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16 Jan 2026

OpenAI to test ads in ChatGPT for free and Go tier users as it shifts monetization strategy

OpenAI announced it will begin testing advertisements inside ChatGPT for US users on free and $8-per-month Go tiers. The move reverses CEO Sam Altman's 2024 stance calling ads a "last resort." Banner ads will appear at the bottom of answers when relevant sponsored products or services match conversation topics, while Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers remain ad-free.

73 Sources

ClickHouse secures $400M at $15B valuation as AI infrastructure demand surges

Database provider ClickHouse raised $400 million in a Series D funding round led by Dragoneer Investment Group, reaching a $15 billion valuation—more than double its $6.35 billion valuation from May 2024. The company also acquired Langfuse, an AI observability startup, to strengthen its position in the competitive AI infrastructure market against Snowflake and Databricks.

5 Sources

EPA closes loophole used by xAI to power Memphis data center with gas turbines

The Environmental Protection Agency ruled that Elon Musk's xAI illegally operated gas turbines at its Colossus data center in Memphis, Tennessee. The company had exploited a local loophole by classifying turbines as temporary non-road engines to avoid air permits. The EPA's new ruling requires all gas turbine generators to comply with federal Clean Air Act standards, potentially slowing rapid AI infrastructure expansion.

7 Sources

Companies Deploy Agentic AI Fast, But AI Governance Struggles to Keep Pace With Accountability Gaps

A new survey reveals 41% of organizations use agentic AI in daily operations, yet only 27% have mature governance frameworks to oversee these autonomous systems. This mismatch creates significant risk as artificial intelligence makes decisions without human guidance, raising urgent questions about accountability and who intervenes when AI systems fail.

3 Sources

Nvidia overtakes Apple as TSMC's largest customer as AI demand reshapes chip industry

Jensen Huang confirmed that Nvidia has dethroned Apple as TSMC's largest customer, marking a significant shift in the semiconductor industry. The change reflects explosive AI demand, with enterprise customers pouring billions into AI GPUs while Apple faces unprecedented competition for advanced chip supply and potentially higher silicon costs.

7 Sources

IFPI Sweden Bans AI-Generated Hit Song from National Charts, Sparking Industry Debate

Sweden's music industry body IFPI Sweden has excluded a viral folk-pop song by 'Jacub' from its official charts after discovering the track was partly AI-generated music. The song amassed over 5 million Spotify streams and topped the platform's Swedish rankings before investigative journalist Emanuel Karlsten revealed its AI origins. The decision highlights tensions between AI music innovation and human creativity as the industry grapples with transparency and royalty payment concerns.

2 Sources

Over half of enterprise AI projects shelved as infrastructure complexity stalls adoption

More than half of AI projects have been canceled or delayed in the past two years due to infrastructure challenges, according to a new report. Two-thirds of enterprises admit their AI environments are too complex to manage, with fragmented infrastructure, internal AI skill gaps, and energy consumption emerging as critical barriers to achieving AI success.

2 Sources

AI Videos of Child Sexual Abuse Surge to Record Highs as Advanced Generators Fuel Crisis

AI-generated videos depicting child sexual abuse exploded from 13 cases in 2024 to 3,440 in 2025, marking a 26,362% increase. The Internet Watch Foundation reports that over 60% qualify as the most severe category, including torture and penetration. Advanced AI video generators from OpenAI, Google, and open-source models have made it easier for abusers to create photorealistic content at scale, even as tech companies implement safeguards.

2 Sources

Google unveils TranslateGemma open-source translation models for 55 languages and local deployment

Google has launched TranslateGemma, a family of open-source translation models built on Gemma 3 that supports 55 languages. Available in 4B, 12B, and 27B parameter sizes, these AI models can run locally on devices from smartphones to cloud servers. The models also translate text embedded in images and outperform larger baselines while using fewer computational resources.

4 Sources

Memory shortage to persist beyond 2026 as AI demand reshapes chip industry and drives prices up

Major memory manufacturers including Kioxia, Micron, and SK Hynix report sold-out capacity through 2026 as AI infrastructure consumes available supply. The memory chip shortage is driving prices up by as much as 30%, affecting everything from consumer SSDs to smartphones. Micron calls the shortage unprecedented, while industry executives warn that affordable storage options may be gone for good.

12 Sources

Flipkart launches SLAP, its conversational AI shopping assistant to compete with Amazon Rufus

Flipkart is set to launch Shop Like a Pro (SLAP), a conversational AI shopping assistant, as a standalone app next week. The tool replaces Flippi and will provide personalized recommendations and product suggestions. The move positions Flipkart alongside Amazon and Walmart in the AI-driven commerce race, though critical questions about trust and liability remain unresolved.

2 Sources

Instagram Reels AI Dubbing Now Supports Five Indian Languages With Voice Preservation

Instagram expands its AI-powered voice translation and lip-syncing feature for Reels to five Indian languages—Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Marathi. First announced at the House of Instagram event in Mumbai last November, the feature uses Meta AI to preserve creators' voices while dubbing content, helping them reach broader audiences across language barriers.

2 Sources

Hyundai Motor Group appoints Tesla's former Optimus leader to accelerate humanoid robot ambitions

Hyundai Motor Group is bringing on Milan Kovac, who led Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program, as an adviser and Boston Dynamics board nominee. The move signals Hyundai's aggressive push into robotics as the automaker targets 30,000 robot units annually by 2028. Shares surged 34% following the Atlas humanoid robot reveal at CES.

3 Sources

Japan Probing Grok AI Over Sexualized Images as Elon Musk's Chatbot Faces Global Backlash

Japan has launched an investigation into Elon Musk's Grok AI service over concerns about non-consensual sexualized images. Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda warned that all options, including legal measures, are on the table if X Corp fails to improve safeguards. The probe adds Japan to a growing list of countries taking action against the chatbot.

4 Sources

Cloudflare acquires Human Native to build transparent marketplace for AI training data

Cloudflare has acquired Human Native, an AI data marketplace connecting content creators with AI developers, for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2024, Human Native helps rights holders transform content into AI-ready data while maintaining control over licensing and pricing. The acquisition advances Cloudflare's vision of building a transparent content economy where creators can monetize their work for AI training.

2 Sources

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