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A VC claiming half of U.S. deal flow, China reviewing outbound AI deals, and insurers only embracing AI once audit logs are guaranteed all point to the same shift: power is tightening. AI is everywhere—flagging deepfakes, searching your Gmail, running claims systems, powering robots at CES, even nudging data centers toward nuclear energy—but it’s being deployed with guardrails, not bravado.
Add Apple’s “don’t rock the supply chain” CEO signaling and Spotify turning podcasts into infinite ad inventory, and the message is clear: tech isn’t chasing hype anymore. It’s optimizing control.
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Eight bullets of updates
🚀 New VC blog claims 50% of U.S. venture deals flow through their firm, sparking questions about tech power concentration in Silicon Valley.
🤖 China steps in to review Meta’s $70M Manus AI deal as it tightens oversight on strategic tech leaving the country.
🕵️♂️ AI detects fakes as manipulated media grows, aiming to spot deepfakes in seconds with forensic precision.
📧 AI Pro and Ultra users can now ask questions about their Gmail inboxes in plain English, making email searches much smarter.
🎙️ Podcast hosts can resell ad slots indefinitely with Spotify's dynamic platform, earning up to 2x more than YouTube.
⚡ Meta plans to power its AI data centers with nuclear energy by 2030 through partnerships with three nuclear firms.
🤖 CES 2026 showed AI stepping off the screen and into devices, as robots and smart gadgets took over the show floor.
🩸 Necklace device offers non-invasive blood sugar tracking after 15+ years of smartwatch stumbles.
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The AI deal that finally makes insurers comfortable
Photo by Erika Fletcher on Unsplash
Allianz has signed a “responsible AI” partnership that includes Claude Code, marking the first major enterprise AI deal of 2026. The idea is to give employees AI-powered coding tools, create custom AI agents that always involve human review, and keep detailed logs of every AI action to meet compliance rules.
In simple terms: reliability and audit trails matter more than flashy demos. The biggest early gains will likely come from areas like claims processing, underwriting, and operations—places where being able to track and explain decisions is critical.
For AI vendors, this shows that winning large enterprises means prioritizing safety and compliance from day one. For insurers, it’s a cautious but practical way to adopt more advanced AI without upsetting regulators. And for startups selling to insurance companies, the takeaway is clear: lead with security, transparency, and data controls, because those are exactly what buyers are looking for.
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The Incredible (but Dangerous) Potential of Chatbot Therapy
🧩 Chatbots Cure Depression, but there’s a catch. AI is proving shockingly effective at treating anxiety and depression. Real studies show measurable results. But there’s a darker side; privacy breaches, dependency, and the risk of replacing real connection with code. This episode breaks down what AI therapy gets right, what it dangerously gets wrong, and why millions are doing it anyway.
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💸 Fear-fueled choices drove overspending ~$10k forming an LLC before revenue — incl. $3.75k consulting.
🗣️ Avoiding hard talks erodes morale, hurts retention, and can cost teams millions—learn to tackle issues early.
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Why Apple’s CEO pick screams “don’t rock the supply chain”
Photo by Gulom Nazarov on Unsplash
Hardware boss John Ternus has emerged as the front-runner to replace Tim Cook; Cook is looking to scale back and may shift to board chair. Nothing official yet, but the board is clearly testing the air.
A Ternus promotion screams continuity: hardware-first judgment, supply chain muscle, and margin discipline. Translation: steady iPhone/Mac cadence, on‑device AI framed around silicon advantages, and fewer headline-chasing pivots.
Stake map: developers get predictability; suppliers get clear signals; investors get a smoother Jobs→Cook‑style handoff—if timing lines up. Watch org moves around COO, services, and AI as early tells of accelerating succession planning.