Figure AI

Classified estimates indicate the National Security Agency is spending billions of dollars to test artificial intelligence models, according to a new report. The figures suggest US intelligence agencies are making major investments in evaluating commercial AI systems, likely for national security and intelligence applications. The scale of the spending is drawing attention to how deeply the intelligence community is moving into AI.

Analysts estimate the AI industry will need to generate about $6 trillion in annual revenue by 2031 to justify the massive spending on data centres currently under way. The figure highlights the widening gap between infrastructure investment by tech giants and the revenue AI products actually bring in, fuelling debate over whether the boom is a bubble.

An entrepreneur who built a seven-figure business teaching AI prompt engineering says their core advice fits in three sentences. The claim comes as prompt engineering advice has become a crowded consulting niche, with experts arguing that clear context, specific constraints and iterative refinement matter more than complex formulas. Critics and supporters alike debate whether prompting skills are a durable business or a passing fad as AI tools get better at understanding plain language.

Nvidia's strategy of using its own chips as a financing tool to fuel artificial intelligence spending is facing skepticism on Wall Street. Analysts are scrutinizing whether the company's arrangements to help fund AI purchases could inflate demand figures or expose Nvidia to financial risk. The debate comes as the company's sales remain central to the broader AI investment boom.

Moneycontrol is hosting its Startup Conclave 2026, running under the theme 'The Big Reset: AI Shift. Profitability. Valuation.' The event brings together founders, investors and industry figures to debate how Indian startups are adapting to the AI boom, the pressure to turn profitable, and resetting valuations after years of loose funding. The live broadcast is drawing a large online audience, with viewers following sessions closely amid renewed interest in the country's startup ecosystem.

Robotics company Figure AI is reportedly training retired robots for the hazardous job of diving into vats of molten steel. The story, picked up by Gizmodo, highlights how humanoid robotics firms are looking to deploy machines in extreme industrial environments too dangerous for human workers, sparking curiosity and debate about the future of automation in heavy industry.

The European Central Bank has published a piece titled 'Where AI risks meet', looking at how artificial intelligence risks converge with banking and financial stability concerns. The commentary adds to growing scrutiny by European supervisors of banks' use of AI, including questions of model risk, cyber exposure and reliance on a small number of technology providers. Supervisors and industry figures are weighing how fast adoption should proceed.

A Wall Street Journal analysis examines whether the United States will end up devoting roughly 9% of its GDP to artificial intelligence investment, a scale of spending the technology industry is reportedly banking on. The figure highlights how massive AI-driven capital expenditure on data centers, chips and infrastructure could become relative to the overall economy, and whether such expectations are sustainable.

Figure AI is reported to have retired a fleet of its humanoid robots by having them jump into a vat of molten steel. The dramatic end-of-life method for the robots is drawing attention online, with commenters weighing in on the symbolism and practicality of destroying decommissioned machines rather than recycling or repurposing them. No further details about the number of robots or the reason for the retirement have been confirmed.

Security firm Proofpoint reports that the threat group TA419 impersonated prominent AI-policy figures and used a real-time Microsoft 365 phishing proxy to steal authenticated login sessions. The highly targeted campaign hit fewer than ten specialists. Researchers say it shows how attackers can capture live sessions, though successful compromises and government attribution remain unclear.

Fast Company has published a feature titled Growth Agents 2026, focusing on the figures and strategies driving business growth and innovation into 2026. The piece, tagged under Business, Innovation and Future, examines how emerging growth specialists and AI-era practices could shape companies in the year ahead.