Cohere and Aleph Alpha sign, with headquarters in Berlin and Toronto
Cohere and Aleph Alpha sign, with headquarters in Berlin and Toronto

“No government or enterprise should have to choose between capable AI and control over their technology,” said Aidan Gomez, Cohere’s chief executive. Canada’s Cohere and Germany’s Aleph Alpha have signed a definitive business combination agreement, the…

“A clearly labeled conversation”: OpenAI tests Sponsored Agents in ChatGPT
“A clearly labeled conversation”: OpenAI tests Sponsored Agents in ChatGPT

“Today, we’re introducing new AI-powered experiences to make ads more useful for people and advertising easier for businesses,” OpenAI said on 16 September. The biggest change is a test of Sponsored Agents. After clicking an ad in ChatGPT, a user can c…

“An ill-advised moment to go public”: OpenAI eyes a $1.5tn private round
“An ill-advised moment to go public”: OpenAI eyes a $1.5tn private round

“Right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public,” OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman told Fortune on 12 September. Now OpenAI is considering one more private funding round before its IPO, at a valuation of about $1.5tn. The New York Times reporte…

“We must not sleepwalk”: Microsoft’s AI chief takes on Anthropic’s Claude
“We must not sleepwalk”: Microsoft’s AI chief takes on Anthropic’s Claude

“Whatever you believe, we must not sleepwalk our way into a decision we later come to bitterly regret.” That is how Mustafa Suleyman, chief executive of Microsoft AI, frames his warning to Anthropic. He published the essay, “A warning about ‘model welf…

Google and Nvidia launch an alliance to make data centres flex their power
Google and Nvidia launch an alliance to make data centres flex their power

Google, Nvidia and the startup Emerald AI have launched the AI Energy Management Alliance (AEMA). The coalition wants data centres to cut their power use when the electricity grid is under strain. In return, it wants grid operators to connect those dat…

Building the materials foundation for AI

The AI boom is becoming a materials challenge. As AI pushes computing into new territory, the materials behind that infrastructure are becoming just as crucial as the algorithms running on it. Semiconductors and data centers are approaching physical limits around performance, thermal management, electrical efficiency, and reliability, creating new demands for materials that can do…

UK workers spend nearly £1bn a year of their own money on AI tools for work, Deloitte finds
UK workers spend nearly £1bn a year of their own money on AI tools for work, Deloitte finds

British workers spend about £958 million each year out of pocket on generative AI tools for work, according to a Deloitte UK survey of 25,000 people. Of those using these tools, 17% pay for at least one themselves. This spending is part of a larger tre…

Zopa moves into AI voice banking services 

Zopacustomers can now send money to friends and settle invoices through AI voicetechnology, as the UK digital bank moves into conversational banking. Customersof the savings and current account bank, …