LangChain secures $125 million Series B funding at $1.25 billion valuation, achieving unicorn status as the AI agent framework company attracts backing from IVP, Sequoia, and Benchmark while serving major clients like Cisco and Workday despite growing competition from tech giants.
DeepSeek-AI launches DeepSeek-OCR, a groundbreaking optical character recognition model that dynamically adjusts resolution from 512×512 to 1280×1280 pixels and converts documents directly to markdown format while parsing figures and locating specific text within images.
Facebook launches AI photo editor across US and Canada that analyzes users' private camera roll photos by uploading them to Meta's cloud servers, gaining access to unshared personal images and facial data for creative editing suggestions.
OpenAI blocks Martin Luther King Jr. video generation on its Sora platform after his estate complains about disrespectful AI depictions, including videos showing the civil rights leader making monkey noises, while crude AI videos of other historical figures remain available.
Apple secures a groundbreaking $700 million, five-year deal to exclusively stream all Formula 1 races on Apple TV starting in 2026, paying $140 million annually—65% more than ESPN's previous contract—while including all racing events in its existing $12.99 monthly subscription.
Stellantis teams up with Chinese AI firm Pony to bring self-driving robotaxis to European cities by 2026, starting with Luxembourg testing using Peugeot e-Traveller vans equipped with autonomous driving technology.
AI infrastructure company Groq raises $750 million at a $6.9 billion valuation, led by Disruptive with BlackRock participation, as the firm powers over two million developers and Fortune 500 companies with fast compute solutions across multiple continents.
Google launches Grounding with Google Maps in the Gemini API, enabling developers to build location-aware AI applications that tap into geospatial data from over 250 million places for enhanced travel planning, real estate insights, and hyper-local recommendations.
Meta rolls out groundbreaking parental controls that block teenagers from accessing romantic AI chatbots and one-on-one conversations, implementing PG-13 rating guidelines while automatically detecting suspected underage users who falsely claim adult status, with Instagram features launching early 2025.
A new national survey reveals 73% of Americans demand heavy AI regulation as the public expects superhuman AI within 5 years, with 64% believing such technology should not be developed until proven safe and controllable.