Joyce Shen’s picks: musings and readings in AI/ML, December 1, 2025
5-minute weekly must-read on data science and artificial intelligence news, funding, and research, curated by Joyce J. Shen.
🗓️ Startup Showcase on December 4, 2025
Join the 2nd UChicago Startup Showcase featuring University of Chicago founders. Alumni, students, and friends are all welcome!
RSVP here: https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/activities-event?name=AI%20Startup%20Showcase%20Part%202
📌 Musings and Readings
NY Becomes First State to Target AI-Driven Personalized Pricing (Link)
NASA, Industry Weave Data Fabric with Artificial Intelligence (Link)
SIMA 2: An Agent that Plays, Reasons, and Learns With You in Virtual 3D Worlds (Google)
Meta Segment Anything Model 3 and Segment Anything Playground (Meta)
Anthropic Researchers Startled When an AI Model Turned Evil and Told a User to Drink Bleach (Link)
👏 Deals
Tidalwave, a NYC-based fintech company providing a mortgage point-of-sale platform, has raised $22m in series A financing.
Model ML, a NYC-based company building an AI-powered workflow automation platform for financial institutions, has raised $75M in Series A financing.
Buildroid, a UAE-based robotics startup using digital-twin simulation and AI to coordinate multi-robot construction crews, has raised $2m in pre-seed financing.
Helio AI, a DE-based company providing a recruiting platform that automates resume screening, psychometric testing, and candidate ranking, has raised $1m in seed financing.
Greenshoe, a Chicago-based startup developing a solution that automates and streamlines SEC disclosure drafting, analysis, and filing workflows for public companies, has raised $3m in seed financing.
Interfacea, a CA-based company offering an operations platform that automates and guides compliance and safety for complex industrial and energy operations, has raised $3.5 m in seed financing.
Opti, a NYC-based company developing an AI-driven identity and access management platform, has raised $20m in seed financing.
Blast Security, a Tel Aviv, Israel–based cybersecurity company offering a preemptive cloud defense platform, has raised $10m in seed financing.
Tenzai, a Tel Aviv, Israel–based cybersecurity company developing an autonomous platform, has raised $75m in seed financing.
Global Work AI, a DE-based company providing an AI-powered job-search platform, has raised $2.4m in funding.
Social Links, a Netherlands-based AI-enhanced OSINT and social-media intelligence company that provides tools for investigations, cybersecurity, and risk analysis, has raised $3m in funding.
Vijil, a CA-based AI-infrastructure company delivering tools to evaluate, secure, and govern enterprise AI agents, has raised $17m in funding.
Zinit, a Dubai, UAE-based AI-powered B2B procurement platform, has raised $8m in seed financing.