Wednesday, September 16, 2026 - 5 Minute AI News

Google releases Gemini 3.8 Live, Profound raises 180 million for AI optimization, Agility debuts a cageless humanoid robot, Evvy secures 40 million, and the Gates Foundation invests 1 billion.

1. Google DeepMind releases Gemini 3.8 Live to undercut OpenAI pricing — Google launched Gemini 3.8 Live and Extended Thinking models with near-real-time reasoning. The models target OpenAI's market share by offering top-tier benchmark performance at 0.005 cents per million tokens.
2. Marketing tech startup Profound secures $180 million Series D funding — Profound raised $180 million to help brands boost visibility within AI services. The investment highlights growing demand for AI Engine Optimization as companies adapt to consumer language models.
3. Agility Robotics unveils cageless Digit 5 humanoid for factory environments — Agility Robotics introduced Digit 5, a humanoid robot featuring advanced spatial awareness and collision avoidance. This enables the robot to work alongside humans without requiring physical safety barriers.
4. Women's health startup Evvy raises $40 million to scale AI diagnostics — Evvy secured $40 million in Series B funding to analyze vaginal microbiome data. The platform uses machine learning to address historical research and diagnostic gaps in women's health.
5. Gates Foundation commits $1 billion to democratize global AI access — Bill Gates announced a $1 billion investment to expand AI tools in health, education, and agriculture. The initiative aims to combat data bias and ensure equitable access across global sectors.

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