Your weekly briefing on all things AI
Presented by Clark Valberg

The latest Stanford AI Trends report highlights the U.S.’s significant role in the global AI landscape, with $66 billion in AI investments in 2023—nearly nine times China’s $7.3 billion and far ahead of the UK’s $3.5 billion. U.S.-based institutions also lead in AI innovation, producing 61 notable models compared to the European Union’s 21 and China’s 15. However, global competition remains fierce. For instance, the recently released Deepseek R1 has garnered attention for outperforming some U.S. models at a fraction of the cost, signaling that leadership in AI is far from settled. The Stargate initiative, the largest AI infrastructure investment to date, further reinforces the U.S.’s strong position.

Let’s dive in…

> Major Investment in US AI Infrastructure Starting in Texas
> Pentagon Using AI To Speed Up Target Take-downs
> Drugs Designed by Google’s DeepMind Set To Enter Clinical Trials
> Databricks Closes $15.3B Financing Round
> Generate Rendered Commercial Floor Plans At Scale
> Tip for Leveraging LLMs for Document Reviews

The Stargate Project: $500B of AI Infrastructure Built Over The Next 4 Years

The only thing more revelatory than the largest AI project ever being government infrastructure, is the fact that the largest government infrastructure project ever is on developing AI.

On January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump unveiled The Stargate Project, a $500 billion initiative aimed at bolstering the United States' artificial intelligence infrastructure. This ambitious venture is a collaboration between OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and MGX, with SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, serving as chairman. Musk posed skepticism about funds on X (formerly twitter), but the project plans to deploy an initial $100 billion to construct state-of-the-art data centers, in Texas. Further expansions are anticipated across the country. Key technology partners, including Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and OpenAI, will contribute to building and operating this advanced computing system.

The Stargate Project is poised to secure American leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and generate significant economic benefits globally. By enhancing AI infrastructure, the initiative aims to support the re-industrialization of the United States and provide strategic capabilities to protect national security. This development underscores the nation's commitment to advancing AI technology and maintaining a competitive edge in the global arena. (OpenAI)(WSJ)

More Stories

• The Pentagon highlights how AI accelerates decision-making in military operations. (TechCrunch)

• Microsoft is no longer OpenAI's exclusive cloud provider. (TechCrunch)

• French AI startup Mistral announces plans for a 2025 IPO. (TechCrunch)

• AI-designed proteins effectively blocked lethal toxins in snake venom. (Nature)

• SoundHound debuts an in-vehicle voice assistant with on-the-go food ordering. (SoundHound)

• Walmart introduces new delivery and pickup systems, optimizing efficiency for millions of customers. (The Sun)

• Nigeria embraces AI-powered learning tools enabling students to learn 2 years’ worth of material in 6 weeks. (WorldBank)

Real Estate | Virtual Home Tours Take Center Stage 

Housing.com is revolutionizing real estate by introducing cutting-edge 3D, AR, and VR tools, enabling users to virtually walk through properties without leaving their homes. These immersive technologies provide detailed, lifelike views of listings, helping buyers make more informed decisions while saving time and effort. This innovation marks a significant shift in how people explore and purchase real estate, blending convenience with high-tech visualization. (Media Brief)

Healthcare & Biotech | AI-Designed Drugs Enter Clinical Trials

Google DeepMind’s work in AI-driven drug discovery has reached a notable milestone, with several AI-designed drugs set to enter clinical trials in 2025. This development showcases AI’s potential to streamline drug development timelines and enhance treatment precision. If the trials succeed, it could mark an important step toward more efficient pathways for bringing therapies to market. (PYMNTS)

Finance & Banking | AI Speaks Trader

Financial firms are deploying AI tools capable of mimicking trader communication styles, allowing for more efficient workflows and improved decision-making on trading floors. These systems are designed to enhance collaboration and tailor strategies to dynamic financial markets. While still in early stages, the technology hints at a shift in how trading teams operate globally. (WSJ)

Technology | OpenAI’s Smooth Operator

OpenAI's new "Operator" tool empowers AI to complete web-based tasks like booking reservations, managing data, and shopping online by interacting directly with websites. Now available to ChatGPT Pro users in the U.S., Operator requires user consent for sensitive actions and partners with brands like Instacart and Uber. This marks a major leap in AI’s practical utility, streamlining workflows for businesses and consumers alike. (OpenAI)

Retail & E-commerce | Adobe Firefly API Edits Thousands of Photos at a Time

Adobe’s Firefly API now supports bulk editing, enabling businesses to efficiently process thousands of photos simultaneously. This feature empowers marketers to quickly tailor campaigns, improve personalization, and streamline operations. By integrating AI into digital marketing workflows, Adobe is setting a new standard for scalability and creativity in retail. (The Verge)

Media & Entertainment | AI Transforms Film with Tom Hanks' Digital Twin

AI technology has enabled the creation of highly realistic digital twins, as demonstrated in a recent film featuring Tom Hanks. This innovation allows actors to extend their on-screen presence and opens new possibilities for creative storytelling in Hollywood. While raising ethical considerations, the technology represents a major leap in visual effects. (The Times)

Featured Tool: GetFloorPlan.com

GetFloorPlan is an AI-powered platform that transforms sketches or existing floor plans into detailed 2D and 3D visuals, as well as immersive 360° virtual tours—all delivered within 24 hours.

Why it’s a game-changer for commercial real estate agents:

• Enhanced Property Presentation: Showcase properties with professional 2D/3D floor plans and virtual tours that help clients visualize spaces more effectively.

• Affordable and Scalable: Pricing starts at just $20 per floor plan, making it accessible for all listings.

• Customizable Branding: Add your logo and tailor visuals to match your style, ensuring every listing stands out.

• Rapid Turnaround: Get polished visuals in just 24 hours, helping you market properties faster.

More Tools

• Effy.ai: Streamline performance management with AI-driven reviews and 360-degree feedback tools.

• Prezent.ai: Enhance team communication with AI-powered tools for creating impactful presentations for stakeholders at any level.

• Memex: Build custom desktop applications effortlessly using natural language descriptions.

• DeepSeek: Access versatile AI capabilities with an open-source language model and chat interface.

• Rask.ai: Translate and lip-sync video content for a localized appeal to global audiences.

• Databricks closed a $15.3B financing round at a $62B valuation, with Meta joining as a strategic investor to enhance their AI initiatives. (TechCrunch)

• Synthesia, a British generative AI startup, reached a $2.1B valuation following a $180M funding round, capitalizing on the booming demand for AI-driven video content. (The Times)

• Anthropic secured an additional $1B from Google, reinforcing its position in the AI space with a reported $60B valuation. (TechCrunch)

• Prophecy raised $47M in a Series B extension to accelerate its AI-powered data cleaning solutions. (VC News Daily)

• Coram AI announced $13.8M in Series A funding to expand its LLM-powered, hardware-agnostic video security platform. (VC News Daily)

• Reeco, a procure-to-pay AI platform for hospitality secured $15M in a Series A round to scale its operations. (VC News Daily)

• Eve raised $47M in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz to continue building its AI platform for personal injury law firms and other plaintiffs' lawyers. (Reuters)

_. Prompting Tip _.

This Week’s Prompting Tip: ChatGPT’s New ‘Tasks’ Feature

OpenAI’s beta “Tasks” feature lets ChatGPT schedule prompts and send reminders, making it a more powerful virtual assistant. Available for Plus, Pro, or Team users, Tasks can handle up to 10 active tasks and is accessible on Web, iOS, Android, and macOS (Windows support is coming soon).

How to Use Tasks

1. Access: Select “GPT-4o with scheduled tasks” from the model dropdown menu.

2. Create: Enter a prompt with a schedule, like:

   • “Send me a daily update on the offers and messaging of my competitors x,y, and z”

   • “Every Monday, create a digest of news opportunities that my team can leverage for their PR strategy”

3. Manage: View, edit, or delete tasks under “Tasks” in your profile.