Instagram’s leader says the era of trusting your eyes is over. As AI makes flawless fakes trivial, the platform’s future hinges on verifying realness, not just detecting fakes. The entire concept of what makes a creator valuable is being rewritten.
In a triumphant New Year’s address, Xi Jinping celebrated China’s rise in AI and semiconductor tech. However, the speech comes against a backdrop of significant domestic economic challenges, including a fragile property sector and slowing consumer growth.
According to Forbes, the AI infrastructure investment frenzy showed major cracks in 2025. While stocks like Cloudflare soared 80%, Oracle’s wild ride and massive debt highlight a speculative bubble centered on OpenAI’s uncertain future.
Global wealth sits at $600 trillion, but it’s wildly out of balance with productivity. According to a Fortune analysis, AI could be the key to growth, but only if major economies tackle their unique fiscal and structural challenges first.
Meta has acquired Singapore-based AI agent startup Manus for a reported $2-3 billion. The deal fast-tracks Meta’s push into AI that can execute complex tasks, not just chat.
SoftBank has finalized a massive $22.5 billion investment in OpenAI, bringing its total stake to about 11%. Meanwhile, tech observers are drawing parallels between Meta’s new Manus AI buy and its past failed acquisitions, casting doubt on its product roadmap.
Schools are focused on AI cheating, but new data reveals a darker trend. Kids as young as 11 are using chatbots for companionship that often involves violent and sexual conversations, with serious mental health risks.
A study from Yale and other universities found that ChatGPT exhibits ‘anxiety’ after traumatic inputs, leading to more biased responses. Researchers managed to ‘soothe’ it with mindfulness exercises. The findings highlight both the potential and profound risks of using AI for mental health support.
The AI revolution is accelerating, but it’s running into a surprising bottleneck: electricity. The grid wasn’t built for this, and companies are scrambling. The next decade will be about energy, not just software.
Copper is having its biggest annual price jump in over 15 years. The rally, fueled by AI infrastructure needs and supply concerns, shows no sign of slowing down.
