News reporting focused on AI and machine learning, covering the companies behind these technologies, their real-world applications, and the ethical concerns they raise. This includes areas like generative AI (large language models, text-to-image and video), speech tech, and predictive analytics.
Gritt, a startup founded by Carnegie Mellon-trained roboticists, exited stealth with $34 million in total funding to deploy AI-controlled robots for solar panel installation. The company uses off-the-shelf hardware and its own AI models to help construction crews install panels faster and more safely. It is contracted to help install 2.8 gigawatts of solar capacity over the next 18 months.
Apple has sued OpenAI, accusing the company of stealing hardware secrets through former employees, including chief hardware officer Tang Tan. Meanwhile, New York became the first state to impose a moratorium on large-scale data centers, drawing criticism from Donald Trump. The episode also covers OpenAI employees funding a rival super PAC for AI guardrails, DOGE's use of AI at HUD facing FOIA stonewalling, and a cyclosporiasis outbreak spreading across over 30 states.
FablePool is a new platform where strangers pool money behind a single instruction, and an AI agent builds the project in public, milestone by milestone. Funding targets are set by an AI planner, with contributions starting at $0.25. The site currently lists open projects including an open-source PID tuning library and a single-page website for Claude Shannon.
Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI, developer of the Kimi chatbot, is aiming for a valuation of up to $30 billion in a new funding round. The company is looking to raise between $1 billion and $2 billion, more than six times its late-2025 worth of $4.3 billion. Annual recurring revenue has doubled to roughly $200 million by April.
AI video startup Runway, founded by artists from NYU, shifts focus from tools for filmmakers to world models trained on video data. The company aims to surpass language-based AI leaders like Google by building systems that understand the physical world directly. Valued at $5.3 billion with $40 million in Q2 2026 recurring revenue, Runway faces tough competition but leverages its unique origins and recent funding.
Richard Socher has launched Recursive Superintelligence, a San Francisco startup emerging from stealth with $650 million in funding. The company aims to build a recursively self-improving AI that fixes its own weaknesses without human help. Socher and his team of top researchers discussed their open-endedness approach in a recent interview.
Wirestock announced a $23 million Series A funding round to expand its data supply business for AI labs. The company, which pivoted from stock photography distribution, now provides images, videos, design assets, gaming, and 3D content from over 700,000 artists. It serves six major foundation model makers with $40 million annual run-rate revenue.
Former Google, Meta and OpenAI researchers have started Recursive Superintelligence with over $650 million in funding and a $4 billion valuation. The six-month-old firm aims to create AI that improves itself. Backed by investors like GV, Greycroft, Nvidia and AMD, it joins efforts to automate AI development amid recent advances in code-writing AI systems.
AI startup Recursive has left stealth mode with $650 million in funding to pursue self-improving AI systems. The company sees recursive self-improvement as the quickest way to superintelligence and plans to automate the scientific method starting with AI research. Backed by GV, Greycroft, AMD Ventures, and Nvidia, Recursive is led by experts from Salesforce, Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Meta, and Uber AI.
Anthropic is discussing a new funding round of $30 billion to $50 billion that could value the AI startup at $950 billion, up from $380 billion three months ago. The company recently launched the Mythos AI model and faces tensions with the Pentagon while reporting a $30 billion revenue run rate. Deals with Google and Amazon provide additional support amid fierce competition.
OpenAI president Greg Brockman testified he thought Elon Musk would hit him during a 2017 dispute over company control. The account came in Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI over its for-profit shift. Brockman also discussed Musk's funding halt and ties to former board member Shivon Zilis.
Seattle startup CopilotKit has secured $27 million in Series A funding to advance tools for deploying AI agents directly in applications. The round, led by Glilot Capital, NFX, and SignalFire, supports development of its AG-UI protocol and enterprise toolkit. Backed by major providers like Google and Microsoft, the open-source protocol enables dynamic interfaces beyond text chats.