Weekly bulletin from AIport, issue #49

Hello and welcome to the latest issue of the AI Bulletin! We hope you enjoy this week’s curated selection of machine learning and data science news from around the globe, organized chronologically by region. Have a delightful weekend, and we look forward to connecting with you again next Friday!

North America

• Hugging Face releases SmolVLM-256M, purportedly the smallest Vision Language Model in the world.

• OpenAI introduces a research preview of Operator: an AI agent equipped with its own browser that can independently perform active duties for users, including office work and shopping.

• Newly inaugurated President Trump announces the signing of a $500 billion AI infrastructure investment deal, leading to the establishment of Stargate, backed by Japan’s SoftBank.

• A musician from Nova Scotia, Canada, is shocked to find an unauthorized AI-made album listed on his Spotify profile.

• Oscar-nominated The Brutalist sparks controversy after the film’s editor reveals AI was used in post-production to enhance dialogue in Hungarian.

Europe

• ROLI, a London-based music equipment manufacturer, unveils its Just Play AI-powered piano system: here’s a short promo video.

• Neko Health, a Stockholm-based preventive healthcare AI startup co-founded by Spotify’s Daniel Ek, achieves a $1.8 billion valuation after the latest funding round.

Asia

• South Korea’s Samsung rolls out more AI-centric solutions with its new Galaxy series release at Samsung Unpacked 2025.

• Following a recent human-trafficking incident, an AI-generated avatar of Thailand’s prime minister speaking Mandarin reassures Chinese tourists of their safety: here’s the original video.

Africa

• Nigeria is set to establish Africa’s first AI university in Epe, Lagos, offering courses in machine learning, quantum computing, and blockchain.

The Caribbean

• On the International Day of Education, Trinidad and Tobago is debating the use of AI in the classroom: here are some insights from TTUTA.

Australia

• Nestlé Australia announces a $30 million investment in its Campbellfield factory in Victoria to enhance KitKat production and improve safety through AI-backed automation.