Good morning, it’s Thursday. Today, we’ve got AI designing futuristic materials that could save the planet, two legends winning the Turing Award for teaching AI how to learn like humans, and OpenAI unveiling ultra-premium AI agents with a price tag that’ll make your wallet cry.

Plus, in today’s Forward Future Original, we explore underreported breakthroughs in embodied AI.

Read on!

NVIDIA dominates the AI market, pulling in $31 billion in Q4 data center revenue with 70%+ margins. Microsoft’s AI segment, including Azure, made $3.25 billion, while IBM followed with $2 billion—mostly from consulting.

NVIDIA’s GPU business alone is four times larger than AI software, infrastructure, and consulting combined, showing hardware’s dominance. Excluding Amazon, Google, and others, actual AI revenue is even higher. With hyperscalers pouring $250 billion into data centers this year, software still has room to grow. → Continue reading here.

🏷️ OpenAI Plans Pricey AI Agents, Up to $20K/Month
OpenAI may soon charge up to $20,000 per month for specialized AI “agents” tailored for tasks like software development and PhD-level research, according to The Information. Other rumored tiers include a $2,000 “high-income knowledge worker” agent and a $10,000 developer agent. SoftBank has reportedly committed $3 billion to these tools. OpenAI, which lost around $5 billion last year, is seeking new revenue streams to offset its high operational costs.

🔍 Google Tests AI-Only Search, Ditches Classic Links
Google is experimenting with an AI-only search experience that replaces traditional links with AI-generated summaries. Available to Google One AI Premium subscribers, "AI Mode" provides detailed responses with cited sources and follow-up query options. Powered by a custom Gemini 2.0 model, the feature aims to counter competition from AI-powered search rivals like OpenAI. The shift could reshape search but also raises concerns about content visibility.

🤖 Salesforce Unveils AI Agents That Work Autonomously
Salesforce's new Agentforce 2dx lets AI agents operate independently across enterprise systems, anticipating needs and automating complex workflows. Unlike previous AI assistants, these agents proactively take action without human prompts. Aimed at industries like healthcare and customer service, early adopters report significant cost savings. With AI agents set collaborate autonomously, Salesforce envisions a future where digital labor works alongside humans.

⚠️ YouTube Warns of AI-Generated CEO Phishing Scam
Scammers are using an AI-generated deepfake of YouTube CEO Neal Mohan in phishing attacks to steal creators' credentials. The fake video, shared privately, falsely claims YouTube is changing its monetization policy and directs users to a malicious site. Victims risk losing access to their accounts, which are then used for crypto scams. YouTube urges users to avoid suspicious links and warns that it never shares official updates via private videos.

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The Recap: AI is transforming materials science by designing new substances that could revolutionize industries—from carbon-capturing materials to next-gen batteries. Startups like CuspAI and Orbital Materials are leveraging AI to predict, design, and even manufacture cutting-edge materials at unprecedented speeds.

Highlights:

Forward Future Takeaways:
AI-driven materials science could redefine industries, accelerating the discovery of sustainable solutions while reducing R&D costs. However, scaling up these breakthroughs will require better manufacturing processes, industry-wide collaboration, and overcoming skepticism around AI-generated findings. If successful, this field may soon unlock transformative innovations—from carbon-negative factories to room-temperature superconductors. → Read the full article here.

Embodied AI—AI that lives in the physical world through robots and agents—is leaping forward in astonishing ways. From AI-driven humanoids starting real jobs to drones with reflexes faster than human pilots, a new wave of innovations is quietly taking shape. Many of these developments have flown under the radar, yet they promise to reshape how machines interact with us and our environment. In this report, we’ll dive into the most exciting, jaw-dropping advancements in embodied AI and robotics, highlighting fresh research papers, little-known products, upcoming conferences, fun facts, ethical angles, and future predictions. Buckle up—the cutting edge of AI is about to get very real.

Let’s start with some of the standout recent innovations that are wowing researchers but haven’t hit mainstream news. These breakthroughs showcase how far embodied AI has come—and hint at where it’s headed next… → Continue reading here.

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The Recap: Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton have been awarded the prestigious Turing Award for their foundational work in reinforcement learning, a key technique powering modern AI, including chatbots like ChatGPT. Their research, which began in the 1970s, has shaped how AI systems learn through trial and error—mirroring human and animal learning processes.

Highlights:

Forward Future Takeaways:
The work of Barto and Sutton has had a profound and lasting impact on AI, influencing everything from game-playing systems to conversational AI. Their ideas continue to evolve, with reinforcement learning shaping AI’s ability to reason and interact with the world more naturally. As AI systems gain more autonomy, their research may pave the way for AI that learns from real-world experiences—blurring the lines between artificial and human intelligence. → Read the full article here.

💰 Big Tech’s $320B AI Investment: Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon plan to spend $320B on AI in 2025, focusing on chips, data centers, and energy.

📑 Anthropic Drops Biden-Era AI Pledges: The AI firm quietly removed safety commitments tied to the Biden administration, sparking scrutiny.

📈 GPT-4.5 Expands to More Users: OpenAI’s newest AI model is rolling out to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, offering deeper knowledge and improved reasoning.

🎬 Prime Video Tests AI Dubbing: Amazon's streaming service is using AI-assisted dubbing for select movies and shows, combining AI with human oversight.

🍔 McDonald’s Rolls Out AI Upgrades: The fast-food giant is using AI-driven tools to improve order accuracy, predict equipment failures, and enhance drive-throughs.

🗣️ AI Voice Demo Feels Too Real: Sesame’s new AI model mimics human speech with eerie realism, sparking both fascination and unease.

🔤 Can AI Save Indigenous Languages? New projects use AI to preserve endangered Indigenous languages, but some fear it may weaken cultural ties.

In case you missed it, Matt explores how AI agents are evolving beyond human comprehension, highlighting a demonstration where two AI assistants switched to a hyper-efficient, unintelligible language. Get the full scoop! 👇

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The Forward Future Team
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