From Legal Disruption to AI Factories: The Week in AI and Tech - 27.3.2025

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has launched a new tech hub in Seattle, aiming to leverage expertise from Microsoft and Amazon to bolster its AI capabilities through staff rotations, thereby positioning Australia as a leader in AI innovation. Industry leaders predict that advancements in artificial general intelligence (AGI) could render many traditional legal roles obsolete by 2035, indicating a potential seismic shift in the legal profession. Meanwhile, the startup Extropic focuses on developing energy-efficient AI chips by using thermodynamic fluctuations to minimize energy consumption. In a significant move, the U.S. government has added over 50 Chinese tech firms to its export blacklist to hinder their advancements in AI, quantum computing, and military technologies that could pose threats to U.S. interests. Bill Gates has noted that professions in coding, energy, and biology are expected to be more resilient against AI-driven changes, emphasizing their importance in the evolving job market. Prominent U.S. robotics companies, including Tesla and Boston Dynamics, are advocating for a national strategy to enhance their competitiveness against Chinese advancements. They propose measures such as federal offices, tax incentives, and increased research funding. Google DeepMind has unveiled Gemini 2.5, its most advanced AI model to date, which shows enhanced reasoning capabilities, marking progress for AI applications across various sectors. Additionally, researchers at MIT have created a new AI tool that improves image generation efficiency, significantly cutting energy use and enabling operation on personal devices. In noteworthy business news, Dell Technologies reported achieving $10 billion in annual revenue from its AI server segment, bolstered by a partnership with Nvidia to meet growing AI demands. Nvidia, at its annual GTC conference, announced a shift from being a traditional chip manufacturer to an AI infrastructure company, highlighting the growing importance of AI factories and showcasing innovations in chip design and robotics, according to multiple sources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices