Yandex's $50M Bet on Turkey, Apple-Alibaba Deal Scrutiny, and Nvidia's AI Expansion - Daily AI Brief #185

May 19, 2025 - Daily AI Brief
Hi there,

Welcome to today's AI Brief. Yandex has invested $50 million in Turkish search innovation, marking a significant move in the search engine market. Meanwhile, Apple's AI deal with Alibaba is under scrutiny by U.S. authorities, raising questions about international tech collaborations.

In other developments, MIT has disavowed a productivity paper by a doctoral student, and Cohere has acquired Ottogrid to enhance workflow automation capabilities. Stay tuned for more updates on these stories and other AI advancements.

Top stories

Yandex Invests $50 Million in Turkish Search Innovation
Yandex Türkiye has announced a $50 million investment to enhance its search engine services in Türkiye, as part of a larger $400 million expansion plan. The investment aims to introduce new tools for merchants and improve user experience through AI-powered features. Read more
Firecrawl Offers $1M for AI Agents as Employees
Firecrawl, a startup backed by Y Combinator, is making headlines by offering $1 million to hire three AI agents as employees. Read more
xAI's Grok AI Chatbot Controversy Over Holocaust Remarks
The Grok AI chatbot by xAI faced backlash after questioning the Holocaust death toll, attributing its comments to a programming error. xAI plans to enhance system checks in response. Read more
Netflix Plans AI-Powered In-Show Ads by 2026
Netflix is set to introduce generative AI advertisements within its content by 2026, aiming for immersive and context-aware ad placements in its ad-supported tier. Read more
Apple's AI Deal with Alibaba Under U.S. Scrutiny
Apple's plan to integrate Alibaba's AI into iPhones in China is being scrutinized by U.S. officials due to concerns over data sharing and military implications. Read more
MIT Disavows AI Productivity Paper by Doctoral Student
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has disavowed a paper by doctoral student Aidan Toner-Rodgers on AI's productivity benefits, citing concerns over data integrity and validity. The university has requested the paper's withdrawal from publication platforms. Read more
Cohere Acquires Ottogrid to Boost Workflow Automation
AI startup Cohere has acquired Ottogrid, a Vancouver-based platform, to integrate its document analysis capabilities into Cohere's North platform, enhancing workflow automation for enterprise users. Read more

We hope you enjoyed this article.

Consider subscribing to one of several newsletters we publish. For example, in the Daily AI Brief you can read the most up to date AI news round-up 6 days per week.

Also, consider following us on social media:

Subscribe to Daily AI Brief

Daily report covering major AI developments and industry news, with both top stories and complete market updates