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CrowdStrike cuts jobs amid AI shift

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike is laying off 500 employees—5% of its workforce—as it shifts towards an AI-led operating model to boost efficiency and hit a $10 billion annual revenue goal.

In a letter to staff, CEO George Kurtz described AI as a ‘force multiplier’ meant to reduce hiring needs instead of expanding headcount.

The restructure, expected to cost up to $53 million through mid-2026, will still see hiring in customer-facing and engineering roles.

Yet despite its optimism, the company’s regulatory filings flag notable risks in depending on AI, such as faulty outputs, legal uncertainty, and the challenge of managing fast-moving systems. Analysts have also linked the shift to wider market pressures, not merely strategic innovation.

Principal analyst Sofia Ali warned that the AI-first approach may backfire if transparency, governance, and human oversight are not prioritised. Over-reliance on automation—especially in threat detection or customer support—could erode user trust instead of reinforcing it, particularly during critical incidents.

CrowdStrike’s move mirrors a broader tech trend: over 52,000 tech jobs were cut in early 2025 as firms embraced AI to replace automatable roles. For cybersecurity leaders, the challenge now lies in balancing AI’s promise with the human expertise essential to trust and resilience.

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AI spending remains strong despite Trump’s tariffs, says Goldman Sachs

President Donald Trump’s new tariffs may force companies to adjust staffing and marketing budgets, but spending on AI will likely remain protected. That is according to Eric Sheridan, co-business unit leader for technology, media, and telecommunications at Goldman Sachs.

Speaking on the Goldman Sachs Exchange podcast, Sheridan said the latest tariffs are expected to create more volatility in operational costs, particularly affecting head count, marketing, and long-term projects.

However, he predicted that investment in AI would not suffer the same impact. ‘Given the sheer number of players investing both offensively and defensively at AI, I think this spend will get protected for a little longer,’ he explained.

Sheridan cited Meta as a prime example. In its recent first-quarter earnings, Meta raised its annual capital expenditure guidance to between $64 and $72 billion, up from a previous range of $60 to $65 billion.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg reaffirmed that AI remains the company’s top priority, even as Meta cut other expenses such as salaries and marketing.

‘We continue to find ways to find efficiencies inside the organization, but we are not at a point where we want to sacrifice long-duration investments,’ Sheridan noted, summarising Meta’s stance.

The broader business environment is shifting as companies respond to Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, announced on April 2. These include a 10% baseline levy and additional ‘reciprocal tariffs.’

While most reciprocal tariffs are paused for 90 days as negotiations continue, China faces a hefty 145% tariff. United States and Chinese officials are set to meet for trade talks this weekend in Switzerland, potentially shaping the next phase of global trade dynamics.

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Palantir and partners promise rapid AI deployment in banking

Palantir Technologies, xAI, and TWG Global have announced a new partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence across the financial services industry. The initiative promises faster deployment and measurable results within just 90 days.

The collaboration seeks to help financial institutions integrate AI into their core operations. As financial institutions strive to modernise, the companies aim to overcome what they call the ‘agentic tech debt bubble’ and deliver real, scalable value.

The offering combines Palantir’s platform, xAI’s advanced language models, and TWG Global’s operational expertise, including a Governance Foundation for data readiness and a suite of AI-driven tools.

TWG Global will lead implementation efforts, focusing on involving senior executives directly to ensure AI integration becomes a central business strategy rather than a sidelined tech project. The partnership builds on an earlier venture between Palantir and TWG Global.

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Google cuts 200 jobs as AI and cloud take priority

Google has laid off around 200 employees from its global business unit as the company sharpens its focus on AI and cloud services. The job cuts, which affected the sales and partnerships team, were first reported by The Information and later confirmed by Google.

The reduction forms part of a wider resource reallocation across parent company Alphabet, reflecting a broader trend in the tech sector.

Big tech firms, facing increased demand for AI development and data centre expansion, have been streamlining operations and shifting investments towards emerging technologies. Earlier this year, Meta also reduced its workforce by around 3,600 employees, citing performance-based criteria for the decision.

In a statement to Reuters, Google described the layoffs as a ‘small’ adjustment designed to streamline operations, improve collaboration, and enhance responsiveness to customer needs.

However, the latest move adds to a growing list of job cuts across Google since early 2023, when the company slashed 12,000 jobs — 6% of its global workforce.

Only last month, Google also reduced roles in its platforms and devices group. That round of layoffs affected teams working on key products such as Android, Pixel, and Chrome. As the company continues to prioritise AI and cloud growth, further workforce adjustments may be expected in the months ahead.

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Google boosts AI coding and video skills with Gemini 2.5 Pro

Google has unveiled Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition), its latest AI model update, ahead of the annual I/O developer conference.

The new version introduces upgrades designed to enhance coding assistance, video comprehension, and web development capabilities, further highlighting the company’s commitment to integrating generative AI across its products.

According to Google, Gemini 2.5 Pro delivers noticeable improvements in software development workflows. The AI model now ranks first on the WebArena leaderboard, which assesses the quality of AI-generated websites through human feedback.

Google reports a 147-point increase in Elo score compared to the previous version. Enhanced features also include better code interpretation and generation, real-time function calling, and lower rates of silent failures in tasks such as bug fixing and editing.

Video analysis is another key area of progress. Gemini 2.5 Pro achieved an 84.8% score on the VideoMMe benchmark, which evaluates AI performance in understanding and answering questions about visual content, particularly educational videos.

This marks another step in Google’s multimodal AI ambitions, which seek to unify text, images, code, audio, and video into cohesive AI systems. However, Google has not detailed how privacy and content safety are managed when processing video data.

Developers can now access Gemini 2.5 Pro via the Gemini API, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI, as well as through Gemini’s mobile and web apps.

Currently released as a preview, the model will likely receive updates following developer feedback during and after the I/O event. Details about general availability or potential pricing changes have not been disclosed.

The release of Gemini 2.5 Pro comes as AI competition intensifies, with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta also advancing their foundation models. While Google highlights Gemini’s strong performance in coding and web development, broader comparisons between models remain limited for now.

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Chennai team wins ₹50 lakh at Agentforce Hackathon for AI hotel solution

AI took centre stage at the Agentforce Hackathon 2025 during TrailblazerDX in Bengaluru, where a Chennai-based team from Bounteous x Accolite Salesforce claimed the grand prize of ₹50 lakhs. Their AI-powered project impressed judges and attendees, standing out among 195 competing teams.

The team, calling themselves ‘Aichemist’, included Mayur Kinhekar, Rajaseeman PS, Yogeshwar Andi Sudhakaran, Sheetalraj Gangadhar, and Vijay Kalidasan. Together, they set out to revolutionise hospitality using Salesforce’s cloud platform.

Their Smart Hotel Agent uses data cloud, loyalty tiers, Slack, and service tablets to deliver seamless, personalised hotel experiences. ‘We are thrilled with this achievement,’ said senior consultant Mayur Kinhekar. ‘We are proud to be AI agents helping shape the future of AI.’

Team lead Rajaseeman PS explained that their goal was to reduce the need for human interaction in routine hotel tasks. By giving guests tablets, they created a solution that manages everything from check-in to check-out with ease.

In one example, Rajaseeman noted how a spill in a hotel room could be instantly reported and resolved through automated notifications sent to the appropriate department, bypassing traditional calls to the front desk.

By using AI to streamline services, the team not only improved guest experiences but also freed up hotel staff to focus on critical tasks. Their innovative approach captured the imagination of the hackathon’s judges and earned them the prestigious top spot and grand prize.

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Apple may replace Google with AI in Safari

Apple may soon reshape how users search the web on iPhones and other devices by integrating AI-powered search engines directly into Safari instead of relying solely on Google.

According to Bloomberg, the company is ‘actively looking at’ expanding options in its browser to include AI systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Perplexity, potentially disrupting Google’s long-held dominance in online search.

Currently, Google pays Apple around $20 billion a year to remain the default search engine in Safari — about 36% of the search ad revenue generated through Apple devices. But that relationship may be under pressure, especially as AI tools gain popularity.

Apple has already partnered with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT into Siri, while Google is now pushing to include its Gemini AI system in future Apple products.

Alphabet’s shares dropped 6% following the news, while Apple saw a 2% dip. Apple executive Eddy Cue, testifying in an ongoing antitrust case, noted a recent decline in Safari searches and said he expects AI search tools to eventually replace traditional engines like Google.

Apple, he added, plans to introduce these AI services as built-in alternatives in Safari in the near future.

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Google adds AI text simplification to iOS app

Google has launched a new ‘Simplify’ feature for its iOS app that uses AI to clarify complex or technical text. By selecting any text on a web page and tapping the Simplify icon, users receive an easier-to-understand version without leaving the page.

The tool uses AI, Google’s Gemini model and a prompt refinement method to retain key details while improving readability.

The feature aims to help users better understand difficult topics and maintain engagement within Google’s ecosystem.

Google says testing showed that users retained more information when using the simplified text. Google highlights the importance of accuracy, stressing that Simplify rewrites must preserve the original meaning without introducing errors.

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FutureHouse unveils Finch AI tool for biology research

FutureHouse, a nonprofit backed by Eric Schmidt, has introduced Finch, an AI tool designed to assist biological research. Finch analyses biology data and research papers, generating figures and insights much like a first-year graduate student might.

FutureHouse aims to automate aspects of scientific discovery, though no significant breakthroughs have yet been reported.

Despite optimism from tech leaders, many scientists doubt AI’s current value in guiding complex research.

Finch, while promising, can still make errors, prompting FutureHouse to recruit bioinformaticians and computational biologists to help refine the tool. The platform remains in closed beta as development continues.

The biotech AI market is expanding, yet previous ventures have suffered clinical trial setbacks. Finch represents a cautious step forward, balancing potential with careful human oversight. Interested experts are invited to participate in its ongoing evaluation.

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Meta’s AI friends raise ethical questions as experts urge caution

Meta is developing AI-powered friends to help address the loneliness epidemic, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed in a recent interview with Dwarkesh Patel.

The company has already launched a new AI assistant app described as ‘the assistant that gets to know your preferences, remembers context and is personalised to you.’ Now, Zuckerberg says he wants to take this concept further with AI companions that serve as virtual friends.

Citing statistics, Zuckerberg pointed out that the average American has fewer than three friends and suggested that people desire more meaningful connections. However, he clarified that AI friends are not intended to replace in-person relationships.

‘There’s a lot of questions people ask, like is this going to replace real-life connections?’ he said. ‘My default is that the answer to that is probably no.’

Despite Zuckerberg’s optimism, experts have voiced serious concerns. While AI companions may offer short-term support and help socially awkward individuals practise interactions, they warn that relying too heavily on virtual friends could worsen isolation.

Daniel Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life, explained that although AI friends may ease feelings of boredom or loneliness, they could also prevent people from seeking real human contact. Additional issues include privacy and safety.

Robbie Torney from Common Sense Media raised alarms about data collection, noting that the more users engage with AI friends, the more personal information they share. According to Meta’s privacy policy, user conversations and media can be used to train AI models.

Furthermore, The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta’s chatbots had engaged in inappropriate conversations with minors, though Meta claims controls have now been put in place to stop this behaviour.

While Meta continues to push forward, balancing technological innovation with ethical considerations remains crucial. Experts stress that AI friends should serve as a supplement, not a substitute, for real-world connections.

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