Image Source: Unsplash

Catch up on the top artificial intelligence news and commentary by Wall Street analysts on publicly traded companies in the technology space with this short recap.

OpenAI Negotiations 

Microsoft (MSFT) is prepared to withdraw from high-stakes talks with OpenAI over the future of their alliance, as the company behind ChatGPT is aiming to become a for-profit entity, the Financial Times' Cristina Criddle, Tabby Kinder, Rafe Uddin, and George Hammond reported.

The software and technology giant has weighed pausing complex negotiations with OpenAI if the two sides still can't agree on critical issues, including the size of Microsoft's future stake, the authors said, citing people with knowledge of its plans.

Takeover Talks 

Meta Platforms (META) held talks with Perplexity AI about a possible takeover before moving ahead with an investment in Scale AI, Mark Gurman, Katie Roof, and Riley Griffin of Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Meta and Perplexity couldn't come to an agreement and decided not to pursue the deal, sources told Bloomberg. The talks took place before Meta finalized a deal this month to invest $14.3 billion in Scale AI and take a 49% stake in the data-labeling startup, Bloomberg said.

Train AI Models 

Google (GOOGL) is using its expansive library of YouTube videos to train its AI models, including Gemini and the Veo 3 video and audio generator, CNBC's Zach Vallsee reported. The company confirmed to CNBC that it relies on its vault of YouTube videos to train its AI models, but Google said it only uses a subset of its videos for the training.

"We've always used YouTube content to make our products better, and this hasn't changed with the advent of AI," said a YouTube spokesperson in a statement. "We also recognize the need for guardrails, which is why we've invested in robust protections that allow creators to protect their image and likeness in the AI era -- something we're committed to continuing."

Arizona AI Hub 

SoftBank (SFTBY) founder Masayoshi Son is seeking to team up with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM) to realize a trillion-dollar industrial complex in Arizona to build robots and artificial intelligence, Bloomberg's Tom Mackenzie reported. SoftBank officials are keen to have TSMC, the Taiwanese maker of Nvidia's (NVDA) advanced AI chips, play a prominent role in the project, Mackenzie said.

AI Future at Tesla 

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said that "the golden era of autonomous" for Tesla (TSLA) officially kicks off on Sunday in Austin, as the special invites went out that allowed selected Tesla users permission to use the Model Y Robotaxi service.

While the launch will start off small with roughly 20 Model Y vehicles in this "geofence" service around Austin, this service should steadily ramp throughout the summer, and it's Wedbush's view that Tesla will launch and scale its robotaxi service to roughly 25 cities in the U.S. over the next year.

The firm views this autonomous chapter as one of the most important for Musk and Tesla in its history as a company, as it believes the AI future at Tesla is worth $1 trillion to the valuation alone over the next few years. The firm maintained an Outperform rating on the company's shares with a price target of $500.

World ID 

Reddit (RDDT) is considering using World ID, the verification system based on iris-scanning Orbs whose parent company was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Semafor's Reed Albergotti reported. According to two people familiar with the matter, World ID could soon become a way for Reddit users to verify that they are unique individuals while remaining anonymous on the platform.

Talks between representatives of Reddit and World ID parent Tools for Humanity highlight the growing market for new identity verification technologies, as artificial intelligence floods online platforms with inauthentic content and governments around the world consider new age verification laws to prevent children and teenagers from accessing social media, the author stated.

Peridot 

Maris-Tech (MTEK) announced the completion of the first prototype of Peridot, an AI-based passive observation system designed for comprehensive situational awareness. Peridot integrates multiple high-definition day and thermal video sensors with advanced stitching algorithms to create a panoramic view, both horizontally and vertically. The result is uninterrupted coverage and early detection of conventional and modern threats, including drones and unmanned vehicles.

This technology is designed for border and strategic site protection, offering a fully integrated, standalone solution to monitor, detect, and enable quicker response to aerial and ground-based risks.

More By This Author: