Welcome to CHAIN, your daily briefing on the fast-paced world of AI technology. Every day, we bring you the most important updates on the transformative revolution unfolding right now.

Let’s dive into today’s top stories.

Scale AI has secured a significant contract with the U.S. Defense Department to integrate AI agents for decision-making under the Thunderforge program, emphasizing a growing partnership between Silicon Valley and the military. In the realm of dating, Match Group's Tinder is introducing an AI 'Wingman' designed to enhance user experience by assisting in photo selection, messaging, and conversation coaching, aiming for a safer dating landscape.

Concerns surrounding privacy have been voiced by Meredith Whittaker, President of the Signal Technology Foundation, who cautioned against the risks of agentic AI systems operating independently, potentially compromising sensitive data security. Meanwhile, a report from UMD-LinkUp AI Maps highlighted New York, Seattle, and San Jose as prime locations for AI job opportunities, beneficially juxtaposing fears of job displacement with emerging employment prospects in tech hubs.

In the fast-food sector, McDonald’s has announced plans to roll out AI technology across its 43,000 locations, including smart kitchen equipment and AI-driven drive-throughs to enhance service efficiency. Meta has launched its newest language model, Llama 4, intensifying its competition with AI giants like OpenAI and Google.

Elon Musk’s xAI has introduced Grok-3, an AI model that reportedly outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-4 on various metrics, thanks to advanced computing resources. Additionally, Cerebras unveiled the CS-3 and third-generation Wafer Scale Engine (WSE-3), boasting a twofold performance increase and significantly fast AI training capabilities.

OpenAI made headlines in 2025 by launching the DeepSeek “DeepSeek-R1” and unveiling The Stargate Project, a massive AI infrastructure initiative in partnership with Oracle and others. The company also rebuffed a substantial acquisition offer from Musk and is developing a bespoke AI chip in collaboration with Broadcom, set for mass production in 2026.

Lastly, the recent AI Action Summit brought together global leaders, including French President Macron, to discuss AI's societal implications, stressing the need for regulations that promote innovation while addressing environmental sustainability and economic disparities.

See you tomorrow.

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