The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: AI And Robotics Headline Busy Week For Dealmaking

Another week, another review of giant AI-related financings. For this past week, the standout fundraiser was humanoid robot developer Figure, with its $1 billion Series C. Several other AI companies closed nine-figure rounds, and we also saw good-sized financings in biotech, manufacturing and reforestation.

AI data centers would need millions of gallons of North Carolina’s water supply a day

A single AI data center could use as much water as a small town, raising questions in North Carolina about growth, climate resilience and resource planning.

Amazon’s Seller Assistant Now Acts on Merchants’ Behalf

Amazon upgraded Seller Assistant so that it can take actions for sellers -- monitoring inventory, flagging issues and suggesting growth strategies.

A robot programmed to act like a 7-year-old girl works to combat fear and loneliness in hospitals

Robin is a therapeutic robot programed to act like a 7-year-old girl as it travels around nursing homes and hospitals’ pediatric units providing emotional support while helping to combat staffing shortages.

AI On: How Onboarding Teams of AI Agents Drives Productivity and Revenue for Businesses

Onboarding AI agents will become a core strategic function for businesses as leaders orchestrate digital talent across the organization.

Microsoft Copilot is taking over Teams. Here’s how AI will shape your daily workflow

All the tasks Microsoft says Copilot can handle for you now, across your entire workday.

UC Davis Health receives $2.8 million grant from NIH to create AI-based digital pathology tool

Gastroenterology researchers have received a $2.8 million grant from NIH to study the mechanisms of cell therapy using an AI-based digital pathology tool.

ASTP finds more health systems are adopting predictive AI

Nearly seven in 10 hospitals were using predictive artificial intelligence in 2024, with a surge in the use of third-party or self-developed automated billing, the agency says. Also, hospitals slower to adopt AI are lower-resourced, suggesting a divide.

Meta Ray-Ban Display and everything else unveiled at Meta Connect 2025

Meta unveiled new versions of its AI-powered smart glasses, as well as a gesture-indicating wristband.

Gen-Z Takes on a New Role at Work: AI Tutoring

A recent study found nearly two-thirds of Gen-Zers now voluntarily help older coworkers to use AI apps, increasing productivity across the workplace, and boosting their reputations at work.

Companies are choosing AI investment over hiring, big raises

It's not clear how much of the job market softness is due to AI-driven gains versus general economic weakness.

Octopus Energy spins off its Kraken utility billing and AI platform

The British renewable energy provider said that its Kraken platform had $500 million in committed annual revenue, spurring a spinoff that could result in a massive IPO.

Can AI sort out government corruption? Albania hopes so

Italy leads the EU with sweeping AI laws — prison for harmful deepfakes, workplace rules, and child protections

Italy has tough new AI rules and a €1 billion AI fund to protect and promote simultaneously.

AI Agents Are Coming For Your Buildings. Is Your Office Ready?

Intelligent automation has been in buildings for decades. Trane Technologies is now taking a different approach with the roll out of AI Control and ARIA, an AI agent for buildings.

Verizon Frontline Releases Study on Drones, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence

Verizon Frontline's survey highlights a significant shift towards AI and drone integration in public safety, with nearly half of responders planning daily use within five years...

Securing The Pandemic Preparedness Engine

CEPI is creating a pandemic-busting AI assistant for scientists. Ensuring its biosecurity from the outset will be key to ensuring safe and

AI medical tools found to downplay symptoms of women, ethnic minorities

Bias-reflecting LLMs lead to inferior medical advice for female, Black, and Asian patients.

OpenAI to Spend $100 Billion on Backup Servers for AI Breakthroughs

When OpenAI in March released ChatGPT features that could turn photos into animated characters, a spike in usage forced the company to put temporary limits on the features. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar told investors at a Goldman Sachs ...

Bridging fair-aware artificial intelligence and co-creation for equitable mental healthcare

Nature Reviews Psychology - Machine learning algorithms can increase the effectiveness of mental health interventions, but biased systems might exacerbate current disparities in case identification...

OpenAI Raids Apple for Hardware Talent, Manufacturing Partners

As OpenAI’s plans to make devices infused with its artificial intelligence get closer to reality, the company is increasingly plucking talent from Silicon Valley’s most successful device maker: Apple. In recent months, the startup behind ChatGPT has been raiding the ranks of Apple’s design, ...

A Chinese AI tool can manage chronic disease — could it revolutionize health care?

Nature - Artificial intelligence could reduce the strain that ageing populations put on medical systems.

World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life

Nature - Scientists used AI to write coherent viral genomes, using them to synthesize bacteriophages capable of killing resistant strains of bacteria.

Their teenage sons died by suicide. Now, they are sounding an alarm about AI chatbots

Grieving parents and online safety advocates at a congressional hearing called for new laws to regulate AI companion apps to protect the mental health of minors.