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Once tightly scripted by human hands, brand voice is now co-authored by AI. Marketers across industries are trusting generative models to write everything from ad copy and emails to thought leadership content, blurring the line between human and machine. Unilever uses AI to generate localized content across dozens of markets. The Coca-Cola Company’s “Create Real Magic” campaign let users co-create with OpenAI. Even smaller players like Heyday use AI to send personalized skincare tips post-purchase. Big brands like Nestlé, L'Oréal, and Prudential Financial are embedding AI in content ops—from campaign optimization to digital co-workers. Jasper, Writer, and custom GPTs are powering this shift, with brand guardrails and human oversight ensuring quality and trust. As AI learns tone and adapts in real time, the line between authentic and artificial is fading. When done right, AI isn’t replacing marketers—it’s becoming their sharpest tool.

The llama is getting excited... just 8 days to go! Can you feel it? The AI community is about to light up.

Founded by Colby Adcock and Collin Otis in August 2023, Scout AI has raised $15 million in seed funding to launch Fury — a Vision-Language-Action model designed to control defense robots with natural language and real-world perception. Fury already powers Scout’s autonomous ground and aerial vehicles, designed for GPS- and comms-denied battle zones. The AI is modular, hardware-agnostic, and works with both new and existing robotic systems. Backed by Align Ventures and Booz Allen Ventures, the funding will help Scout scale its AI-driven defense tech. “Physical AI is the most decisive military advantage of the century,” said Adcock.

Austin-based Phantom Neuro is pioneering real-time, intuitive control of bionic limbs through its breakthrough neural interface, Phantom X — no brain implants or bulky gear required. Founded in 2020 by Connor Glass at Johns Hopkins, the startup blends neuroengineering with AI to restore agency and precision in movement. Phantom X captures biosignals from the body and uses adaptive machine learning to translate intent into motion. In early trials, it has achieved up to 94% accuracy in decoding 11 distinct wrist and hand movements after just 10 minutes of calibration. With $28M in total funding, including a $19M Series A led by Ottobock, Phantom Neuro is gearing up for preclinical and human trials. As Dr. Glass puts it, "Robots can’t just be smart — they need human touch." Phantom’s AI-driven platform is bringing that vision to life.

Montreal-based startup Deck has raised $12M in Series A funding to expand its real-time utility data platform. Founded in 2024 by Yves-Gabriel Leboeuf, Frédérick Lavoie, Bruno Lambert, and Julien Belisle, Deck connects businesses to electricity, water, gas, and waste data to automate billing, optimize energy use, and simplify sustainability reporting. Backed by the founders of Flinks, the platform uses AI agents to extract utility data at scale—just like a human, but faster. It helps global companies reduce waste, cut costs, and meet ESG goals. With $16.5M raised so far, Deck plans to grow its team, scale globally, and make utility data as accessible and impactful as financial data.

Microsoft has launched Copilot Vision for free in the Edge browser, letting users interact with on-screen content using voice commands. Announced by Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, the feature enables Copilot to interpret what’s on your screen and guide you through tasks like cooking, writing cover letters, or analyzing job descriptions. While the free version is limited to Edge and doesn’t perform clicks or interactions, it highlights relevant screen areas and responds conversationally. Users can activate it by opting in through Microsoft’s website, then starting a session via the Copilot sidebar. System-wide capabilities, including guidance in apps like Photoshop or Minecraft, remain exclusive to Copilot Pro subscribers. Microsoft says no personal inputs or screen content are collected during sessions—only the AI’s responses are logged. The rollout, while promising, has had mixed results with some users facing technical glitches. Still, Copilot Vision marks another step in Microsoft’s push to embed AI across user workflows.

Perplexity AI is in discussions with Motorola Solutions to preload its AI assistant on upcoming smartphones, including the new Razr foldables, Bloomberg reports. The startup is also in early talks with Samsung to explore a potential integration as a preloaded app or default assistant. Samsung Electronics, which previously invested in Perplexity through its venture arm, may also join its next funding round. The company is reportedly looking to raise $500 million to $1 billion, potentially pushing its valuation to $18 billion.

OpenAI is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire Windsurf, an AI-assisted coding platform formerly known as Codeium, for approximately $3 billion, according to Bloomberg News. If finalized, the deal would mark OpenAI's largest acquisition to date. The terms of the agreement are still under negotiation and could change or fall through entirely, sources told Bloomberg. OpenAI declined to comment on the matter, and Windsurf has not yet responded to inquiries from Reuters. Windsurf had been in parallel talks with investors including Kleiner Perkins and General Catalyst to raise funding at the same $3 billion valuation. The startup previously secured $150 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst, valuing it at $1.25 billion.

We're delighted to announce that Dr. Lovedeep S., Chief Analytics Officer at Conner Strong & Buckelew, will be honored as a recipient of the prestigious AI100 Award at MachineCon 2025, scheduled for 25th July 2025 in New York. The AI100 Awards, part of MachineCon 2025, recognize outstanding analytics and AI leaders whose innovative work significantly impacts their industries. Dr. Lovedeep is being celebrated for her transformative leadership at Conner Strong & Buckelew, where she's leveraging advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning to drive groundbreaking solutions in insurance and risk management. Congratulations, Dr. Lovedeep, on this exceptional recognition! More details about MachineCon 2025: https://lnkd.in/gp8uSPzE To nominate an outstanding AI leader for AI100 Awards, visit: https://lnkd.in/geKwzzDM

Nexad has emerged from stealth with a bold mission: make ads useful again. Claiming to eliminate irrelevant banners, the AI-native adtech startup seamlessly weaves personalized, context-aware ads into conversations on AI apps, creating a more intuitive ad experience. Founded in 2024 by Jason Hu, Nexad has secured $6 million in seed funding from Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun, Prosus Ventures, Point72 Ventures, and Sequoia Capital’s Scout Fund. The platform already reaches 30 million users across seven AI partners, including iAsk and Dippy AI. Nexad's "flywheel" model continuously improves ad targeting based on real-time user engagement. Using a mix of open-source and proprietary LLMs like Llama, OpenAI, Gemini, and Anthropic, the system generates both text and image-based ads that feel more like smart suggestions than interruptions.