Palona AI's $10M Raise, Anthropic Adds Citations, and Hugging Face Launches Ultra Small Model - Daily AI Brief #89

Hi there,

In today's news Palona AI raised $10 million to challenge Amazon and UberEats, Anthropic added citations to its Claude API, and Hugging Face launched SmolVLM Models for image and text analysis. And as you might have expected, Meta's Yann LeCun and OpenAI are predicting new AI paradigms again.

Top stories

Palona AI Raises $10 Million to Challenge Amazon and UberEats

Palona AI, a startup developing human-like AI agents, has secured $10 million in seed funding to compete with major companies like Amazon and UberEats. Brands such as Wyze, MINDZERO, and Pizza My Heart are already using Palona's technology to improve customer interactions and increase sales. Read more

Anthropic Adds Citations to Claude API

Anthropic has launched a Citations feature on its Claude API, enabling AI to reference specific source documents in responses. This aims to enhance the trustworthiness of AI outputs and is available on the Anthropic API and Google Cloud’s Vertex AI. Read more

Hugging Face Launches SmolVLM Models for Image and Text Analysis

Hugging Face has released two AI models, SmolVLM-256M and SmolVLM-500M, designed for efficient image, video, and text analysis on devices with limited RAM. These models are trained on high-quality datasets and claim to outperform larger models on specific benchmarks. Read more

Meta's Yann LeCun Predicts New AI Paradigm

Meta's chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, anticipates a shift in AI architectures within the next few years, highlighting future advancements in AI and robotics. Read more

Perplexity Assistant Now Available on Android

Perplexity has launched the Perplexity Assistant for Android, enhancing its capabilities from an answer engine to a comprehensive assistant. Users can now perform tasks like booking rides and setting reminders with this new feature. Read more

OpenAI Introduces Operator AI for Web Tasks

OpenAI has launched a new AI agent named Operator, capable of performing web tasks using its own browser. Initially available to ChatGPT Pro users in the US, it features advanced reasoning and vision capabilities. Read more

New Era Helium and Sharon AI Joint Venture for Net-Zero Data Center

New Era Helium and Sharon AI have formed a joint venture to build a 250-MW net-zero energy data center in the Permian Basin, focusing on clean energy for AI and computing industries. Read more

Stargate AI Project to Serve OpenAI with $100 Billion Investment

The Stargate AI project, supported by SoftBank and OpenAI, plans a $100 billion investment in AI infrastructure, with potential growth to $500 billion over four years. Announced by Donald Trump, it will exclusively serve OpenAI and is in the planning stages, with the first facility in Abilene, Texas. Read more

StructuredWeb Secures $30 Million Investment

StructuredWeb has received a $30 million investment from Invictus Growth Partners to boost its AI-driven channel sales and marketing solutions. The funding will support the company's AI innovation and global expansion efforts. Read more

Other Stories

• Perthera to Present AI Chemo Predictor at 2025 Symposium

• OpenAI Faces Legal Challenge in India Over ChatGPT Data

• Ati Motors Secures $20 Million for AI Robotics Expansion

• Volta Insite and Apolo Collaborate on AI for Maintenance

• Pipeshift Secures $2.5M for AI PaaS Development

• TransPerfect Acquires H2A

• Attentive.ai Raises $12M in Series A Funding

• Eximius Ventures Launches $30M Fund for Pre-Seed Investments

• Fundraise Up Secures $70M for AI Donation Platform

• NeurEYE Uses AI for Dementia Detection via Eye Scans

• DPO and Billerud Partner on $200M AI Data Center in Wisconsin

• Sana Labs Plans US IPO in Two Years

• TerraPower and Sabey Data Centers Explore Nuclear Power for Data Centers

• NTT DATA CEO Advocates for AI Regulation at Davos

• OpenAI's Operator Data Retention Policy

• VuNet Systems Secures Rs 60 Crore for Expansion

• Uttar Pradesh Secures AI Hub and Data Center Investments

• Europe's Largest AI Data Centre Approved in Hertfordshire

• Graffinity Secures £1 Million for AI in Education

• EDP SA to Convert Coal Plant Sites to Data Centers

• Solidigm Extends Agreement with Broadcom for SSD Controllers

• Trump Signs Executive Order for AI Action Plan

• GameOn Founder Indicted for Fraud

• Bitsight Unveils AI Tool for Vendor Risk

• AstraZeneca Expands R&D Hub in Ontario

• Roli Unveils Educational Keyboard with AI at NAMM 2025

• Baya Systems Raises $36M for Chiplet Technology

• Cyberhaven Appoints Chris Bates as Chief Security Officer

• Aethir and Plume Network Launch RWAI Initiative

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