Europe’s Mistral benefits from search for artificial intelligence alternatives

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Europe’s best-known artificial intelligence start-up Mistral AI has secured new contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, driving an upturn in its business that could help fuel a potential $1bn fundraising this year. Paris-based Mistral … Read more

Apple’s struggles to update Siri lead to investor concerns over AI strategy

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Apple is struggling to deliver upgrades to its artificial intelligence voice assistant for the iPhone, with investors downbeat about the potential for major AI announcements at its flagship annual event next week. Recently departed employees … Read more

‘I did not expect the blowback’

Is Luis von Ahn’s job as chief executive of Duolingo vulnerable to displacement by artificial intelligence? “I’m not going to claim CEOs are that special,” he says. “It’s just somebody has to tell others . . . ‘This is where we’re going.’ And AI is not particularly good at that yet.” Judging by recent controversy around the gamified language-learning … Read more

China arms itself for more export control battles

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China’s success in snarling global supply chains by stemming the flow of rare earths has piled pressure on Washington and made clear Beijing’s power to weaponise export controls on a wider range of critical goods, … Read more

Trump’s Golden Dome pits Silicon Valley against defence giants

Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile shield has triggered a lobbying battle between Silicon Valley and America’s biggest defence groups as they fight for a slice of the ambitious $175bn project. The Trump administration’s explicit call for “non-traditional” contractors has fired up competition to create the experimental defence system, pitting established giants such Lockheed Martin and … Read more

Mr Darcy and the Mandela effect

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Social affairs myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Do you remember that scene in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice — you know, the one where Colin Firth, as the brooding Mr Darcy, emerges from a lake in a dripping wet white … Read more