NEW LAUNCHES

The latest features, products & partnerships in AI

• Nokia expands 5G network in France with 4-year Orange deal

• Mediapro, Google partner to create AI tools for Spanish media and news professionals

• Tonal is offering customers $1,000 off to make an AI-powered upgrade

• LinkedIn’s new AI tool lets people search for jobs in natural language

• App Orchid, Google Cloud partnership to bring data analytics into the natural language era

• OpenAI, CSU partner to bring ChatGPTEdu to 500,000 students

• ByteDance’s new ‘OmniHuman’ AI tools turns single user photos into full-body videos

• Google Maps’ new AI upgrade lets users ask questions about locations

• Xiaomi 15 Ultra global variant spotted on Geekbench ahead of launch

• OpenAI partners with Kakao to create AI products for South Korea

IMPLEMENTATION

Announcements, strategies & case studies

• Workday cuts 1,750 workers in shift toward AI technology

• Some are opting out of AI training to protect Gemini chats. Here’s how you can too

• AI investment strategies CIOs can pitch to hesitant CFOs

• BlackRock to add 1,200 jobs in India to boost AI capabilities

• Microsoft Paint receives an AI-powered makeover

• Strategies to make AI the center of your enterprise transformation

• IBM is investing $7B in Vertical AI — here’s what it means for SaaS startups

AI AGENTS

Launches, research & more from the AI Agent Report Newsletter

• Salesforce AI cuts IT jobs but boosts sales roles

• Zoho enhances AI offerings with new Zia tools and marketplace

• KaibanJS is a multi-agent system that automates hardware optimization for gamers

• Who will win the AI agent battle?

AI MODELS

Deployment, research, training & infrastructure

• Google’s Gemini AI can now explain its reasoning process to you

• Meta is teaching AI models to allocate compute based on prompt complexity

• Motorola’s Large Action Model delivers where the Rabbit R1 failed

• Microsoft Copilot now offers free access to OpenAI’s o1 model

• OpenAI’s Deep Research AI model sets new record on industry’s hardest benchmark

• AI’s ‘no free lunch’ theorems explained

IN OTHER NEWS

Compelling stories beyond the usual categories

• You could win a $1M prize for using Perplexity during the Super Bowl

• Google plans native ads for Gemini AI chatbot

• Palantir forecasts robust 2025 growth driven by AI demand

• Marvel denies rumors it used AI to create ‘Fantastic Four’ poster

• Meta enhances transparency with new labeling requirements for AI-generated ads

• Google ad sales surge, but AI numbers leave investors disappointed

• Zuckerberg: ‘Glasses are the ideal form factor for an AI device’

What’s happening in AI right now

The great AI distribution race

Three major AI distribution deals emerged this week, showcasing how technology companies are racing to put AI tools in front of users through established channels. Verizon became the first U.S. wireless carrier to bundle AI features by offering Google One AI Premium at a 50% discount. The California State University system partnered with OpenAI to give 500,000 students and faculty access to ChatGPT Enterprise. And OpenAI forged a partnership with Kakao to develop AI products for the South Korean market.

Why distribution matters now

The flurry of distribution deals highlights how AI companies are shifting focus from raw capability development to getting their tools into users' hands at scale. This mirrors a pattern seen in previous technology waves - after initial breakthroughs, success often depends more on distribution than pure technological advantage.

The new distribution playbook

The emerging playbook combines traditional distribution channels with AI-specific considerations:

Educational institutions provide both distribution scale and training grounds for future users. CSU's deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise to 500,000 users represents OpenAI's largest organizational implementation globally.

Telecom providers can seamlessly bundle AI features into existing subscription relationships. Verizon's Google One AI Premium discount makes advanced AI tools accessible to mainstream consumers through familiar billing relationships.

Regional tech leaders offer cultural and linguistic adaptation capabilities. OpenAI's partnership with Kakao leverages the Korean company's deep understanding of local market needs.

Beyond pure distribution

While distribution deals dominated headlines, other developments showed how AI is being integrated into existing products and workflows. Zoho unveiled an expansion of its enterprise AI capabilities with Zia Agents and Agent Marketplace. Google Cloud partnered with App Orchid to enable natural language querying of enterprise data.

What this means

The race for distribution channels suggests we're entering a new phase of AI adoption where accessibility and integration matter more than raw capabilities. Companies that can't secure strong distribution partnerships may struggle even with superior technology.

This shift also highlights the growing importance of domain expertise and existing customer relationships. Incumbents in sectors like education, telecommunications and enterprise software suddenly find themselves perhaps holding valuable cards in the AI game.

The next few months will likely see more creative distribution partnerships as AI companies seek to establish beachheads in specific industries and regions. For business leaders, the key question shifts from "What can AI do?" to "How do we get AI capability to our users in the most friction-free way possible?" The answers may determine which companies capture value in the next phase of AI adoption.

We publish daily research, playbooks, and deep industry data breakdowns. Learn More Here

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