AI News Today: Artificial Intelligence, Startups & Innovation

Futuristic AI hardware prototype on a desk with a human hand interacting, representing Hark's secretive AI assistant device.

Hark raises $700M Series A at $6B valuation for its secretive universal AI assistant

May 26, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

Hark, an AI lab building a secretive universal AI interface, announced on Thursday that it has raised $700 million in a Series A funding round, valuing the company at $6 billion post-money. The massive round was led by Parkway Venture Capital and included a roster of prominent investors such as AMD Ventures, ARK Invest, Intel […]

Spotify for Authors platform interface on a laptop with a book and headphones on a desk

Spotify Launches ElevenLabs-Powered Tool for Authors to Create AI Audiobooks

May 25, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

Spotify is deepening its push into the audiobook market. At its Investor Day event on Thursday, the company announced a new AI-powered tool that lets authors self-publish audiobooks directly through its Spotify for Authors platform. The feature, developed in partnership with voice AI startup ElevenLabs, is set to launch in beta this June on an […]

President Donald Trump at a White House press conference, delaying an AI security executive order.

Trump Delays AI Security Executive Order, Citing Concerns Over U.S. Competitiveness

May 24, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

President Donald Trump has delayed signing a planned executive order that would have required the government to evaluate advanced artificial intelligence models before their public release. The decision, announced to the White House press pool on Wednesday, signals a significant pause in the administration’s approach to AI regulation. Why the Order Was Delayed Trump told […]

A clean, minimalist search engine homepage displayed on a monitor, symbolizing alternatives to Google's AI-driven search.

Beyond Google: Six alternative search engines to try as the search giant goes all-in on AI

May 23, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

Google Search is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. At Google I/O 2026, the company announced a sweeping overhaul that pushes conversational AI agents and chat-based search to the forefront. For users who have grown wary of AI Overviews — especially after their rocky debut, which included recommending users stare directly at the sun […]

Music producer working with AI remix technology in a modern studio

Spotify partners with Universal Music Group to launch fan-made AI covers and remixes with artist consent

May 22, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

Spotify has announced a licensing partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG) that will allow Premium subscribers to create AI-generated covers and remixes of songs from participating artists. The move marks a significant step in the music industry’s approach to generative AI, prioritizing upfront agreements and artist compensation over the legal battles that have defined competitors […]

Person using Clouted software dashboard for AI video clipping and social media distribution

Clouted raises $7M to automate viral short-form video clipping and distribution

May 21, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

Short-form video clips from podcasts, songs, and movies are saturating social feeds, and brands are increasingly relying on them as a cost-effective marketing tool. The challenge, however, lies in identifying the most engaging 30 to 90 seconds of a video — a process known as ‘clipping’ — and then distributing those clips effectively across multiple […]

Person designing a birthday invitation using Google Pics AI app on a laptop in a modern office

Google takes on Canva and Claude Design with Pics, a new AI-powered app for Workspace

May 20, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

Google announced at its annual Google I/O developer conference on Tuesday that it is launching Pics, a new AI-powered design and image-generation application built directly into Google Workspace. The app is designed to let users create social media graphics, invitations, marketing materials, and mock-ups using simple text prompts, without requiring any prior design skills or […]

Scientist using SandboxAQ's AI drug discovery models through a conversational interface on a laptop in a modern laboratory.

SandboxAQ brings its drug discovery models to Claude — no PhD in computing required

May 19, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

Drug discovery remains one of the most expensive and failure-prone endeavors in modern industry. Bringing a single viable molecule to market can take a decade and cost billions, with most candidates never making it past clinical trials. A wave of AI startups has promised to change that, but many have only made the process less […]

Smartphone screen showing Siri interface with auto-delete privacy setting

Apple’s Siri Revamp Could Introduce Auto-Deleting Chat Histories to Boost Privacy

May 18, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

Apple is reportedly preparing to unveil a significantly revamped version of Siri at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, with a strong emphasis on user privacy. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the new Siri will include a feature allowing users to automatically delete chat conversations after a set period, such as 30 days or one […]

Contrast between wealthy AI founders and anxious tech workers in a modern San Francisco office

The haves and have nots of the AI gold rush: A stark wealth divide emerges in San Francisco

May 17, 2026 CoinPulseHQ Editorial

The AI boom has created an unusual concentration of wealth among a small group of founders and early employees, while leaving a much larger pool of tech workers facing layoffs and career uncertainty, according to a widely shared social media analysis from Menlo Ventures partner Deedy Das. The 10,000 who made it In a detailed […]