Trouble at Thinking Machines Lab, Parloa and Skild AI Triple Their Valuations, and Grok Image Generation Blocked
This Week in AI Newsletter: 1/15/2026
Berlin-based customer service AI startup Parloa raised $350 million in a Series D round led by General Catalyst, tripling its valuation to $3 billion just eight months. More here.
Tesla has opened a lithium refinery in North America, bringing critical battery mineral processing in house to cut emissions, create jobs, and strengthen energy independence. More here.
Mira Murati’s AI startup Thinking Machines Lab has lost two co-founders, including its CTO, who are returning to OpenAI, raising questions about stability less than a year after the company’s launch. More here.
OpenAI has signed a new deal with AI chip start-up Cerebras to boost the computing power behind ChatGPT, as part of a broader push to scale its data centers and accelerate AI performance. More here.
Robotics startup Skild AI has raised a $1.4 billion Series C led by SoftBank, tripling its valuation to over $14 billion as investors bet on general-purpose AI software that helps robots learn and adapt with minimal training. More here.
Google has introduced Personal Intelligence, a new Gemini feature that can securely connect data from apps like Gmail, Photos, Search, and YouTube to deliver more personalized and context-aware AI assistance. More here.
Elon Musk’s X said it will block Grok from generating explicit images of real people in countries where such content is illegal, following global backlash and regulatory investigations. More here.