Capex Surges, Model Access Risks, and the Next Wave of Physical AI

In today’s episode of AI in Flow, Claire and Peter unpack a packed slate of AI developments shaping strategy and operations. Alphabet posts blockbuster cloud growth while raising AI capex guidance, highlighting the tension between soaring demand and escalating infrastructure costs. The conversation then shifts to rising model-provenance and geopolitical risks—from allegations of covert model distillation to renewed concerns about sudden restrictions on access to US frontier models—before zooming out to the wider compute crunch hitting CPUs, memory, and supply chains. They also cover Amazon’s shifting priorities inside its AGI org, major US Department of Energy funding for scientific AI, why most manufacturers still haven’t scaled “Physical AI,” Alibaba’s full-stack robotics push, and China’s new rules aimed at limiting emotionally manipulative AI companions. The throughline: resilience—designing AI programs for optionality, continuity, and governance, not just performance.About Six & FlowSix & Flow is a digital transformation consultancy helping businesses adapt, grow, and thrive in a fast-changing world. We specialise in AI, CRM, and revenue operations, blending strategy, technology, and creativity to deliver measurable impact. From scaling startups to global enterprises, we partner with ambitious teams to unlock growth through smart automation, customer-centric marketing, and forward-thinking sales enablement. Learn more at sixandflow.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.