🛒 SoftBank Buys DigitalBridge
SoftBank agreed to acquire DigitalBridge for $4 billion in cash to expand its AI infrastructure footprint. The deal values DigitalBridge at $16 per share, a 15% premium, and is expected to close in the second half of next year. CEO Masayoshi Son said the acquisition strengthens the foundation for next-generation AI data centers. The move follows SoftBank’s sale of its NVIDIA stake to fund investments including OpenAI.

🧑‍💼 Altman Seeks AI Risk Chief
OpenAI is offering a $555,000 salary to hire a head of preparedness to manage risks from increasingly powerful AI systems. CEO Sam Altman warned the role would be stressful, overseeing threats spanning cybersecurity, mental health, and biological misuse. The opening reflects growing concern from AI leaders about frontier models outpacing regulation. It comes as OpenAI and rivals report rapid gains in AI hacking capabilities and face scrutiny over real-world harms.

🌕 NASA Confirms Moon Base Plan
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency plans to build a Moon base as part of an “enduring presence” on the lunar surface. Responding on X, Isaacman framed the goal as central to American leadership in space. The plan aligns with President Donald Trump’s national space policy. NASA says the effort will support science, national security, nuclear power development, and a growing orbital economy.

⚡ AI Data Centers Turn To Fossil Power
AI data centers are increasingly using jet-engine turbines and diesel generators as grid connections face delays of up to seven years. Developers are installing on-site power to keep training AI models running despite higher costs and emissions. Suppliers like GE Vernova and Cummins report surging demand. The shift reflects infrastructure strain as AI growth outpaces clean, affordable electricity supply.

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The Recap: The Economist reported that OpenAI is heading into 2026 with explosive growth—and equally explosive losses—projected to reach $17bn in cash burn next year. Under CEO Sam Altman, the company is racing to expand beyond chatbots into chips, devices, enterprise consulting, and commerce to justify unprecedented capital needs. Whether OpenAI can convert scale into sustainable profits amid intensifying rivalry from Google and others remains uncertain.

Highlights:

Forward Future Takeaways:
OpenAI’s predicament underscores a central tension in modern AI: scale delivers rapid adoption, but profitability lags when computing costs rise as fast as revenue. 2026 will test whether vertical integration, enterprise sales, and new business models can break that linkage—or whether even record-setting fundraising has limits. → Read the full article here. (Paywall)

The Recap: Global payment networks Visa and Mastercard are laying the groundwork for “agentic commerce,” where AI agents can search, compare, and complete purchases entirely within chatbots. Payment executives say early pilots are already underway, with commercial deployments expected as soon as early 2026. The shift could reshape online shopping—but unresolved questions around security, liability, and disputes remain.

Highlights:

Forward Future Takeaways:
Agentic commerce signals a structural shift in payments, inserting AI platforms as a new actor alongside consumers, banks, and merchants. If Visa and Mastercard succeed in standardizing authentication and dispute rules, chat-based shopping could become as routine as e-commerce is today. The open question is whether merchants—and regulators—will adapt quickly enough to keep pace with intelligent, always-on buyers. → Read the full article here. (Paywall)

The Plaud Note Pro, a $179 credit card–sized AI recorder, targets professionals rather than consumers chasing always-on wearables. The company says it has shipped over 1 million devices, with more than 50% of users converting to paid subscriptions.

Unlike many AI wearables, the Note Pro records offline with 64GB of onboard storage and emphasizes long battery life—up to 30 hours of recording and 60 days standby. Reviewer Ivan Mehta reports reliable audio capture, accurate transcription, and a design that fits easily into a wallet or magnetically onto a phone. → Read the full article here.

🤪 AI Slop Floods YouTube Shorts: A Kapwing analysis found 21% of sampled Shorts were AI-generated, with one-third deemed low-quality “brainrot.”

💸 AI Startups Amass War Chests (Paywall): Silicon Valley startups raised a record $150 billion in 2025, topping 2021 levels, to fund costly frontier models and stockpile cash amid fears the AI investment boom could cool.

🫂 China Targets Emotional AI Chatbots: Beijing proposed rules barring chatbots from encouraging suicide, gambling, or emotional manipulation, requiring human intervention and minor safeguards.

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Matthew Berman & The Forward Future Team

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