Nokia's 700% WAN Traffic Surge, Uber's $100M EV Investment, YouTube's AI Expansion - Daily AI Brief #397
February 20, 2026 -
Daily AI Brief
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Nokia predicts a 700% increase in WAN traffic by 2034, highlighting significant growth in network demands. Uber is investing $100 million in fast chargers for its robotaxis, aiming to enhance its autonomous vehicle infrastructure. Meanwhile, YouTube is expanding its AI tool to TVs and other devices, broadening its technological reach.
SimpleDocs has introduced a new contract intelligence tool, and Nvidia is partnering with Activate to support Indian AI startups. Additionally, OpenAI is collaborating with Pine Labs in India, and Epic Games has acquired AI startup Meshcapade.
Welcome to today's AI Brief.
Nokia predicts a 700% increase in WAN traffic by 2034, highlighting significant growth in network demands. Uber is investing $100 million in fast chargers for its robotaxis, aiming to enhance its autonomous vehicle infrastructure. Meanwhile, YouTube is expanding its AI tool to TVs and other devices, broadening its technological reach.
SimpleDocs has introduced a new contract intelligence tool, and Nvidia is partnering with Activate to support Indian AI startups. Additionally, OpenAI is collaborating with Pine Labs in India, and Epic Games has acquired AI startup Meshcapade.
Nokia Predicts 700% Increase in WAN Traffic by 2034
A report from Nokia forecasts a 700% rise in wide area network traffic by 2034, driven by the expansion of AI workloads. The study emphasizes the need for network adaptation to meet low-latency demands as AI becomes more prevalent. Read more
Uber Invests $100 Million in Charging for Waymo and WeRide
Uber Technologies plans to invest over $100 million in fast-charging infrastructure for its autonomous vehicle operations, focusing on hubs for robotaxis from partners Waymo and WeRide. The initiative will start in major US cities before expanding further. Read more
YouTube Expands AI Tool to TVs and Devices
YouTube has introduced an experimental feature that extends its conversational AI tool to smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices, enabling users to interact with content while watching videos. Read more
SimpleDocs Unveils Contract Intelligence Tool
SimpleDocs has launched a 'Contract Intelligence Layer' for legal teams, integrating policies and precedents into Microsoft Word to aid contract drafting and negotiation. Read more
Nvidia Partners with Indian AI Startups
Nvidia is increasing its involvement with AI startups in India by forming partnerships to support founders before their companies are established. This includes a collaboration with early-stage venture firm Activate to invest in 25 to 30 AI startups. Read more
OpenAI Partners with Pine Labs in India
OpenAI has announced a partnership with Pine Labs to enhance its presence in India’s fintech sector. This collaboration aims to leverage Pine Labs' technology and expertise to further develop AI solutions tailored for the Indian market. Read more
Epic Games Acquires AI Startup Meshcapade
Epic Games has acquired Meshcapade, an AI startup from the Max Planck Institute, to enhance its digital human technology in projects like Unreal Engine and MetaHuman. Read more
OpenAI and Paradigm Launch EVMbench for Smart Contract Security
OpenAI and Paradigm have introduced EVMbench, a benchmark tool to evaluate AI agents' capabilities in handling vulnerabilities in smart contracts. The tool aims to improve the security of crypto assets by assessing agents in detection, patching, and exploitation tasks. Read more
Google Unveils Gemini Pro 3.1 with Record Scores
On February 19, 2026, Google announced the release of its latest LLM, Gemini Pro 3.1, which has achieved record scores in independent benchmarks, surpassing its predecessor. The model is available in preview and expected for general release soon. Read more
AI Tools Affect Open-Source Software Quality
A report by TechCrunch examines how AI coding tools are impacting open-source software projects, noting both the ease of feature creation and the decline in code quality. Read more
OpenAI and Anthropic Leaders' Awkward Moment at Summit
At the India AI Impact Summit, an awkward moment occurred when OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei did not join in a gesture of solidarity. Both companies announced new initiatives in India, with OpenAI and Anthropic expanding their presence and partnerships. Read more
Freeform Secures $67M to Enhance AI-Driven Manufacturing
Freeform, a startup specializing in 3D printing metal components, has secured $67 million in Series B funding to upgrade its manufacturing platform. The investment will be used to enhance its GoldenEye printing system to a new version called Skyfall, which will utilize hundreds of lasers for increased production capacity. Read more
Quantum Secure Encryption Corp. Sees Record Security Spending
Global IT spending is projected to reach $6.15 trillion by 2026, with a focus on AI and security. Quantum Secure Encryption Corp. has updated its platform to address quantum threats and expanded partnerships in India and Indonesia. Read more
Alphabet Partners with Sea Ltd for AI Tools
Alphabet's Google unit has partnered with Sea Ltd to develop AI tools for Shopee and Garena. The collaboration focuses on creating an AI shopping prototype and improving game development productivity. Read more
Wolters Kluwer Expands Libra AI Workspace to Italy
Wolters Kluwer has launched its Libra legal AI workspace in Italy, continuing its expansion across Europe. This follows previous launches in the Netherlands, Poland, and Germany, enhancing legal research and analysis with AI technology. Read more
OpenAI and Reliance Partner for AI Search in JioHotstar
OpenAI has teamed up with Reliance to introduce AI-driven conversational search in JioHotstar, enabling users to find content using text and voice in various languages. The collaboration was revealed at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Read more
OpenAI Nears $100 Billion Funding Deal
OpenAI is reportedly close to securing a deal to raise over $100 billion, with its valuation potentially surpassing $850 billion. The company aims for profitability and is testing ads in ChatGPT for free users, with major investors like Amazon, SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft involved. Read more
Microsoft Launches AI Marketplace for Healthcare Content
Microsoft has introduced the Licensed Content Marketplace, designed to allow healthcare publishers to manage AI access to their intellectual property. This initiative, developed by Admanager and powered by Doceree, seeks to monetize medical IP and prevent unauthorized use. Read more
Reddit Tests AI Search Tool for Shopping
Reddit is testing an AI search tool that integrates community recommendations with products from shopping partners, aiming to boost e-commerce on the platform. Read more
General Catalyst to Invest $5 Billion in Indian AI and Tech Startups
Venture firm General Catalyst has announced a $5 billion investment in India over the next five years, targeting startups in AI, healthcare, defense technology, fintech, and consumer technology. Read more
Replit and Databricks Partner for Enterprise Data Apps
The partnership between Replit and Databricks aims to streamline the development and deployment of enterprise data applications, enhancing team collaboration and data governance. Read more
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