Edition: July 19, 2026

Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang has secured deals with Japan's tech elite to establish a national AI factory, partnerships with leading robotics companies, and agreements with chip-material suppliers. The goal is to build the 'physical-AI era' with Japan's factory floor at its center. Japan plans to invest up to $6.2 billion in homegrown 'physical AI' over five years.

Apple has filed a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the company of a pattern of misconduct to obtain confidential information from current and former Apple employees. The lawsuit could potentially impact OpenAI's plans to enter the hardware business, including the development of a mobile smart speaker. OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing, stating it is unaware of any evidence supporting the complaint.

Nonprofit Current AI is working to build an open, public AI infrastructure, free for all, to address the lack of representation of diverse languages and cultures in current AI systems. The organization has allocated $3.2 million in grants to projects across four organizations and launched an open-source AI chatbot. Current AI aims to create a public alternative to private AI systems, similar to the World Wide Web, available to anyone for free.

Musician 1010Benja's latest EP features a song made with AI tool Suno, which has surprisingly won over a critic who typically finds AI-generated music boring. The song, 'Semiramis' Dream', is described as infectious and explosive. It challenges the critic's preconceptions about the potential of AI in music.

Director Christopher Nolan has expressed skepticism about AI, calling it a 'Trojan horse' that people are right to be wary of, citing its rapid advancement and potential for misuse. Nolan's comments reflect a growing concern in the film industry about the impact of AI on jobs and creativity. He advocates for a healthy dose of skepticism when embracing new technologies.