google launches amazon while meta expands its platform

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square fund has made a substantial bet on artificial intelligence, allocating nearly 40% of its capital across just three major AI companies. Alphabet holds the largest portion at 14.4%, bolstered by a favorable antitrust ruling and its advanced Gemini AI models. Amazon follows with a 14% stake, recognized for its e-commerce strength and the potential of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Meta Platforms represents a new investment for the fund, securing an 11% stake. This concentrated portfolio strategy underscores Ackman's strong conviction in these AI leaders.

In other AI developments, SoundHound AI recently launched its Sales Assist agent at MWC 2026, an AI tool designed to empower retail sales staff with real-time recommendations for deals and upgrades. This agent analyzes customer intent and integrates with backend systems, building on SoundHound AI's experience processing nearly 30 million AI customer interactions globally in 2025. Meanwhile, Aether Holdings acquired PublicView.ai to enhance its AI-driven equity research by converting complex SEC filings into actionable insights. Thinkific Labs also introduced Thinker, an AI teaching assistant providing 24/7 support for online courses.

The broader market is navigating AI's rapid advancements with a mix of excitement and caution. A hypothetical scenario of widespread job losses by 2028 has spurred Wall Street's "HALO" trade, favoring "heavy assets, low obsolescence" sectors like industrials over tech. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman dismissed Elon Musk's concept of space-based data centers for AI computing as currently "ridiculous" due to high launch costs. Additionally, AI advancements are linked to extended losses in the cryptocurrency market. Despite these concerns, leaders like JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Verisure CEO Austin Lally remain confident in AI's positive impact on their businesses.

Key Takeaways

  • Billionaire investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square fund invested nearly 40% of its capital into three AI stocks: Alphabet (14.4%), Amazon (14%), and Meta Platforms (11%).
  • Alphabet's investment is supported by its Gemini AI models and a favorable antitrust ruling.
  • Amazon is valued for its e-commerce and Amazon Web Services (AWS) potential in AI, despite planned infrastructure spending.
  • SoundHound AI launched Sales Assist, an AI agent for retail staff providing real-time recommendations, having processed nearly 30 million AI customer interactions globally in 2025.
  • Wall Street is seeing a "HALO" trade (heavy assets, low obsolescence) emerge, favoring traditional sectors over tech due to hypothetical AI-driven job loss fears by 2028.
  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called Elon Musk's plans for space-based data centers "ridiculous" for current AI computing needs, citing high launch costs as a barrier.
  • AI advancements are linked to extended losses in the cryptocurrency market, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP, due to concerns about increased volatility and potential vulnerabilities.
  • JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Verisure CEO Austin Lally express confidence in AI's benefits for their companies, improving customer service and security detection respectively.
  • Aether Holdings acquired PublicView.ai, an AI-driven platform that converts SEC filings into actionable insights, to boost its AI research capabilities.
  • Thinkific Labs launched Thinker, an AI teaching assistant for online courses, offering 24/7 automated support while ensuring customer content privacy.

Bill Ackman bets big on AI with 40% of fund in 3 stocks

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman has placed a significant bet on artificial intelligence (AI), investing nearly 40% of his Pershing Square Capital Management fund into just three AI companies. While the specific companies were not named, this move shows Ackman's strong confidence in the future of AI. His fund typically holds a concentrated portfolio of 10-12 stocks, making this AI focus particularly noteworthy. This strategy could lead to high returns if the chosen companies succeed, but it also carries increased risk due to the lack of diversification. Investors are watching closely to see which AI stocks Ackman has chosen.

Bill Ackman's top AI picks: Alphabet, Amazon, Meta

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square fund has heavily invested in three major AI companies, with Alphabet holding the largest portion at 14.4%. Alphabet's investment is supported by a favorable antitrust ruling and its advancements in AI models like Gemini. Amazon follows with a 14% stake, valued for its e-commerce and Amazon Web Services (AWS) potential, despite significant infrastructure spending plans. Meta Platforms holds an 11% stake, marking a new investment for Pershing Square. Ackman's fund typically maintains a concentrated portfolio of 10-12 stocks, highlighting his strong conviction in these AI giants.

Bill Ackman invests heavily in Alphabet, Amazon, Meta AI stocks

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman, through his fund Pershing Square, has invested significantly in three major AI companies: Alphabet (14.4%), Amazon (14%), and Meta Platforms (11%). Ackman's fund focuses on a concentrated portfolio of 10-12 stocks, emphasizing his strong belief in these AI leaders. Alphabet's investment is bolstered by a recent antitrust lawsuit victory and its Gemini AI models. Amazon is recognized for its e-commerce and AWS, despite planned infrastructure investments. Meta Platforms represents a newer stake for the fund. This concentrated approach signals Ackman's high conviction in the future of AI.

Bill Ackman bets nearly 40% of fund on 3 AI stocks

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman has placed a substantial bet on artificial intelligence (AI), with nearly 40% of his Pershing Square fund invested in just three AI stocks. These investments include Alphabet at 14.4%, Amazon at 14%, and Meta Platforms at 11%. Ackman's fund typically holds a concentrated portfolio, indicating strong conviction in these companies. Alphabet's position is strengthened by a favorable antitrust ruling and its Gemini AI models. Amazon is valued for its e-commerce and AWS, while Meta Platforms is a newer addition. This focused strategy highlights Ackman's confidence in the AI sector's growth potential.

SoundHound AI launches Sales Assist for retail sales floor

SoundHound AI has launched its new Sales Assist agent, an AI tool designed to help retail sales staff. Introduced at MWC 2026 in Barcelona, the agent provides real-time recommendations for deals, upgrades, and add-ons during customer interactions. It analyzes customer intent and accesses systems like CRM and billing to offer instant, data-driven suggestions. This aims to improve customer experience by speeding up sales processes and reducing staff training time. SoundHound AI processed nearly 30 million AI customer interactions globally in 2025, showing growing demand for its conversational AI solutions.

SoundHound AI stock rises on new sales agent launch

SoundHound AI's stock saw a rise after announcing its new Sales Assist agents, designed to provide real-time, data-driven recommendations during customer conversations. The tool, unveiled at MWC 2026, helps in-store staff suggest upgrades, bundles, and promotions instantly. It integrates with backend systems like CRM and uses SoundHound's Polaris speech recognition for accuracy in noisy environments. This launch supports SoundHound's move towards 'agentic AI,' systems that can complete tasks. The company is set to report its Q4 earnings on February 26, with analysts expecting significant revenue growth.

Hypothetical AI doomsday scenario sparks Wall Street's HALO trade

A hypothetical scenario imagining widespread job losses due to AI by 2028 has captured Wall Street's attention, leading to a focus on the 'HALO' trade. HALO stands for 'heavy assets, low obsolescence,' meaning investors are shifting towards sectors less likely to be disrupted by AI advancements. This includes industries like industrials, materials, and utilities, which have recently outperformed tech stocks. The 'HALO' trade represents a move towards more traditional, tangible assets as a hedge against potential AI-driven market volatility and disruption.

Sam Altman calls Musk's space data center plans 'ridiculous'

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that Elon Musk's plans for space-based data centers are currently 'ridiculous' for AI computing needs. While acknowledging that space data centers might be viable in the future, Altman believes they are unlikely to be deployed at scale within this decade. SpaceX aims to launch up to a million satellites for data centers, potentially creating a trillion-dollar company. However, Altman and other experts point to the high cost of launching payloads into space as a major economic barrier for current AI computing demands.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon dismisses AI fears

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon expressed confidence that the bank will thrive despite concerns about artificial intelligence (AI). He stated that JPMorgan Chase has a consistent strategy of using technology to improve customer service and is skilled at doing so. Dimon believes the bank is well-positioned to be a winner in the evolving technological landscape, dismissing fears about AI's negative impact on the company.

Aether Holdings acquires PublicView.ai to boost AI research

Aether Holdings has acquired PublicView.ai, an AI-driven platform that converts complex SEC filings into actionable insights for investors. This acquisition is expected to significantly enhance Aether Holdings' capabilities in AI-driven equity research and market intelligence. PublicView.ai's technology will be integrated into Aether's platform, offering users more advanced tools for financial data analysis and investment opportunity identification. The move positions Aether Holdings as a key player in the growing field of AI-powered financial analysis.

Investors navigate AI fears with diversification and long-term view

Investors are facing new challenges with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), balancing excitement with fear about its potential impact. Experts advise staying informed about AI developments, identifying companies that can benefit from AI, and diversifying investment portfolios. Strategies include investing in AI developers or companies integrating AI, as well as focusing on businesses resilient to AI disruption. Maintaining a long-term perspective is crucial, as AI's full impact may unfold over time, presenting both risks and significant opportunities.

AI advancements cause crypto market losses

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP have seen extended losses due to concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) impacting the cryptocurrency market. A research note suggests AI's speed in data analysis and trading could increase volatility and exploit blockchain vulnerabilities. This has led to price drops across major cryptocurrencies, with investors worried about AI's influence on digital assets. While AI could offer future benefits to crypto, current market sentiment focuses on potential downsides and risks.

Verisure CEO sees AI benefits outweighing risks

Verisure CEO Austin Lally believes artificial intelligence (AI) will significantly benefit his alarm company, despite recent stock performance concerns. Lally highlighted AI's role in improving detection, verification, and identification of security incidents, particularly in reducing false positives. With over 6 million customers, Verisure possesses extensive training data for its AI algorithms, giving it a competitive edge. Lally is optimistic about Verisure's growth, focusing on European and Latin American markets and emphasizing organic growth over acquisitions.

Thinkific launches AI teaching assistant for online courses

Thinkific Labs has launched Thinker, an AI teaching assistant designed to support students in online courses. Thinker learns from course content to provide automated, 24/7 support and answer student questions. It can be customized to match a business's communication style and ensures that customer content is used only to power its responses, not to train large language models. This tool aims to help education businesses scale learner support efficiently. Thinker is available on Thinkific Plus plans and utilizes third-party AI infrastructure.

Sources

NOTE:

This news brief was generated using AI technology (including, but not limited to, Google Gemini API, Llama, Grok, and Mistral) from aggregated news articles, with minimal to no human editing/review. It is provided for informational purposes only and may contain inaccuracies or biases. This is not financial, investment, or professional advice. If you have any questions or concerns, please verify all information with the linked original articles in the Sources section below.

AI Artificial Intelligence Investment Bill Ackman Pershing Square Alphabet Amazon Meta Platforms SoundHound AI Sales Assist MWC 2026 Conversational AI HALO trade Industrials Materials Utilities Sam Altman Elon Musk SpaceX JPMorgan Chase Jamie Dimon Aether Holdings PublicView.ai Financial Analysis Crypto Market Bitcoin Ethereum XRP Verisure Thinkific Thinker Online Courses AI Education

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