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Major corporations are currently slashing thousands of jobs to fund their massive pivot toward artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the Chinese AI lab DeepSeek is freezing out American chipmakers to partner locally and sparking intense geopolitical drama. To keep all these expanding systems running smoothly, the White House is now forcing tech giants to build their own power plants to prevent consumer grid spikes.

Here's what's making headlines in the world of AI and innovation today.

In today’s AI Pulse

• 🔋 EnergyX – Ride the private lithium boom early.

• 📘 HubSpot Guide – 100 prompts to master ChatGPT.

• 🛡️ Norton Neo – The safe, AI-native browser.

• 💼 Tech Giants – Cut Jobs for AI

• 🖥️ DeepSeek – Snubs US Chipmakers for Huawei

• 🕵️ White House – Demands AI Power Plants

• ⚡ Quick Hits – IN AI TODAY

• 🛠️ Tool to Sharpen Your Skills –🎓 AIGPE® Brainstorming Proficient Certification Program (Accredited)

The coming years won’t just transform technology; they’ll reshape your home, your family life, and the control you have online.

The Lithium Boom is Heating Up

Thanks to growing demand, lithium stock prices grew 2X+ from June 2025 to January 2026. $ALB climbed as high as 227%. $LAC hit 151%. $SQM, 159%.

But the real winner may be a stock not listed on public exchanges, EnergyX.

This $1B unicorn’s patented technology can recover 3X more lithium than traditional methods. That’s earned investment from leaders like General Motors.

Now they’re preparing for commercial production just as experts project 5X demand growth by 2040. They’ve announced what could be one of the US’ largest lithium production facilities and have rights to approximately 150,000 lithium-rich acres across North and South America.

Unlike public stocks, you can buy private EnergyX shares alongside 40,000+ other investors. Invest for $11/share by the 2/26 deadline.

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💼 AI Layoffs Surge Across Industries

🧠The Pulse

A wave of companies from Allianz to Amazon, Autodesk, Nike, Pinterest and WiseTech announced thousands of job cuts tied to AI initiatives. The layoffs reflect a shift toward automation, but experts caution the numbers must be seen in context and that AI adoption can also create jobs in new roles.

📌The Download

• Allianz & Amazon – Allianz plans to cut 1,800 jobs as AI replaces manual work. Amazon confirmed 16,000 cuts and may shed more roles amid AI‑driven restructuring and expects to accelerate automation.

• Autodesk, Nike & Pinterest – Autodesk will cut about 1,000 jobs, 7 % of staff, to redirect resources toward AI tools. Nike plans to eliminate 775 workers. Pinterest expects to trim up to 15 % of its workforce for AI roles worldwide.

• WiseTech & others – WiseTech will cut about 2,000 jobs, nearly one‑third of its staff, after integrating AI. British American Tobacco, MercadoLibre, Dow and others also announced AI‑related layoffs to boost efficiency as part of cost optimisation initiatives.

• Context matters – Analysts stress that AI‑driven layoffs often accompany new hiring for AI roles. Automation tends to shift work rather than eliminate it. Policymakers call for training and reskilling so employees can transition to new tasks created by AI.

💡What This Means for You

Layoff headlines highlight automation anxiety, but they don’t tell the full story. As employers reallocate resources to AI, new roles emerge for those who can work alongside intelligent systems. Investing in reskilling and staying adaptable will help professionals navigate workforce shifts and find opportunities in an AI‑enabled economy in flux.

🌐 DeepSeek Shuts Out U.S. Chipmakers

🧠The Pulse

Chinese AI lab DeepSeek angered U.S. chipmakers by denying Nvidia and AMD early access to its next large model. The company instead partnered with Huawei, citing export restrictions. U.S. officials warn the model was trained on U.S. chips, intensifying tensions over AI and hardware control, sparking geopolitics and retaliation risks.

📌The Download

• Model withheld – DeepSeek declined to give Nvidia and AMD early access to its upcoming DeepSeek‑V2 model, breaking the usual practice. Instead it chose Chinese giant Huawei, reflecting Beijing’s drive for self‑reliance and preference for domestic hardware.

• Export dispute – U.S. officials claim DeepSeek trained its model using Nvidia Blackwell GPUs in violation of export rules. They see the denial as a tactic to disadvantage U.S. hardware makers and boost Chinese suppliers.

• Geopolitical ripple – Analysts warn the episode illustrates escalating tensions over AI hardware. Beijing’s drive for self‑sufficiency could spur U.S. lawmakers to tighten export rules. The dispute may hinder cross‑border collaboration and reshape the global AI hardware market.

• Industry impact – Nvidia and AMD depend on Chinese customers yet face barriers. Losing early access may hinder chip tuning and slow uptake of U.S. silicon. Investors worry domestic alternatives will gain share and complicate growth plans for these firms.

💡What This Means for You

The dispute underscores the fragility of cross‑border AI supply chains. Professionals relying on U.S. silicon should monitor geopolitical risk and diversify vendors. Expect governments to tighten export rules and domestic labs to prioritise national chipmakers, which could affect product performance, pricing and access in uncertain global supply chains dramatically ahead.

⚡️ White House’s AI Power Pledge Shakes Big Tech

🧠The Pulse

The White House will convene Microsoft, Amazon, Anthropic and Meta on March 4 to sign a Rate Payer Protection Pledge. Companies must build their own power plants and cover any resulting consumer electricity price increases. The pledge follows President Trump’s call to ensure AI data centres don’t spike bills soon.

📌The Download

• Pledge summit – The White House will convene Microsoft, Amazon, Anthropic and Meta on March 4 to sign a Rate Payer Protection Pledge requiring them to build power plants and refund consumers if data centres increase electricity bills.

• Trump’s demand – President Trump used his State of the Union address to tell tech firms they must supply their own power so that consumers’ prices stay flat. The pledge echoes this call, further emphasising independence and turning suggestions into binding commitments.

• Cost guarantee – Under the pledge, companies must cover 100 % of any consumer electricity price increases tied to their data centre projects. Microsoft supports measures preventing rates from climbing and Anthropic pledges to fully pay all increased costs.

• Power strain – Data centres gulp power; Big Tech’s $600 billion AI push threatens to strain grids. Mandating self-generated electricity seeks to avoid blackouts and could accelerate renewable and gas projects across the AI boom.

💡What This Means for You

Professionals should expect AI cloud services to come with sustainability mandates. When choosing vendors, evaluate whether providers invest in their own energy infrastructure and pass zero cost increases to customers. This may influence procurement, budgeting and corporate sustainability reporting in a rapidly electrifying AI economy around climate policy compliance too.

IN AI TODAY - QUICK HITS

⚡Quick Hits (60‑Second News Sprint)

Short, sharp updates to keep your finger on the AI pulse.

• OpenAI Snags Meta Star in Talent Arms Race: OpenAI lured Ruoming Pang, a leading AI researcher who had joined Meta just months earlier after building Apple’s core models team. The move underscores the talent war as AI labs trade billions for expertise. Pang’s compensation package is reportedly worth about $200 million, sparking envy across Silicon Valley right now.

• Google Absorbs Intrinsic to Advance Physical AI: Intrinsic, Alphabet’s robotics spin‑out, will join Google to accelerate physical AI. CEO Wendy Tan White said the merger will allow them to leverage Gemini models and Google Cloud to scale adaptive robots for manufacturing. The move signals Google’s renewed focus on robotics and industrial automation with broad market implications ahead.

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🙌 About Us

AI Pulse is the official newsletter of AIGPE®. Our mission: help professionals master Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management, and now AI, so you can deliver breakthroughs that stick.

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