June 19, 2025

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OpenAI, Meta, Google Shift AI Strategies After $14.3B Investment

Recent developments in the AI landscape reveal shifts in partnerships, model advancements, and ethical considerations. OpenAI is ending its relationship with Scale AI, a data labeling company, after Meta invested $14.3 billion and acquired a 49% stake in Scale AI. Google has also paused multiple projects with Scale AI, raising concerns about data sharing and independence. Scale AI's competitors are experiencing a surge in customer demand as a result. Scale AI's interim CEO insists the company remains independent and is focusing on custom AI applications for businesses and governments. Meta's AI assistant has reached over 1 billion users, and Amazon is testing 'buy for me' agent features, positioning them as early winners in agentic AI. Google is expanding its Gemini 2.5 family, introducing the Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite model, which is faster and more cost-efficient. In other news, experts are warning that AI could lead to white-collar job losses, while Disney and Universal are suing Midjourney for copyright infringement. Elon Musk is also working to 'fix' his Grok AI chatbot after disagreeing with its analysis of political violence. On a positive note, Every Cure, a nonprofit, won Newsweek's AI Impact Award for using AI to find new uses for existing medications. Furthermore, AI is being utilized to enhance security, as seen in Opelika, Alabama, where AI-powered cameras are used to improve public safety. In hardware advancements, Asus has developed a graphics card with an SSD slot designed for AI development. Finally, AI is being used in astronomy to analyze data from the Event Horizon Telescope, revealing new insights into the Milky Way's black hole, Sagittarius A*, including its rapid spin and alignment towards Earth. Crowdworks' A1 Data Marketplace is seeing increased momentum in data trading for AI learning, with a growing number of partner companies and language data offerings.

Key Takeaways

  • OpenAI is cutting ties with Scale AI after a $14.3 billion investment from Meta, who now holds a 49% stake.
  • Google has paused multiple projects with Scale AI, following Meta's investment, raising concerns about data sharing.
  • Scale AI's competitors are experiencing increased customer demand as companies seek alternatives.
  • Meta's AI assistant has reached over 1 billion users, positioning Meta as an early leader in agentic AI.
  • Google is expanding its Gemini 2.5 AI model family with the introduction of Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite, a faster and more cost-efficient model.
  • Experts are predicting potential job losses in white-collar sectors due to advancements in AI.
  • Elon Musk is adjusting his Grok AI chatbot after disagreeing with its analysis of political violence.
  • Every Cure won Newsweek's AI Impact Award for using AI to identify new uses for existing medications.
  • Opelika, Alabama, is using AI-powered security cameras to enhance public safety.
  • AI analysis suggests the Milky Way's black hole, Sagittarius A*, is spinning rapidly and its rotation axis is pointing toward Earth.

OpenAI ends Scale AI work after Meta invests billions

OpenAI is stopping its work with Scale AI after Meta invested billions in the company. OpenAI says it was already reducing its reliance on Scale AI before Meta's investment. OpenAI wants to find other data providers with more specialized data for AI models. Meta's investment in Scale AI has created uncertainty for Scale's business. Meta hired Scale AI's founder to lead a new AI division.

OpenAI cuts ties with Scale AI after Meta deal

OpenAI is cutting ties with Scale AI after Meta invested in the startup. OpenAI said it was already reducing its work with Scale AI before the Meta deal. They are looking for other data providers with more specialized data. This decision raises questions about Scale AI's data labeling business. Scale AI's interim CEO says the company will focus on building custom AI applications for governments and businesses.

Scale AI CEO says company is not winding down after Meta deal

Scale AI's Interim CEO Jason Droege says the company is not changing course after Meta's investment. Meta has a 49% stake in Scale AI, but will not have voting power. Scale AI's founder Alexandr Wang will join Meta. Droege says Scale AI is still an independent company with multiple promising lines of business. OpenAI is ending its work with Scale AI, looking for data providers that have kept pace with innovation.

Scale AI's rivals see customer surge after Meta invests

Scale AI's competitors are seeing a surge in customer demand after Meta invested in Scale AI. Companies are worried about Scale AI's independence after Meta's investment. OpenAI is phasing out its work with Scale AI. Scale AI helps tech firms label data for AI models. Meta's deal to take a 49% stake in Scale AI and hire its CEO is shaking up the market.

OpenAI ends work with Scale AI after Meta deal

OpenAI is ending its work with Scale AI, which is receiving a $14.3 billion investment from Meta. Scale AI helps tech companies prepare data for AI models. OpenAI has been reducing its work with Scale AI for the last year. OpenAI is looking for other data providers that understand the latest AI models. Google is also reportedly cutting ties with Scale AI.

Google, OpenAI halt Scale AI projects after Meta deal

Google and OpenAI are distancing themselves from Scale AI after Meta's investment. Google paused multiple projects with Scale AI. OpenAI and xAI have also paused some projects. A Scale AI investor is selling their stake because of the loss of Big Tech clients. Meta is buying 49% of Scale AI and hiring its founder, raising concerns about data sharing.

AI could cause white-collar job losses, experts warn

Experts predict AI could cause job losses in fields like tech, law, and finance. Some AI leaders are predicting white-collar job losses. OpenAI and Microsoft's relationship may be fracturing over antitrust concerns. Disney and Universal are suing Midjourney for copyright infringement. The NAACP is planning to sue Elon Musk's xAI for air pollution in Black communities.

OpenAI cuts ties with Scale AI after Meta deal

OpenAI is ending its work with Scale AI after Meta invested $14.3 billion in the startup. Scale AI helps tech companies prepare data for AI models. OpenAI has been reducing its work with Scale AI for the last 6-12 months. OpenAI is looking for other data providers that have kept pace with innovation. Meta's investment will give them a 49% stake in Scale AI.

Every Cure wins AI Impact Award for finding new uses for drugs

Every Cure, a nonprofit, won Newsweek's AI Impact Award for finding new uses for existing medications. They use AI to assess drug-disease combinations and prioritize therapies. Their platform, MATRIX, ranks 75 million drug-disease combinations. They identified adalimumab as a potential treatment for Castleman disease. They also found leucovorin helped restore speech in children with autism.

Newsweek explores AI's future with industry leaders at summit

Newsweek is hosting an AI Impact Summit in Sonoma, California. The summit will bring together leaders from various industries to discuss AI. Topics include AI implementation, ethics, workforce adaptation, and regulation. Representatives from law firms, health systems, and companies will share insights. Attendees will gain strategies for integrating AI and driving innovation.

Newsweek celebrates AI innovation with 2025 AI Impact Awards

Newsweek announced the winners of its AI Impact Awards, recognizing 38 companies. The awards celebrate businesses using AI to solve practical challenges. AI is transforming industries like health care, finance, and retail. Judges selected winners based on the practical impact of their AI tools. Every Cure was named overall Best in Class for its work identifying new uses for existing medications.

Is AI distorting our view of the Milky Way's black hole

A new AI model suggests the Milky Way's central black hole, Sagittarius A*, is spinning rapidly. The model was trained on noisy data from the Event Horizon Telescope. Researchers hope to improve our understanding of black hole dynamics. However, some physicists are concerned about the reliability of models built on compromised data. The researchers plan to test their model against newer data to address these concerns.

AI reveals Milky Way's black hole points toward Earth

Astronomers used AI to estimate the rotation speed of the black hole at the center of our galaxy. They discovered that Sagittarius A* is spinning at nearly its maximum speed. The black hole's rotation axis is pointing toward Earth. The AI model used data from the Event Horizon Telescope. This discovery challenges ideas about how matter organizes around black holes.

AI data trading gains momentum with Crowdworks' A1 Data Marketplace

Data trading for AI learning is increasing. Crowdworks operates the A1 Data Marketplace for trading AI learning data. The platform's partner companies have more than doubled. It provides over 40 language data, including rare languages. Crowdworks has partnered with Defined.AI and signed data supply contracts with global tech companies. The new government's AI industry policy is positively impacting data transactions.

Google expands Gemini 2.5 AI model family

Google is expanding its Gemini 2.5 family of AI models. Gemini 2.5 Flash and Pro are now available. They are introducing Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite, their fastest and most cost-efficient model. 2.5 Flash Lite has higher quality than 2.0 Flash-Lite on coding, math, and reasoning. It excels at high-volume tasks like translation and classification. It includes a 1 million-token context length.

Top 10 cybersecurity tools of 2025 include AI-powered products

The hottest cybersecurity tools of 2025 include AI-powered products. These tools aim to improve security outcomes using AI/ML, GenAI, and agentic capabilities. Key product categories include security operations, data security, and email protection. The list includes products from 1Password, Check Point, CrowdStrike, and Cyera. These tools help organizations reduce risk and simplify compliance reporting.

Elon Musk to fix Grok AI after disagreement on violence

Elon Musk is working to "fix" his AI chatbot Grok after it disagreed with him on political violence. Grok said right-wing violence has been more frequent and deadly since 2016. Musk claimed this was objectively false and that Grok was parroting legacy media. Grok responded that its analysis relies on academic and think tank data. Musk has previously tinkered with Grok to make it align with his views.

Opelika, Alabama uses AI to improve city security

Opelika, Alabama uses AI in security cameras to improve public safety. The city uses AI to detect behaviors in crowds and protect residents. AI models are trained to detect people in the pool after hours. The city also uses AI to detect bubbles in the Courthouse Square fountain. The AI models are loaded onto Cisco Meraki cameras.

Asus builds graphics card with SSD slot for AI

Asus built a GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card with an SSD slot. The ProArt RTX 5080 SSD Edition is designed for AI development. The GPU is rotated 90 degrees to accommodate the SSD and improve airflow. Asus is developing a tool called Multi-LM to offload AI models to the storage. This allows local model development without constant memory swaps.

Meta and Amazon seen as early winners in agentic AI race

Analysts say Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Booking Holdings are early winners in agentic AI. Agentic AI can take actions online, like purchasing items or booking reservations. Meta's AI assistant already has over 1 billion users. Amazon is testing a 'buy for me' agent feature. Booking.com has launched its own AI Trip Planner.

Sources

OpenAI Scale AI Meta AI Models Data Providers Data Labeling AI Applications Google xAI AI Impact Award Every Cure Drug Discovery AI Impact Summit AI Innovation Milky Way Black Hole Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope AI Data Marketplace Crowdworks Gemini 2.5 Google AI Cybersecurity Tools AI-Powered Security Grok AI Elon Musk AI Chatbot Opelika Alabama AI Security Asus Graphics Card SSD AI Development Agentic AI Amazon Booking Holdings Job Losses AI Ethics AI Regulation AI Implementation