More than half of the software currently used by enterprises could be replaced by AI-driven systems, according to Arthur Mensch, chief executive of Mistral AI. The comments, made in an interview with CNBC, come as investors grow increasingly concerned that artificial intelligence may erode demand for traditional enterprise software.

Mensch said AI is enabling companies to build custom applications at unprecedented speed, reducing the need for off-the-shelf software-as-a-service products. “More than half of what’s currently being bought by IT in terms of SaaS is going to shift to AI,” he said, adding that AI allows software to be developed “at the speed of light.”

The remarks follow a sell-off in major software stocks, partly triggered by growing investor anxiety over AI-native tools such as Anthropic’s Cowork product. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF, which includes companies such as Microsoft and Salesforce, is down more than 20% this year. Software stocks in India, including Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys, have also declined.

AI-Driven Replatforming

Mensch said enterprises with the right infrastructure can now connect internal data directly to AI systems to create applications that automate key workflows. Tasks such as procurement or supply chain management, which once required specialized vertical SaaS products, can now be handled through custom AI applications built in days rather than years.

He described the shift as a broader “replatforming” of enterprise IT, with businesses reassessing software purchased decades ago that has become costly to maintain. According to Mensch, AI offers a path to rebuild those systems in a more efficient and less expensive way.

Mistral AI is seeing growing interest from large organizations pursuing this transition. Mensch said the company now works with more than 100 enterprise customers that are actively considering replacing parts of their existing software stack with AI-driven alternatives.

Not all software categories face the same level of disruption. Mensch said systems-of-record software, which manages core enterprise data, is unlikely to be replaced and will instead work alongside AI systems. That view aligns with comments from Bipul Sinha, chief executive of Rubrik, who told CNBC that workflow software could be significantly disrupted, while data infrastructure software enabling AI would benefit.

Expansion in India

Mensch also said Mistral plans to open its first office in India this year, expanding into a market where global technology companies are racing to establish a presence. The company already works with multinational customers that operate in India and is now targeting local public and private sector organizations.

While Mistral is building its own data centers in Europe, Mensch said it plans to partner with local infrastructure providers in India. The strategy reflects government pressure for AI models that can run locally and keep data stored domestically.

India’s linguistic diversity is also a factor. Mensch said Mistral’s large language models can support languages such as Hindi and Punjabi, which he said will become increasingly important for consumer-facing AI applications in the country.

The comments highlight how advances in generative AI are reshaping expectations for enterprise software and intensifying scrutiny of long-established SaaS business models.

AI & Machine Learning, Enterprise Tech, News

Perplexity, one of the first AI services to experiment with advertising, has ruled out bringing ads back into its core product, according to a report by the Financial Times. Executives at the company said sponsored answers risk undermining user trust, a critical factor for paid AI services.

Perplexity tested advertising in 2024 by placing sponsored responses beneath its chatbot’s answers. That approach was later phased out. A Perplexity executive told the Financial Times that users must believe they are receiving the best possible answer, not one influenced by commercial incentives, in order to keep using the product and justify paying for it.

The stance sets Perplexity apart as AI companies explore new revenue models to cover the rising costs of training and operating large language models. While subscription fees remain the primary source of income for many AI services, advertising is increasingly being tested as an additional stream.

Diverging Approaches to AI Advertising

The report follows a recent move by OpenAI to introduce ads for users of ChatGPT on free or low-cost Go plans. OpenAI has said advertisements will not influence chatbot responses and that advertisers will not gain access to user conversations. Higher-tier subscriptions remain ad-free.

That decision has drawn criticism from some competitors. Anthropic, the developer of the Claude chatbot, has publicly rejected advertising as a business model. The company recently mocked OpenAI’s move and said ads would conflict with its goal of building an assistant focused on work and deep thinking. Anthropic has argued that users should not have to wonder whether an AI system is subtly steering conversations toward monetizable outcomes.

Other major technology companies have taken more hybrid approaches. Google includes advertising in its AI-powered search features, including AI Overviews that appear at the top of traditional search results. However, Google has not yet introduced ads inside its Gemini chatbot, keeping conversational AI separate from its advertising business for now.

The range of strategies highlights the uncertainty around how AI services should be funded. Advertising has long been central to internet platforms, but applying it to conversational AI presents new challenges. Unlike search results or social feeds, AI chatbots present a single synthesized answer, making it harder to separate commercial content from core functionality without affecting credibility.

Rising Costs and Investor Pressure

Behind the debate is a broader financial reality. The cost of training and running large language models continues to climb as companies scale up computing infrastructure and compete on performance. Despite widespread adoption, many AI firms remain unprofitable, increasing pressure to demonstrate sustainable business models to investors.

Advertising is one option, alongside higher subscription prices, enterprise licensing, and usage-based fees. Perplexity’s decision suggests that some companies believe long-term trust and willingness to pay outweigh the short-term revenue potential of ads.

For now, the AI industry remains split. Some companies see advertising as inevitable, while others view it as incompatible with the promise of neutral, high-quality answers. As AI systems become more embedded in daily work and decision-making, how they are monetized may prove just as important as how well they perform.

AI & Machine Learning, Consumer Tech, News

Apple is working on a new lineup of AI-powered wearable devices, including smart glasses, a pendant-style device, and a new version of AirPods, according to reporting by Bloomberg. The products are still in development but reflect Apple’s growing focus on AI hardware beyond the smartphone.

According to the report, all three devices would be linked to the Apple iPhone and built around Siri, the company’s voice assistant. Each product would also rely on a camera system to support AI features, though not necessarily for photography. Report states the cameras would be used primarily to gather contextual information that could enhance AI-driven interactions.

The most unusual device described is a version of AirPods equipped with cameras. While several companies have released smart glasses and AI pendants that rely on onboard cameras, wireless earbuds with cameras would represent a new direction for consumer hardware. Gurman reported that Apple does not plan to use the cameras for capturing photos or videos but instead to support AI functions such as environmental awareness.

Internal Push Toward AI Devices

It was also reported that Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook recently told employees that the company will place a major emphasis on AI-focused devices. That internal messaging suggests Apple sees dedicated AI hardware as a strategic priority, even as many early AI wearables have struggled to gain traction with consumers.

Among the three devices, smart glasses appear to be the most advanced in development. As per the report,  Apple is working on a high-end pair of glasses with a built-in display and camera system. Internally, the project is reportedly known as N50. The product has been the subject of rumors since early last year, but the new report offers clearer details about its positioning and potential timeline.

The glasses would compete in a market that has recently shown signs of renewed momentum. Sales of smart glasses from Meta reportedly tripled in 2025, according to Bloomberg. Other major technology companies, including Google, Samsung, and OpenAI, are also exploring AI wearables or smart glasses as advances in generative AI improve device capabilities.

Timing Remains Uncertain

Despite Apple’s internal focus, it remains unclear when or if the new devices will reach consumers. Market research firm Omdi has predicted that Apple smart glasses will not arrive until 2028. However, Bloomberg reporting contradicts that forecast, saying Apple could move the glasses into production as early as this year, with a potential launch in 2027.

The report underscores a broader industry shift toward AI-first hardware, where devices are designed less around traditional apps and more around real-time assistance. For Apple, the effort represents a test of whether its tightly integrated ecosystem can support new form factors that rely on AI as a core feature rather than an add-on.

AI & Machine Learning, Consumer Tech, News

Figma on Tuesday introduced a new integration that allows developers and designers to move work created in Claude Code directly into the Figma design environment. The feature, enabled through the Figma MCP, converts a browser’s rendered state into fully editable Figma layers, creating a direct bridge between AI-assisted coding and visual design.

The update enables users to install the Figma MCP and issue a simple command such as “Send this to Figma” from Claude Code. Once triggered, the system translates the current rendered output into native Figma components, preserving layout structure and visual hierarchy. The result is a design file that can be edited, compared, and refined using Figma’s collaborative canvas rather than remaining locked in code or static screenshots.

Claude Code is developed by Anthropic, whose Claude models are widely used for software development, debugging, and interface generation. The new integration reflects a broader trend in which AI tools increasingly blur the line between design and engineering, allowing teams to move fluidly between disciplines rather than handing work off in rigid stages.

A Shift Away From Linear Workflows

Figma has positioned the integration as part of a larger rethink of how digital products are built. Traditional workflows often followed a linear path, starting with ideation, then design, and finally implementation. According to Figma, modern AI tools allow teams to begin anywhere, whether in a terminal, a prompt interface, or a visual canvas, and iterate across all stages continuously.

The company argues that the design canvas plays a critical role in navigating a growing number of possible solutions generated by AI systems. By placing outputs from Claude Code directly into Figma, teams can compare multiple approaches side by side, evaluate tradeoffs, and make changes through direct manipulation rather than additional prompting.

This approach also addresses a common risk in AI-assisted development, where teams move quickly from an initial output to production without reassessing direction. Figma said the new workflow is intended to encourage broader exploration before committing to a single implementation.

Closing the Loop Between Design and Code

Beyond importing work into Figma, the MCP integration also supports sending design changes back into a codebase. After refining layouts or interactions on the canvas, teams can use the same connection to reflect those updates in code, reducing rework and misalignment between design and development.

Figma said the goal is to make its platform the central space where ideas, visuals, and implementation converge, regardless of how a project begins. Whether work starts with AI-generated code, a written prompt, or a rough sketch, the company wants Figma to serve as the shared environment where teams step back, assess direction, and finalize decisions.

The integration is available starting today and underscores Figma’s broader push to adapt its tools to AI-driven product development without abandoning the role of human judgment, craft, and design perspective.

AI & Machine Learning, Consumer Tech, News

The Government of Rwanda and Anthropic have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to expand AI across education, health, and public sector systems. The agreement builds on the ALX education partnership announced in November 2025 and marks the first multi-sector government MOU formalized by Anthropic on the African continent.

Focus Areas: Health, Education, and Public Sector

The partnership covers three primary areas:

• Accelerating Rwanda’s health goals: Anthropic will support the Ministry of Health in initiatives to eliminate cervical cancer and reduce malaria and maternal mortality.
• Empowering public sector developers: Government teams will use Claude and Claude Code for training, capacity building, and AI deployment in various public sector applications.
• Expanding education partnerships: The MOU codifies previous education initiatives, including 2,000 Claude Pro licenses for educators, AI literacy programs for public servants, and deployment of a Claude-powered AI learning companion across eight African countries.

Rwanda’s Paula Ingabire said the collaboration is a milestone in the country’s AI journey, aimed at strengthening education, advancing health outcomes, and enhancing governance.

Training and Capacity Building

Anthropic’s Beneficial Deployments team will provide technical support, training, and infrastructure to ensure AI tools are used safely and independently by educators, health workers, and public servants. Elizabeth Kelly, Head of Beneficial Deployments at Anthropic, emphasized the focus on reach and local capacity, noting that technology is only valuable when widely accessible.

Long-Term Commitment to Responsible AI

This MOU represents a significant expansion of Anthropic’s engagement in Africa beyond education, incorporating health and public sector initiatives. The partnership prioritizes responsible AI deployment, capacity building, and local autonomy, aiming to deliver lasting value through infrastructure, skills development, and institution-level support.

The collaboration reflects Rwanda’s broader strategy of integrating AI into national systems and demonstrates Anthropic’s continued focus on equitable, multi-sector applications of artificial intelligence. This development follows the company’s recent expansion in India, where it opened a Bengaluru office and also launched partnerships across enterprise, education, and agriculture to bring Claude.ai to diverse sectors and underserved communities.

AI & Machine Learning, News

Infosys announced on Tuesday a partnership with Anthropic to integrate Claude models into its Topaz AI platform. The collaboration will focus on building “agentic” AI systems capable of autonomously executing complex enterprise workflows across banking, telecom, manufacturing, and other sectors.

The deal was revealed at India’s AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, which hosts executives from major AI companies and Big Tech. Infosys said it will leverage Claude Code to write, test, and debug code and is already deploying the tool internally to build expertise for client solutions.

AI’s Role in Enterprise IT

AI-related services contributed ₹25 billion ($275 million), or 5.5% of Infosys’ total revenue of ₹454.8 billion ($5 billion), in the December quarter. By comparison, Tata Consultancy Services said its AI services generate about $1.8 billion annually, or roughly 6% of revenue.

Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei highlighted the challenge of scaling AI for regulated industries. “There’s a big gap between an AI model that works in a demo and one that works in a regulated industry,” he said, noting that Infosys’ domain expertise helps bridge that gap.

India as a Strategic Market

Anthropic opened its first India office in Bengaluru this week, expanding in its second-largest market after the U.S. India now accounts for about 6% of global Claude usage, much of it in programming and enterprise applications.

The partnership aligns with a broader trend among Indian IT firms. Last year, HCLTech partnered with OpenAI to help enterprises deploy AI tools at scale. Infosys did not disclose the financial terms or deployment timeline for Claude-powered AI agents.

This collaboration underscores growing momentum for AI adoption in India’s IT services sector, where enterprise-grade AI agents are increasingly viewed as essential for automating complex, regulated workflows.

AI & Machine Learning, Enterprise Tech, News

India is the second-largest market for Anthropic’s Claude.ai, with nearly half of usage focused on computer and mathematical tasks, including application development, system modernization, and production software delivery.

The company has officially opened a Bengaluru office, its second in Asia after Tokyo, led by Managing Director of India Irina Ghose. Anthropic said the expansion will support partnerships across enterprise, education, and agriculture, strengthening its commitment to India’s growing AI ecosystem.

Building AI for India’s Languages and Domains

More than a billion people in India speak one of over a dozen official languages. Six months ago, Anthropic launched an initiative to improve Claude’s performance in 10 widely spoken Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, and Urdu.

The company is working with organizations such as Karya and the Collective Intelligence Project to evaluate Claude on locally relevant tasks in agriculture and law. These evaluations, in collaboration with nonprofits including Digital Green and Adalat AI, will inform future model improvements and be made publicly available.

Enterprise Adoption Across Industries

Claude.ai’s use in India spans large enterprises, digital-native companies, and startups. Air India uses Claude Code to accelerate software development. CRED reports faster feature delivery and improved test coverage with Claude Code, while Cognizant deploys Claude to 350,000 employees globally to modernize systems and integrate AI into operations.

Startups such as Razorpay, Enterpret, and Emergent are building products entirely on Claude, including AI assistants, risk and decision-making systems, and software platforms that allow users to generate applications with plain-language instructions.

Expanding Access to Education and Public Services

Educational applications represent 12% of Claude usage in India. Anthropic is partnering with Pratham and the Central Square Foundation to bring AI-enabled tools to underserved students, including women in the Second Chance program.

In the public sector, Claude is being applied to agriculture via the OpenAgriNet initiative and to health and legal services through partnerships with Noora Health, Intelehealth, and Adalat AI, providing real-time case updates, translation, and document summarization.

Driving Adoption With Open Standards

Anthropic developed the Model Context Protocol (MCP) as an open-source standard for connecting AI to external systems and recently contributed it to the Linux Foundation. The Indian Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation launched the first official MCP server, while private companies like Swiggy use MCP to integrate AI into consumer services.

Anthropic’s Bengaluru office will focus on hiring local talent across enterprise, startup, and research roles. The company plans to continue expanding its partnerships and deployments in India, aiming to increase AI access across education, agriculture, enterprises, and public services.

AI & Machine Learning, News

The U.S. National Science Foundation, in coordination with research agencies from Australia, India, and Japan, announced the first cohort of awards under the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen AGriculturE (AI-ENGAGE) initiative. The $2.4 million U.S. investment supports six international research projects that apply artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to strengthen agricultural resilience across the United States and the Indo-Pacific region.

AI-ENGAGE is a collaborative effort involving NSF, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The program represents a Quad initiative, highlighting cooperation among the four nations to advance critical and emerging technology research in agriculture.

“By integrating current and emerging technologies, like AI, into agriculture, we are advancing scientific frontiers to provide U.S. farmers and their international counterparts with tools they need to increase crop yields, more effectively manage pests, strengthen agricultural resilience and ensure a more secure food supply,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of NSF director.

Funded Projects and Goals

The six awarded projects involve researchers from at least three of the four Quad nations and cover a variety of AI-enabled agricultural applications:

• Purdue University: Autonomous aerial and ground robots for early disease detection in apple orchards.
• Iowa State University: “BRIDGE,” an AI smartphone app and chatbot for real-time pest and disease management.
• Kansas State University: “Smart Scout,” a computer vision system for soybean yield estimation and lodging detection.
• Missouri University of Science and Technology / University of Tennessee: “HARVEST,” a multimodal AI system for corn and rice pest and nutrient management.
• Washington State University: AI-driven genomic selection models to develop resilient, high-yield wheat varieties.
• Cornell University: Image-based phenotyping tools to accelerate breeding of tomatoes, onions, and strawberries.

The initiative leverages approximately $2.4 million in NSF funding for U.S.-based researchers, alongside $4 million contributed by partner agencies supporting research in their respective countries, totalling over $6 million in combined investment.

By requiring international collaboration, AI-ENGAGE ensures an exchange of expertise and data while advancing practical AI solutions for global agriculture.

AI & Machine Learning, Green & Energy Tech, News

Maser Group is moving into agriculture and AI infrastructure in Africa, planning to invest $1.6 billion in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya over the next 24 months. The expansion targets rising food import bills and fast-growing demand for data centers across the continent.

Founded in 2014, Maser has historically focused on consumer electronics but is now addressing Africa’s twin challenges of food security and digital infrastructure. The company has already committed around $300 million to land acquisitions and other asset-backed projects in Africa, according to founder and chairman Prateek Suri.

The bulk of the funding will come from Maser’s investment arm, MDR Investments LLC, in partnership with China-backed Chia Ventures Co. MDR manages a $500 million fund and is exploring public-private partnerships with several African governments, including Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda, and Nigeria, across sectors such as agriculture, mining, and affordable housing.

Africa’s Market Potential

Africa’s food import bill surpassed $83 billion in 2023, highlighting the need to expand local agricultural production, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa. At the same time, the continent’s data center capacity is expected to grow from 0.4 gigawatts today to around 2.2 gigawatts by 2030, requiring roughly $20 billion in new investment, McKinsey & Co. reported.

Maser Group currently operates in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Egypt, selling household appliances including televisions, washing machines, and refrigerators. Ownership is divided with Suri holding 56 percent, Chia Ventures at 30 percent, and TPA Electronics Co. at 14 percent.

The company’s pivot reflects one of the more ambitious private-sector bets on Africa’s growing demand for both agricultural output and digital infrastructure, signaling increasing confidence from international investors in the continent’s long-term growth prospects.

AI & Machine Learning, Green & Energy Tech, News

Senior executives from the world’s largest technology companies are arriving in India this week for an artificial intelligence summit in New Delhi, underscoring the country’s growing importance as a global technology market. India is hosting the AI Impact Summit, the latest in a series of government-backed AI events previously held in the United Kingdom, South Korea, and France.

Among the confirmed attendees are Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis. Jensen Huang was previously expected to attend but reportedly withdrew over the weekend due to unforeseen circumstances.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to host the gathering as India positions itself as a critical growth market for artificial intelligence. The country offers a large base of young, technology-focused consumers and a deep pool of engineering talent that global companies see as essential to future AI development.

“The summit is a huge validation of the potential of the market,” said Lalit Ahuja, chief executive officer of ANSR, a firm that helps companies operate offshore teams in India. He said multinational companies increasingly view India as a market that cannot be ignored.

Infrastructure, Talent, and Users

The summit comes as India and the United States seek closer economic ties, including progress toward a potential trade agreement. Modi’s government has also made technology a central pillar of its economic strategy, approving about $18 billion in semiconductor projects to build a domestic supply chain.

The government has encouraged global manufacturers, including Apple, to expand production in India. Venture capital investment in Indian startups has increased, while local stock markets have seen a rise in initial public offerings. Neil Shah, a partner at Counterpoint Research, said government support has created favorable conditions for multinational companies to expand operations in the country.

Artificial intelligence is expected to dominate discussions at the summit across three areas: infrastructure, users, and talent. Large investment announcements are anticipated around AI data centers as demand for computing power rises. In December, Amazon, Microsoft, and Intel committed to building AI infrastructure and chip-related projects in India.

India has also emerged as one of the largest markets for ChatGPT, giving companies such as OpenAI and rivals like Perplexity an opportunity to attract users in the absence of strong domestic chatbot competitors.

Talent remains a major draw. India has become a hub for Global Capability Centers, or offshore engineering and product teams operated for multinational firms. ANSR said more than 60% of such centers created in the past two years focus on AI, data, or digital engineering, with most new centers expected to be AI-led.

AI & Machine Learning, News

ByteDance said it will strengthen safeguards on its new artificial intelligence video-generation tool, Seedance 2.0, following complaints from major entertainment companies over alleged copyright infringement.

Seedance 2.0 allows users to generate realistic videos using text prompts. However, videos circulating on social media appear to depict copyrighted characters and celebrity likenesses, prompting concerns about intellectual property protections, particularly in the United States.

“ByteDance respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson added that the company is taking steps to reinforce safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property and likenesses by users.

The response follows mounting backlash from Hollywood trade groups and studios. The Motion Picture Association issued a public statement late last week accusing ByteDance of engaging in large-scale infringement. The group represents major studios including Netflix, Paramount Skydance, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney.

“In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale,” said MPA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Charles Rivkin. He said the lack of safeguards undermines copyright law and threatens jobs supported by the U.S. entertainment industry.

Legal Pressure From Major Studios

According to a report by Axios, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance on Friday, accusing the company of distributing and reproducing its intellectual property without authorization. The letter alleged that Seedance 2.0 effectively packaged copyrighted characters in a way that made them appear to be public-domain assets.

Disney has previously taken similar actions against AI companies. In September, it warned AI startup Character.AI to halt the unauthorized use of its characters. At the same time, Disney has pursued licensed AI partnerships, including an investment and licensing agreement with OpenAI that allows the use of characters from Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel in OpenAI’s Sora video generator.

Paramount Skydance has also sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, raising similar allegations, according to Variety.

The dispute comes as ByteDance expands its investments across the AI stack. The company is developing an in-house AI inference chip and is in talks with Samsung for manufacturing and memory supply, a move aimed at reducing reliance on foreign chip providers as U.S. export controls tighten. The parallel push into AI infrastructure and consumer-facing tools underscores the growing regulatory, legal, and technical pressures facing Chinese AI developers as they scale globally.

AI & Machine Learning, News, Regulation & Policy

OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said Sunday that the creator of OpenClaw, a fast-growing autonomous AI agent, is joining the company. Altman said the service will continue to operate under a foundation as an open source project, with ongoing support from OpenAI.

OpenClaw was launched last month by Austrian software developer Peter Steinberger. Previously known as Clawdbot and Moltbot, the agent has gained rapid traction following widespread attention on social media. Interest has been driven by growing demand for AI systems that can independently complete tasks, make decisions, and take action with limited human supervision.

In a post on X, Altman said Steinberger would help “drive the next generation of personal agents,” adding that OpenClaw’s underlying ideas are expected to become central to OpenAI’s future product offerings.

Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents. He is a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents interacting with each other to do very useful things for people. We expect this will quickly become core to our…

— Sam Altman (@sama) February 15, 2026

Talent Competition Intensifies Across AI Sector

Financial terms of the move were not disclosed. OpenAI and its rivals have increasingly used acquisitions and high-profile hires to secure top talent as competition in generative AI intensifies. In May, OpenAI acquired iPhone designer Jony Ive’s AI hardware startup io for more than $6 billion.

Other major technology companies have also increased spending on AI talent. Meta and Google have committed billions of dollars to recruit AI researchers and engineers amid rising demand for advanced models and agent-based systems.

OpenAI was most recently valued at about $500 billion and is seeking further growth as competition increases from companies developing enterprise-focused AI tools. Rivals include Anthropic, whose Claude models are gaining adoption for business tasks such as coding and workflow automation. Anthropic was valued at roughly $380 billion in a fundraising round that closed last week.

OpenClaw’s appeal has extended beyond the United States. The agent has spread quickly in China, where it can be paired with domestic language models such as DeepSeek and configured to work with Chinese messaging platforms. Baidu plans to offer direct access to OpenClaw through its main smartphone app, a company spokesperson said.

Some researchers have raised concerns about OpenClaw’s open source design, citing potential cybersecurity risks stemming from the ability of users to modify the system with few restrictions. The debate highlights growing tensions between openness, innovation, and safety as autonomous AI tools become more widely deployed.

AI & Machine Learning, News, Startups & Investment