Want Funding? Google’s AI Cash Grab Just Went Live; Apply Now!

Here is what’s new in the AI world.

Google has unveiled the AI Futures Fund, a year-round, no-deadline funding initiative aimed at startups leveraging its advanced AI models like Gemini and Imagen. Designed to foster innovation without rigid timelines, the program offers tailored support to early- to late-stage companies building AI-driven solutions.

Key Benefits for Selected Startups

Early adopters include:

• Viggle: An AI meme generator blending humor with machine learning.

• Toonsutra: A digital comic platform using Gemini to translate and localize content across India’s diverse languages.

Flexible Eligibility

The fund welcomes startups at any stage, though focus leans toward early- and mid-growth ventures. Google emphasizes flexibility, avoiding preset investment sizes or cohort structures.

Founders can apply starting May 12, with no urgency; submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis.

The AI Futures Fund complements Google’s global investments in AI development:

• $20M Google.org AI Grants for researchers.

• $120M Global AI Opportunity Fund for education.

• $20M Generative AI Accelerator for non-profits.

For AI startups, this initiative offers rare access to Google’s resources without the pressure of rushed deadlines.

By backing diverse, scalable projects, from creative tools to multilingual platforms, Google aims to cement its role as a catalyst in the AI revolution while nurturing solutions that align with real-world needs.

How Open-Source AI Could Dominate Corporate Finance

Extend's platform prioritizes flexibility, allowing users to seamlessly connect with their preferred banking institutions and credit cards. Its multi-framework compatibility enables effortless integration of the Extend API into custom AI-driven workflows, empowering businesses to tailor financial solutions to their needs.

AI-Powered Toolkit Capabilities

The platform’s integrated AI toolkit transforms financial management through:

• Natural Language Queries: Users can interact with financial data using everyday language.

• Advanced Analytics & Reporting: Generate customized reports and gain deep insights into spending trends.

• Automation: Streamline expense categorization, budget tracking, and payment monitoring.

• Cost Optimization: AI agents analyze expenditure patterns to identify savings and track emerging payment trends.

Extend’s launch of an open-source AI toolkit underscores its focus on innovation and user-centric design. By embedding AI into its expense management platform, Extend simplifies complex financial tasks while delivering actionable insights, enabling businesses to maintain precise fiscal control.

Executives highlight ongoing development to integrate advanced AI automation, further enhancing the platform’s efficiency and scalability.

Strategic Visa Collaboration

In March 2025, Extend partnered with Visa to optimize B2B payments for mid-market companies. This alliance aims to:

• Strengthen financial oversight and fraud prevention.

• Simplify accounting processes via virtual cards.

• Address the growing demand for secure, efficient payment methods.

Virtual Card Market Growth

Global virtual card transactions are projected to skyrocket from 3.1 trillion in 2023 to 14 trillion by 2028, reflecting their rising adoption as a preferred payment solution for businesses prioritizing security and operational efficiency.

Extend’s dual focus on AI innovation and strategic partnerships positions it as a leader in modern financial management, driving both technological advancement and practical value for enterprises.

EdTech’s $1B Secret: Chegg’s AI Move Could Crush Student Jobs

U.S.-based education technology firm Chegg has announced a restructuring plan that includes laying off approximately 22% of its workforce, affecting 248 employees, citing declining demand as students increasingly turn to AI-driven tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews. The move aims to streamline operations and reduce costs in response to shifting trends in the edtech landscape.

AI Disruption and Legal Challenges

Chegg attributes its struggles to the growing dominance of AI platforms, which retain users within their ecosystems. Google’s expansion of AI Overviews and Gemini has diverted search traffic, while competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic offer free academic resources, eroding Chegg’s traditional user base.

In February 2025, Chegg filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that AI-generated summaries in search results undercut content creators, leading to reduced traffic and subscription losses.

Restructuring Measures and Financial Impact

As part of its cost-cutting strategy, Chegg will close its U.S. and Canada offices by year-end and scale back marketing, product development, and administrative expenses.

The company anticipates restructuring charges of 34–38 million in Q2 and Q3 of 2025, with projected savings of 34–38 million in Q2 and Q3 of 2025, with projected savings of 45–55 million in 2025 and $100–110 million by 2026.

Q1 2025 Financial Decline

Recent earnings revealed a sharp downturn: subscriptions plummeted 31% to 3.2 million, while revenue fell 30% to 121 million.

Broader Implications for Edtech

Chegg’s challenges highlight the transformative pressure AI exerts on traditional edtech models, forcing companies to adapt or risk obsolescence.

As AI continues to reshape how students access information, the sector faces a pivotal moment in balancing innovation with sustainable business practices.

Meet OpenAI’s New CEO of Apps, The Biggest Threat to Google & Microsoft?

OpenAI has named Fidji Simo, current board member and outgoing Instacart CEO, as its first CEO of Applications, a newly created role underscoring the company’s focus on product monetization and consumer-facing innovation.

Simo, who will transition from Instacart later this year, brings a track record of driving ad revenue and scaling platforms, having previously led Meta’s News Feed monetization and Instacart’s ad business to significant growth.

Simo’s appointment fuels speculation that OpenAI may integrate advertisements into ChatGPT, despite CEO Sam Altman’s past aversion to ad-based models. Her expertise aligns with OpenAI’s hinted monetization strategies: CFO Sarah Friar recently acknowledged exploring an ad model “thoughtfully,” while reports indicate hiring from Meta and Google’s ad teams.

Analysts suggest ChatGPT’s 500 million weekly users offer a lucrative ad revenue opportunity, though Altman historically criticized ads as conflicting with mission integrity, a stance likened to Google’s founders, who later embraced ads as a core revenue stream.

OpenAI appears poised to dominate the AI application layer, expanding features that encroach on niche startups. Recent launches include:

This vertical integration challenges Altman’s earlier assurance that startups leveraging OpenAI’s models would thrive. Investors like Anish Acharya (a16z) argue OpenAI must “own the consumption layer” to secure economics amid competition from multi-model platforms.

Strategic Moves and Contradictions

• Social Media Ambitions: Reports suggest OpenAI is developing a platform to rival Meta.

• AGI Funding Push: Acharya notes OpenAI aims to capture ecosystem value to fund AGI development, necessitating control over applications.

Balancing Mission and Monetization

While Altman emphasizes research and safety, Simo’s role signals a pivot toward scalable revenue streams. The tension between ethical AI and profitability mirrors Google’s evolution, highlighting the challenge of sustaining growth without compromising principles.

As AI reshapes information consumption, OpenAI’s moves could redefine industry dynamics, pressuring both traditional publishers and AI startups. OpenAI declined to comment on its advertising roadmap or Simo’s strategic influence.

How OpenAI & Microsoft Could Crush AI Rivals Overnight

OpenAI and Microsoft are renegotiating their landmark partnership to facilitate the ChatGPT creator’s potential public listing while ensuring Microsoft retains access to critical artificial intelligence advancements, according to a Financial Times report.

Under the revised terms, Microsoft may relinquish part of its equity stake in OpenAI’s for-profit subsidiary in exchange for guaranteed access to AI models developed beyond 2030, when their current agreement expires.

This adjustment aims to modernize the original 2019 pact, which began with Microsoft’s initial 1 billion investment and has since grown to over 1 billion investment and has since grown to over 13.75 billion in funding.

The restructuring comes as OpenAI reverses earlier plans to transition fully to a for-profit structure amid pressure from former employees, academics, and critics like Elon Musk, who argue against prioritizing commercial interests over AI safety.

Microsoft, however, remains focused on safeguarding its substantial investment, insisting any structural changes prioritize its stake’s security, as noted by Bloomberg sources.

The negotiations highlight the delicate balance between OpenAI’s ambition for independence and Microsoft’s strategic reliance on its AI innovations, which underpin products like Copilot.

The outcome could redefine their collaboration, shaping OpenAI’s path to an IPO while maintaining their symbiotic technological alliance.

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-Shen & Towards AGI team