Kazlauskas met Art Abal at Harvard University's Emergent Ventures class, where they aimed to develop a distributed network for training AI systems. They sought to address the issue of most models being trained by scraping public data online and big tech companies buying large datasets from other companies. Kazlauskas' experience working at Celo after graduation influenced their approach, while her time at MIT helped shape her thinking on these problems.
https://news.mit.edu/2025/vana-lets-users-own-piece-ai-models-trained-on-their-data-0403A new AI-driven approach to product development is transforming the plant-based protein market by creating more versatile and sustainable options for consumers. The MAGDA++ platform, a key player in this innovation, uses machine learning algorithms to predict crop yields, taste, and functional properties, accelerating the development of new ingredients and products. This technology has the potential to reduce environmental impact, enhance soil health, and improve agricultural resilience to climate change. Australia is at the forefront of integrating AI into agriculture and food production, with collaboration between industry and researchers ensuring scalable solutions that meet both producers' and consumers' needs. As AI continues to evolve, it's expected to improve supply chain efficiency, reduce food waste, and deliver fresh products more reliably, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future for plant-based proteins.
https://opengovasia.com/2025/04/03/australia-ai-transforming-the-future-of-plant-based-proteins/Mikael Dolsten, former head of R&D at Pfizer, is joining Formation Bio, an AI-native pharma company, where he will lead asset selection and drug development strategy. At Formation Bio, Dolsten aims to leverage his global network to identify high-potential assets and provide strategic guidance on the company's AI initiatives. The pharmaceutical industry is at an inflection point with AI becoming a core driver of efficiency and innovation in drug development. Formation Bio integrates AI across its entire drug development lifecycle, aiming to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve success rates. Dolsten's involvement reflects his belief in the transformative power of AI in drug development, and he will work alongside an exceptional team to bring innovative therapies to patients faster and more efficiently than ever before.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/former-pfizer-rd-chief-mikael-dolsten-joins-formation-bio-to-chair-drug-picking-committee-and-co-chair-its-investment-advisory-committee-302417681.htmlA recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 74% of respondents believed discussing military attack plans on the Signal messaging app was reckless, with 91% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans agreeing. The majority also thought Trump should accept responsibility for the matter, with 70% in agreement.
https://www.tbsnews.net/worldbiz/politics/trump-approval-falls-43-lowest-returning-office-1106841North Korean IT workers, known as "warriors," are posing as remote freelancers from other countries to infiltrate European companies, putting organizations at risk of espionage and data theft. Researchers at Google's Threat Intelligence Group have identified an increase in these operations outside the US over the past six months, targeting Germany, the UK, and Portugal.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/03/asia-pacific/north-korea-it-europe-firms/A recent study found that companies adopting AI technology experienced significant productivity gains, sales growth, and employment increases after navigating the initial disruption caused by AI's impact on their established practices. However, older firms with larger sizes tend to struggle in adapting to these changes. According to researcher Dr. McElheran at the University of Toronto, this rebound is not common among older companies. The study analyzed 30,000 firms and observed a rise in AI adoption from 7.5% to 9.1%. ECB President Christine Lagarde noted that while AI may expose some workers to job loss, new roles are likely to be created, mitigating the risk of a "job apocalypse".
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1297319-if-ai-doesn-t-kill-your-company-it-will-make-it-stronger-study-showsOpenAI has secured a record-breaking $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank Group Corp at a valuation of $300 billion, more than double its previous valuation of $157 billion. The deal includes investments from Microsoft Corp, Coatue Management, Altimeter Capital Management, and Thrive Capital. CEO Sam Altman stated that the investment will help push AI's boundaries to make it more useful in everyday life.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1297312-openai-finalises-40bn-funding-at-300bn-valuationResearchers have developed Perseus, a tool that analyzes coordination efforts behind cryptocurrency scams, similar to AI-powered scam detectors like McAfee's. The tool consists of three components and helps identify masterminds behind scams, measuring their impact. Experts suggest that tools like Perseus could be crucial in recognizing harmful schemes within the largely unregulated crypto space, as cryptocurrencies grow in popularity and leave investors vulnerable to manipulations.
https://www.techradar.com/pro/438-crypto-masterminds-are-responsible-for-the-majority-of-pump-and-dump-crypto-coin-schemes-globally-researchers-findScale AI expects to more than double its sales to $2 billion in 2025, driven by a strong revenue growth from its artificial intelligence applications, with annualized run rate reaching $1.5 billion by the end of 2024.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/private-equity/scale-ai-expects-to-more-than-double-sales-to-2-billion-in-2025