Top AI news of the week #21: Advsr AI Spotlight

Advsr AI Spotlight

Highlighting notable AI moves at the intersection of strategic operating companies and emerging startups. Big ideas in the works.

Strategic Deployments of AI 

• Salesforce launched Agentforce 360, a platform designed to connect humans and AI agents in one system
• LSEG partnered with Microsoft so agents built in Microsoft Copilot Studio and deployed in Microsoft 365 Copilot can be enabled with LSEG data
• S&P Global and IBM partnered to embed IBM’s watsonx Orchestrate agentic framework into S&P Global’s suite of offerings, starting with supply chain management
• IBM and Anthropic partnered to accelerate the development of enterprise-ready AI by infusing Anthropic’s Claude, a family of large language models, into IBM’s software portfolio
• Anthropic and Deloitte expanded their partnership to make Claude available to Deloitte people across its global network and develop new industry-specific solutions powered by Claude, while Deloitte will establish a Claude Center of Excellence
• Datavault AI, a provider of AI-driven data visualization, valuation, and monetization, partnered with US radio station 99.7 FM to deploy its ADIO IP into mainstream broadcast media
• Bloom Energy, a provider of power solutions, and Brookfield partnered to implement a reimagined future for AI infrastructure, with Brookfield investing up to $5 billion to deploy Bloom’s fuel cell technology
• Oracle joined the ecosystem at The Smart Factory by Deloitte @ Wichita with the aim of helping manufacturers and industrial organizations integrate artificial intelligence and automation into their operations, while streamlining data and analytics
• Virgin Voyages and Google Cloud partnered to embed generative AI across the cruise line’s business, with more than 50 specialized AI agents on Gemini Enterprise now deployed company-wide
• Klarna, a digital bank and flexible payments provider, and Google Cloud partnered so Klarna can leverage Google Cloud’s complete AI stack, from infrastructure, to platform, to models, to accelerate the development of consumer-centric products and creative campaigns
• The MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence launched the MIT–MBZUAI Collaborative Research Program, a new effort to strengthen the building blocks of artificial intelligence and accelerate its use in pressing scientific and societal challenges
• Gap Inc. partnered with Google Cloud to accelerate its human-centered digitally-enabled technology strategy, with AI powering the company’s plans to reimagine retail across its portfolio of brands, including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta
• NBA China and Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, partnered to make Alibaba Cloud an Official Cloud Computing and AI Partner of NBA China, so Alibaba Cloud can develop applications to enhance live game viewing and other fan engagement experiences, including in conjunction with NBA All-Star, the NBA Playoffs and the Finals
• LA28, Team USA and NBCUniversal partnered with Google to deliver a more personal and interactive experience for  Olympic and Paralympic Games athletes and spectators
• Dayforce expanded its partnership with Microsoft to bring Dayforce AI Agents into everyday workflows
• Gentex Corporation, a provider of integrated helmet systems and communications solutions, partnered with Anduril Industries to develop EagleEye, an AI-enabled integrated family of warfighter systems designed to deliver mission command, enhanced situational awareness, and increased survivability directly into the warfighter’s headborne system

Strategic and AI Startup Collaborations

• Century Health, a company applying AI to real-world data to accelerate research, and Balboa Nephrology, an independent nephrology practice, partnered to make real-world data usable for clinical research and drug development in chronic kidney disease
• Bethune-Cookman University Women’s Basketball partnered with Ballin AI, a recruiting intelligence platform that helps coaches identify their most compatible 15 roster players from millions of potential recruits
• Syngenta Crop Protection and Taranis, a provider of AI-powered crop intelligence, partnered to equip agricultural retailers with AI-powered crop management solutions, delivering innovative digital technologies that create significant value for both retailers and their grower customers
• FOX Advertising and Mobian, a provider of brand safety, contextual intelligence, and targeting for the modern advertising ecosystem, partnered to utilize Mobian’s AI-powered intelligence tools within OneFOX
• FIS partnered with Glia, a provider of AI-powered banking interactions, to deliver AI-powered customer engagement capabilities across FIS’ Digital One suite of retail and business banking products
• MindHYVE.ai, a provider of artificial general intelligence technologies, partnered with the California Institute of Artificial Intelligence to combine MindHYVE’s Ava-Fusion reasoning architecture and ArthurAI learning platform with CIAI’s mission to make AI literacy as universal and essential as computer literacy was in the 1990s
• Trustible, a platform for AI governance and compliance, and Armilla AI, a Managing General Agent (dedicated exclusively to AI insurance, partnered to offer enterprises a turnkey solution for managing and transferring AI risk
• Opkey, provider of the an end-to-end agentic AI-native enterprise app lifecycle optimization platform, partnered with Argano, a Global Specialist Consultancy focused exclusively on enabling high performance across its clients’ business operations, to automate Oracle technology stacks for clients
• Algebrik AI, provider of cloud-native, AI-powered, digital-era Loan Origination System, partnered with Scienaptic AI, an AI-powered lending platform
• Helport AI, an AI technology company serving enterprise clients with intelligent customer communication software and services, expanded its partnership with Atome, a Buy Now, Pay Later platform, to increase the number of trained AI-enabled agents over the coming months
• RSNA Ventures, a subsidiary of the Radiological Society of North America, partnered with Rad AI, a provider of generative AI for healthcare, to advance innovation in radiology and imaging technologies
• MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation, a server platform designer and manufacturer, and Tonomia, a provider of renewable energy solutions for distributed AI, partnered to deliver sustainable AI infrastructure powered by renewable energy
• ComplianceQuest, a provider of AI-powered Product, Quality, Safety, and Partner Management solutions, expanded its partnership with Salesforce to embed advanced generative, predictive, conversational, and relational AI capabilities into  Salesforce’s agent-based Agentic AI framework

AI Startup Acquisitions

• Elastic, a search AI company, acquired Jina AI, a provider of open source multimodal and multilingual embeddings, reranker, and small language models
• AlphaSense, an AI platform redefining market intelligence for the business and financial world, acquired Carousel, a provider of AI-powered Excel modeling
• Crux, a climate technology startup, acquired AI-powered due diligence platform Daedaline
• Xcelerate, a defense and national security company, acquired clearAvenue, a provider of software development & maintenance, business intelligence and analysis, AI/ML, big data analytics and  infrastructure, and cloud services support across federal agencies
• Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, acquired Locus, an AI-powered logistics software company
• Kaseya, a provider of AI-powered IT and security management software, acquired INKY, a provider of generative-AI-based email security for managed service providers and small to midsize businesses
• Salesforce acquired Apromore, a company that supports the entire lifecycle of Agentic AI automation
• SoftBank acquired the Robotics division of ABB
• Rezolve Ai, a platform at the intersection of AI, commerce, and payments, acquired Smartpay, a digital asset payment platform
• Healthcare Triangle, a provider of digital transformation solutions for healthcare, acquired Teyame.AI, an AI-powered omnichannel customer experience solution
• OfficeSpace Software, an AI workplace management platform, acquired Dojo AI, a provider of AI for space planning and workplace analytics
• Campus, an online two-year college, acquired Sizzle AI, an AI learning platform that helps students learn or practice any subject with interactive, AI-generated content
• Zimmer Biomet, a medical technology company offering implants and digital technologies, acquired Monogram, an AI-driven, next-generation orthopedic robotics company
• Mixpanel, a digital analytics company, acquired DoubleLoop, an AI-powered business value framework
• Perficient, a consultancy transforming companies through AI-first solutions, acquired Kelley Austin, a Salesforce consulting partner
• Qualcomm acquired Arduino, an open-source hardware and software company, to give developers access to its computing and AI
• Clariti, a provider of community development solutions for governments of all sizes, acquired CivCheck, an AI plan review platform capable of supporting every check required for building permits and planning approvals
• Unaric, a firm helping Salesforce customers harness AI through its suite of applications and AI agents, acquired DESelect, a Salesforce Independent Software Vendor
• Tuned Global, a data-driven cloud and software music platform, acquired Figaro.ai, an AI-powered music search and metadata engine

AI Outtakes

• Police have issued a warning over a social media prank involving an “AI homeless man” entering people’s homes after receiving a call from a concerned parent. The trend is currently popular on TikTok and Snapchat, where people have sent AI-generated images to parents or friends of a stranger appearing to eat food, sleeping in a bed and refusing to leave their house. Dorset Police said it received a call from an “extremely concerned parent” last week who believed there was a man in their family home while their daughter was alone – but it turned out to be a prank. The police added that they used “valuable deployable resources” for the call which could have been used for a genuine emergency

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute any form of endorsement, recommendation, or advice. Links to third party websites are provided for reference and convenience purposes. This information has not been independently verified.