Your weekly briefing on all things AI
Presented by Clark Valberg

Beneath the headlines, this week reveals a subtle but fierce competition to claim the infrastructure of the future. Microsoft & Atom Computing’s record-breaking quantum computer isn’t just a scientific milestone—it’s a strategic move toward unlocking dominance in R&D, cryptography, and logistical optimization.

Meanwhile, xAI’s multibillion-dollar data center project, complete with industrial espionage, underscores a truth: controlling compute power is the new arms race. Winning that race is not just about faster load speeds for users, but about controlling the infrastructure on which entire industries and economies could be built.

Let’s dive in…

> Microsoft & Atom Computing Partner to Launch Commercial Quantum Computers

> Perplexity Challenges Amazon and Google with AI Shopping Feature

> A Tool For Fast Fact-Checking To Improve Any Workflow

> xAI Seeks $6B to Build Memphis Data Center & Competitors Want To Watch

> Prompt Tip:  Get ChatGPT Responses In a Table

Microsoft & Atom Computing Team Up For Commercialized Quantum Computers

The world of computing took a quantum leap this week as Microsoft and Atom Computing (A Tiferes Portfolio Company) unveiled their record-breaking quantum computer. The collaboration achieved milestones in computational power, error correction capabilities, and (most importantly) commercial viability.

While regular computers process information sequentially using binary (yes/no) decisions, quantum computers can explore many possibilities simultaneously. Imagine you're trying to unlock a door. With a regular computer, it's like testing each key on a keyring one-by-one until you find the right one. With a quantum computer, it's like having the ability to try all the keys at the same time, and the wrong ones naturally fall away, leaving the correct solution.

The technology is still at a stage resembling the first commercialized digital computer in 1951, but the most anticipated use cases are drug discovery, molecular modeling, logistical optimization, cryptography/cyber security, and AI/machine learning. (techcrunch)

More Stories

• xAI competitors send planes to spy on their data-center construction project. (theinformation)

• British company launches an ‘AI Granny' that chats with scammers to waste their time. (techcrunch)

• Microsoft brings AI to agriculture and manufacturing with partners such as Siemens, Bayer, & Rockwell Automation. (venturebeats)

• Singapore startup, AI Palette, attracts attention from Nestle, Pepsico, & Kellogs for market research. (cnbc)

Real Estate | New Reports Anticipate a Surge in PropTech Funding in 2025

Fueled by generative AI and tighter compliance solutions, the property-tech sector is regaining investor confidence after a tough 2022. A new report shows 77% of investors plan to boost PropTech funding in 2025, with M&A activity expected to rise. AI-driven efficiency and risk management are setting the stage for a tech-powered real estate rebound. (globest)

Healthcare & Biotech | Microbial GPS 

Lund University researchers created an AI tool, mGPS, that can trace where a person has been using microbial "fingerprints" from their microbiome. Trained on global datasets, it identifies the origin of samples with 92% accuracy, offering potential for tracking disease spread and antibiotic resistance. (BGR)

Finance & Banking | Banks Adding AI to Payroll

The 2024 Global Banking Benchmark Study reveals a major AI shift: 32% of banks' customer experience budgets now go to AI, machine learning, and generative AI. Meanwhile, 42% are doubling down on personalized customer journeys to drive CX innovation. Banks investing in cutting-edge AI and tailored experiences are poised to set new industry standards for customer engagement. (CIO)

Technology | ChatGPT to Operate Your Desktop in 2025

OpenAI is preparing to release an autonomous AI agent, codenamed "Operator," capable of independently controlling computers and performing tasks. This agent is expected to debut as a research preview in early 2025, with a full launch planned for later in the year. The development of Operator aligns with OpenAI's strategy to create AI systems that can autonomously execute complex tasks, moving beyond simple text generation. (The Verge)

Retail & E-commerce | Perplexity Partners With Shopify

AI-powered search engine Perplexity’s latest shopping feature lets U.S. paid users browse, compare, and buy products directly within its AI-powered search engine. Integrating with Shopify, it offers unbiased recommendations, image-based search, and one-click checkout with free shipping for Pro users. This bold move challenges Amazon and Google in the race for AI-driven shopping innovation. (techcrunch)

Media &  Entertainment | Puma Promotes AI Influencer

Puma debuts Laila Khadraa, its first AI-powered virtual ambassador, blending tech with storytelling to engage younger audiences. With 12,700+ Instagram followers already, Laila highlights the rising trend of AI-driven, scalable marketing strategies transforming brand engagement. (thinkmarketingmagazine)

Parafact: A Fact-Checking Writing Assistant That Shows Its Sources

Hallucinations are one of the biggest problems facing AI-generated content today. Parafact instantly verifies the accuracy of any human or AI-generated text by cross-referencing it with reliable sources. With the click of a button, parafact digests your content, pulls out any claims made, and cross-references these claims with reliable sources. Use cases range widely from streamlining legal work to validating market research to verifying journalism. They also have an API that developers can leverage for their apps.

More Tools:

• Locofy.ai: speeds up UI development by leveraging existing tools, libraries, tech stacks, and CI/CD workflows.

• HotBot: virtual assistant that offers quick answers, efficient problem-solving and a variety of AI-powered tools to simplify daily tasks.

• Side Space: browser extension that lets you organize and manage multiple tabs in a side panel for easier navigation.

• TextCortex: integrates data, provides insights and automates workflows to enhance productivity.

• Recall.ai: a unified API for integrating meeting bots across platforms like Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

• Elon Musk’s xAI seeks $6B to purchase 100,000 Nvidia chips for new Memphis data center. (cnbc)

• Tessl secures $125M in funding to develop AI for writing and managing code. (techcrunch)

• ChapsVision expands AI capabilities via Sinequa acquisition and completing a $90M funding round. (yahoo finance)

• SuperAnnotate raises $36M in Series B to scale its AI annotation platform. (superannotate)

• Socium, an automated HR solution, expands focus on Francophone Africa following a $5M seed round. (techcrunch)

• Zeplyn secures $3M to advance its AI assistant for financial advisors. (financial planning)

_. Prompting Tip _.

Organize GPT Responses Into a Table

For anyone who likes to think in rows and/or columns, this is a tip for you. By using the phrase “in a tabular format,” ChatGPT can give you outputs that can be easily copied into an Excel or Google sheet. You can prompt what columns you want and in what order. On a premium subscription, you can also ask ChatGPT to “convert this into a downloadable csv”, but be sure to double-check the data you download this way.