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- GPT-5.2 Challenges Established Physics, Exa Instant and the Race for Sub-Second Search and more...
GPT-5.2 Challenges Established Physics, Exa Instant and the Race for Sub-Second Search and more...
And everything else you need to catch up on that happened this week yet!
What's Up in AI
February 16, 2026
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Welcome Back, AI Geeks!
It’s time to stay updated with What’s Up in AI.
OpenAI and Exa just previewed two very different AI futures: one where models challenge established physics, and another where agents get information faster than humans can think.
In today’s issue:
🔬 GPT-5.2 Challenges Established Physics
⚡ Exa Instant and the Race for Sub-Second Search
⚡ 5-4-3-2-1 hits you just can't miss
📰 What Else Happened in AI
😂 Your AI-Powered Laugh
Read time: 6 mins
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#1 LATEST IN AI TODAY📎
What Happened (Feb 2026):
OpenAI published a research preprint claiming GPT-5.2 independently discovered and proved a new mathematical formula, marking what the company calls AI’s first original contribution to theoretical physics.
What You Need to Know:
The model revisited a particle physics problem believed to be solved — and determined the existing solution was wrong.
A specialized research version of GPT-5.2 generated a full formal proof in 12 hours, later verified by physicists from Harvard, Cambridge, and Princeton.
Harvard physicist Andrew Strominger noted the AI “chose a path no human would have tried,” highlighting non-human reasoning approaches.
Why It Matters:
If validated long-term, this moves AI from tool to collaborator — not just solving known problems, but challenging established answers in frontier science.
#2 LATEST IN AI TODAY📎
What Happened (Feb 2026):
AI search startup Exa introduced Exa Instant, a new tier delivering search results in under 200 milliseconds, reportedly faster than Google and up to 15× faster than competing APIs.
What You Need to Know:
The speed advantage matters most for AI agents, where search is one of many chained steps in larger workflows.
Saving 200ms per query can reduce task time by 10 seconds or more in deep research pipelines with dozens of calls.
Many search APIs are slower because they wrap Google results, which can take 700ms+ before processing even begins.
Why It Matters:
As AI agents scale, infrastructure speed becomes a competitive edge — and milliseconds now compound into meaningful performance gains
BRAIN BOOST 🧠
If an AI finds truths humans can’t follow, should science accept them? |
QUICK HITS 💥
It’s time for some quick hits that you’ll love. Let’s go in…..5-4-3-2-1 👇️
5- TOP AI TOOLS OF THE DAY
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4-AI JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Want us to search for tech related jobs in your country/city ? Post a request 🔍
3-THINGS IN TREND
These 10 prompts turn Claude into a personal finance pro.
Gemini Deep Think generated a real-time 3D WiFi radar that’s going viral with 11K likes.
A user discovered their AI tool had been generating made-up analytics data for 3 months.
2-USEFUL LINKS
The Moonwalkers Aero from Shift Robotics strap onto your regular shoes and can roll you along at speeds up to 7 mph. Weighing just 4.3 pounds, they automatically match your walking pace and even use F1-inspired air intakes to keep the motors cool—making long walks feel almost effortless.
WHAT ELSE HAPPENED IN AI 📰
🧠 OpenClaw Creator Joins OpenAI
Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI to help build next generation personal agents. Sam Altman says the work will be central to future products.
🎖️ Pentagon Reviews Claude Contract
The Pentagon is considering cutting off its $200M deal with Anthropic after the company refused to allow Claude to be used for all lawful military purposes.
🪖 Claude Used in Maduro Operation
Claude was reportedly used through a Palantir deployment tied to a U.S. mission that captured Nicolás Maduro.
🎧 Spotify Engineers Stop Coding
Spotify executive Gustav Söderström said top developers have not written code this year as the company goes all in on AI.
🏫 AI School Hits 99th Percentile
Alpha School shared results showing its two hour AI first learning model has students scoring in the 99th percentile across most subjects.
Funding 💰️
Startup Simile raised $100M to build AI simulations of human behavior.
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