AI This Week

Global data center investment hit US$61 billion in 2025, driven by surging AI workloads that demand dense compute, advanced chips, and reliable power. The total spans mergers, acquisitions, and spending on new builds and upgrades across major markets, marking the sector’s strongest year yet. Hyperscalers including Microsoft, Amazon, and Google push expansion while tapping bond markets and private equity, shifting from cash-only funding. More than 100 deals show broad participation. McKinsey projects AI-related data center spending could reach US$7 trillion by 2030. Virginia and Texas lead in the United States, with Europe and parts of Asia drawing capital for low‑latency services. Power constraints loom, prompting grid strategies, long‑term contracts, and on‑site generation. Developers pursue renewables, nuclear, and advanced cooling amid ROI and community concerns.

2025 marked a turning point as travel brands shifted from conversational bots to operational AI that drives bookings, revenue, and faster service across channels. Maya’s COO Benjamin Manzi outlines five shifts: production over pilots; conversion over conversation; trust built through data governance, hallucination prevention, brand tone discipline, and risk management; augmented agents that amplify human teams; and deep integration with live inventory and workflows. The outlook for 2026 sharpens the focus: reliability, scale, and intent‑driven discovery. Expect quicker responses, sharper lead qualification, and more tailored guidance, with clear guardrails and human oversight. Systems that handle real volumes and edge cases will win, and only a few will scale across markets and languages.

Amid growing concern over AI in film and TV, a group of entertainment figures has launched the Creators Coalition on AI to defend creators’ rights and set clear standards. The 18 founders include Daniel Kwan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natasha Lyonne, Janet Yang, David Goyer, Paul Trillo, and others. They position CCAI as a cross-industry hub that will pursue four pillars: transparency; consent and compensation for content and data; job protection with transition plans; guardrails against misuse and deepfakes; and safeguarding humanity in the creative process. More than 500 artists back the effort, including Cate Blanchett, Rian Johnson, Phil Lord, Kristen Stewart, and Taika Waititi. The coalition formed after a wave of tech agreements that alarmed creators and sparked demands for shared principles.

The U.S. Department of Energy has signed agreements with 24 organizations, including Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, Amazon Web Services, IBM, Intel, Oracle, and OpenAI, to advance its Genesis Mission. The initiative seeks to apply artificial intelligence to speed scientific discovery and bolster U.S. energy and security capabilities. It aims to lift scientific productivity and curb dependence on foreign technology. Partners will build AI models for nuclear energy, quantum computing, robotics, and supply chain optimization. The effort follows a White House executive order directing AI deployment in energy innovation, advanced manufacturing, and national security. It extends prior DOE work with industry on high-performance computing at Argonne and Los Alamos labs. The department plans wider ties with universities and non-profits.

Experts at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI forecast a dramatic shift for artificial intelligence in 2026, predicting the year will mark a turn from creative hype to sober measurement. This new era will subject systems to exacting tests for accuracy, risk, and value. Computer scientists anticipate a surge in AI sovereignty, with nations building their own models and data centers. They also project new interfaces will move beyond today’s chatbots. Meanwhile, legal scholars expect domain-specific benchmarks will hold AI accountable, and healthcare leaders predict hospitals will demand strict return-on-investment frameworks for new tools.