The new head of the U.S. government's market-moving energy stats and analysis arm has revealed plans to formally track data centers as the AI boom deepens.
Why it matters: Policymakers, investors, activists and everyone in between are struggling to understand what, exactly, is happening with this growing source of energy demand.
Your human resources officers are probably using AI for a lot of jobs — and they're also finding that human resources is one of the riskiest ways to use it.
Why it matters: Managing employees at work is becoming another space where machines may be making sensitive determinations previously left up to professionals.
Sierra co-founderBret Taylor said the artificial intelligence boom "probably is a bubble" at Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco Thursday, but like the 1990s dot-com bubble, that depends on how you're invested.
The big picture: As the industry barrels forward, concerns about circular financing and valuation continue to fuel fears of about how the market would be rocked if the AI bubble pops.
Sierra, which builds custom AI agents for enterprise customer service, is expanding to Japan, backed by a new investment from Softbank's Vision Fund 2, co-founders Clay Bavor andBret Taylor announced at Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
The big picture: AI agents are a hot topic in 2025 — though they've been Sierra's focus from the start. And it has seen rapid growth since its launch last year.
Copper prices have been on a tear, rising to record highs, spurred by supply disruptions and worries over Trump's tariffs.
Why it matters: When it comes to the digital economy, copper is a precious metal, vital for computer chips, EVs, data centers and just about everything that is electrified.
Scale AI made headlines after Meta took a 49% stake in the AI app development company and poached its co-founder and CEO Alexandr Wang to serve as its chief AI officer.
As head of communications, Tom Channick is tasked with telling the story of Scale's next phase, with former chief strategy officer Jason Droege taking the reins as CEO.
Former communications executive Michelle Masek has launched an AI operating system for comms and public relations professionals called Honeyjar AI, Axios is first to report.
Why it matters: It's an AI platform for communications, by communicators and backed by leading VC, media and comms executives.
A survey out Thursday finds that knowledge workers under 40 want AI to be less generic, with styles tailored to how they actually write and speak.
Why it matters: The youngest workers are typically on the bleeding edge — first to adopt new technology and a leading indicator of where it's headed next.
A geothermal energy company announced Thursday that it has discovered — with AI's help — the first commercially viable system of its kind in over 30 years.
Why it matters: Zanskar Geothermal and Minerals officials said the underground find, in a remote area of western Nevada, offers fresh evidence that geothermal can become an attractive option to meet soaring U.S. energy demand.
