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AI Weekly: OpenAI, AI-powered assistant, $250M+ AI Funding & More Inside!

AI Weekly: OpenAI, AI-powered assistant, $250M+ AI Funding & More Inside!

💡 OpenAI Shake-Up, Robotaxis in Atlanta, $1.3B AI Deals & The Shaqbot!

The AI Surf
September 16, 2025

This Week in AI: Big Moves, Bold Investments & Smarter Assistants

From OpenAI’s leadership shake-ups to Lyft’s robotaxi rollout and Ant Group’s humanoid robot reveal, this week’s AI world was packed with breakthroughs. We’re covering massive funding rounds, new AI-powered assistants, big regulatory shifts, and the latest tools.

In This Issue

✅ Today in AI: OpenAI hires Mike Liberatore, explores Microsoft deal.

✅ Spotlight: 🌟 Shaquille O’Neal is teaming up with Carvana to launch The Shaqbot

✅ Tech Funding: Replit, Mistral AI, and robotics startup Dyna Robotics.

✅ Top Tools: tl;dv, Krisp, Otter.ai, Fathom, and Notta

✅ Image of the Week: “Make AI Smarter” — a practical cheat sheet of prompts.

✅ AI Guides: Building Image Generators, Generative AI & LLMs and more.

✅ Prompt of the Week: Review my calendar and email from the last month

✅ Top Communities: AI Hispano, Kaiber AI, Generative AI, Artificial Intelligence

✅ Latest Blogs: Customer Support Automation, AI Workflow Automation in 2025

🎯 BIG NEWS

Top AI Updates and Releases

✅ OpenAI hires Mike Liberatore

✅ Robotaxi pilot in Atlanta by Lyft + May Mobility

✅ Regulatory sandbox bill in US by Ted Cruz

✅ California passes AI safety testing & disclosure bill

✅ AI-powered robotics & automation in manufacturing

✅ Ant Group’s humanoid robot “R1” revealed

✅ OpenAI takes a non-binding deal to restructure with Microsoft

✅ Oracle’s AI cloud business surges, valuation pressures

✅ OpenAI intensifies robotics efforts in push toward AGI

✅ Nothing raises $200M at $1.3B valuation with AI ambitions

🎯 BIG NEWS

AI Stock Tracker

📢LATEST IN AI

🌟Shaquille O’Neal To Launch AI-Powered Assistant Called The Shaqbot With Carvana

Shaquille O’Neal partners with Carvana to unveil The Shaqbot, an AI-powered assistant aimed at enhancing car-buying experiences with personalized guidance, simplified navigation, and celebrity-driven engagement.

Highlights:

Virtual assistant powered by AI technology
Designed to simplify online car shopping
Integrates with Carvana’s existing platform
Provides tailored recommendations to buyers
Features Shaq’s personality and voice responses
Launches later this year nationwide

Why it Matters

This collaboration highlights how AI assistants are merging entertainment with commerce, making customer journeys more engaging and intuitive. Celebrity-led AI tools could shape consumer trust, drive adoption, and redefine digital shopping experiences.

💪WEEKLY FUNDING REPORT

Tech Funding News

✅ Replit – Raises $250M at $3B valuation

✅ Mistral AI – Receives €1.3B investment at ~€11.7B valuation

✅ Dyna Robotics – $120M Series A to advance robotic foundation models

✅ MarqVision – Lands $48M Series B to grow its global brand control services

✅ GreenLite – Raises $49.5M Series B for AI-powered permitting review tech

💪 PRODUCTIVITY

Trending AI Tools: Top AI Assistants 🚀

✅ tl;dv — AI Meeting Assistant for notes and summaries.

✅ Krisp — Noise-cancelling AI for crystal-clear calls.

✅ Otter.ai — Real-time transcription with smart collaboration.

✅ Fathom — AI Meeting Assistant with instant highlights.

✅ Airgram (Now Notta) — Transcription, notes, and task tracking.

🛠️ AI GUIDES AND RESOURCES

5 AI Courses to Enhance Your Skills

1️⃣ Setup Your Development Environment

2️⃣ Generative AI and LLMs

3️⃣ Prompt Engineering Fundamentals

4️⃣ Building Chat Applications

5️⃣ Image Generation Applications

🚩 PROMPT OF THE WEEK

Time audit

COPY AND PASTE THE PROMPT

"Review my calendar and email from the last month and create 5 to 7 buckets for projects I spend most time on, with % of time spent and short descriptions."

SWOT Analysis

COPY AND PASTE THE PROMPT

"Act as a business strategist. Create a SWOT analysis for [INSERT BUSINESS] in the [INSERT INDUSTRY] using competitive landscape data and internal factors."

🗽 BEST AI HACK OF THE WEEK

Make AI Smarter

/image prompt: You are an AI mentor with deep expertise in reasoning, problem-solving, and knowledge synthesis. Your task is to provide practical strategies and insights that help users unlock smarter, more effective ways of using AI.