New Zealand’s small businesses are set to receive stronger AI-powered support as the Government announces new funding to help business owners unlock growth opportunities, improve efficiency, and access smarter decision-making tools. Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing Cameron Brewer announced the funding as part of the Government’s effort to give small businesses practical support that […]
Community Benefit Agreements Can Empower Communities in AI-Fueled Data Center Development
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is driving a major surge in data center construction across the United States, raising urgent questions about energy use, water consumption, public subsidies, environmental harms, and the rights of communities living near these facilities. As AI companies race to build the infrastructure needed to power advanced digital systems, thousands […]
AI Readiness Is a Policy Choice: Evidence from 24 Overperforming Countries
Artificial intelligence readiness is often viewed as a reflection of national wealth, digital infrastructure, and economic power, but evidence from 24 overperforming countries shows that policy choices can play a decisive role in shaping a country’s ability to adopt and govern AI. The global artificial intelligence divide remains significant. High-income countries continue to dominate global […]
Bonheur Iraguha Expands Rwanda’s Startup Ecosystem With AI-Powered Photo Platform
Rwandan entrepreneur Bonheur Iraguha is contributing to Rwanda’s growing startup ecosystem through SomaPix, an AI-powered photo platform designed to help users quickly find their photos from large event image collections. Founded in 2025, SomaPix addresses a common challenge faced by people attending weddings, conferences, sports competitions, family gatherings and other major events. At such events, […]
Big African Companies Lag in AI Investment, PwC Report Reveals
Large African companies are investing significantly less in artificial intelligence compared with their global peers, according to a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The report, Decoding ROI from AI in Africa, shows that major firms on the continent allocate just 2% of annual revenue to AI, while businesses in leading markets such as the United […]
Graphon AI Secures $8.3M Seed Funding to Advance Enterprise AI Reasoning
San Francisco, June 7, 2026 — Graphon AI has announced the successful close of its $8.3 million seed funding round, led by Arvind Gupta of Novera Ventures. The round also saw participation from Perplexity Fund, Samsung Next, GS Futures, Hitachi Ventures, Gaia Ventures, B37 Ventures, and Aurum Partners. The company, founded by former Amazon and […]
Microsoft Invests $15 Billion in Anthropic to Expand AI Arms Race
June 2026 – Microsoft has announced a $15 billion investment in Anthropic, the AI research startup behind the Claude series of generative models. The deal will integrate Anthropic’s cutting-edge AI into Azure AI services, strengthening Microsoft’s competitive position against rivals like OpenAI, Google, and Amazon in the escalating global AI arms race. Anthropic, known for […]
DeepSeek’s $7 Billion Funding Push Reshapes Global AI Race
June 2026 – Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is reportedly close to raising 50 billion yuan ($7.4 billion) in its first major funding round, a move that could value the company between 350 billion and 400 billion yuan ($52–59 billion). This marks a dramatic shift for a firm that has until now relied primarily on internal […]
From Data to Inference: Why AI Governance Matters for Central Banks
June 2026 – Central banks are among the most data-intensive public institutions, holding vast datasets that underpin financial supervision, payments, and policy. As they adopt AI-enabled analytics and supervisory technology (SupTech), their ability to draw inferences from data expands dramatically. This shift raises profound governance questions, especially in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) where […]
BitPredict Secures $40 Million in Series B Funding to Expand AI FinTech Platform
June 2026 – AI-powered financial prediction startup BitPredict has raised $40 million in Series B funding, marking a major milestone in its growth trajectory. The round was led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Tiger Global and several other venture firms. BitPredict specializes in leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms and predictive analytics to deliver financial […]
Orange Maroc Partners with Government to Accelerate AI Deployment
Casablanca, June 2026 – Morocco has taken another decisive step in its digital transformation journey by signing a memorandum of understanding with Orange Maroc to accelerate the testing and deployment of artificial intelligence solutions. The agreement, signed on June 4 by Minister Delegate Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni and Orange Maroc CEO Hendrik Kasteel, places AI […]
Mali Positions AI as a Tool for Decent Work at ILO Geneva
June 2026 – At the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC-114) in Geneva, Mali made a strong case for harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) as a driver of youth employment and decent work. The Malian delegation, led by Labour and Social Dialogue Minister Fassoun Coulibaly and Employment and Vocational Training Minister Oumou Sall Seck, emphasized that AI […]
Willow Raises $7M Seed to Govern Enterprise AI Agents
Herzliya, Israel — June 4, 2026 — Willow, an agentic access platform founded by former Wix engineers, has emerged from stealth with $7 million in seed funding to help enterprises securely oversee and govern AI agents. The round was led by Hetz Ventures, with early backing from Wix Co-Founder and CEO Avishai Abrahami and President Nir Zohar. […]
Factorial Raises $150M at $2.5B Valuation to Drive AI Workforce Platform Expansion
Barcelona — June 5, 2026 — HR tech unicorn Factorial has secured $150 million in Series D funding, reaching a valuation of more than $2.5 billion as it accelerates its transformation into an AI-powered workforce operations platform and expands across Europe. The round was led by General Catalyst, marking its first direct equity stake in the company, […]
Ramp Raises $750 Million, Hits $44 Billion Valuation
June 2026 – Corporate expense management platform Ramp has announced a $750 million funding round, catapulting its valuation to $44 billion. The company’s valuation has nearly tripled in just a year, underscoring investor appetite for fintechs that are weaving artificial intelligence into their core offerings. The round was led by ICONIQ, GIC, and Ontario Teachers’ […]
Emergent Nears $200 Million Fundraise at $1.5 Billion Valuation
June 2026 – AI startup Emergent, the fast-growing vibe-coding platform, is in advanced talks to raise around $200 million in fresh funding. The round is expected to be led by Creaegis, with participation from Amazon and Ranjan Pai’s Claypond, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal would value Emergent at approximately $1.5 billion, […]
Factorial Raises $150 Million, Hits $2.5 Billion Valuation
Barcelona, June 2026 – Workforce technology unicorn Factorial has secured $150 million in Series D funding, propelling its valuation to more than $2.5 billion and cementing its position among Europe’s most valuable scale-ups. The round was led by General Catalyst, marking the firm’s first direct equity stake in the company, with participation from existing investors […]
Publishers Gain Right to Opt Out of Google AI Summaries and Training
June 2026 – Online publishers and news organisations will now be able to prevent Google from using their content in AI summaries or training datasets, following a ruling by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The decision marks a significant shift in the balance between technology platforms and content creators. For years, publishers have […]
AI Boom Creates Connectivity Challenge for Integrators
June 2026 – The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is reshaping digital economies worldwide, but it is also creating unprecedented pressure on connectivity infrastructure. A new whitepaper from Altnets, a leading connectivity expert, highlights how integrators face mounting challenges in keeping pace with AI-driven demand. The report underscores that while AI adoption is accelerating across […]
Microsoft Uses Agentic AI to Accelerate Quantum Breakthroughs
June 2026 – At its annual Build 2026 developer conference, Microsoft revealed that its Discovery agentic AI tool has helped cut in half the projected timeline for developing a commercially viable quantum computer. The breakthrough comes through improvements in the company’s next-generation quantum chip, Majorana 2, which now delivers qubits capable of maintaining their quantum […]
