AI News on December 30th
1. Meta Announces Acquisition of AI Agent Company Manus
#Meta #Acquisition #AIAgents #M&A
Meta has announced an agreement to acquire AI agent company Manus, marking its third-largest acquisition to date. The deal, valued in the billions of dollars, aims to accelerate innovation in the field of AI agents. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.
2. Italy Orders Meta to Suspend AI Chatbot Ban on WhatsApp
#Meta #Italy #Regulation #Antitrust #WhatsApp
Italy's competition authority has ordered Meta to suspend its new policy that blocks rival companies from distributing general-purpose AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, through the WhatsApp Business API. The regulator warned the policy could harm competition by favoring Meta's own AI assistant while the investigation continues.
3. OpenAI CEO Highlights New Dangers as AI Grows More Powerful
#OpenAI #Safety #Cybersecurity #Governance
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a warning that AI systems are entering a more dangerous phase, posing growing risks in areas such as cybersecurity and misuse. In response, OpenAI is creating a new "Head of Preparedness" role to lead the assessment and management of risks from advanced AI models.
4. EU to Launch Strategy Reducing Reliance on Foreign AI
#EU #Policy #DigitalSovereignty #Strategy
The European Commission is preparing to launch a new "Applied AI" strategy aimed at reducing the bloc's dependence on foreign AI technology and bolstering its digital sovereignty. The strategy will focus on accelerating the development and adoption of European AI in key sectors like healthcare and defense.
5. AI "World Models" Seen Poised to Reshape Gaming Industry
#AI #Gaming #WorldModels #Innovation
Tech leaders are increasingly focusing on AI "World Models" capable of generating entire interactive 3D environments. This technology, championed by companies like Google DeepMind, is predicted to fundamentally reshape the global video game industry, which is valued at nearly $190 billion.
6. Report: Global Tech Giants' AI Capex Tops $370 Billion
#Investment #Capex #Market #TechGiants
A new report indicates that capital expenditure by major U.S. tech companies on AI infrastructure reached over $370 billion in 2025, representing a significant year-over-year increase. This massive investment surge has intensified market discussions about the sustainability and potential commercial returns of current AI spending.
7. EU Accelerates "AI Factory" Network to Compete in Global Compute Race
#EU #Infrastructure #Supercomputing #Competition
The European Union is rapidly expanding its network of "AI Factories," which are specialized supercomputing centers designed to provide AI capacity to researchers and businesses. The EU has already announced 19 such facilities and is planning even larger "AI Gigafactories" to compete in the global race for computing power.
8. Morgan Stanley Predicts Up to 100 Million Robotaxis on U.S. Roads by 2050
#AutonomousVehicles #Robotaxi #Forecast #Transportation
Analysts at Morgan Stanley project that the number of autonomous taxis, or robotaxis, on American roads could grow dramatically to reach 100 million by 2050. This forecast comes as companies like Waymo and Tesla expand their commercial robotaxi services, signaling a major long-term shift in transportation.
9. Bank CEOs Acknowledge AI Will Lead to Job Cuts
#Finance #Employment #Automation #Banking
CEOs of major Wall Street banks have stated that the adoption of generative AI will inevitably lead to job reductions within the sector. However, they also noted that the transition may happen gradually, with the technology initially changing the nature of work and potentially creating new roles even as it automates others.
10. Stanford Predicts 2026 Will Be a "Reality Check" Year for AI
#Research #Trends #HAI #Adoption
Researchers at Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered AI predict that 2026 will mark a shift from the hype-driven "evangelical" phase of AI to an "era of evaluation." The focus will move towards rigorously measuring the technology's real-world impact, productivity gains, and economic effects across different industries.