AI News You Can Use- Friday, January 16th, 2026

AI is turning into national infrastructure, not just software. We are talking supply chain, power, global expansion, and government rules.

1) OpenAI invests in brain-computer interface startup Merge Labs (seed round)

OpenAI announced it invested in Merge Labs, a new brain-tech company co-founded by Sam Altman. Merge raised $252M, and is building non-invasive brain-computer interface tech. This is a bold signal: OpenAI is not only building AI, it’s looking at the next “input device” for humans.

2) OpenAI launches a U.S. manufacturing RFP for the AI supply chain

OpenAI published a new initiative to strengthen the U.S. AI supply chain using domestic manufacturing, with a formal Request for Proposals targeting:

data center inputs
consumer electronics
robotics

This matters because it ties AI growth to industrial capacity, not just code.

3) Anthropic appoints ex-Microsoft leader Irina Ghose as Managing Director for India

Reuters reports Anthropic hired longtime Microsoft executive Irina Ghose to lead India operations. Anthropic plans to open its first office in India (Bengaluru) in early 2026. Anthropic also says India is now the second-largest market for Claude. This is a major international expansion move.

4) Anthropic “Cowork” rolls out, bringing agent-style AI to everyday office work

New coverage highlights Claude’s “Cowork” concept, helping handle documents and workflows, pushing Claude closer to an always-on workplace teammate. This is part of the larger shift from chatbots to autonomous work agents.

5) U.S. Congress: bill drafted to make NIST CAISI permanent (“Great American AI Act”)

A U.S. lawmaker is preparing a bill to codify NIST’s CAISI, the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, giving it long-term authority to lead AI evaluation and standards. This is a big federal sign: the government is moving from “discussion” to durable structure.

6) Microsoft Copilot outage hit North America, then got resolved

Microsoft confirmed a Copilot service issue impacted users in North America and was resolved after a rollback/config change. This is important because it shows how Copilot is becoming mission-critical; outages now feel like outages in utilities.

7) Google Gemini expands shopping inside the chatbot via Walmart and other retailers

Gemini can now support shopping experiences through major retail partners (like Walmart, Shopify, and Wayfair). This is not small. It’s the beginning of agent-led commerce, where AI drives purchasing decisions inside the chat.

8) U.S. and Taiwan sign major trade deal tied to huge semiconductor investment

Reuters and FT report the U.S. and Taiwan struck a trade deal tied to about $250B in semiconductor investment, with implications for AI supply chain security.This is a serious AI infrastructure story, because AI progress depends on chips and packaging capacity.

9) AI agent security becomes a national standard-setting priority

NIST CAISI is actively seeking input on securing AI agent systems, and industry groups are amplifying the call. That tells us 2026 will be the year the U.S. pushes security rules for agent behavior and tool access.

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