August 2, 2025

analysis  
Amazon Alexa+ Ads, OpenAI/Meta Chat Privacy on Google

Amazon is making big moves in AI, with CEO Andy Jassy highlighting AI-powered software agents as a key growth area. Amazon is developing products for "non-human" customers and launched new tools to support AI agent development. To fund these investments, which saw capital expenditures rise 90% in Q2 2025, Amazon is considering adding conversational ads to Alexa+, its upgraded AI voice assistant, similar to offerings from Google and OpenAI. Alexa+ is available to Prime members for $14.99 a month, with a standalone subscription at $20 a month. However, concerns exist around privacy and the accuracy of AI-generated ads. In other AI news, users of ChatGPT and Meta AI discovered that their shared chats were appearing in Google search results, raising privacy concerns. OpenAI removed the feature, while Meta is warning users that shared conversations are public. Companies are also leveraging AI to improve internal processes. Lenovo is using an AI platform to speed up sales, while SparrowGenie launched Revenue Rangers, a community for sharing AI sales tips. OpenAI is planning a large AI data center in Norway, called Stargate Norway, utilizing 100,000 Nvidia GPUs and renewable energy. Meta is aggressively pursuing AI talent, offering compensation packages worth over $1 billion, raising questions about AI valuations. Anthropic's valuation has soared to $170 billion. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is forming an AI task force, led by Valerie Szczepanik, to improve innovation and efficiency. However, a report indicates that only 15% of CFOs are interested in using agentic AI due to trust and integration concerns. Hilary Egan at NREL is using AI to solve energy challenges, and a next-generation trading firm is using AI to understand how global events affect local financial strategies.

Key Takeaways

  • Amazon is betting on AI agents for future growth and is developing tools for "non-human" customers.
  • Amazon is considering adding conversational ads to Alexa+ to fund AI development, raising privacy concerns.
  • ChatGPT and Meta AI users found their chats appearing in Google search results, highlighting privacy risks.
  • Lenovo is using AI to streamline its sales process with the DWS Revenue Enablement Platform.
  • SparrowGenie launched Revenue Rangers, a community for sales professionals to share AI tips.
  • OpenAI plans to build a large AI data center in Norway, called Stargate Norway, using 100,000 Nvidia GPUs.
  • Meta is offering over $1 billion in compensation to attract AI talent, amid concerns about high AI valuations.
  • The SEC is forming an AI task force to improve innovation and efficiency within the agency.
  • Only 15% of CFOs are interested in using agentic AI due to trust and integration concerns.
  • A next-generation trading firm is using AI to understand how global events affect local financial strategies.

Amazon bets on AI agents to drive future growth

Amazon is focusing on AI-powered software agents as a key to future growth. CEO Andy Jassy says Amazon is creating products for "non-human" customers that can make purchases independently. Amazon launched new tools like a toolkit for creating agents and a server-less runtime to support AI agent development. Jassy addressed concerns about competition, emphasizing Amazon's lead in security and service breadth. Amazon's Alexa is also getting an AI upgrade for better user engagement.

Amazon's Alexa+ may use conversational ads to boost AI investments

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is considering using conversational ads in Alexa+ to help pay for AI development. Alexa+ is Amazon's upgraded AI voice assistant, similar to those from Google and OpenAI. Jassy believes ads during conversations with Alexa+ could help users discover products and increase revenue. Amazon is investing heavily in AI, with capital expenditures up 90% in the second quarter of 2025. However, there are concerns about privacy and false advertising with AI-generated ads.

Amazon CEO considers adding ads to Alexa+ conversations

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is thinking about adding ads to conversations with Alexa+, the company's AI-powered digital assistant. He believes this could help users discover new products and increase revenue. Alexa+ has been rolled out to millions of customers and is designed to be more conversational. Amazon is investing heavily in AI, but there are concerns about privacy and the accuracy of AI-generated ads. Alexa+ is free for Prime members at $14.99 a month and a $20-a-month subscription tier for Alexa+ on its own.

ChatGPT users surprised as their chats appear in Google search results

OpenAI removed a ChatGPT feature after users discovered their private chats were appearing in Google search results. The issue affected users who had chosen to share their chats, but may not have realized they would be indexed by search engines. Some chats contained personal details, raising privacy concerns. OpenAI stated that it is working to remove the indexed content from search engines. Experts warn that tech companies often test new AI products on the public without fully considering the consequences.

Meta AI chats might show up on Google like ChatGPT's did

Meta AI allows users to share their chats publicly, and these chats can be indexed by Google. This means that conversations with Meta AI can appear in Google search results. Previously, ChatGPT had a similar feature that was removed after user complaints. Meta is not planning to stop Google from indexing public chats from Meta AI. The Meta AI app now warns users that shared conversations are public and can be seen by anyone.

Lenovo uses AI to speed up sales with new platform

Lenovo is using an AI-powered platform to streamline its sales process. The platform helps sales teams create presentations, practice pitches, and respond to customer inquiries faster. Lenovo partnered with Letter AI to develop the DWS Revenue Enablement Platform. The platform includes an AI coach for pitch practice and can summarize lengthy RFP documents quickly. The goal is to help sales teams work more effectively and accelerate revenue generation.

OpenAI plans AI 'Gigafactory' data center in Norway

OpenAI plans to build a large AI data center called Stargate Norway in Narvik, Northern Norway. The project will use 100,000 Nvidia GPUs and 230MW of renewable energy. Nscale Global Holdings is partnering with Aker and OpenAI on the initiative. The data center will support large-scale AI workloads and is part of OpenAI's program to expand compute capacity in Europe. The facility will be powered by clean hydropower and will reuse waste heat.

SparrowGenie launches Revenue Rangers community for AI sales tips

SparrowGenie has launched Revenue Rangers, a Slack community for sales professionals to share AI tips and tricks. The community allows members to exchange AI shortcuts, playbooks, and workflows securely. Revenue Rangers focuses on real-world AI applications in sales, including prospecting, email writing, and forecasting. The community is built on SparrowGenie's secure platform to protect members' intellectual property. The goal is to help sales professionals learn from each other and improve their AI skills.

Are AI valuations too high Meta offers billions for talent

Meta is aggressively pursuing AI talent, offering compensation packages worth over $1 billion. They are targeting Mira Murati’s new startup, Thinking Machines Lab. Meanwhile, Anthropic's valuation has soared to $170 billion. This raises questions about the sustainability of such high spending in the AI sector. The Equity podcast discusses these figures and the escalating AI chip race between companies like Nvidia and AMD.

US securities regulator forms AI task force

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is creating an artificial intelligence task force. The task force will focus on using AI to improve innovation and efficiency within the agency. Valerie Szczepanik has been appointed as the SEC's chief AI officer and will lead the task force.

CFOs skeptical of agentic AI despite awareness of the tech

A recent report shows that only 15% of CFOs are interested in using agentic AI, even though almost all are aware of it. Agentic AI refers to systems that can make decisions and take actions with little human help. Trust is a major concern, with CFOs wanting clear explanations of AI decisions and human oversight. They also want to ensure AI systems are not biased. Technical issues like integrating AI with older systems also create challenges.

Hilary Egan's path from astrophysics to AI at NREL

Hilary Egan, a data scientist at NREL, has a background in astrophysics and now works with applied AI. She uses AI to solve energy challenges, such as improving data center efficiency and accelerating building retrofits. Egan also helps coordinate AI strategy for the U.S. Department of Energy. She enjoys the constant learning opportunities at NREL and values strong communication skills in her work. Outside of work, Egan enjoys climbing, biking, and other outdoor activities.

AI and global insight power next-gen trading

A next-generation trading firm is using AI to understand how global events affect local financial strategies. The AI system supports portfolio construction, trading, and compliance in real-time. Traders use AI dashboards to make informed decisions on CFDs, cryptocurrencies, and tokenized commodities. The AI helps them adapt to market changes and comply with regulations from ESMA, SEC, and FCA. The goal is to turn global uncertainty into personalized and compliant trading strategies.

Sources

AI agents Amazon Alexa+ Conversational ads AI development Privacy concerns OpenAI ChatGPT Data indexing Meta AI Lenovo AI sales platform Nvidia GPUs AI data center Renewable energy SparrowGenie Revenue Rangers AI sales tips AI talent Meta Anthropic AI valuations SEC AI task force Agentic AI CFOs Trust in AI NREL Applied AI AI trading Global insights AI dashboards AI investment AI ethics AI security AI compliance