedHow to protect your IP against the army of AI clonesCD Projekt Red used AI to alter the voice of Geralt's original Polish actor in Witcher 3: Songs of the Past"It's a wild situation" – An investor and publisher perspective on the rise of AI copycats, the discoverability crisis, and moreMore AI entertainment news →This Startup Is Betting on AI Microdramas to Get More Black Stories in HollywoodbeatBread forms advisory board including executives from Meta and SunoNVIDIA’s venture arm asks court to block UMG and Sony’s demand for testimony in Suno lawsuit, calling itself a ‘passive minority investor’ONLINE AND BRICK-AND-MORTAR
Asics uses AI-powered drones to recover misplaced inventory 60% fasterAI chatbots are recommending fake retail websites, study findsWalmart more than doubles planned drone delivery sitesHiring AI search help for a U.S. beauty launchTarget has an AI chief. Does every retailer need one?More AI retail news →Walmart, Zipline teaming up to launch 300 additional drone deliveryBUILDERS & RESEARCH
datasette-cluster-map 0.19 datasette-leaflet 0.3 Claude Is Down Elevated errors on claude.ai, Claude Code, and platform.claude.com Abstention Is Not Threshold Compliance: Stated Scoring Rules in Open Language ModelsMITRA-Swarm: Injecting Explicit Linguistic Structure into Foundation Models for Classical Machine Translation Probe What-If Worlds Before You Ship: Persona Simulation for Real-World Decision Making Benchmarking Multilingual Document Understanding in Vision-Language Models More builders & research →An LLM Is All You Need: Data-Efficient Adaptation to Full-Duplex, Word-Level Spoken Dialogue llm-gemini 0.37
Gemini 4 Hydrogen Gemini Decisions API aws-emulator Browse tools.simonwillison.net by tag Claude Whiteboards, Claude Sheets, and Claude Data
Life on Claude Nine Claude Fable 5.2 scores 65 on Artificial Analysis, highest so far