NICE has announced its acquisition of Cognigy, a leading enterprise provider of conversational and agentic AI. Known for innovation in the AI industry, Cognigy supports major brands like Adidas, Nestlé, and Toyota with advanced virtual agent solutions. This strategic move bolsters NICE’s portfolio, pairing Cognigy’s cutting-edge AI offerings with NICE’s CXone Mpower Orchestrator. The acquisition positions NICE to drive advancements in AI-first customer experiences while strengthening its footing in global markets. Industry experts believe the deal could trigger significant consolidation within the AI customer experience space. Cognigy’s extensive customer base and reputation for high satisfaction amplify the deal’s significance, with implications for end-to-end CX workflows.

The White House has released a new AI Action Plan, which aims to bolster US dominance in artificial intelligence. The plan, unveiled at an event co-hosted by tech investors, aims to cut environmental regulations to speed up AI supercomputer construction and promote U.S.-made AI technologies globally. It includes executive orders to fast-track AI projects, expand tech exports, and address perceived liberal bias in AI systems.

YouTube Shorts is launching several generative AI features for creators. Among the highlights is an image-to-video tool that transforms static photos into dynamic six-second videos. Users can animate landscape photos, group shots, or even everyday images using AI-powered suggestions. For example, the tool can breathe life into objects like pedestrian signals, creating engaging visuals. Additionally, creators can explore new AI effects to turn doodles into art or selfies into imaginative scenarios, such as swimming underwater. Powered by Google’s Veo 2 video generation model, these tools come with clear labels and SynthID watermarks to mark AI-generated content. The features are currently rolling out to select regions.

Google DeepMind has unveiled Aeneas, an advanced AI model designed to help historians interpret and preserve ancient texts. Announced in Nature, this innovation examines and restores fragmented Latin inscriptions, offering profound insights into the past. Aeneas can identify textual parallels, process both text and image inputs, and fill gaps in damaged writings, setting a new benchmark in the field. While initially focused on Latin, the model’s capabilities can extend to other ancient languages, scripts, and artifacts, such as papyri and coins. Researchers, students, and educators can access an interactive version of Aeneas at predictingthepast.com, with its code and dataset made open source.

Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, a competitor to OpenAI, is reportedly exploring a new investment round that could raise its valuation beyond an eye-popping $100 billion. While the company is not officially pursuing fundraising, insiders claim that venture capitalists are proactively offering substantial backing, reflecting the growing frenzy surrounding the AI sector. This buzz coincides with a surge in revenue from Anthropic’s chatbot product, Claude, which has captured significant market attention. Preemptive funding in Silicon Valley, especially for leading AI firms, is becoming a common trend, with Anthropic emerging as one of the industry’s prime targets for high-stakes investment.