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Qatar Taps Silicon Valley to Power Its AI Future

Qatar, the small but extremely wealthy country on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula—bordered by Saudi Arabia and surrounded by the Persian Gulf—is taking a big leap into AI.

With a population of under 3 million, it’s known for its vast natural gas and oil reserves, which have made it one of the richest countries in the world per capita.

The government has signed a five-year deal with Scale AI, one of Silicon Valley’s fastest-growing startups, to build a wide range of AI tools that aim to improve how public services run day to day.

• In education, they’re piloting an AI learning platform and virtual teacher assistant.

• In healthcare, tools like AI-powered scribes and automated appointment systems are in the works.

• For civil services, Scale is building agents to help with permits, licensing, and even legal document reviews.

• And in tourism and transport, AI will help manage traffic, detect incidents, and offer travelers a more personalized experience.

The deal supports Qatar’s National Development Strategy and Digital Agenda 2030 to diversify the economy, drive innovation, and build a tech-savvy workforce.

The country has already invested $2.5 billion in data and AI infrastructure amid fierce regional competition, with neighboring Saudi Arabia and the UAE making substantial investments in AI.

Should You Say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ to ChatGPT?

We all know ChatGPT uses energy to run. But last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pointed out something more specific: being polite to AI (saying “please” and “thank you”) is quietly driving up power usage in a big way.

These niceties often lead to more responses and more back-and-forth. That means more computing. Altman says this behavior is now costing OpenAI tens of millions due to increased demand on their infrastructure.

Each query already uses about 0.3 watt-hours—ten times more than a Google search. That may not sound like much, but across hundreds of millions of prompts a day, small habits add up fast.

But there’s another angle to this: some researchers worry that the more casually we interact with AI, the more we risk losing our “niceness muscles“. When we stop practicing patience, empathy, and everyday kindness we might slowly unlearn those habits in our real relationships too.

Even Sam Altman called it “money well spent.” What do you think?

Is Google Too Powerful? The Courts Decide Now

Google has been fighting antitrust lawsuits for years. On Monday, the company heads to court again—this time, to face a trial that could change how we all use the internet.

The US government is pushing for big changes, including possibly breaking up parts of Google’s business.

The context: Last year, judges ruled that Google was acting like a monopoly in search and online advertising. Now, the government is arguing that to fix this, Google needs to make real changes—like selling off its Chrome browser, ending exclusive search deals with Apple, and sharing data with competitors.

The concern is that Google’s control over search and ads makes it almost impossible for rivals like DuckDuckGo and Bing to compete. Google’s take is that its products are popular because they work better, not because they block competitors.

This is the most serious antitrust challenge Google has ever faced—and the closest any US tech company has come to being broken up since Microsoft in the early 2000s.

Back then, Microsoft was found guilty of monopolistic practices, and a judge even ordered it to split into two companies. That breakup was overturned on appeal, but the case still forced Microsoft to change how it did business—and opened the door for new competitors.

One of those new competitors? Google. 😲

Kevin Hart Just Leveled Up The Hustle - With AI

Superstar comedian and Hollywood actor Kevin Hart just entered the AI chat.

I’m a huge fan of Kevin Hart—not just for the comedy, but for the hustle. He’s built an empire across film, TV, fitness, spirits, and tech.

Now, his Coramino Fund has opened a new round of $10,000 grants for entrepreneurs in under-resourced communities across the U.S. and Mexico. With an incredible add-on: Grant recipients also get hands-on AI training to help scale their businesses—faster and more cost-effectively. 🥳

The goal is to help small business owners learn how to use new AI skills, like automating tasks, improving customer service, and making marketing more efficient. Hart says it’s about keeping up with the times: “The train is coming fast—either you’re on it, or get out of the way.”

As more large companies adopt AI, this program aims to make sure smaller businesses aren’t left behind. It’s support that goes beyond funding—giving entrepreneurs both capital and the skills they need to grow.