FUTURE POWERED by AI

🗣Mark Cuban’s advice for graduates walking into their first job. Learning AI is no longer optional. "If you’re not the person who knows how to do vibe coding or how to do all these different things with agents and Claude, somebody who does is going to take your place. If your boss enables you to use that extra knowledge, great. If they don’t enable you to use that extra knowledge, they’re not going to be your boss very long. And if the CEO doesn’t understand that, he or she is not going to be the CEO very long. And if they still keep that CEO who’s not using AI to get ahead, you tell me, so I can start a company to kick their ass."

According to Goldman Sachs, the world will pour $7.6 trillion into AI infrastructure between now and 2031. Annual spending is expected to jump from $765 billion in 2026 to a staggering $1.6 trillion by the end of the decade. Where’s all that money going? ⚡ $5.1 trillion will fund AI chips and compute. 🏗️ $2.1 trillion will build massive AI data centers. 🔋 $358 billion will expand the power infrastructure needed to keep them running. The biggest winner? Nvidia. Goldman estimates the chip giant could capture 75% of all AI compute spending, making it the largest direct beneficiary of the AI boom. But it’s not just about GPUs anymore. AI factories are becoming energy monsters. Traditional server racks typically consume 5–15 kW of power, while next-generation AI racks are already pushing 500+ kW. That surge is creating huge opportunities for companies like Vertiv, which specializes in cooling and power systems, and Vistra, which could benefit from the growing need for reliable nucle...

Software engineers face new challenges as they are increasingly required to work with code they did not create. With the rise of artificial intelligence in software development, professionals now spend more time verifying and managing AI-generated code rather than writing it themselves. This shift has added complexity to the engineering process, emphasizing code review and oversight over original development.

Cloudflare has rolled out a new monetization layer for the “agentic web,” allowing AI agents to make direct payments using the x402 protocol at the network edge. This advancement means that AI agents can pay websites directly instead of depending solely on free pages or existing API agreements. Currently, AI products access external information through contracts, scraping, APIs, or public sources. Cloudflare's system aims to make resource access resemble a paid HTTP request. When an agent requests a protected resource, the request can be denied until payment is made. Website owners can specify access charges, like “$0.01 per call,” with Cloudflare ensuring payment compliance at the edge. Agents will receive a 402 Payment Required response, complete the payment, and then proceed with proof of payment. This innovation integrates payment into the core web request process, assuming agents can manage wallets and adhere to spending protocols.

The European Parliament is considering a proposal to reintroduce the scanning of private messages on digital platforms—an initiative previously rejected twice. The plan would allow platforms to access users’ private chats, described officially as voluntary, but seen as a broad surveillance measure. This proposal is returning via an expedited parliamentary process, though no emergency has been identified; the transitional regulation has lapsed, and there is time for debate. For approval, the measure requires an absolute majority of all MEPs, not just those present. Absence of members increases its likelihood to pass. The process has been criticized for bypassing standard democratic procedures and revisiting a measure that Parliament has twice declined.

China is set to restrict overseas access to its most advanced AI models. Authorities have engaged with major tech companies like Alibaba, ByteDance, and Z.ai, focusing on keeping leading-edge Chinese AI systems within the country, including unreleased models. Talks were led by the Ministry of Commerce, joined by state planning officials, indicating intentions to impose export controls rather than simple tech regulation. Both closed-source and open-weight AI models are included in these proposed controls, extending beyond just API limitations to downloadable AI systems. Further discussions addressed treating leaks or theft of proprietary AI as a national security concern, and tightening rules on foreign investment in Chinese AI startups. These steps would simultaneously restrict access to technology, funding, and expertise. U.S. authorities have already imposed their own restrictions on AI exports, increasing concerns about the emergence of national barriers in the global AI sector.

The cuts affect about 2.1% of Microsoft’s workforce, hitting commercial operations and the Xbox division. Microsoft says these jobs aren’t being replaced directly by AI but the company’s enormous AI spending is clearly driving the pressure. Azure continues to grow rapidly, yet building the infrastructure to power AI is becoming incredibly expensive. Microsoft now expects to spend $190 billion in 2026, a figure that shocked analysts and highlights just how costly the AI race has become. Xbox is feeling the squeeze too. Hardware costs have climbed, console demand has cooled, and even heavier investment in games hasn’t delivered the revenue boost Microsoft hoped for. Reports suggest Xbox operating margins are hovering around 3%.