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Good morning ☀️, leader of the next generation.
We will talk about agents. AI agents.
They will change the way how we do business, how we interract and even how we do our everyday lives.
Agents will build business.
Agents will organize your day.
Agents will fill up your fridge.
I will let that sit in here for a while, so we can imagine and build the future together one agent at a time...
⚡ WHAT'S AT STAKE TODAY ⚡
- 🎵🤖 Universal Music Group and TikTok renew agreement to combat unauthorized AI music
- 💰📈 OpenRouter more than doubles valuation to $1.3B in a year
- 🤖🇮🇳 This startup is betting India's gig economy can train the world's robots
- 🐄🌱 Research harnesses AI decision modeling to improve livestock sustainability
- 📰🔍 Study evaluates how accurate AI is on news and current events: "There's a lot of work to be done"
- 🏢🚀 ePlus Launches Private AI Infrastructure Managed Service
- 🏠🤝 AI should strengthen agent's human connection – not replace it
- 💼💸 Samsung workers approve bonus deal after big AI profits
- 🦆🔎 DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being 'force-fed' Google's AI Search
UMG and TikTok join forces to remove unlicensed AI-generated music together.
Universal Music Group and TikTok renew agreement to combat unauthorized AI music
Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have announced the renewal of their licensing agreement, reaffirming a shared commitment to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform and improve how artists and songwriters are credited for their work.
In a joint statement, UMG described the deal as extending their "groundbreaking commitment to AI protections that promote human artistry and ensure platform economics effectively flow through to artists and songwriters." The two companies say they will actively work together to take down unlicensed AI-generated tracks while continuing to improve attribution standards for creators.
The renewed agreement marks a significant turning point in what has been a turbulent relationship. Tensions between UMG and TikTok came to a head in 2024, when UMG publicly accused the platform of failing to adequately address the rising problem of AI-generated music and copyright infringement. The dispute escalated to the point where UMG temporarily pulled its entire music catalog from TikTok — a move that had an immediate and visible impact, as popular songs disappeared from countless user videos overnight. The incident highlighted just how dependent TikTok had become on major label licenses to fuel its content ecosystem.
The timing of this renewed commitment is particularly relevant. The music industry has been grappling with a surge in AI-generated content over the past few years, with growing concern about tools capable of cloning artists' voices or producing counterfeit tracks designed to game streaming algorithms. High-profile cases, such as viral AI-generated songs mimicking Drake and The Weeknd, drew widespread outrage — especially after some of these fake tracks accumulated millions of streams before being removed. These incidents accelerated calls from rights holders for platforms to take firmer, more transparent action.
Beyond the immediate impact on UMG and TikTok, the deal could carry wider significance for the tech and music industries. As regulators in the EU tighten their oversight of AI-generated content, and as U.S. states increasingly introduce their own legislation, the pressure on platforms to establish clear governance frameworks around AI music is mounting. This agreement could serve as a practical blueprint for how other platforms approach the intersection of artificial intelligence, intellectual property, and accountability.
TikTok has been making broader efforts to position itself as a valuable partner for the music industry. Last year, the platform introduced "TikTok for Artists," a dedicated insights tool designed to help musicians better understand their audiences, refine their promotional strategies, and give music labels access to meaningful performance data. The move was widely seen as an attempt to demonstrate that TikTok can generate real, measurable value for artists and rights holders — not just viral moments.
With this latest agreement in place, both UMG and TikTok appear eager to move past their previous conflicts and build a more stable, mutually beneficial relationship — one that tries to balance creative freedom on the platform with the rights and livelihoods of the human artists behind the music.
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AI gateway startup OpenRouter hits $1.3B valuation after massive growth surge.
OpenRouter more than doubles valuation to $1.3B in a year
AI gateway startup OpenRouter has raised $113 million in a Series B round led by Alphabet's CapitalG, pushing its valuation to approximately $1.3 billion — more than double its $547 million valuation from just a year ago.
Founded in 2023, OpenRouter gives enterprises access to over 400 AI models, including those from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and DeepSeek, helping users optimize costs and performance. The platform now serves 8 million users and processes 100 trillion tokens monthly — a 5x increase in just six months — signaling a clear shift toward a multi-model AI future.
🎙️ The Supercharged Podcast Is Growing
Real Conversations with the People Building the AI Future
The Supercharged Podcast is quickly becoming a space for real, unfiltered conversations about AI — beyond the hype, tools, and surface-level takes.
Each episode dives deep with founders, operators, and builders who are actively working with AI — or building AI-first companies — to uncover how it’s truly changing the way work gets done.
From strategy and systems to real-world execution, these conversations are practical, honest, and focused on what actually works — not just what sounds good.
⚡ Trends for the Future
DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being 'force-fed' Google's AI Search
DuckDuckGo sees a surge in installs as users push back against Google's forced AI search overhaul.
Google's sweeping overhaul of its search engine — announced at its annual I/O developer conference — has triggered a notable user exodus. The company confirmed that its traditional list of blue links is being replaced by an AI agent capable of answering queries, executing tasks, and running background monitoring. The backlash was swift, with critics arguing the changes will damage the open web, surface inaccurate responses, and strip users of control over how they interact with search.
DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search alternative that holds roughly 2% of the U.S. search market, appears to be the primary beneficiary of that frustration. The company reported that U.S. app installs rose 18.1% week-over-week between May 20 and May 25, compared to the previous week, with growth peaking at 30.5% on May 25. On iOS, the numbers were even more striking, with installs averaging 33% week-over-week growth and peaking at 69.9%.
Visits to DuckDuckGo's AI-free search page also surged, averaging 22.7% week-over-week growth and peaking at 27.7% on May 24. That page disables all AI features by default, including AI-assisted answers and AI-generated images. The company noted that growth continued through the Memorial Day weekend, a period when it typically sees a traffic dip.
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg was direct in his criticism of Google's approach. "Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out," he said. "Their results are getting worse, not better. We want to be the place that puts users in charge." Weinberg emphasized that DuckDuckGo does not collect search histories or chat data, and nothing is used for AI training.
Despite positioning itself as an AI-free alternative, DuckDuckGo does offer its own optional AI tools, including Duck.ai — a private, no-account-required chatbot with access to models from Anthropic, Meta, Mistral, and OpenAI — as well as Search Assist and an AI Image Filter. Chief communications officer Kamyl Bazbaz noted that both AI and non-AI features are popular among users, summing it up simply: "People just want a choice."
⚡ Let’s Make AI Actually Useful:
What Would Move the Needle in *Your* Industry?
AI has potential — but generic advice rarely helps.
What would be genuinely valuable for AI to do in your industry right now?
• Automate a painful workflow?
• Improve decision-making?
• Replace a manual process that wastes time?
• Help your team upskill faster?
Tell us what you’d want AI to handle — or where you feel stuck.
We’re using these insights to curate **industry-specific trainings, live webinars, and practical guidance** you can actually apply.
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The Supercharged is aiming to be the world's #1 AI business magazine and is on a mission to empower 1,000,000 entrepreneurs worldwide by 2026, guiding them through the transition into the AI-driven creative age. We're dedicated to breaking down complex technologies, sharing actionable insights, and fostering a community that thrives on innovation, to become the ultimate resource for businesses navigating the AI revolution.
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