Welcome to AI Insider’s The Week Ahead in AI. See the key developments and events we’re watching Dec. 14 – Dec. 20.
Weekend AI News Briefs
Wall Street Sees AI Bubble Coming and Is Betting on What Pops It
Investor confidence in the AI boom is being tested as soaring capital spending, slowing growth rates, and mounting debt raise questions about whether today’s AI-driven market rally is sustainable, Bloomberg reports. While valuations remain below dot-com-era extremes and Big Tech continues to invest heavily, skepticism is growing around returns on AI infrastructure spending, leaving investors split between doubling down on the technology or bracing for a rotation. (Yahoo News)
Why Humanoid Robots Still Can’t Survive in the Real World
Despite rapid advances in robotics hardware, general-purpose humanoid robots remain confined to labs and tightly controlled environments because machines still lack the embodied, physical intuition humans acquire through real-world experience, Scientific American. Researchers are experimenting with teleoperation and simulation to close this gap, but experts remain divided on timelines, suggesting widespread, everyday humanoid deployment is still years — if not decades — away. (Scientific American)
Questions of Accuracy Arise as Washington Post Uses AI to Create Personalized Podcasts
The Washington Post has launched an AI-powered, personalized podcast that automatically generates audio briefings based on a user’s reading history, aiming to broaden its audience and scale audio journalism with lower production costs. NPR reports the experiment has drawn criticism over accuracy, transparency, and trust, highlighting broader tensions as news organizations test AI-driven personalization while trying to protect editorial standards and the human connection audiences expect. (NPR)
Research & Innovation
Google Increases Support of AI Utilization for Science Research
Google is expanding its “AI for Science” push in Japan through new partnerships with universities including Tohoku University and Kyoto University, combining funding and advanced AI systems to accelerate medical and scientific research, according to The Asahi Shimbun. The initiatives range from dementia-risk studies and AI-generated hypothesis testing to broader use of Google’s AlphaFold and co-scientist tools, underscoring the company’s growing role as a core platform for AI-driven discovery beyond its traditional tech business. (The Asahi Shimbun)
Policy & Governance
New York Mandates AI Advertising Disclosures, Faces Showdown Over Trump Executive Order
New York has become the first U.S. state to require advertisers to disclose the use of AI-generated performers and to restrict the use of deceased performers’ digital likenesses, setting a new transparency standard for commercial AI use, according to Yahoo News. The move sets up a potential clash with President Donald Trump’s new executive order seeking to preempt state AI regulations, raising the prospect of legal battles and federal funding threats as states push consumer and labor protections. (Yahoo News)
Florida Governor DeSantis Proposed Citizen Bill of Rights for Artificial Intelligence
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights and companion legislation aimed at restricting AI data centers, seeking to strengthen consumer privacy, limit AI use of personal likeness, bar certain foreign AI tools, and give local governments authority to reject hyperscale data center projects. The move puts Florida on a potential collision course with President Donald Trump’s push for federal preemption of state AI laws, underscoring growing tension between state-level consumer protections and efforts to establish a single national AI regulatory framework. (West Orlando News)
Upcoming Earnings
Micron Technology (MU)
Micron Technology is expected to report fiscal first-quarter earnings after market close on Wednesday, Dec. 17, with analysts forecasting earnings of $3.65 per share, according to Zacks Investment Research. The estimate compares with reported EPS of $1.62 in the same quarter last year, keeping Micron’s results closely watched as a barometer for AI-driven memory demand. (Nasdaq)
Upcoming Conferences & Events
Global Artificial Intelligence Virtual Conference
Dec. 15–17, Virtual. The Global Artificial Intelligence Virtual Conference is a vendor-agnostic event featuring 40+ expert speakers and 30+ sessions focused on generative AI, large language models, and applied AI across industries including finance, healthcare, and retail. (Global Artificial Intelligence Virtual Conference)
International Conference on Robotics, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence
Dec. 18–20, Singapore. The 5th International Conference on Robotics, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence (RAAI 2025) brings together researchers and industry leaders for keynotes, technical sessions, workshops, and exhibitions focused on advances in robotics, automation, machine learning, computer vision, and intelligent control systems. (RAAI 2025)
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