OpenAI Hires OpenClaw Creator, ByteDance Faces Disney Claims, Maestro AI Raises $1.2M - Daily AI Brief #393
February 16, 2026 -
Daily AI Brief
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Welcome to today's AI Brief.
OpenAI has hired OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger, marking a significant addition to their team. Meanwhile, ByteDance has launched Doubao 2.0 amid copyright claims from Disney. In the financial sector, Maestro AI has raised $1.2 million to develop its mortgage operating system.
Stack Infrastructure is seeking a $2.1 billion loan to establish an AI data center in Australia. Additionally, Anthropic is taking steps to offset electricity costs for its data centers. In a move to enhance AI education, Microsoft plans to train 3 million Saudis in AI by 2030.
Welcome to today's AI Brief.
OpenAI has hired OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger, marking a significant addition to their team. Meanwhile, ByteDance has launched Doubao 2.0 amid copyright claims from Disney. In the financial sector, Maestro AI has raised $1.2 million to develop its mortgage operating system.
Stack Infrastructure is seeking a $2.1 billion loan to establish an AI data center in Australia. Additionally, Anthropic is taking steps to offset electricity costs for its data centers. In a move to enhance AI education, Microsoft plans to train 3 million Saudis in AI by 2030.
OpenAI Hires OpenClaw Creator Peter Steinberger
OpenAI has hired Peter Steinberger, the creator of the AI personal assistant OpenClaw. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that OpenClaw will remain an open source project. Read more
ByteDance Launches Doubao 2.0 Amid Disney Copyright Claims
On February 14, 2026, ByteDance introduced Doubao 2.0, an AI chatbot with enhanced reasoning abilities, while facing copyright allegations from Disney over its video-generation model. Read more
Maestro AI Raises $1.2 Million for Mortgage Industry OS
Maestro AI has secured $1.2 million in pre-seed funding to develop an agentic operating system tailored for the mortgage industry. Read more
Stack Infrastructure Seeks $2.1 Billion Loan for AI Data Center in Australia
Stack Infrastructure, owned by Blue Owl Capital, is pursuing a loan of A$3 billion ($2.1 billion) to fund a new 250 megawatt data center project in Melbourne, Australia. This move aligns with the global trend of increasing investment in AI infrastructure. Read more
Microsoft AI Chief Predicts Automation of White Collar Jobs
Mustafa Suleyman, AI Chief at Microsoft, predicts that most white-collar jobs could be automated within two years, as AI approaches 'human-level performance' in professional tasks. Read more
Anthropic to Offset Data Center Electricity Costs
Anthropic has announced plans to address electricity price hikes from their data centers by covering infrastructure costs and investing in local communities to alleviate grid strain. Read more
Microsoft to Train 3 Million Saudis in AI by 2030
Microsoft has announced a new initiative to equip three million people in Saudi Arabia with AI skills by 2030, including free AI credentials for educators. This aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals. Read more
Backbase and VASS Partner for AI Banking Services
Backbase and VASS have formed a strategic partnership to enhance AI-driven digital banking services, focusing on wealth management and business banking in Spain and Latin America. Read more
Microsoft Explores Superconductors for AI Data Centers
Microsoft is investigating high-temperature superconductors to enhance power distribution in its data centers, aiming to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Read more
C2i Semiconductors Raises $15M to Improve AI Data Center Efficiency
C2i Semiconductors, an Indian startup, has secured $15 million in funding from Peak XV Partners to address energy inefficiencies in AI data centers. Read more
Cognizant Expands Partnership with Google Cloud for AI
Cognizant has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to implement agentic AI at an enterprise scale, enhancing productivity and workflows with Google Workspace and Gemini Enterprise. Read more
Google Upgrades Gemini 3 AI Model
The updated Gemini 3 Deep Think AI model from Google has shown significant improvements, outperforming competitors in benchmark tests and enhancing its problem-solving capabilities. Read more
Ant Group Invests in AI Healthcare Sector
Ant Group has announced plans to invest in the AI healthcare sector, targeting China's population with AI Doctor Agents and the AQ health app. This strategic move elevates its health unit alongside its core operations. Read more
Salesforce Acquires Cimulate for AI Product Discovery
Salesforce has announced its acquisition of Cimulate, aiming to enhance AI-driven product discovery and improve personalized shopping experiences in its Agentforce Commerce platform. Read more
Mantle Introduces ERC-8004 for AI in Finance
Mantle has launched the ERC-8004 standard to improve the integration and functionality of autonomous AI agents in the financial sector. Read more
Infosys and ExxonMobil Expand AI Data Center Collaboration
On February 12, 2026, Infosys announced an expansion of its collaboration with ExxonMobil to enhance AI data center infrastructure using immersion cooling solutions. Read more
OpenAI to Provide Voice Tech for Pentagon Drone Project
OpenAI has been selected to supply voice control technology for a Pentagon initiative focused on developing software for drone swarms. The project involves translating voice commands into digital instructions for drones. Read more
Capgemini Targets AI for 2026 Growth
Capgemini is focusing on artificial intelligence to drive revenue growth by 2026, with projections of 6.5% to 8.5%. The company is collaborating with Microsoft and Alphabet to enhance its AI capabilities. Read more
Nvidia to Lease Data Center with Junk Bonds
Nvidia Corp. is set to lease a data center in Storey County, Nevada, funded by a $3.8 billion junk-bond sale to bolster AI infrastructure. The bond offering, managed by Tract Capital, was increased due to high demand. Read more
Amazon Plans $5 Billion Data Center in Washington
Amazon Data Services has announced plans to build a $5 billion data center near Tri-Cities, Washington, involving 16 data centers and energy from a future nuclear reactor. Read more
OpenAI Accuses DeepSeek of Technology Theft
OpenAI has accused China's DeepSeek of using unfair methods to extract results from U.S. AI models to train its R1 chatbot. The memo raises concerns about national security risks and the potential erosion of the U.S. advantage in AI. Read more
Meta Begins Construction on $10 Billion Data Center in Indiana
Meta has started building a 1GW data center in Lebanon, Indiana, investing over $10 billion to support AI workloads and core services. The project will create thousands of jobs and includes community and environmental initiatives. Read more
Uptiq Raises $25 Million to Expand AI in Fintech
Uptiq has secured $25 million in Series B funding to enhance its AI solutions for the financial sector, focusing on banks and credit unions. Read more
Google Report on AI Misuse in Cyber Attacks
The Google Threat Intelligence Group has released a report detailing how state-sponsored actors are misusing AI in cyber attacks, including phishing and malware development. Read more
Nebius to Build AI Data Center in France
Amsterdam-based AI cloud provider Nebius plans to construct a 240MW data center in Béthune, France, on the site of a former Bridgestone plant. The project aims to boost AI infrastructure in Europe. Read more
Porters Secures €2.7 Million for AI Banking Operations
Zürich-based fintech Porters has raised €2.7 million in a pre-seed funding round to enhance banking operations with AI-driven automation. Read more
Shield AI Seeks $1 Billion Funding to Double Valuation
Shield AI is in discussions to secure up to $1 billion in funding, potentially doubling its valuation to $12 billion. The company focuses on AI software for autonomous vehicles and drones amid rising global defense budgets. Read more
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