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Welcome to today's edition of AI Business Weekly. From Meta's stock plunging 10% despite strong earnings as AI spending concerns spook investors, to emerging questions about AI's impact on gender employment dynamics, today's stories reveal the growing tension between AI ambition and market realities. While Zuckerberg defends "aggressive" superintelligence preparations, startups like Maket, Space4Good, and Polygraf AI are securing funding to apply AI to practical challenges in architecture, environmental monitoring, and security. As Big Tech doubles down on massive AI investments, the market is demanding clearer returns. Let's dive in.

Meta shares fell sharply after the social media giant's boosted capital expenditures target overshadowed otherwise strong third-quarter results, signaling investor anxiety about the scale and timeline of AI returns. CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the ambitious spending plans, stating the company is already seeing returns in its core business and is "aggressively" preparing for superintelligence development. The stock decline came despite solid revenue performance, as Wall Street questioned whether Meta's AI infrastructure investments would pay off quickly enough to justify the costs. Alphabet and Microsoft also raised spending expectations after reporting earnings Wednesday, suggesting Big Tech's AI arms race shows no signs of slowing despite market skepticism about near-term profitability. Read more

Generative artificial intelligence promises to free humans from repetitive tasks, but policymakers and experts are examining how the technology will impact gender employment dynamics amid concerns about widening workplace inequality. The gender gap exists across many critical indicators: according to Eurostat, in 2024 the EU employment rate was 80.8% for men versus 70.8% for women, while the unemployment rate was 6.1% for women compared to 5.7% for men. Women in the EU also earned approximately 12% less than men in 2023, raising questions about whether AI automation will disproportionately affect female-dominated roles or create new opportunities for workplace equity. The analysis highlights the urgent need for gender-conscious AI deployment strategies as the technology reshapes labor markets globally. Read more

Montréal-based Maket has secured $3.4 million CAD in seed funding as it prepares to refresh its artificial intelligence-powered architecture platform designed to accelerate early-stage residential planning. While architects traditionally rely on computer-aided design software that requires extensive knowledge and training to render plans and visualizations, Maket's AI-powered platform speeds up the early planning stage so architects can quickly iterate and secure client approvals. The funding will enable Maket to enhance its platform capabilities and expand its user base as the architecture industry increasingly adopts AI tools to improve efficiency in the design process. The investment reflects growing recognition that AI can meaningfully compress timelines in specialized professional workflows. Read more

The Hague-based Space4Good, an environmental data scale-up, has completed a funding round led by Arches Capital with participation from Empower Impact and Indigo Ventures to expand its satellite-based forest intelligence platform and strengthen global operations. The company leverages satellite imagery and AI to detect and monitor illegal deforestation activities, providing actionable intelligence to governments, NGOs, and enforcement agencies working to protect critical forest ecosystems. Space4Good's technology represents a growing category of AI applications addressing environmental challenges through remote sensing and automated analysis. The funding will accelerate the company's mission to scale forest monitoring capabilities as deforestation remains a critical driver of climate change and biodiversity loss. Read more

Polygraf AI has raised $9.5 million in seed funding to scale its secure AI technology for enterprise, defense, and intelligence applications, addressing critical security concerns as AI systems handle increasingly sensitive operations. The round was led by Allegis Capital with participation from Alumni Ventures, DataPower VC, Domino Ventures, and existing investors. The fresh capital will accelerate Polygraf AI's mission to build trusted AI systems capable of operating in the most sensitive and high-stakes environments where security failures could have catastrophic consequences. The investment underscores mounting enterprise and government demand for AI security solutions as organizations deploy artificial intelligence in mission-critical contexts requiring the highest levels of protection and compliance. Read more

Today's edition captures AI's credibility moment: Meta's 10% stock drop despite strong earnings reveals Wall Street's growing impatience with Big Tech's massive AI spending without clearer returns, even as Zuckerberg doubles down on "aggressive" superintelligence preparations. While investors question billion-dollar infrastructure bets, startups like Maket, Space4Good, and Polygraf AI are attracting capital by solving tangible problems in architecture, environmental protection, and security. The contrast is striking—markets demand proof that AI investments will pay off, while concerns about gender employment impacts remind us that AI's societal costs extend beyond balance sheets. The AI boom continues, but the era of spending without accountability is ending.