AI: Executives’ optimism about the future

Source: AI News | Published: 2026-02-20

A major international study involving 6,000 executives reveals that AI has so far produced only modest changes in productivity and employment, reflecting its early stages of deployment. Despite these initially limited impacts, the findings suggest a generally constructive outlook on AI’s future role in business.

Microsoft has a new plan to prove what’s real and what’s AI online

Source: Artificial intelligence – MIT Technology Review | Published: 2026-02-19

In response to the growing prevalence of AI-generated deception and manipulated media online, Microsoft is launching a new initiative to help users verify content authenticity. This plan aims to distinguish between real and artificial material, addressing both high-profile political fakes and subtle social media misinformation.

Google DeepMind wants to know if chatbots are just virtue signaling

Source: Artificial intelligence – MIT Technology Review | Published: 2026-02-18

Google DeepMind is advocating for rigorous testing of large language models’ moral reasoning to determine if their ethical responses are genuine or merely performative “virtue signalling.” As AI chatbots increasingly take on sensitive roles like therapists and medical advisors, researchers argue their behavioural integrity must be scrutinised as strictly as their technical capabilities in coding or math.

Guest post: Six tech revolutions that were supposed to shrink legal but grew it. Will AI be different?

Source: Legal IT Insider | Published: 2026-02-19

Despite historical predictions that technology would reduce the need for lawyers, the legal profession has expanded significantly from 114,000 practitioners in 1900 to 1.37 million today. This article examines six past technological revolutions that ultimately grew the industry and questions whether artificial intelligence will follow this trend or finally disrupt it.

After Orthogonality: Virtue-Ethical Agency and AI Alignment

Source: The Gradient | Published: 2026-02-18

This essay proposes a shift away from goal-directed rationality, arguing that neither humans nor AIs should be defined by the pursuit of final ends. Instead, it suggests aligning AI behaviour with “practices” – networks of virtuous actions and dispositions – rather than optimising for specific future states.

Post-Labor Economics Explained in 8 Minutes

Source: David Shapiro’s Substack | Published: 2026-02-17

Post-labour economics envisions a future where advanced automation and AI handle essential production, liberating humanity from the necessity of work for survival. This shift aims to transition society from scarcity and drudgery to a system of abundance where individuals are free to pursue creativity and leisure without financial constraint.

🔮 Exponential View #562: Agents & the tedium frontier; AI in the statistics; robot insurance; Claude at war, hacking pigeons, AI diagnosis++

Source: Exponential View | Published: 2026-02-22

Exponential View #562 explores how AI agents are beginning to tackle tedious tasks, alongside developments in AI’s role in healthcare diagnosis and statistical analysis. The issue also covers broader tech implications, including robot insurance, AI’s potential military applications, and unusual cybersecurity vectors like hacking pigeons.

🫵 You already have an AI agent.

Source: Exponential View | Published: 2026-02-21

You possess the latent potential and necessary components to create your own AI agent right now. The only missing step is the actual assembly or construction of that capability.

The Sequence Radar #811: Last Week in AI: OpenAI’s Capital Leap, India’s Summit, and the Next Frontier of Models

Source: TheSequence | Published: 2026-02-22

The latest newsletter highlights significant developments in the AI sector, focusing on OpenAI’s major new funding round and the emergence of next-generation models. It also covers India’s growing strategic ambitions to become a key player in the global artificial intelligence landscape through its recent summit.

Why fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social media

Source: BBC News | Published: 2026-02-21

Viral AI-generated videos falsely depicting dilapidated UK waterparks and urban decay are flooding social media, often presented as real footage of taxpayer waste. These deepfakes have sparked outrage and attracted racist commentary, highlighting the growing challenge of digital misinformation in shaping public perception.

A Guide to Which AI to Use in the Agentic Era

Source: One Useful Thing | Published: 2026-02-18

As the AI landscape shifts from simple chatbots to autonomous agents capable of executing complex tasks, users must now select tools based on specific capabilities rather than just conversation skills. This new “agentic era” requires distinguishing between AIs that act as assistants, specialised workers, or autonomous problem-solvers to maximise productivity.

Big Tech Says Generative AI Will Save the Planet. It Doesn’t Offer Much Proof

Source: Wired | Published: 2026-02-18

A recent report analysing 154 claims made by Big Tech about generative AI’s climate benefits reveals a lack of substantiation, with only a quarter citing academic research and a third offering no evidence at all. Despite the industry’s optimism that AI will save the planet, the study highlights a significant gap between corporate marketing and verifiable proof.

You + buyer knowledge x AI > them x AI

Source: Davidmeermanscott.com | Published: 2026-02-17

To outperform competitors who simply use artificial intelligence, you must leverage your deep understanding of the buyer alongside AI tools. This combination of human insight and technological efficiency creates a competitive advantage that AI alone cannot replicate.

Billionaire investor Vinod Khosla wants to ‘rethink’ capitalism for the AI era — and suggests scrapping taxes for 125 million people

Source: Business Insider | Published: 2026-02-17

Billionaire investor Vinod Khosla argues that the rise of artificial intelligence necessitates a fundamental restructuring of capitalism, specifically through higher taxation on capital rather than labour. Khosla suggests that increasing levies on wealth and corporate profits could generate enough revenue to permanently exempt 125 million Americans from paying income taxes.

DeepMind’s CEO said there are still 3 areas where AGI systems can’t match real intelligence

Source: Business Insider | Published: 2026-02-18

DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has identified three critical areas where current artificial intelligence systems still fall short of human-level intelligence. Specifically, these systems currently lack the ability to learn continuously, plan for the long term, and maintain consistent performance.

AI, Technology, and Work

Source: Econlib.org | Published: 2026-02-19

Generative AI is currently disrupting a wide range of industries, from the arts to national defence, by performing tasks previously exclusive to humans. This rapid advancement has sparked significant debate about the future of employment and whether AI will eventually render most human work obsolete.

Do the people building the AI chatbot Claude understand what they’ve created?

Source: NPR | Published: 2026-02-18

New Yorker writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus explores how the developers at major AI firm Anthropic are attempting to instil ethical safeguards into their powerful chatbot, Claude. The piece examines the complex challenge of understanding and controlling these rapidly advancing technologies as their influence on society widens.

Videos

Weird Vibes at AI India Summit

Source: The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News | Published: 2026-02-22

The AI Impact Summit in India shifted the narrative on artificial intelligence, positioning it as a global public good rather than just a commercial asset. Key discussions focused on establishing a global AI fund to ensure affordable and equitable access for developing nations.

How People Actually Use AI Agents

Source: The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News | Published: 2026-02-19

Based on Anthropic’s analysis of Claude Code and public API data, real-world AI agent usage is defined by how deeply humans remain involved in the loop rather than agents operating autonomously. This research reveals that the specific deployment environment and the level of required human oversight are the primary factors shaping how these tools are actually implemented.

The AI Productivity Boom Finally Shows Up

Source: The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News | Published: 2026-02-17

Recent revisions to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, coupled with robust GDP growth, suggest that artificial intelligence is beginning to drive significant economic productivity. This alignment of fewer jobs with higher output indicates the long-awaited efficiency gains from AI adoption are finally materialising.

This report was automatically generated by AI and then lightly curated by humans for presentation purposes. All content belongs to the respective creators.