What’s on the Cutting Edge Now
From smarter dating to medical scribes and better chatbots, this update sums up new moves from big names like Google, Meta, and OpenAI. New hires, funding rounds, and tools lead the way, while safety and privacy concerns follow close behind.
👋 Catch up on the latest post …
In the Spotlight 🔦
Sitch Launches Dating App Combining Human Matchmakers and AI Technology
Category: Applications
🤖 Sitch combines human matchmaking expertise with AI, using large language models to personalize dating matches beyond traditional swipe-based apps.
📝 The app requires detailed onboarding with nearly 50 questions, leveraging user feedback and over 75 matchmaking parameters to improve match quality.
💰 Sitch charges per match setup, has raised $7 million in funding, and currently operates only in New York with plans to expand.
Character.AI Names Former Meta Business VP as New CEO
Category: Business & Industry Trends
🧑💼 Character.AI appointed Karandeep Anand, former Meta VP of Business Products, as CEO to lead the company during a critical growth and safety-focused phase.
🛡️ The company is addressing child safety concerns and lawsuits, adding new safety features and planning to refine overbearing safety filters for its chatbot platform.
📈 Character.AI, backed by Google and Andreessen Horowitz, has tens of millions of users, with 66% aged 18-24 and 72% women, reflecting rapid growth in generative AI entertainment.
ChatGPT: Key Facts About the AI-Powered Chatbot
Category: Applications
🤖 ChatGPT, launched in November 2022, now has 300 million weekly active users and is widely used for productivity, coding, and research tasks.
🚀 OpenAI continually updates ChatGPT with new features, such as advanced voice mode, coding agents, integrations, and improved reasoning models like o3-pro and GPT-4.1.
⚖️ OpenAI faces challenges including copyright lawsuits, data privacy concerns, and issues with model behavior, prompting ongoing adjustments to safety and compliance measures.
Google Introduces New AI Features to Chromebook Plus Devices
Category: Applications
🖥️ Google introduces new AI features to Chromebook Plus devices, including screen selection for search, text capture, and AI-powered writing and image generation tools.
📝 The new 'Simplify' feature uses AI to explain, summarize, or simplify any selected text, enhancing productivity and accessibility for users.
🎁 All new Chromebook Plus users receive a one-year Google AI Pro plan, offering Gemini, Flow, Whisk, and 2TB storage, valued at $240 per year.
Alexa+ Gen-AI Now Available to Over One Million Users
Category: Applications
🚀 Over one million users now have access to Amazon's generative AI-powered Alexa+, with invites rolling out to those on the waitlist.
💡 Alexa+ offers more natural, personalized interactions, smart home integration, and new generative AI features like email summarization and custom bedtime stories.
💰 Alexa+ is free during Early Access and will be free for Prime members; non-Prime users will pay $19.99/month after the public launch.
Harvey AI Valuation Jumps from $3B to $5B in Just Four Months
Category: Business & Industry Trends
💰 Harvey AI raised $300 million in Series E funding, reaching a $5 billion valuation just four months after a $3 billion valuation.
👩💼 The company plans to double its 340-person staff, expanding into professional services beyond legal, such as tax accounting.
📈 Harvey AI's annualized run-rate revenue hit $75 million in April, up from $50 million earlier in the year.
Leak suggests Grok may soon offer spreadsheet editing features
Category: Applications
📝 Leaked code shows xAI is developing an advanced file editor for Grok, including spreadsheet support and real-time AI-assisted editing.
🤖 Grok's new features aim to compete with OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft by integrating AI copilots into productivity tools.
🌐 xAI's editor could move X closer to becoming an 'everything app,' potentially rivaling Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
Google Launches AI Mode for Users Across India
Category: Applications
🇮🇳 Google launched its experimental AI mode, a Q&A-style search tool, for users in India via Search Labs opt-in.
🗣️ Indian users can ask complex queries in English, use voice and image search, and receive multi-part answers powered by Gemini 2.5.
📈 India, with 870M+ internet users, serves as a major test market as Google competes with chat-based AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Abridge AI Medical Scribe Doubles Valuation to $5.3B in 4 Months
Category: Business & Industry Trends
💰 Abridge, an AI medical scribe startup, raised $300 million in Series E funding, doubling its valuation to $5.3 billion in just four months.
🏥 The company is a leader in the AI-powered medical scribe market, integrated with Epic Systems and used by over 150 major U.S. health systems.
📈 Abridge reported $117 million in contracted annual recurring revenue and is expanding into AI-powered medical coding, directly competing with other startups and Epic Systems.
Rubrik Acquires Predibase to Boost AI Agent Adoption
Category: Business & Industry Trends
🤝 Rubrik is acquiring Predibase, a startup specializing in training and fine-tuning open source AI models for enterprise needs.
💸 The deal size was not disclosed but is estimated between $100 million and $500 million, according to CNBC.
🚀 Integration will enable Rubrik users to build AI agents faster via Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, and Google Agentspace platforms.
Meta Hires Three Top OpenAI Researchers in Major Recruiting Move
Category: Business & Industry Trends
🤝 Meta has recruited three OpenAI researchers—Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai—to join its superintelligence team.
💰 Mark Zuckerberg is offering $100+ million compensation packages and personally reaching out to top AI talent to attract them to Meta.
🏆 Despite these efforts, Meta has not succeeded in hiring OpenAI co-founders Ilya Sutskever and John Schulman, who started new ventures instead.
This content is curated and compiled autonomously using a Python-driven AI system I wrote. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, I welcome your feedback on any discrepancies you may notice.