Former OpenAI researcher to raise $500 million for AI science startup
Periodic Labs, which plans to push breakthroughs in physics and chemistry using artificial intelligence, has seen its valuation jump sixfold in just eight months.
Innovation
This $1.3 billion AI startup’s software watches employees as they work
Cofounded in 2019 by former consultant Jennifer Smith, Scribe’s software helps hundreds of thousands of companies record what their employees do so AI agents can take over repetitive tasks in the future.
The Gates Foundation is funding a startup’s plan to fight malnutrition with bacteria
Synthetic microbiomes to treat disease. Sea levels may rise faster than we thought. AI for scientific researchers. All that and more in this week’s edition of The Prototype.
Why everyone is talking about biological, not chronological, age
Megan Gale, Dr Adam Brown, Bahar Etminan, and Nick Bell gathered at the 2026 Forbes Women Summit presented by Lancome, to discuss the mainstreaming of longevity and the resonance of biology over birthdays.
Musk’s SpaceX will give Anthropic access to its ‘Colossus’ super computer for AI training
Anthropic has also expressed interest in partnering up with SpaceX on the development of AI data centers in space.
Australians are racing to adopt AI. There’s just one big catch.
While the AI race is fundamentally between the US and China – ranking number 1 and 2 in research – Australia sports the third highest density of AI PhDs globally. A new Stanford HAI report also reveals that we are big on implementing AI, but low on trusting it.
Big tech is on track to spend $1 trillion on AI this year
Tech giants are on pace to double AI spending this year.
Anthropic taps tech veteran to head new Sydney HQ
The AI giant behind Claude has appointed Theo Hourmouzis as General Manager for Australia and New Zealand and confirmed the opening of its Sydney office, as the company expands its enterprise and government footprint in the region.
Could this new AI smartphone compete with Apple?
Sam Altman planned to develop AI “companions” after OpenAI added Apple’s famed designer last year.
Microsoft’s Jane Livesey on the necessity of a ‘human-in-the-AI-loop’
Exclusive: As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella visits Australia this week, new ANZ managing director Jane Livesey says she is aligned with his values-driven, human-in-the-loop approach to AI. Here’s how she is rolling it out on our shores.