Welcome back, fellow AI enthusiast. OpenAI just planted its first flag outside America, in Singapore. Bristol Myers is putting Claude in the hands of 30,000 scientists to reinvent drug discovery. And Intuit just cut 3,000 jobs to go all-in on AI. It's a big one today. Let's get into it.
Today In AI:
OpenAI opens first overseas AI labs in Singapore
Bristol Myers uses Claude to speed drug discovery
How to Build a Custom AI Assistant That Knows Everything About You
Intuit cuts 3,000 jobs to refocus on AI
3 trendy AI tools and more
Latest Highlights
OpenAI & Microsoft
Image source: Marketech Apec
Summary: OpenAI has launched its first applied AI lab outside the United States in Singapore, backed by a $234 million commitment and a government memorandum of understanding.
Details:
The new "OpenAI Singapore Applied AI Lab" is the first such lab established anywhere outside the US.
The Singapore technical team is expected to grow to more than 200 roles over the next few years.
The lab will focus on national priorities including education, public services, finance, healthcare, digital infrastructure, and a training program for mid-career engineers.
Singapore has also committed over S$1 billion to public AI research from 2025 to 2030 as part of its national AI strategy.
Google separately announced a National AI Partnership with Singapore at the same event, focused on education, healthcare, and scientific research.
Why it matters: This is OpenAI's most significant international expansion to date. Planting its first overseas lab in Singapore signals a deliberate push to dominate Southeast Asia's rapidly digitalizing AI market before rivals can.
Meta
Image source: bloomberg
Summary: Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb is partnering with Anthropic to deploy Claude across its entire global operation, putting AI in the hands of over 30,000 employees.
Details:
BMS will make Claude available to over 30,000 employees to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of new medicines.
Claude will be deployed to assist with drug discovery, clinical development, regulatory submissions, manufacturing operations, and commercial workflows.
BMS will use Claude Code within engineering and data science teams to accelerate software and AI development across the enterprise.
BMS's research teams will use Claude to help identify and optimize drug targets across oncology, neuroscience, hematology, and immunology.
BMS signals this move goes beyond chatbots, with agentic AI built into day-to-day workflows driving drug R&D, manufacturing, and commercial operations.
Why it matters: Pharma's slow-moving giants are finally betting big on AI at scale. BMS deploying Claude enterprise-wide sets a precedent that could reshape how the entire biopharma industry discovers and delivers drugs.
Anthropic
Image source: Technology Magazine
Summary: Intuit, the company behind TurboTax and QuickBooks, is laying off roughly 17% of its global workforce as it restructures operations and sharpens its focus on artificial intelligence.
Details:
Intuit is cutting around 3,000 employees globally, roughly 17% of its workforce, as it restructures and intensifies its AI focus.
CEO Sasan Goodarzi sent an internal memo framing the cuts as a strategic simplification to reduce complexity and sharpen focus on core AI priorities.
Intuit has signed multi-year deals with both Anthropic and OpenAI, embedding their models into its tax, finance, accounting, and marketing products.
The restructuring also includes shutting down its Reno and Woodland Hills offices as teams consolidate into major operational hubs.
Intuit joins Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and others — tech has already cut over 100,000 jobs this year, most citing an AI-driven refocus.
Why it matters: Intuit isn't cutting to survive, it's cutting to compete. As AI rewrites what financial software can do, legacy players like Intuit face a stark choice: restructure now or get disrupted later.
AI Tutorial
How to Build a Custom AI Assistant That Knows Everything About You
(Using Claude Projects or Custom GPTs, no code needed)
Most people use AI like a stranger they met five minutes ago. They explain themselves every single conversation, get generic answers, and wonder why it feels underwhelming. This tutorial fixes that permanently.
What it is: Both Claude and ChatGPT let you create a persistent "Project" or custom assistant that remembers your context, your tone, your goals, every single session.
Step 1 - Open a Project In Claude, hit "Projects" in the sidebar. In ChatGPT, go to "Explore GPTs" → "Create." Name it something you'll actually use daily. Example: "Client Proposal Helper."
Step 2 - Write Your Context Block Paste something like this into the instructions box:
"You are my personal productivity assistant. I am a freelance graphic designer based in New York. My clients are small business owners. I prefer direct, no-fluff communication. Always prioritize speed and simplicity in your suggestions."
Make it yours. The more specific, the better.
Step 3 - Feed it your material Upload documents directly into the Project, past client proposals, your pricing structure, service descriptions, even feedback you've received. Claude will reference them every single time.
Step 4 - Now test it Ask it: "Write me a follow-up email to a small business client who hasn't responded in a week." Then compare that to what a blank ChatGPT gives you. The difference is immediate.
Step 5 - Refine over time Every time the output misses your tone, go back and update the instructions. Within a week it will write like you, not like a robot guessing who you are.
The result: You stop re-explaining yourself. You go from prompt → usable draft in one shot. For freelancers, this alone cuts admin work time in half.
Pro tip to end on: Create separate Projects for separate tasks, one for client communication, one for creative briefs, one for invoicing and contracts. Think of each one as a specialist you trained yourself.
Quick Hits
Cursor - AI-first code editor that helps developers write, refactor, and ship code faster.
Canva Magic Studio - AI design tools for generating and editing visuals, presentations, and marketing content.
Replit - AI-assisted coding and app-building platform that can help create and iterate on projects quickly.
OpenAI is reportedly preparing for a speedy U.S. IPO filing as market attention turns to major AI listings.
Google used I/O to push cheaper AI models and a more “agentic” Gemini era for developers and consumers.
Meta told employees it does not expect more company-wide layoffs this year, easing some fears around its AI-era restructuring.
Amazon-backed fintech Mercury raised $200 million at a $5.2 billion valuation, aiming to serve AI-native startups.