🗞 Apple Eyes Perplexity, Murati Raises $2B, and Google's Video AI

🔎 The Latest on the AI Frontier:

• Apple Eyes Perplexity AI for Search Engine Development

• Mira Murati Raises $2B for Stealth AI Startup at $10B Valuation

• Google Gemini Launches Video Analysis Feature Ahead of ChatGPT

• Grok Adds Centralized Files Tab for Enhanced Productivity

• OpenAI's Hardware Device Faces Delays and Trademark Issues

• New York Plans First Major Nuclear Plant in 15 Years for AI Power

• Other news you might find interesting

🍎 Apple is reportedly considering acquiring Perplexity AI to develop an AI-powered search engine and enhance Siri capabilities, with executives already discussing the potential deal internally.

• Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, has discussed the idea with services SVP Eddy Cue and top AI decision-makers, though Apple hasn't approached Perplexity with a formal bid and may alternatively pursue a partnership instead.

• The acquisition would help Apple prepare for potential regulatory changes requiring it to end its $18 billion annual partnership with Google as Safari's default search engine, while also acquiring needed AI talent to compete more effectively.

• Apple is actively competing with Meta to hire AI talent, including Daniel Gross from Safe Superintelligence, as the company works to catch up in artificial intelligence after delaying key features like a more powerful Siri for Apple Intelligence.

💰 Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has secured a stunning $2 billion seed round for her six-month-old startup Thinking Machines Lab at a $10 billion valuation, despite revealing no product details or business plans to investors.

• Andreessen Horowitz leads the funding with a $50 million minimum ticket, betting on Murati's track record developing ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Codex, plus her ability to attract top talent like co-founder John Schulman.

• The deal grants Murati extraordinary control with board voting rights outweighing all other directors, while the company focuses on artificial general intelligence research in complete secrecy to avoid giving competitors technical advantages.

• This funding puts Thinking Machines among elite AI companies despite no disclosed products, following Safe Superintelligence's $2 billion raise at $32 billion valuation, demonstrating massive investor appetite for proven AI talent.

📹 Google Gemini introduces video analysis capabilities that allow users to upload and analyze footage up to five minutes long, giving it a competitive edge over ChatGPT which currently lacks video upload functionality.

• Users can upload videos through Android, iOS, or web platforms and ask detailed questions about content, timestamps, and specific elements, with the AI providing comprehensive descriptions and follow-up analysis capabilities.

• The feature works with both free and paid Gemini accounts using 2.5 Flash and 2.5 Pro models, while longer videos can be analyzed by uploading them to YouTube first and using the link in Gemini to bypass the five-minute restriction.

• This advancement positions Gemini ahead of competitors in multimodal AI capabilities, though users must upload pre-recorded footage since in-app video recording isn't yet available within the platform.

📂 Grok launches a centralized Files tab in its web interface to streamline file management and productivity workflows for users handling multiple uploads and AI-generated content.

• The new Files tab will appear in the left sidebar with filtering capabilities by file extension, allowing users to quickly locate and organize all uploaded or generated files within a unified dashboard.

• Different file types will trigger specialized interfaces when selected - images open with editing tools, Excel sheets provide chat-driven interaction, and code files offer rendering or execution options directly within the platform.

• This update represents xAI's strategic shift toward positioning Grok as a comprehensive daily workspace rather than just a chatbot, with the feature currently in testing phase before broader rollout to users.

📱 OpenAI's $6.5 billion acquisition of Jony Ive's design studio io faces trademark disputes and reveals their upcoming AI device won't be a wearable or in-ear product, with commercial release delayed until at least 2026.

• Tang Tan, io's chief hardware officer and former Apple design leader, confirmed the prototype remains at least a year from release and won't compete directly with in-ear audio computers despite extensive research into wearable form factors.

• A trademark dispute with startup Iyo forced OpenAI to remove public references to the "io" brand after Iyo claimed intentional copying, strengthening their case with emails showing OpenAI executives had knowledge of Iyo's competing audio computer product.

• Court documents reveal io explored desktop, mobile, wireless, and portable designs while testing over 30 headphones and earbuds, indicating comprehensive hardware research despite ruling out wearable formats for their initial AI device launch.

⚛️ New York State plans to build America's first major nuclear plant in over 15 years, targeting at least 1 gigawatt of capacity to meet surging energy demands from AI datacenters and address power shortages.

• Governor Kathy Hochul has instructed the New York Power Authority to find an upstate location and select a reactor design for the project, which would generate enough electricity to power approximately one million homes while supporting the state's 219 existing datacenters.

• The initiative addresses critical energy gaps created when the Indian Point Energy Center shut down in 2021, eliminating 25 percent of New York City's electricity supply, as management consultancy Bain & Company warns that US power consumption will outstrip supply within years.

• This aligns with President Trump's executive order to quadruple US nuclear capacity from 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050, while tech giants Amazon, Meta, and Google have committed to tripling global nuclear capacity to meet AI infrastructure demands.

More news you might find interesting:

• Meta explored acquiring AI video startup Runway before its massive $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI.

• Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum have discovered critical vulnerabilities in semantic watermarks designed to identify AI-generated images.

• Elon Musk's attempts to inject his political ideology into Grok AI raise serious concerns for enterprise users seeking unbiased artificial intelligence solutions for business operations.

• Google launches AI Mode in India as an experimental feature, offering its most powerful AI search experience with advanced reasoning capabilities and multimodal interaction through text, voice, and image queries.

• Datacenter investors are capitalizing on AI-driven demand by targeting businesses as a "captive customer base" with high switching costs and long-term contract commitments.

• Verizon launches a new AI-powered assistant in its My Verizon app using Google's Gemini technology to handle complex customer service tasks including upgrades, billing questions, and account management.

• ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming has quietly intensified his involvement in the company's AI research efforts.

Have any feedback? Send us an email