Meta plans $500 billion as Google Gemini offers ideas

Key Takeaways

• Marquette University has formed an AI task force to ensure responsible generative AI use across campus, covering teaching, research, operations, and student wellness.
• Dartmouth is expanding AI education, including a new engineering concentration, and its Geisel School of Medicine uses an "AI Patient Actor" tool, which has been utilized over 10,000 times by students.
• AI leaders like OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei express mixed feelings, including feeling "useless" or "profound sadness," as AI advances replicate human skills.
• Hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Amazon plan to invest $500 billion in AI data center infrastructure this year.
• Eaton, a provider of electrical components, saw a 70% increase in data center orders year-over-year and acquired Boyd Thermal to strengthen its liquid-cooling market position.
• BDx Data Centers highlights that "AI factories" require advanced power and cooling solutions like direct-to-chip liquid cooling, identifying power availability as the main constraint for AI growth.
• Nvidia may cancel consumer GPU refreshes, such as the RTX 5080 Super, due to high demand for its AI hardware, indicating a strategic shift in production focus.
• Rentahuman.ai enables AI agents to hire humans for real-world tasks requiring physical presence, such as package delivery or document signing, bridging AI's physical limitations.
• The US tech market experienced a selloff, with AMD shares plunging 17%, as investors await Alphabet's Google Q4 earnings report for insights into AI's competitive impact.
• Businesses struggle to track AI tool usage, with a Larridin survey revealing large companies use an average of 23 AI tools, nearly half adopted outside official IT channels, leading to challenges in measuring ROI.

Marquette University Forms AI Task Force for Responsible Use

Marquette University created an artificial intelligence task force to guide the responsible use of generative AI on campus. This task force includes faculty and staff from many fields. They will look at how AI is used in teaching, research, operations, and student wellness. The group aims to update policies and ensure AI use aligns with the university's Catholic Jesuit mission. It has an executive committee and five work groups, with Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp leading the research group. Students will also share their ideas later, and a survey will gather input from faculty and staff.

Dartmouth Expands AI Education and Training Programs

Dartmouth is expanding its artificial intelligence education across many subjects, including a new engineering concentration. Dean Doug Van Citters and Gene Santos emphasize teaching responsible AI use, ethics, and limitations. The university funds these programs through its budget, endowments, and scholarships. At the Geisel School of Medicine, students use an AI Patient Actor tool developed by Dr. Thomas Thesen to practice talking with patients. This tool, released last spring, is an open website with over 10,000 student uses and 155 educators. Students can choose patient conditions and personalities to practice their communication skills.

AI Leaders Feel Mixed Emotions About Technology Boom

Top AI leaders like Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dario Amodei of Anthropic feel both happy and sad about the rapid growth of AI. Altman used his company's new AI app, which combined Claude, Google's Gemini, and Meta's Llama, and felt "useless" when the AI offered better ideas than his own. Amodei expressed "profound sadness" because his valuable skills are now easily available through AI. These leaders are also warning lawmakers about potential risks of AI. Experts like Erik Brynjolfsson suggest that the role of CEOs might change to "chief question officers" as AI takes over more tasks.

BDx CEO Explains AI Factories Reshaping Data Centers

Mayank Srivastava, CEO of BDx Data Centers, explains how "AI factories" are changing data center design due to demanding AI workloads. These new centers need better power, cooling, and flexible modular designs to handle fast-changing AI hardware. Direct-to-chip liquid cooling is becoming common, reducing cooling energy by up to 50 percent and supporting rack densities of 200 kW or more. Power availability is now the main limit for AI growth, more than chips or software. BDx builds large AI campuses in power-rich areas like Indonesia, using renewable hydropower for its 500 MW CGK4 campus. In power-limited places like Singapore, BDx partners with HEXA Renewables for 50 MW of new solar projects in Malaysia to supply the grid.

Eaton Powers AI Data Centers With Essential Electrical Gear

Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Amazon plan to spend $500 billion on AI data center infrastructure this year. Eaton, a company providing electrical components, is benefiting greatly from this massive buildout. Eaton offers switchgears, transformers, and power distribution units essential for data center operations. The company also acquired Boyd Thermal, strengthening its position in the liquid-cooling market, which is expected to grow 35 percent annually through 2028. Eaton saw a 70 percent increase in data center orders year-over-year, and its Electrical America's segment has a $12 billion backlog.

Rentahuman.ai Lets AI Agents Hire People for Real-World Tasks

A new platform called Rentahuman.ai allows AI agents to hire humans for tasks requiring physical presence. AI bots cannot perform actions like signing documents, picking up packages, or verifying locations in the real world. Through an API, AI agents can find and hire people based on location, skills, and prices set by the humans. These tasks are specific, such as package delivery, attending meetings, or verifying property conditions. This platform acts like a "gig-economy meets AI world," similar to Taskrabbit or Fiverr, where humans become actuators for AI systems. It helps businesses deploy autonomous systems by removing physical barriers that once stalled AI operations.

Google Faces Pressure Amid AI Concerns Hitting Tech Stocks

US markets recently saw a sharp decline, with technology and software stocks experiencing a significant selloff. Shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc plunged 17 percent, and Micron Technology fell nearly 13 percent. Some experts, like Adam Crisafulli, believe AI is becoming a "net negative for the market" due to competitive changes. However, James Reilly thinks AI benefits will still outweigh the costs for the stock market. Investors are now looking to Alphabet's Google Q4 earnings report, as Google is considered well-positioned in the AI industry. This report could help stabilize the market or deepen the current selling trend.

Nvidia May Cancel RTX 5080 Super Due to AI Demand

Nvidia may cancel its mid-generation refresh of Blackwell, including the GeForce RTX 5080 Super, because of high demand for its AI hardware. Reports suggest Nvidia scaled back production of existing 50-series cards. Nvidia stated that demand for GeForce RTX GPUs is strong, but memory supply is limited. AMD also has not released a new consumer graphics card since the Radeon RX 9060 in August 2025, likely for the same reason. Both companies are now focusing on software improvements like AMD FSR Redstone and Nvidia DLSS 4.5.

Businesses Must Track AI Tool Use for Better Results

Businesses increasingly need to measure how they use artificial intelligence tools, as many teams already use dozens of them. A Larridin survey shows a 16-point gap between executives and managers regarding how well they understand AI use in their companies. Large companies use an average of 23 AI tools, with nearly half adopted outside official IT channels, and only 38 percent keep a full list of these applications. Return on investment from AI varies, with sectors like retail and software seeing faster results than healthcare or hospitality. IT teams report the best outcomes and confidence, while customer support sees lower confidence and modest time savings for most users. Many organizations face challenges like unclear responsibilities and fragmented ownership when trying to measure AI's impact.

Sources

• Artificial Intelligence Task Force to guide responsible use of emerging technology 
• Dartmouth increasingly teaching AI in degree programs
• Why AI's biggest champions, like Sam Altman, feel "happy but sad" about the AI boom
• BDx CEO on why AI factories are changing data centres
• Forget AI Stocks: This Industrial Winner Is Building AI's Backbone
• When AI Agents Start Hiring Humans: Rentahuman.ai Turns The Tables
• Can Google save stocks as AI becomes “a net negative for the market” By Investing.com
• The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Super is Probably Dead, Thanks To AI
• Measuring AI use becomes a business requirement