The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and various industries is rapidly evolving, with significant investments and advancements in AI-powered technologies. This news brief highlights key developments in AI adoption across different sectors, from healthcare and education to technology and entertainment.
Dubai-based Disrupt.com to Invest $100M in AI Startups
Dubai-based venture capital firm Disrupt.com has announced plans to invest $100 million in AI startups at the intersection of Web3 and other industries. The funds will back AI startups building solutions for cybersecurity, Web3, automotive technology, and the retail sector, among others. This move aims to further commercialize emerging AI technology and capitalize on the growing demand for AI-powered solutions.
Duolingo’s English Learners Eager for AI Helped Drive Sales Beat
Duolingo Inc.’s English-language learners were more eager users of its artificial intelligence-powered features than learners of other languages, helping drive the mobile learning platform’s sales beat for the fourth quarter. The company’s AI integration did come at a cost, with the increased adoption of Duolingo Max causing gross margin to come in at 71.9%, down from 73.1% a year ago.
DeepSeek AI Releases DualPipe: A Bidirectional Pipeline Parallelism Algorithm
DeepSeek AI has released DualPipe, a bidirectional pipeline parallelism algorithm for computation-communication overlap in V3/R1 training. This algorithm reduces traditional pipeline bubbles while optimizing memory usage, allowing for a more consistent flow of data between GPUs. The system employs a symmetrical arrangement of micro-batches in both forward and reverse directions, allowing for a more efficient training process.
Ondas Holdings Inc. and Volatus Partner to Enhance Border Security with AI-Powered Drones
Ondas Holdings Inc. and Volatus have partnered to improve border security using the AI-powered Optimus System, a fully autonomous drone platform for continuous aerial monitoring. The collaboration aims to expand security solutions in North America, the UK, and Africa, improving border protection and infrastructure monitoring with real-time intelligence.
$500m-valued Suno has Admitted Training AI on Copyrighted Music
Amazon has unveiled a new AI-powered version of its Alexa voice assistant, integrating with AI music platform Suno. The company is a major investor in Anthropic, the AI developer last February by music publishers, including Publishing, Concord, and ABKCO over its alleged use of copyrighted lyrics.
AI-Powered Health Care Training Startup Raises $2 Million
SimCare AI, a Chicago upstart developing an artificial intelligence-based clinician-training platform, has raised $2 million from investors. The seed round was led by venerable startup accelerator Y Combinator and Columbus-based venture-capital firm Drive Capital. The platform allows users to treat and care for AI-powered virtual patients, optimizing recruiting, reducing training time, and cutting costs for organizations.
OpenAI Begins Rollout of GPT-4.5, a ‘Different Kind of Intelligence’
OpenAI released GPT-4.5 as a “research preview,” saying this is the company’s largest and most knowledgeable model so far. The new model builds on GPT-4o, scales pre-training further, and is designed to be more general-purpose than the company’s STEM-focused reasoning models. Early testing shows that interacting with GPT-4.5 feels more natural, with a broader knowledge base, stronger alignment with user intent, and improved emotional intelligence.
UW-Stevens Point Professor Prepares Students for the Future of AI in Creative Fields
Associate Professor of Media Studies Cary Elza is preparing her students to adapt to the rapidly changing media landscape, where technological innovations are taking hold across various industries. The course has four learning outcomes, including defining the parameters of generative AI, examining the nature of human creativity and its relation to technological augmentation, critiquing contemporary uses of AI tools, and working to integrate these tools in creative workflows.
Stock of the Day: Snowflake Surges 12% as New AI Products Spur Sales Beat
Shares in AI cloud company Snowflake jumped by double-digits on Thursday, trading as high as $188 per share in the early morning. The tech firm's stock is surging on an earnings beat and strong guidance, with a deeper push into AI helping boost earnings and forward guidance.
Key Takeaways
- AI adoption is accelerating across various industries, with significant investments and advancements in AI-powered technologies.
- Dubai-based Disrupt.com is investing $100 million in AI startups at the intersection of Web3 and other industries.
- Duolingo’s English-language learners were more eager users of its AI-powered features, helping drive the mobile learning platform’s sales beat for the fourth quarter.
- DeepSeek AI has released DualPipe, a bidirectional pipeline parallelism algorithm for computation-communication overlap in V3/R1 training.
- Ondas Holdings Inc. and Volatus have partnered to improve border security using the AI-powered Optimus System.
- Amazon has unveiled a new AI-powered version of its Alexa voice assistant, integrating with AI music platform Suno.
- SimCare AI, a Chicago upstart developing an artificial intelligence-based clinician-training platform, has raised $2 million from investors.
- OpenAI released GPT-4.5 as a “research preview,” saying this is the company’s largest and most knowledgeable model so far.
- Associate Professor of Media Studies Cary Elza is preparing her students to adapt to the rapidly changing media landscape, where technological innovations are taking hold across various industries.
- Snowflake’s stock is surging on an earnings beat and strong guidance, with a deeper push into AI helping boost earnings and forward guidance.
Sources
- Dubai-based Disrupt.com to invest $100M in AI startups
- Duolingo’s English Learners Eager for AI Helped Drive Sales Beat
- DeepSeek AI Releases DualPipe: A Bidirectional Pipeline Parallelism Algorithm for Computation-Communication Overlap in V3/R1 Training
- Ondas Holdings Inc. (ONDS) and Volatus Partner to Enhance Border Security with AI-Powered Drones
- $500m-valued Suno has admitted training AI on copyrighted music. That hasn’t stopped Amazon from adding its controversial tech to Alexa
- AI-powered health care training startup raises $2 million
- OpenAI Begins Rollout of GPT-4.5, a ‘Different Kind of Intelligence’
- UW-Stevens Point professor prepares students for the future of AI in creative fields - University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
- Sam Altman says OpenAI's new ChatGPT-4.5 is a more emotionally intelligent model but warns that it's 'expensive' to train and run
- Stock of the Day: Snowflake surges 12% as new AI products spur sales beat