Foundation Models

Twitter

Facebook

Copy Link

Key Facts

Year2021

Coined ByStanford HAI

Key PlayersOpenAI, Google, Anthropic, DeepSeek

Top News

Cisco Foundation AI Launches Agentic Security Systems to Protect Autonomous AI Environments

Cisco Foundation AI unveiled three agentic security tools designed to secure increasingly autonomous AI systems across enterprises. The releases include Foundation-sec-8B-Reasoning, an open-weight cybersecurity reasoning model, the Adaptive AI Search Framework for dynamic evidence retrieval, and PEAK Threat Hunting Assistant for automated threat hunt preparation. These tools prioritize transparency and human oversight while addressing the complexity of modern AI-driven security operations.

Technology2 sources

Cisco Foundation AI Launches Agentic Security Systems to Protect Autonomous AI Environments

Technology2 sources

Amazon Found High Volume of CSAM in AI Training Data, Raising Questions About Safeguards

Amazon reported hundreds of thousands of suspected child sexual abuse material cases found in its AI training data to NCMEC in 2025, accounting for the vast majority of over 1 million AI-related reports. Child safety officials express concern over Amazon's lack of origin details, which prevents law enforcement from identifying perpetrators and protecting victims.

Policy3 sources

Amazon Found High Volume of CSAM in AI Training Data, Raising Questions About Safeguards

Policy3 sources

Frontier exascale supercomputer doubles speed of AI foundation models for plant research

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a new computational method that doubles processing speeds while using 75% less memory to analyze hyperspectral plant imaging data. The breakthrough removes a major bottleneck in training AI foundation models, accelerating the development of resilient, high-yield crops for food security, bioenergy, and climate adaptation.

Science2 sources

Frontier exascale supercomputer doubles speed of AI foundation models for plant research

Science2 sources

Google Invests in Sakana AI to Boost Gemini's Presence in Japan's Enterprise Market

Google has invested in Japanese AI startup Sakana AI to strengthen Gemini chatbot's position in Japan, where it trails OpenAI's ChatGPT. The partnership allows Sakana AI to leverage Google's language models while helping Gemini penetrate Japan's corporate landscape. Founded in 2023 and valued at $2.6 billion, Sakana AI has already secured contracts with major Japanese banks and is expanding into government and defense sectors.

Business2 sources

Google Invests in Sakana AI to Boost Gemini's Presence in Japan's Enterprise Market

Business2 sources

AI agents score below 25% on workplace readiness test, exposing critical gaps in office work

Training-data company Mercor released the Apex-Agents benchmark, testing leading AI models on real professional tasks from law, investment banking, and consulting. Even top performers like Gemini 3 Flash and GPT-5.2 achieved only 24% and 23% accuracy respectively. The research reveals AI agents struggle most with multi-domain reasoning and synthesizing scattered information across workplace tools.

Science3 sources

AI agents score below 25% on workplace readiness test, exposing critical gaps in office work

Science3 sources

Craig Federighi rejected AI-powered iPhone home screen, now leads Apple's AI strategy shift

Apple's software chief Craig Federighi, once an AI skeptic, now oversees the company's entire AI strategy after rejecting proposals for AI-driven iPhone home screens. He's accelerating plans to overhaul Siri using Google's Gemini while maintaining tight control over AI spending and favoring predictable software behavior over algorithmic unpredictability.

Technology2 sources

Craig Federighi rejected AI-powered iPhone home screen, now leads Apple's AI strategy shift

Technology2 sources

Pocket FM hires former Meta scientist Vasu Sharma as head of AI to advance audio storytelling

Pocket FM has appointed Vasu Sharma, a former scientist at Meta's Facebook AI Research (FAIR), as its head of AI. Sharma will lead AI research and innovation across narrative generation, production intelligence and large-scale localisation. His work will focus on developing models that understand story structure and dramatic flow while maintaining creator control over content quality.

Business2 sources

Pocket FM hires former Meta scientist Vasu Sharma as head of AI to advance audio storytelling

Business2 sources

Apple deploys internal AI chatbot Enchanté to boost employee productivity across all departments

Apple has rolled out two internal AI chatbots to employees since November 2025. Enchanté serves as a ChatGPT-like assistant for development, proofreading, and ideation, while Enterprise Assistant functions as a knowledge hub for corporate policies. The tools run on Apple's Foundation Models alongside Claude and Gemini, designed to speed up work and refine Apple Intelligence features.

Technology5 sources

Apple deploys internal AI chatbot Enchanté to boost employee productivity across all departments

Technology5 sources

Chinese AI startups surge with investor backing despite chip controls and profitability hurdles

China's AI boom accelerates as startups raise hundreds of millions in funding rounds, with Zhipu AI and MiniMax making stellar Hong Kong stock exchange debuts. But beneath the excitement, Chinese AI faces critical challenges: US export controls on microchips, mounting losses, and the puzzle of achieving profitability while competing with OpenAI and other Western rivals.

Business4 sources

Chinese AI startups surge with investor backing despite chip controls and profitability hurdles

Business4 sources

South Korea launches AI Squid Game to build homegrown models and compete with US, China

South Korea unveiled a high-stakes government-sponsored competition called the AI Squid Game to identify leaders in its bid to become a global AI powerhouse. The tournament eliminates teams every six months, with Naver and NCSoft already cut from the race. LG, SK Group, and startup Upstage remain in contention as the country aims to develop indigenous open-source models rivaling ChatGPT and DeepSeek.

Policy2 sources

South Korea launches AI Squid Game to build homegrown models and compete with US, China

Policy2 sources

Moonshot AI valuation surges to $4.8 billion as Chinese AI startup closes fresh funding round

Alibaba-backed AI startup Moonshot AI is closing a funding round valuing it at $4.8 billion, up $500 million from December. The surge follows successful Hong Kong IPOs by rival Chinese AI firms MiniMax and Zhipu, which raised over $1 billion combined and sparked investor interest in China's AI Tigers.

Startups2 sources

Moonshot AI valuation surges to $4.8 billion as Chinese AI startup closes fresh funding round

Startups2 sources

Sam Altman's Merge Labs raises $252 million to develop non-invasive brain-computer interfaces

Sam Altman's brain-tech startup Merge Labs emerged from stealth with $252 million in seed funding at an $850 million valuation, with OpenAI writing the largest check. The company aims to connect human brains to computers using ultrasound and molecules instead of invasive electrodes, intensifying competition with Elon Musk's Neuralink in the race to enhance human capabilities through AI-powered neural interfaces.

Startups11 sources

Sam Altman's Merge Labs raises $252 million to develop non-invasive brain-computer interfaces

Startups11 sources

Google launches Market Access Program to scale Indian AI startups globally with new AI models

Google unveiled its Market Access Program at the AI Startups Conclave to help Indian AI startups transition from pilots to enterprise contracts. The initiative includes global sales training, CIO network access, and international immersion programs. Google also released MedGemma 1.5 for healthcare AI and FunctionGemma for on-device AI agents, supporting India's projected $126 billion AI market by 2030.

Technology2 sources

Google launches Market Access Program to scale Indian AI startups globally with new AI models

Technology2 sources

South Korea AI Race Cuts Naver Cloud and NC AI, Sparking Backlash Over Wild Card Entry

South Korea eliminated Naver Cloud and NC AI from its sovereign AI competition, narrowing the field to LG AI Research, SK Telecom, and Upstage. The Ministry of Science and ICT's decision to allow a wild card entry has triggered industry criticism over fairness and rule changes in the multiyear national AI foundation model project.

Policy3 sources

South Korea AI Race Cuts Naver Cloud and NC AI, Sparking Backlash Over Wild Card Entry

Policy3 sources

Alibaba's Qwen App now orders food and books travel as AI shifts from understanding to action

Alibaba launched major upgrades to its Qwen App, enabling users to order food delivery, book travel, and complete payments entirely within the AI chat interface. The update marks a strategic pivot into consumer-facing AI and agentic commerce, integrating core ecosystem services like Taobao, Alipay, and Fliggy. Since its November launch, the app has reached 100 million monthly active users.

Technology5 sources

Alibaba's Qwen App now orders food and books travel as AI shifts from understanding to action

Technology5 sources

Prev 1…789…12 Next