A record-breaking AI funding round

Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Despite the constant drama, leadership churn, and stiff competition, investors are still betting BIG on OpenAI because the golden goose of the AI boom.

With a $6.6B funding round at an eye-popping $157B valuation, the AI leader just got a record-breaking boost to fuel its reign on the industry’s top. Let’s get into it…

In today’s AI rundown:

• OpenAI secures record-breaking $6.6B in funding

• Google developing reasoning AI to rival OpenAI

• Turn YouTube videos into AI-powered podcasts

• MIT’s ‘Future You’ taps AI to talk with older self

• 6 latest AI tools & 4 latest AI jobs

• More AI & tech news

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

OPENAI

💰 OpenAI secures record-breaking $6.6B in funding

The Rundown: OpenAI just closed an enormous $6.6B funding round, valuing the corporate at an unprecedented $157B and solidifying its position as probably the most well-funded AI startup on the earth.

The small print:

• Thrive Capital led the round, which included participation from Microsoft, Nvidia, SoftBank, MGX, and others.

• OpenAI announced that it plans to make use of the funds to expand research, increase computing capability, and develop latest tools.

• OpenAI expects revenue increases to $25B by 2026 and $100B by 2029, based on investor documents.

• The corporate reportedly asked investors for exclusive arrangements, discouraging them from backing rivals like Anthropic and xAI.

• The move comes amid a company restructure to a for-profit entity, which, according to the NYT, is not going to occur until ‘sometime next 12 months’.

Why it matters: The long-rumored funding round is finally official, and the numbers are staggering. Despite the drama, leadership churn, and heavy competition, the corporate’s giant’s sky-high valuation shows that investors still see OpenAI because the golden goose of the AI boom — whatever the noise.

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GOOGLE

🤔 Google developing reasoning AI to rival OpenAI

The Rundown: Google is reportedly making significant strides in developing AI models with advanced reasoning capabilities much like OpenAI’s o1 system, intensifying the rivalry between the 2 AI giants.

The small print:

• Multiple teams at Google are working on AI that may solve complex, multi-step problems, based on Bloomberg.

• The AI uses chain-of-thought prompting, a method created by Google, to tackle complex math and programming problems by ‘pondering’ before responding.

• Google is taking a more cautious approach to its releases than OpenAI but has already debuted math-focused reasoning models like AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry 2.

• Microsoft also infused reasoning capabilities into its Copilot assistant this week, leveraging OpenAI’s o1 model.

Why it matters: Human-like reasoning and agentic capabilities are clearly the 2 major developments on every AI firm’s roadmap, and the discharge of o1 can have signaled a brand new phase within the LLM race. The query is — will OpenAI’s speed keep it a step ahead, or is the competition for top-tier models about to get a complete lot tougher?

AI TRAINING

🎧 Turn YouTube videos into AI-powered podcasts

The Rundown: NotebookLM’s latest update allows users to remodel lengthy YouTube videos into concise AI-generated podcasts, saving time and enhancing study efficiency.

Step-by-step:

1. Visit NotebookLM and create a brand new notebook.

2. Click on “Link” within the source selection area, select “YouTube” and paste your required YouTube video URL.

3. Select “Generate” within the Audio Overview section to create your AI podcast.

4. Interact along with your podcast by playing it, asking questions via chat, or generating additional study materials.

Pro tip: Use the chat feature to ask specific questions on the content, turning your AI podcast into an interactive study session!

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AI RESEARCH

👴🏻 MIT’s ‘Future You’ taps AI to talk with older self

The Rundown: Researchers at MIT have developed an AI system called “Future You” that permits users to interact with and ask inquiries to a simulated version of their older selves.

The small print:

• The system uses personal information provided by users to create a practical future self-simulation, including generating an age-progressed photo.

• Users engage in text-based conversation with an AI-generated 60-year-old version of themselves, able to answering questions and offering insights.

• In a study of 344 participants, those that used Future You reported decreased negative emotions and anxiety.

Why it matters: While aging simulation apps are consistently going viral, the implications of AI-driven psychological support are massive. With AI’s ability to create and simulate highly personalized, empathetic experiences, studies like Future You’re only scratching the surface of the long run of therapy and psychology.

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Trending AI Tools

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Latest AI Job Opportunities

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• 📈 Meta – Growth Marketing Manager

• 🤝 Character AI – Head of Partnerships

QUICK HITS

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Microsoft announced a $4.8B investment into AI and cloud infrastructure in Italy, with plans to expand its data center within the region to develop into certainly one of Europe’s largest cloud hubs.

Character AI is reportedly shifting its focus away from constructing AI models within the wake of its $2.7B cope with Google and prioritizing its consumer chatbot service.

Elon Musk posted ‘OpenAI is evil’ on X in response to reports that the AI giant asked investors to avoid funding competing AI firms like Anthropic and Musk’s xAI.

Accenture announced a brand new partnership with NVIDIA to speed up enterprise AI adoption, launching a business group and AI Refinery platform to scale agentic AI systems across industries.

The Cancer AI Alliance formed a $40M collaboration between major medical institutions and tech giants like Microsoft, AWS, Nvidia, and Deloitte to advance AI-driven cancer care.

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THAT’S A WRAP

See you soon,

Rowan, Joey, Zach, and Alvaro—aka The Rundown Team