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AI innovation continues to reshape industries worldwide, from corporate strategies to education and research. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is visiting South Korea to strengthen AI partnerships with major firms and deliver a keynote at the Microsoft AI Tour in Seoul. Meanwhile, Google Cloud and BCG have launched an AI Innovation Center in Indonesia to support businesses in scaling AI adoption. A new LinkedIn report reveals how AI is transforming sales by optimizing workflows and boosting deal closure rates. In education, business schools are increasingly integrating AI tools despite concerns about over-reliance and academic integrity. On the tech ethics front, Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 2.0 Flash, is facing scrutiny after users demonstrated its ability to remove watermarks from copyrighted images. Elsewhere, an AI-powered search engine called MEDUSA Search is accelerating chemical discoveries, and venture capital investments in AI remain strong, with multiple companies securing $100 million or more in funding this year.

Sliced just for you:

• 🇰🇷 Microsoft CEO to meet Korean business leaders in AI tour

• 🇮🇩 Google Cloud and BCG launch AI Innovation Center in Indonesia

• 📊 LinkedIn report reveals how AI transforms sales

• 🎓 Business schools ease their resistance to AI

• 🚨 People are using Google’s new AI model to remove watermarks from images

🇰🇷 Microsoft CEO to meet Korean business leaders in AI tour

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is set to visit South Korea as part of an AI-focused tour, reinforcing the company’s commitment to partnerships in the region. His visit follows Microsoft’s recent AI collaborations with KT and LG Electronics, including a $1.65 billion investment in AI models and cloud services for Korea. Nadella will meet top executives from leading Korean firms, including KT Corp., LG Electronics, HD Hyundai, and Korea Development Bank, to discuss AI-driven innovation. He will also deliver a keynote at the Microsoft AI Tour in Seoul, emphasizing AI’s impact on business and daily life. The visit highlights Korea’s growing significance as a testbed for AI and cloud technologies, with global tech leaders increasingly seeking strategic collaborations in the country.

🇮🇩 Google Cloud and BCG Launch AI Innovation Center in Indonesia

Google Cloud and BCG have launched an AI Innovation Center in Indonesia to accelerate AI adoption across enterprises. The initiative aims to help businesses enhance productivity, develop innovative customer experiences, and drive new revenue opportunities through AI-powered solutions. The center provides expertise, technology, and governance support to align AI strategies with business goals, helping companies deploy AI pilots and manage organizational change. The initiative features an AI sandbox built on Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure, including Vertex AI and foundation models, combined with BCG’s industry expertise. Addressing challenges such as talent shortages and technical complexity, the center offers training and strategic guidance to help organizations transition from AI experimentation to full-scale AI transformation. Google Cloud’s Country Director for Indonesia emphasized AI’s role in economic growth, while BCG highlighted the importance of integrating technology, data, and operational models for successful AI adoption. The collaboration seeks to empower Indonesian enterprises at various stages of AI maturity, fostering sustainable competitive advantages and driving business innovation.

📊 LinkedIn Report reveals how AI transforms sales

A new report, The ROI of AI by LinkedIn, highlights how AI is revolutionizing sales by boosting efficiency, personalizing outreach, and streamlining workflows. The study, which surveyed 1,250 sales professionals across multiple countries, reveals that AI assists 38% of sellers in lead research, saving them an average of 1.5 hours per week. AI-driven personalized messaging increases response rates by 28%, and AI-powered CRM integrations help simplify administrative tasks, reduce sales cycles, and improve deal closure rates. Notably, 69% of sellers reported a one-week reduction in sales cycles, and 68% attributed AI to closing more deals. The report also emphasizes that sales professionals who exceed their quotas are 2.5 times more likely to use AI daily. As AI adoption deepens, early adopters are expected to showcase tangible gains, while companies yet to integrate AI will need to catch up to stay competitive.

🎓 Business schools ease their resistance to AI

Business schools are increasingly embracing AI, shifting from initial resistance to active integration in teaching and assessment. AI-powered tools, such as the University of Toronto’s “All Day TA,” are now widely adopted to provide instant student support, automate feedback, and streamline grading. AI’s role in education extends beyond efficiency—it also addresses challenges like timely feedback in large online courses and the growing need for AI literacy in the workplace. However, concerns persist. Critics warn of “cognitive offloading,” where students rely too heavily on AI instead of engaging deeply with material, and the risks of misinformation generated by AI models. Faculty remain divided, with some praising AI’s ability to enhance learning while others worry it may erode critical thinking and academic integrity. As AI reshapes education, business schools are rethinking traditional coursework, balancing the benefits of automation with the need for human oversight and ethical considerations.

🚨 People are using Google’s new AI model to remove watermarks from images

Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 2.0 Flash, has sparked controversy as users discovered its ability to remove watermarks from images, including copyrighted stock photos. While designed as an experimental image generation and editing tool within Google’s AI Studio, the model appears to lack the strict content safeguards found in competing AI systems like OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Anthropic’s Claude. Social media users demonstrated how the tool not only deletes watermarks but also reconstructs missing parts of the image with striking accuracy. Although it struggles with some semi-transparent overlays, its effectiveness raises concerns among copyright holders. Current U.S. copyright laws generally prohibit the removal of watermarks without permission, making the model’s capabilities a legal gray area. Google has yet to respond to the concerns, and its AI policies may face increased scrutiny as similar AI-powered editing tools gain traction.

🛠️ AI tools updates

New AI Search Engine Accelerates Discoveries In Chemistry

A newly developed AI-powered search engine, MEDUSA Search, is transforming chemical research by analyzing massive high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) datasets. Traditional methods struggle to process the sheer volume of experimental data, but this machine-learning-driven tool accelerates the identification of novel chemical reactions by leveraging existing data. Using an isotopic-distribution-based algorithm and two AI models, the system efficiently scans vast databases, uncovering previously unknown reaction pathways without requiring additional costly experiments. Recent breakthroughs include the discovery of a heterocycle-vinyl coupling process within the Mizoroki-Heck reaction and the identification of 520 distinct ion formulas, many of which were previously undocumented. By streamlining chemical analysis and hypothesis generation, MEDUSA Search highlights the growing role of AI in scientific discovery, emphasizing the importance of open data-sharing protocols and computational tools in accelerating breakthroughs while optimizing resource efficiency.

💵 Venture Capital updates

10 AI companies that secured $100 million or more funding in 2025

AI investment surged in early 2025, with several companies securing over $100 million in funding, reflecting the industry’s rapid expansion. Among the standout fundraisers, Anthropic raised a massive $3.5 billion to further its work on AI safety and interpretability, pushing its valuation to $61.5 billion. Together AI, focused on open-source generative AI, secured $305 million, while Lambda, specializing in AI infrastructure, raised $480 million. Celestial AI, which leverages photonics to accelerate AI chip performance, added $250 million to its funding pool. Healthcare AI saw major investments as well, with Abridge, an AI-powered medical transcription startup, securing $250 million, and Hippocratic AI raising $141 million for improving AI-driven healthcare services. Legal tech startups also gained traction, with Eudiaand Harvey attracting substantial funding to enhance AI-driven legal services. Meanwhile, ElevenLabs, a leader in synthetic voice technology, raised $180 million to push the boundaries of AI-generated speech. EnCharge AI, focusing on AI hardware, secured $100 million to drive more efficient AI computing. With these investments, 2025 is shaping up to be a defining year for AI-driven innovation across sectors, from infrastructure and research to healthcare, legal tech, and voice synthesis.

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