AI 23 January 2026 - 28 January 2026

Ex-Apple Engineers Bet a $179 iPod Shuffle-Like AI Button Can Succeed Where Humane Failed
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Ex-Apple Engineers Bet a $179 iPod Shuffle-Like AI Button Can Succeed Where Humane Failed

Button, a $179 clip-on AI device built by ex-Apple Vision Pro engineers Chris Nolet and Ryan Burgoyne, will ship to its first U.S. customers on Dec. 15. The device only listens when pressed, supports iPhone at launch, and includes three months of Button AI Pro before a $7.99 monthly fee. The launch follows the collapse of Humane’s AI Pin and ongoing efforts by Rabbit and OpenAI in AI hardware.
April 9, 2026
Google Joins Redwood Materials’ $425 Million Round as AI Data Centers Chase Power
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Google Joins Redwood Materials’ $425 Million Round as AI Data Centers Chase Power

Redwood Materials closed a $425 million Series E funding round, adding Google as a new investor with a reported $75 million stake. The company’s valuation is estimated above $6 billion. Funds will accelerate energy storage and recycling operations as demand from AI data centers rises. Redwood claims to recycle over 70% of used battery packs in North America.
January 28, 2026
UK watchdog puts Google Search on notice: publishers may get an AI Overviews opt‑out
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UK watchdog puts Google Search on notice: publishers may get an AI Overviews opt‑out

Britain’s competition watchdog has proposed binding rules requiring Google to let publishers opt out of AI Overviews and certain AI training, while staying in Search. The Competition and Markets Authority set a Feb. 25 deadline for feedback. The package also addresses ranking transparency, Android and Chrome choice screens, and data portability. Google Search holds over 90% of UK search queries.
January 28, 2026
AI Models Advance: How Self-Training and Mistakes Lead to Better Performance
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AI Models Advance: How Self-Training and Mistakes Lead to Better Performance

AI models are now training by playing against themselves, reducing reliance on human input and accelerating performance gains. Google’s self-play strategy, once used only in games, is being applied to advanced systems, raising hopes and concerns. Experts warn that self-learning AIs risk compounding errors if not closely monitored. Some researchers fear this trend could remove humans from key decision-making.
January 28, 2026
UK FCA launches “Mills Review” on AI — what it could mean for everyday banking by 2030
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UK FCA launches “Mills Review” on AI — what it could mean for everyday banking by 2030

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority has begun a major review of advanced AI in retail finance, led by executive director Sheldon Mills. The FCA is seeking feedback from industry and consumers by Feb. 24, with recommendations expected by summer 2026. UK firms remain cautious about customer-facing AI despite rising interest. Lawmakers are pressing for clearer rules as AI tools proliferate in financial services.
January 27, 2026
Nvidia’s AI chip rush puts ASML’s laser ‘printers’ in the spotlight ahead of earnings
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Nvidia’s AI chip rush puts ASML’s laser ‘printers’ in the spotlight ahead of earnings

ASML reports earnings Wednesday as investors watch for a possible upgrade to its 2026 sales forecast. The Dutch firm, sole supplier of EUV lithography tools used in advanced AI chips, has seen its shares double since April. Major customers TSMC and Intel are increasing capital spending, driving demand for ASML systems. Analysts’ estimates for 2026 sales are outpacing the company’s current guidance.
January 27, 2026
Clawdbot goes viral — but security warnings trail the AI assistant behind the Mac mini rush
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Clawdbot goes viral — but security warnings trail the AI assistant behind the Mac mini rush

SOCRadar reported 1,009 Clawdbot gateways exposed online after scanning with Shodan. The open-source AI assistant has seen a surge in use, with some users buying Mac minis to run it nonstop. Creator Peter Steinberger advised against new hardware purchases and urged basic security. Exposed instances risk leaking credentials and allowing unauthorized command execution.
January 27, 2026
Nvidia’s open-source Earth-2 AI weather models drop as a U.S. winter storm tests forecasts
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Nvidia’s open-source Earth-2 AI weather models drop as a U.S. winter storm tests forecasts

Nvidia unveiled new open AI weather models at a Houston meteorology conference, including Earth-2 Medium Range, which it says outperformed Google DeepMind’s GenCast on over 70 variables. The models run on GPUs for faster, more frequent forecasts and allow users to operate and customize them on their own hardware. Nvidia is releasing the models and tools as open source via Hugging Face.
January 26, 2026
Microsoft’s Maia 200 AI chip takes a swing at Nvidia’s CUDA lock-in as Azure rollout starts
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Microsoft’s Maia 200 AI chip takes a swing at Nvidia’s CUDA lock-in as Azure rollout starts

Microsoft unveiled its Maia 200 AI inference chip on Monday, built on TSMC’s 3-nanometer process and featuring 216GB HBM3e memory. Initial deployment begins this week in Iowa, followed by Arizona. Microsoft claims Maia 200 outperforms Amazon’s Trainium and Google’s TPU in key benchmarks and will power OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 models on Azure. New software tools for Maia 200 include a development kit compatible with PyTorch.
January 26, 2026
Drugmakers say AI is shaving weeks off clinical trials and regulatory submissions
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Drugmakers say AI is shaving weeks off clinical trials and regulatory submissions

Novartis said AI reduced trial site selection for a 14,000-person Leqvio study to a two-hour meeting. Drugmakers report AI is cutting weeks from clinical trial logistics and regulatory paperwork. AstraZeneca and others still face challenges managing thousands of regulatory documents. Analysts say it may take one to three years before investors see the full impact on drug development timelines.
January 26, 2026
Will AI Kill the Smartphone? OpenAI, Meta and Amazon Fuel a New Gadget Threat
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Will AI Kill the Smartphone? OpenAI, Meta and Amazon Fuel a New Gadget Threat

Global smartphone shipments are projected to fall about 6% this year, with no rebound expected in 2027, according to Counterpoint’s Yang Wang. The Economist reports Apple and Android face new competition from AI-first devices backed by OpenAI, Meta, and Amazon. Rising chip prices and manufacturing bottlenecks are squeezing phone makers. OpenAI plans to launch a device in the second half of 2026.
January 26, 2026
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Shanghai as China weighs H200 AI chip entry after customs block
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Shanghai as China weighs H200 AI chip entry after customs block

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang arrived in Shanghai Saturday as the company awaits Beijing’s approval to sell its H200 AI chip in China, sources said. Chinese customs have instructed agents not to allow the H200 into the country. Some domestic tech firms have been warned to limit Nvidia chip purchases and prioritize local alternatives. Nvidia has not commented on Huang’s visit.
January 24, 2026
Lenovo wants more AI model partners than Apple as it rolls out Qira, CFO says
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Lenovo wants more AI model partners than Apple as it rolls out Qira, CFO says

Lenovo CFO Winston Cheng said at Davos the company is seeking partnerships with multiple large language model providers to power its devices and will pass higher memory chip costs to customers. Lenovo’s January deal with Nvidia targets faster rollout of liquid-cooled AI data center systems. Cheng named potential AI partners in Saudi Arabia, Europe, and China. He warned of an AI bubble in market valuations.
January 23, 2026
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