Global financial experts widely anticipate artificial intelligence will remain a core driver for investments through 2026, with the S&P 500 index already up 14% this year. Barclays strategists dismiss concerns about AI's potential failure, expecting continued economic expansion. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs project the S&P 500 to reach 5,500 and 5,300 respectively by late 2025, fueled by demand for AI chips and cloud services. However, some investors express caution, citing risks like global tensions, ongoing inflation, new government regulations, high stock valuations, and rising interest rates. These concerns lead some to shift investments into real assets such as gold, silver, real estate, and infrastructure to safeguard portfolios. New AI chips are so heavy they are forcing new data center construction. Racks holding AI equipment can weigh up to 2,500 pounds, with some projected to reach 5,000 pounds, far heavier than older racks. This increased weight comes from packing more processors, memory, and cooling systems. Many old data centers would crack under this weight, and new racks are often too tall for existing doorways. In Armenia, a $500 million AI data center is planned for Hradzan with American partners NVIDIA and Firebird.ai, set to open in 2026. This project aims to make Armenia an AI hub, but critics worry about national security and digital independence due to the U.S. CLOUD Act, which allows American law enforcement to access data on foreign servers. Major tech companies are actively integrating and advancing AI capabilities. OpenAI recently introduced FrontierScience, a new benchmark to assess AI models' performance on scientific tasks across physics, chemistry, and biology at Olympiad and advanced Research levels. Their latest model, GPT-5.2, achieved a 77.1% score on Olympiad questions and 25.3% on Research questions, demonstrating rapid progress in scientific reasoning, though the benchmark is text-only. OpenAI also hired George Osborne to spearhead the global expansion of its "Stargate" project, signaling significant international growth ambitions. Meta is transforming into an "AI-first" workplace, providing employees with a growing suite of AI tools. Chief Information Officer Atish Banerjea emphasizes making AI central to their operations. Employees can access Meta's own Llama models alongside offerings from competitors like Google's Gemini 3 Pro and OpenAI's GPT-5. Meta also transitioned its productivity suite to Google Workspace for enhanced AI features and integrated Midjourney for image generation, in addition to internal AI coding assistants such as Devmate. AI is making significant inroads in specialized sectors. GE HealthCare uses AI to streamline patient care and improve hospital efficiency through its CareIntellect platform. This platform enables smarter medical devices, data-driven care guidance, and personalized treatments, addressing clinician burnout and rising costs. GE HealthCare has led the FDA's list for AI-enabled medical device authorizations for four consecutive years, with 100 approvals, including Effortless Workflow for CT scans and Critical Care Suite for X-rays. In ad tech, Infillion launched Infillion Agent Connector, a pioneering platform for AI systems to manage programmatic media buying. This tool allows AI agents to autonomously plan, bid, and optimize ad campaigns, promising faster and more efficient processes. The demand for AI skills is also surging globally. A new report highlights that Singaporeans are prioritizing AI courses for skill development, with over 147,000 enrollments in generative AI courses on Coursera, equating to one sign-up every five minutes. Popular courses come from institutions like DeepLearning.AI, IBM, Google, and Vanderbilt University. Learners are increasingly moving towards advanced AI topics, reflecting a desire to apply these technologies effectively in their professional lives as more workplaces in Singapore adopt AI and employers shift towards skills-based hiring.
Key Takeaways
- AI remains central to investment plans through 2026, with the S&P 500 index predicted to reach 5,500 by Morgan Stanley and 5,300 by Goldman Sachs by late 2025.
- Some investors are diversifying into real assets like gold, silver, real estate, and infrastructure due to concerns about AI stock optimism, global tensions, and inflation.
- Armenia plans a $500 million AI data center in Hradzan with NVIDIA and Firebird.ai, set to open in 2026, but faces data security concerns due to the U.S. CLOUD Act.
- New AI chips are significantly heavier, with racks weighing up to 2,500 pounds (projected 5,000 pounds), necessitating new data center construction as old facilities cannot support the weight.
- OpenAI launched FrontierScience, a new benchmark for AI's scientific capabilities, where GPT-5.2 scored 77.1% on Olympiad and 25.3% on Research questions.
- OpenAI hired George Osborne to lead the global expansion of its "Stargate" project, indicating significant international growth plans.
- Meta is fostering an "AI-first" workplace, integrating its Llama models with tools from Google (Gemini 3 Pro), OpenAI (GPT-5), and Midjourney for employees.
- GE HealthCare is using its CareIntellect platform and AI-enabled medical devices, leading FDA authorizations for four years with 100 approvals, to improve patient care and hospital efficiency.
- Infillion introduced Infillion Agent Connector, a new AI tool for programmatic media buying, enabling AI agents to autonomously plan, bid, and optimize ad campaigns.
- Singaporeans are actively pursuing AI education, with over 147,000 enrollments in generative AI courses from providers like DeepLearning.AI, IBM, Google, and Vanderbilt University.
Investor bets on real assets as AI market risks grow
An investor believes that optimism for AI stocks is too high as the market heads into 2026. Several risks could slow down the AI-driven market rally. These risks include global tensions, ongoing inflation, new government rules, high stock prices, and rising interest rates. Because of these concerns, the investor is putting money into real assets. This includes commodities like gold GLD and silver SLV, real estate, infrastructure, and value stocks to protect their portfolio.
Experts say AI will drive investments through 2026
Global financial experts believe artificial intelligence will stay at the heart of investment plans for 2026. The S&P 500 index is expected to keep growing, already up 14% this year. Barclays strategists think worries about AI failing are too much and expect the economy to expand. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are very positive, predicting the S&P 500 will reach 5,500 and 5,300 respectively by late 2025, fueled by AI chips and cloud services. However, some warn about risks like inflation, high stock prices, and trade issues that could cause market changes.
Armenia's new 500 million dollar AI center sparks data fears
Armenia plans to build a 500 million dollar AI data center in Hradzan with American partners NVIDIA and Firebird.ai, set to open in 2026. This project aims to make Armenia an AI hub and create jobs. However, critics worry about national security and digital independence. The center will use NVIDIA chips and Dell servers, with 80% of its computing power reserved for American companies. The U.S. CLOUD Act allows American law enforcement to access data on foreign servers, raising concerns about potential data leaks and U.S. influence.
Singaporeans flock to AI courses for new skills
A new report shows that Singaporeans are eagerly learning about artificial intelligence, making AI courses their top choice for new skills. Coursera's 2025 trends reveal over 147,000 enrollments in generative AI courses, with one person signing up every five minutes. Popular courses include those from DeepLearning.AI, IBM, Google, and Vanderbilt University. Learners are also moving to more advanced AI topics, showing a desire to apply these technologies effectively at work. This trend comes as more workplaces in Singapore adopt AI, and employers now focus more on skills during hiring.
GE HealthCare uses AI to transform patient care
GE HealthCare is using artificial intelligence to make healthcare simpler and more effective. Their CareIntellect platform helps create smarter medical devices, guides care with data, allows for personalized treatment, and improves hospital efficiency. The company addresses challenges like complex care, clinician burnout, limited access to care, and rising costs. GE HealthCare leads in AI-enabled medical devices, topping the FDA's list for four years with 100 authorizations. Their solutions include Effortless Workflow for CT scans, Critical Care Suite for X-rays, Vscan Air SL with Caption AI for heart care, and Portrait Mobile for real-time patient monitoring.
Heavy AI chip racks force new data center builds
New AI chips are so heavy that old data centers cannot support them, leading to a huge need for new construction. Racks holding AI equipment can weigh up to 2,500 pounds, with some projected to reach 5,000 pounds, much heavier than older racks. This extra weight comes from packing more processors, memory, and cooling systems into smaller spaces to improve performance. Chris Brown from Uptime Institute explains that many old data centers would crack under this weight. Also, the new racks are taller, sometimes too tall for existing doorways.
OpenAI tests AI's growing science skills with new benchmark
OpenAI has released a new benchmark called FrontierScience to measure how well AI models can perform scientific tasks. The benchmark includes questions in physics, chemistry, and biology at both Olympiad and advanced Research levels. OpenAI researcher Miles Wang says the goal is to see how AI can speed up scientific discoveries. The latest model, GPT-5.2, performed well, scoring 77.1% on Olympiad questions and 25.3% on Research questions. While AI is making fast progress, the benchmark is text-only and does not test experiments or visual analysis. Finding human experts to create and grade these complex scientific questions remains a challenge.
Infillion launches new AI tool for ad buying
Infillion, an ad tech company, has launched a new platform called Infillion Agent Connector. This tool is the first of its kind designed specifically for AI systems to manage programmatic media buying. It allows AI agents to directly plan, bid, and optimize ad campaigns without human help, making the process faster and more efficient. Infillion CEO Keren M. Levy believes this platform will change how agencies and brands use AI in advertising. The Infillion Agent Connector offers an agent-native design, an open execution layer, and a full-stack solution to boost ad performance and return on investment.
OpenAI hires George Osborne for Stargate expansion
OpenAI has hired George Osborne to lead the global expansion of its "Stargate" project. This move signals OpenAI's plans for significant international growth. Osborne will play a key role in guiding the company's efforts to broaden its reach and operations worldwide.
Meta uses Google and OpenAI tools for AI-first workplace
Meta is creating an "AI-first" workplace by giving its employees access to a growing list of AI tools. Chief Information Officer Atish Banerjea stated the goal is to make AI central to how they work. Employees can now use Meta's own Llama models alongside tools from rivals like Google's Gemini 3 Pro and OpenAI's GPT-5. Meta also moved its productivity suite to Google Workspace to gain more AI features. Additionally, the company integrated Midjourney for image generation and offers internal AI coding assistants like Devmate.
Sources
- 2026 Market Outlook: My Big Bet On Real Assets As AI Optimism Peaks
- Factbox-From trend to mainstay: AI to cement its place at the core of 2026 investment strategies
- Armenia’s $500 million AI center raises security and sovereignty concerns
- AI courses emerge as top learning subjects for Singaporeans
- Artificial intelligence solutions
- Racks of AI chips are too damn heavy
- AI Is Getting Better at Science. OpenAI Is Testing How Far It Can Go
- Infillion Launches Infillion Agent Connector™ - A New Way Of Managing AI-Controlled Buying That Runs On The First Agent-Native Composable Platform In Adtech
- OpenAI hires George Osborne to spearhead global ‘Stargate’ expansion
- Meta is making 'AI core to how we work' with the help of Google and OpenAI
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