Google's AI Mode for Chrome, UK Backs AI Startups, and Anthropic's Cyber Talks - Daily AI Brief #435
April 18, 2026 -
Daily AI Brief
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Welcome to today's AI Brief.
Luma and Wonder Project have launched a new AI production studio, aiming to enhance content creation capabilities. Meanwhile, Google has introduced an AI mode for side-by-side browsing in Chrome, offering users a new way to interact with web content.
The UK government is supporting seven startups with an AI fund, and Anthropic is in discussions with the EU regarding cybersecurity models. Additionally, American Express plans to acquire Hyper to integrate AI into its expense management solutions.
Welcome to today's AI Brief.
Luma and Wonder Project have launched a new AI production studio, aiming to enhance content creation capabilities. Meanwhile, Google has introduced an AI mode for side-by-side browsing in Chrome, offering users a new way to interact with web content.
The UK government is supporting seven startups with an AI fund, and Anthropic is in discussions with the EU regarding cybersecurity models. Additionally, American Express plans to acquire Hyper to integrate AI into its expense management solutions.
Luma and Wonder Project Launch AI Production Studio
AI video generation startup Luma has partnered with Wonder Project to launch Innovative Dreams, a production company focused on religious films and TV shows. Their first project, 'The Old Stories: Moses,' will debut on Prime Video this spring. Read more
Google Introduces AI Mode for Chrome
On April 16, 2026, Google announced a new feature for Chrome desktop that allows users to explore the web alongside AI Mode, enabling side-by-side comparisons and follow-up questions. Read more
UK Government Supports 7 Startups with AI Fund
The UK government has revealed the first seven startups to benefit from its £500 million Sovereign AI Fund, aimed at strengthening the nation's AI sector and reducing foreign investment dependency. Read more
Anthropic Discusses Cyber Security Models with European Commission
U.S.-based AI company Anthropic is in talks with the European Commission about its cyber security models, which are not yet available in the EU. The company has pledged to follow the EU's AI code of practice. Read more
Anthropic Launches Claude Design for Visual Creation
On April 17, 2026, Anthropic unveiled Claude Design, a tool for creating visuals by describing ideas, aimed at users without a design background. Read more
Anthropic CEO Discusses AI Model Mythos with Trump Officials
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, met with Trump administration officials to discuss cybersecurity risks related to the company's new AI model, Mythos. Read more
American Express to Acquire Hyper for AI in Expense Management
American Express has announced its agreement to acquire Hyper, an AI-driven expense management startup, to enhance its automation capabilities for business clients. The acquisition is set to close in the second quarter of 2026. Read more
Cursor Seeks $2 Billion Funding at $50 Billion Valuation
AI coding startup Cursor is in discussions to secure over $2 billion in funding, targeting a $50 billion valuation. The funding round is expected to be led by returning investors Thrive and Andreessen Horowitz, with contributions from Battery Ventures and Nvidia. Read more
Physical Intelligence Unveils π0.7 Robot Brain
The San Francisco-based startup Physical Intelligence has launched π0.7, a foundation model that allows robots to perform tasks without specific training, using zero-shot learning to adapt to new tasks. Read more
AI Startups Report Faster Training on DigitalOcean
AI-native startups are moving to DigitalOcean, LLC's Agentic Inference Cloud, experiencing significant improvements in training speed and latency. Read more
Zoom Partners with World for Biometric Verification
Zoom has partnered with World to introduce biometric identity verification for meeting participants using iris-scanned profiles to combat deepfake fraud. Read more
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