The UAE’s energy giant ADNOC is pioneering the use of highly autonomous agentic AI in the energy sector through a partnership with G42, Microsoft, and AIQ, as announced by CEO Sultan Al Jaber at an industry event in Abu Dhabi. This move is part of a broader UAE strategy to reduce reliance on oil, with support from G42, which secured a $1.5 billion investment from Microsoft to fuel the nation’s tech industry diversification.
Agentic AI, viewed as the future of artificial intelligence, allows systems to operate independently and make proactive decisions. According to Jaber, this advanced AI will significantly enhance operations by analysing vast amounts of data, reducing seismic survey times from months to days, and improving production forecasts by up to 90%.
The UAE’s government is investing billions in AI, including regional language-specific chatbots, positioning the Gulf state to remain economically influential as global demand for oil wanes.
Leading tech giants are racing to expand their AI infrastructure, with companies like Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon dedicating billions to meet rising demand. However, the heavy spending on data centres and computing power is sparking concern among investors who are eager for quicker returns. Big Tech’s significant capital investments come with mounting costs, threatening profitability and raising questions about how quickly these ventures will yield results.
Despite exceeding recent earnings forecasts, Big Tech stocks dropped on Thursday, underlining the pressure they face to balance AI expansion with shareholder expectations. Microsoft and Meta reported increased spending in their latest quarters, yet their shares fell, with Microsoft dropping 6% and Meta 4%. Amazon’s shares saw a brief dip before recovering on news of a strong third-quarter performance. Analysts point to a challenging road ahead as these firms juggle AI ambitions with market demands for near-term gains.
The challenges extend to capacity issues, with firms like Microsoft struggling to keep up with demand due to data centre constraints. Meanwhile, Meta forecasts that its AI-related expenses will increase significantly next year, and chip manufacturers like Nvidia and AMD are racing to fulfil orders. This supply bottleneck highlights the complex task of scaling up AI services, adding a layer of unpredictability to Big Tech’s efforts.
Despite short-term risks, companies remain committed to AI. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy described AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity, while Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg likened today’s investment climate to the early days of cloud computing. As firms continue to ramp up infrastructure spending, they are counting on long-term returns, hoping to transform initial scepticism into eventual success.
Nvidia is seeking antitrust approval from the European Union for its planned acquisition of Israeli AI startup Run:ai valued at approximately $700 million. The European Commission has raised concerns that the merger could harm competition in the markets where both companies operate, prompting increased scrutiny of tech giants acquiring startups. This move reflects a broader regulatory trend aimed at preventing potential monopolistic practices in the tech sector.
Although the acquisition does not meet the EU’s turnover threshold for automatic review, it was flagged by Italy’s competition agency, which requested the EU to investigate further. The Commission has accepted this request, indicating that the transaction could significantly impact competition across the European Economic Area.
In response to the regulatory review, Nvidia expressed its readiness to cooperate and answer any questions regarding the acquisition. The company is committed to ensuring that AI technologies remain accessible across various platforms, emphasising its role as a leader in the chip industry, particularly for AI applications like ChatGPT.
Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) announced on Friday it has approved $2 billion in new investments aimed at bolstering the nation’s data centre and electronics manufacturing sectors. Among these, a significant investment comes from a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., which will allocate 32.8 billion baht ($968 million) toward the development of a hyperscale data centre. This facility is expected to strengthen Thailand’s data infrastructure, accommodating the growing demand for digital services and data management across Southeast Asia.
The BOI highlighted that these investments align with Thailand’s strategic vision to transform into a regional tech and manufacturing hub. By enhancing its digital infrastructure and encouraging foreign investment in high-tech sectors, the country hopes to create a more resilient, future-ready economy. The addition of hyperscale data centres, in particular, will enable Thailand to meet increasing demands from cloud service providers, e-commerce companies, and other data-intensive industries.
Thailand has seen a surge in interest from global tech giants looking to establish operations in Southeast Asia, a region marked by rapid digital adoption and economic growth. BOI’s continued support for high-tech projects like these reflects the country’s focus on building a sustainable ecosystem for digital and electronics manufacturing, positioning Thailand as a key player in Asia’s digital economy.
Praxis, a forward-thinking tech company, has secured a remarkable $525 million investment to create a groundbreaking city on the Mediterranean coast that merges cryptocurrency and AI. This ambitious project, aimed at crafting a tech-driven society, envisions a seamless blend of nature and advanced technology, where electric vehicles and AI-driven systems enhance urban life.
Founded in 2019 by Dryden Brown and Charlie Callinan, Praxis seeks to establish a utopian city that champions innovation, minimal governance, and a libertarian lifestyle. With plans to use cryptocurrency as the primary currency, the city promises to attract top tech talent and entrepreneurs looking for a fresh start free from traditional constraints. Despite the project’s romantic nature, it has already garnered the interest of over 2,000 prospective residents, with a waiting list of 50,000.
Collaborating with renowned firm Zaha Hadid Architects, Praxis aims to design a city that harmoniously fuses futuristic and traditional styles, ensuring adaptability for future growth. While some critics question the project’s feasibility, the support from prominent investors like Peter Thiel and Balaji Srinivasan underlines the potential for this vision to reshape urban living. With operations projected to begin around 2026, Praxis is set to host its first event in the Dominican Republic to gather leaders and innovators focused on the future of digital sovereignty.
OpenAI has introduced new search functions to its popular ChatGPT, making it a direct competitor with Google, Microsoft’s Bing, and other emerging AI-driven search tools. Instead of launching a separate search engine, OpenAI chose to integrate search capabilities directly into ChatGPT, which will pull information from the web and relevant sources based on user questions.
Initially, ChatGPT’s search feature will be available to Plus and Team users, with plans to expand access to enterprise and educational users, as well as free users, in the coming months. OpenAI’s partnerships with major publishers like Condé Nast, Time, and the Financial Times aim to provide a rich pool of content for ChatGPT’s search.
This launch follows OpenAI’s selective testing of SearchGPT, an AI-based search prototype, earlier in the year. With its recent funding round boosting its valuation to an estimated $157 billion, OpenAI continues to strengthen its standing as a leading private AI company.
Indonesia has banned sales of Google’s Pixel smartphones due to regulations requiring a minimum of 40% locally manufactured components in devices sold within the country. This decision follows a similar ban on Apple’s iPhone 16 for failing to meet these content standards. According to Febri Hendri Antoni Arief, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s industry ministry, the rules aim to ensure fairness among investors by promoting local sourcing and partnerships.
Google stated that its Pixel phones are not officially distributed in Indonesia, though consumers can still import them independently if they pay applicable taxes. Officials are also considering measures to deactivate unauthorised imports to enforce compliance.
Despite Google and Apple not being leading brands in Indonesia, the market holds significant potential for global tech firms due to its large, tech-savvy population. However, Bhima Yudhistira from the Centre of Economic and Law Studies warned that these restrictions may deter foreign investment, creating what he calls ‘pseudo protectionism’ that could dampen investor sentiment in the region.
Google is bringing AI to its mapping apps, integrating its Gemini chatbot to enhance user experiences in Google Maps, Waze, and Google Earth. With over two billion active users each month, Google Maps is a core service where the tech giant aims to apply recent advancements in AI to offer more accurate, personalised suggestions. Users can expect responses that better account for specific preferences, such as ‘fun things to do with friends at night’, creating results tailored to time and context.
Previously, Google Maps would deliver generic results that might include attractions not relevant for the time or situation. Now, powered by Gemini, Google Maps can answer more nuanced questions, refining its suggestions for local spots, like late-night music venues or seasonal activities. AI-driven summaries will also be introduced, adding insights on locations based on user reviews and presented alongside existing listings for an enhanced search experience.
Google has faced criticism for the inaccuracies in some AI-generated responses, including one instance of a recipe error. To minimise similar issues with the Maps updates, responses from Gemini will be checked against Google’s verified data sources, offering users more reliable information while making suggestions for their specific needs.
Beyond Google Maps, the company is implementing AI across other mapping tools, such as Google Earth and Waze. In Waze, new voice-activated capabilities will help drivers report incidents hands-free, and in Google Earth, developers and urban planners will be able to use AI chatbots for data analysis. Google’s AI-powered enhancements aim to provide a more streamlined, intuitive experience across its platforms, making travel and navigation easier.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has adapted Meta’s open-source AI model, Llama, to create a military-focused tool named ChatBIT. Developed by researchers from PLA-linked institutions, including the Academy of Military Science, ChatBIT leverages an earlier version of Llama, fine-tuned for military decision-making and intelligence processing tasks. The tool reportedly performs better than some alternative AI models, though it falls short of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4.
Meta, which supports open innovation, has restrictions against military uses of its models. However, the open-source nature of Llama limits Meta’s ability to prevent unauthorised adaptations, such as ChatBIT. In response, Meta affirmed its commitment to ethical AI use and noted the need for US innovation to stay competitive as China intensifies its AI research investments.
China’s approach reflects a broader trend, as its institutions reportedly employ Western AI technologies for areas like airborne warfare and domestic security. With increasing US scrutiny over the national security implications of open-source AI, the Biden administration has moved to regulate AI’s development, balancing its potential benefits with growing risks of misuse.
Coframe, an AI startup focused on optimising websites and marketing, announced it has raised $9.3 million in seed funding. The funding round was co-led by Khosla Ventures and NFDG, the AI fund launched by former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and ex-Apple executive Daniel Gross. Coframe’s platform uses generative AI to automatically test and refine website content, visuals, and code, enhancing personalisation and boosting user engagement for clients.
CEO Josh Payne noted that Coframe’s recent trial with a major international firm showed impressive results, with campaigns increasing click-through rates by an average of 42%, while some segments saw a 352% improvement. Coframe has also collaborated with OpenAI to develop a specialised AI model that generates custom user interface code, ensuring on-brand and visually consistent website elements.
Currently in a limited testing phase, Coframe is working closely with growth and marketing teams to fine-tune its platform. The company aims to redefine how businesses design user experiences by tailoring website interfaces based on users’ profiles and intent.
