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WSJ’s new AI experiment
1 video generation = 1 steak on an electric grill?
👋 Good morning/evening (wherever you are). It’s Tuesday.
Remember when The Wall Street Journal made that 3-minute AI video?
They’re back, this time asking:
How much energy does it really take to generate a single AI video?
(Is hitting “enter” on an AI prompt the energy equivalent of grilling a steak?)
According to their estimates:
1 video generation ≈ 1 rare steak
2 video generations ≈ 1 medium steak
And what about that original 3-minute video?
1,000 clips = 110,000 watt-hours (Wh)
That’s enough to grill 478 steaks. Or power an average U.S. home for 3.5 days.
Joanna also gives a behind-the-scenes look at a $9M GPU superpod powered by 31 DGX H100s.
💡 Here’s what you should know
Google doodle promotes ‘AI Mode’ for the first time
Google spotlights its Gemini-powered search experience directly from its homepage doodle, accelerating the shift toward AI-first discovery.Cloudflare debuts pay-per-crawl for AI bots
Cloudflare’s new system lets publishers charge AI crawlers using HTTP 402, giving them full control to allow, block, or monetize bot access.
Amazon deploys its 1 millionth robot
A new AI model called DeepFleet will optimize Amazon’s robotic fleet, cutting travel time by 10% and reducing delivery costs.
The two companies will build an AI-native productivity suite with agentic workflows, starting with email.
Premier League partners with Microsoft on AI fan experience
Microsoft becomes the League’s official cloud and AI partner, powering real-time insights, Copilot features, and new digital platforms for 1.8B fans.
X launches pilot program for AI-generated Community Notes
X is now letting developers build AI Note Writers that can propose Community Notes, starting with a pilot that holds AI to the same standards as human contributors. Read the supporting research here.
U.S. Senate removes state AI-regulation ban from Trump tax bill
In a 99-1 vote, the Senate struck down a proposed 10-year moratorium on state AI laws, allowing states to move forward with their own regulations.
OpenAI's first AI gadget could be a pen-like device
OpenAI’s first hardware device, built with Jony Ive, is rumored to be a sleek pen-shaped tool with sensors, cameras, and a built-in projector.
💰 The numbers
xAI raised $10B in debt and equity to fund data center expansion and scale Grok.
Menlo Ventures is raising $1.4B across new funds to back AI-focused startups.
Surge AI is seeking up to $1B in its first fundraise, targeting a $15B valuation as it positions itself as a premium alternative to Scale AI for data labeling.
Genesis AI emerges from stealth with $105M seed funding to build a robotics foundation model using synthetic data generated by its own physics engine.
North.Cloud, an AI-powered cloud optimization startup, raised $5M to automate real-time savings and reduce waste across AWS and GCP.
Zango AI emerges from stealth with $4.8M led by Nexus to replace legacy compliance workflows with regulation-aware AI agents.
Airial, an AI travel planning startup founded by ex-Meta and Waymo engineers, raised $3M to turn TikToks and social content into personalized, bookable itineraries.
🧠 Thought starters
😂 Meme of the day

Thanks for reading,
Eddie
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