AI Agenda by Stephanie Palazzolo — The Information

Four times/week (subscribers only)

AI Agenda

By Stephanie Palazzolo

Stay ahead of the technological breakthroughs, startups and leaders in AI with a 14-day free trial of the AI Agenda. After your trial, unlock 25% off on a subscription to The Information for full access to the newsletter, plus all of our original reporting on AI.

By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy

Recent Editions

Art via Getty Images

Anthropic Readies Model That Reads Users' Intentions Better

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 19, 2026 7:00am PDT

In the last month, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google have released more than a dozen new models. If you thought that pace was crazy, don’t expect things to slow down anytime soon.Anthropic is preparing to release a new model that is better in its reasoning and intuition than the Anthropic models that are currently available commercially, according to... In the last month, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google have released more than a dozen new models. If...

Cognition co-founder Scott Wu. Getty Images.

Cognition’s Plan to Limit Tokenmaxxing to the Most Efficient Engineers

By Rocket Drew · Oct 15, 2026 7:01am PDT

To rein in AI spending, large companies are capping employees’ usage, turning to cheaper and smaller models and using routers to send only the hardest requests to the most expensive models.Cognition, the startup behind the AI coding agent Devin, is adding a new trick to the book: measuring how efficiently different engineers use AI so companies... To rein in AI spending, large companies are capping employees’ usage, turning to cheaper and...

Art via Getty Images

OpenAI’s Math Breakthroughs Rattle Cryptography Leaders

By Tiffany Li · Oct 14, 2026 7:00am PDT

OpenAI’s release last Tuesday of more than 300 math results it says an internal model solved has sparked concern among some of the world’s leading cryptographers, or experts in encoding information to keep it private and secure. They worry that AI’s continued math advances could find new algorithms that make our current methods of protecting... OpenAI’s release last Tuesday of more than 300 math results it says an internal model solved has...

Vincent Weisser, CEO & Co-Founder of Prime Intellect. Screenshot via YouTube/OpenRouter.

Neocloud Prime Intellect Acquires Startup To Speed Up Inference

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 13, 2026 7:00am PDT

Vincent Weisser, CEO & Co-Founder of Prime Intellect. Screenshot via YouTube/OpenRouter.

Neocloud Prime Intellect Acquires Startup To Speed Up Inference

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 13, 2026 7:00am PDT

Neoclouds and so-called inference providers that help app developers run open source models are trying to differentiate themselves in a very crowded market. For instance, one such neocloud, Prime Intellect, which was valued at $1 billion in an equity financing in July, is buying a startup to help it make open models run faster and more... Neoclouds and so-called inference providers that help app developers run open source models are...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI’s Plan To Revive Sora

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Cory Weinberg · Oct 12, 2026 7:00am PDT

Remember OpenAI’s video model Sora and all the great Sam Altman memes that came from it? Earlier this year, the ChatGPT-maker canned both the model and the TikTok-like app it powered as part of broader culling of server-intensive “side projects” even as rivals xAI and Google forged ahead with their own video models.Well, there’s a chance that a... Remember OpenAI’s video model Sora and all the great Sam Altman memes that came from it? Earlier...

Art by Mike Sullivan; Getty Images

How OpenAI Beat Math

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 8, 2026 8:00am PDT

Mathematicians are likely feeling the kind of anxiety that software engineers have experienced for months in the wake of OpenAI release on Tuesday of a whopping 722 research papers with AI-created solutions to a range of problems across math subjects. AI’s success solving ultra-difficult math problems—even though it still makes mistakes... Mathematicians are likely feeling the kind of anxiety that software engineers have experienced...

Art via Getty Images

Former Tesla Optimus Lead is Launching an Industrial Robot Startup

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 7, 2026 7:01am PDT

Ashish Kumar, a former AI lead for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots, has co-founded a startup developing non-humanoid robots that handle a variety of tasks that would normally be done by highly skilled workers in industries such as manufacturing and aerospace, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The San Francisco... Ashish Kumar, a former AI lead for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots, has co-founded a startup...

Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon during a New York City Council hearing on the threat of AI. Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images

AI Whistleblowers Say Researchers Are Checking AI Less Frequently

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 6, 2026 7:00am PDT

Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon during a New York City Council hearing on the threat of AI. Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images

AI Whistleblowers Say Researchers Are Checking AI Less Frequently

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 6, 2026 7:00am PDT

It won’t be any surprise to people with human intelligence that Monday’s New York City Council hearing on the risks of AI was as theatrical as a Broadway show. What was more surprising was what the AI researchers testified about how AI research is evolving, and what that means for their job.For those who missed it, the city council heard... It won’t be any surprise to people with human intelligence that Monday’s New York City Council...

Marius Hobbhahn, CEO of Apollo Research. Photo by Tom Williams/Getty Images

What’s Wrong With AI Safety Testing, and How to Fix It

By Rocket Drew · Oct 5, 2026 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

The idea that Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI companies could “embed” researchers from outside safety groups into their operations has been all the rage in recent weeks. But the devil is in the details.AI safety researchers worry that embedded evaluators won’t have the access they need to provide meaningful oversight.“I've become very cynical... The idea that Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI companies could “embed” researchers from outside...

Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch. Getty Images.

Why Coding Agents Are Choosing Vercel as Often as Humans Do

By Alix Coutures · Oct 1, 2026 7:00am PDT

The rise of AI agents that write software continues to pay off for the companies that host such software. Among them is Vercel, whose software helps developers make and host websites and AI apps, including so-called agents that automate white-collar tasks.The 11-year-old company is generating $600 million in annualized revenue, or $50 million a... The rise of AI agents that write software continues to pay off for the companies that host such...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on stage at OpenAI's DevDay 2026. Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Why OpenAI’s DevDay Looked Like Catch-Up

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 30, 2026 7:00am PDT

While the rest of us were distracted by details within Anthropic’s IPO filing and OpenAI’s plans to raise $30 billion in a new round that could value it around $1.4 trillion, app developers on Tuesday flooded to San Francisco’s Fort Mason for OpenAI’s annual developer conference, where it made a flurry of new product and feature... While the rest of us were distracted by details within Anthropic’s IPO filing and OpenAI’s ...

Proximal cofounders Justus Mattern and Calvin Chen. Photo courtesy of Proximal.

General Catalyst Backs Coding Data Startup Proximal As It Reaches Revenue Milestone

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 29, 2026 7:01am PDT

Proximal cofounders Justus Mattern and Calvin Chen. Photo courtesy of Proximal.

General Catalyst Backs Coding Data Startup Proximal As It Reaches Revenue Milestone

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 29, 2026 7:01am PDT

It’s no secret that leading AI developers are on the hunt for data to improve their models, especially in lucrative areas like software engineering. The insatiable appetite for data has lifted a whole host of so-called data labeling or data curation startups, including older ones like Scale and Surge and newer ones such as Fleet and Micro1.The... It’s no secret that leading AI developers are on the hunt for data to improve their models,...

Vinod Khosla. Photo by Big Event Media/Getty Images

Valuations for Most Robotics Startups Will Fall By 2030, Says Vinod Khosla

By Rocket Drew · Sep 28, 2026 7:01am PDT

Vinod Khosla has been one of the most optimistic investors in robotics, predicting the field will have a “ChatGPT moment” in the next two years. But he is also warning that too much investment and lofty valuations in the hottest robotics startups mean a big shake-out is coming. “I would say more than half will be below their current... Vinod Khosla has been one of the most optimistic investors in robotics, predicting the field will...

Stephanie Palazzolo and Alexander Embiricos, OpenAI's head of enterprise product.

What I Learned From AI Agenda Live

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 24, 2026 7:00am PDT

What a day! I loved meeting many of our amazing subscribers yesterday at our AI Agenda Live conference, where my colleagues and I interviewed leaders from companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Nvidia, Blackstone, Replit, Atlassian and more.Discussions at the conference touched on topics ranging from whether Google can catch up in the AI race... What a day! I loved meeting many of our amazing subscribers yesterday at our AI Agenda Live...

Art via Mike Sullivan

What To Expect at AI Agenda Live; Crusoe and Thinking Machines Labs Strike a Compute Deal

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 23, 2026 7:01am PDT

Happy AI Agenda Live day! For those joining us today at SFMOMA, I’m so excited to meet you all and talk about this exciting, if slightly contentious, moment in the AI industry.Our staff and attendees will ask top researchers, founders and executives from OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Nvidia some burning questions. Here are three at the top of my... Happy AI Agenda Live day! For those joining us today at SFMOMA, I’m so excited to meet you all...

Photo courtesy of Ande.

Entertainment-Booking Startup Ande Raises $52 Million From Lightspeed, Redpoint

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 22, 2026 7:00am PDT

Photo courtesy of Ande.

Entertainment-Booking Startup Ande Raises $52 Million From Lightspeed, Redpoint

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 22, 2026 7:00am PDT

Personal AI agents like Instinct and Muse have promised to take away the hassle of booking hard-to-get restaurant reservations, Broadway tickets and sporting events. Now, a startup is coming out of stealth to do the same for corporate entertainment—events, group dining, catering, sporting events and more. Ande, founded nearly three years... Personal AI agents like Instinct and Muse have promised to take away the hassle of booking...

Art via Getty Images; Mike Sullivan

OpenAI Develops Features to Counter Grok Bot, Mulls Response to Meta’s Muse

By Amir Efrati and Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 21, 2026 7:30am PDT

OpenAI pioneered AI that can take over web browsers and other applications on people’s behalf, and its ChatGPT app brought generative AI to consumers. Now that rivals like SpaceX and Meta are pushing the boundaries by launching personal AI agents that handle multistep tasks, OpenAI is playing catch-up.For instance, OpenAI is developing features... OpenAI pioneered AI that can take over web browsers and other applications on people’s behalf,...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Getty Images.

OpenAI Is Close To Solving Another Millennium Prize Math Problem

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 17, 2026 7:01am PDT

Remember when OpenAI landed in hot water earlier this month after mathematicians accused the company of trying to steal their thunder for solving an ultra-difficult math problem? (I know it feels like a million years ago given all the news cycles since then.)Well, it turns out OpenAI is close to solving another math problem from the Millennium... Remember when OpenAI landed in hot water earlier this month after mathematicians accused the...

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images.

Is Anthropic Making Claude Too Human to Control?

By Aaron Holmes · Sep 16, 2026 7:02am PDT

Anthropic’s call to slow down AI development to keep humans safe has dominated the news cycle and drew similar calls from the leaders of OpenAI, Microsoft and others (and subtle disagreement from Mark Zuckerberg). But Mustafa Suleyman, who runs Microsoft’s AI model development, has a warning about Anthropic itself. Suleyman, who... Anthropic’s call to slow down AI development to keep humans safe has dominated the news cycle and...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Developers Find Ways to Use Claude Code Without Anthropic Models

By Alix Coutures · Sep 15, 2026 7:00am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

Developers Find Ways to Use Claude Code Without Anthropic Models

By Alix Coutures · Sep 15, 2026 7:00am PDT

Boris Cherney, the head of Anthropic’s coding tool Claude Code, last month found himself in the middle of an online spat that highlighted how some developers are finding workarounds to using Claude Code with cheaper non-Anthropic models, including those of rival OpenAI, to save costs.Developer Alex Getman used a proxy made up of lines of code to... Boris Cherney, the head of Anthropic’s coding tool Claude Code, last month found himself in the...