Joyce Shen’s picks: musings and readings in AI/ML, December 15, 2025

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📌 Musings and Readings

AI Hackers Are Coming Dangerously Close to Beating Humans (Link)

IBM to Acquire Confluent to Create Smart Data Platform for Enterprise Generative AI (Link)

Google to launch first of its AI glasses in 2026 (Link)

Could America win the AI race but lose the war? (Link)

A differentially private framework for gaining insights into AI chatbot use (Google)

👏 Deals

Honeyjar, a CA-based company developing an AI-powered solution that streamlines and automates PR and communications workflows, has raised $2m in pre-seed funding.

Tracktile, a Canada-based AI software company providing an AI-powered manufacturing platform for food and beverage producers, has raised $1.25m in seed funding.

Tuhk, a Canada-based startup offering an AI-driven fintech solution that unifies real-time fraud and payments data across banks, merchants, and payment providers to improve fraud prevention and transaction outcomes, has raised $6m in seed funding.

Arclaim, a New Zealand-based company offering a fintech solution for multi-chain staking and liquidity services, has raised $5m in Series A funding.

Bags, a NYC-based company developing an AI-powered financial management solution, has raised $2.75m in funding. 

Scowtt, a Seattle, WA-based company offering an AI-driven advertising solution that uses a company’s first-party data, has raised $12m in Series A funding.

Resemble AI, a CA-based company providing generative voice technology that enables users to create, clone, and detect synthetic voices for applications across media, entertainment, and conversational AI, has raised $13m in funding.

Empromptu, a CA-based company developing solution to enable enterprise AI application development, has raised $2m in pre-seed funding.

Bon Credit, a CA-based company offering an AI-powered personal finance platform that helps consumers manage credit, debt, and budgeting through personalized guidance and automated financial recommendations, has raised $3.5m in funding.

Diald.ai, a CA-based company providing an AI-powered commercial real estate due-diligence and underwriting platform, has raised $3.75m in funding.

a2z Radiology AI, a MA-based company developing FDA-cleared AI systems that automatically interpret CT scans to prioritize urgent conditions, streamlining radiology workflows, has raised $4.5m in seed funding.

Sprouty, a London-based company offering an AI-powered parenting assistant to help parents track and support their baby's development, has raised $550K in seed funding.

Bolt Insight, a London-based company developing an AI-powered market research and consumer intelligence platform, has raised £7m in funding. 

Buildcheck, a CA-based company providing an AI-driven platform that automatically reviews construction drawings to detect errors and coordination issues, has raised $5.9m in seed funding.

Cynch  AI, a CA-based company developing an AI-powered platform that automates accounting and tax workflows to provide business owners with clearer financial insights, has raised $9m in funding.