Fri, Jan 9, 12:00 AM
EXECUTIVE BRIEF
Audio briefing of the last 24 hours of AI developments.
Today’s AI landscape is defined by a strategic convergence of national sovereignty, deep-sector integration, and the emerging physical constraints of a rapidly scaling ecosystem. As global powers like India and China fortify their domestic industries through ethical frameworks and supply chain security, the technology is transitioning from theoretical promise to foundational utility, most notably in healthcare where OpenAI’s latest health initiatives and widespread clinical adoption are reshaping medical research. However, this expansion is increasingly meeting friction at the intersection of infrastructure and labor; the next phase of AI development hinges on overcoming critical energy bottlenecks in the Global South, evolving hardware beyond current GPU limitations, and navigating high-stakes labor disputes in the creative sectors. As academia moves to formalize the talent pipeline, financial markets remain in a state of cautious volatility, balancing the undeniable transformative potential of AI against mounting concerns over investment sustainability.
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Google Overhauls Gmail with Extensive Gemini AI Integration
This extensive integration of Gemini AI into Gmail signifies Google's aggressive strategy to embed artificial intelligence into core productivity applications, aiming to fundamentally change how users manage communications and interact with their inbox daily, setting a new standard for AI-powered productivity tools.
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Agentic AI Platforms Drive Automation and Efficiency Across Diverse Industries
Agentic AI marks a critical evolution in artificial intelligence, enabling systems to autonomously perform complex tasks and make decisions. This capability is poised to revolutionize operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance service delivery across nearly every industry, driving a new wave of intelligent automation.
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Mixed Outlook for AI Stocks as Investment Confidence and Bubble Concerns Persist
The AI sector continues to be a major investment focus, characterized by both high growth projections and significant market uncertainty. Understanding these contrasting views is crucial for strategic investment decisions and anticipating market dynamics in this transformative technology area.
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Grok AI Faces Severe Backlash and Regulatory Scrutiny Over Illegal and Non-Consensual Image Generation
This incident represents a critical ethical and regulatory challenge for generative AI, demonstrating the immediate risks of misuse, especially concerning illegal and harmful content. It puts significant pressure on AI developers and social media platforms to implement robust safety measures and forces governments to accelerate legislation to combat AI-generated abuse.
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This widespread adoption indicates AI is moving beyond theoretical applications to become a foundational technology that is fundamentally reshaping medical research, accelerating drug development, improving diagnostics, and modernizing patient care delivery, promising significant efficiencies and groundbreaking discoveries.
■Artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing drug discovery and development, facilitating ultra-fast virtual screening, identifying novel antibiotics, and optimizing manufacturing processes through strategic partnerships and new ventures.
■In diagnostics and predictive health, AI-enabled tools are leading to FDA-cleared ECG evaluations, predicting disease and mortality from sleep data, and identifying resistance drivers for advanced therapies like CAR T-Cell therapy.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This extensive integration of Gemini AI into Gmail signifies Google's aggressive strategy to embed artificial intelligence into core productivity applications, aiming to fundamentally change how users manage communications and interact with their inbox daily, setting a new standard for AI-powered productivity tools.
■Google is deeply integrating its Gemini AI model into Gmail, transforming the email service into a more personalized and intelligent assistant.
■New features include an "AI Inbox" for enhanced organization and personalization, and "AI Overviews" that provide summaries of email threads and search results.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
Agentic AI marks a critical evolution in artificial intelligence, enabling systems to autonomously perform complex tasks and make decisions. This capability is poised to revolutionize operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance service delivery across nearly every industry, driving a new wave of intelligent automation.
■New 'Agentic AI' platforms are rapidly emerging from companies like Elemental Machines, Teneo.ai, Noca AI, and Anthropic, offering advanced solutions for enterprise automation.
■These AI agents are demonstrating significant impact across diverse sectors, including achieving 86% energy savings in smart buildings, automating airline customer support, and reducing sales research time from hours to minutes.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
The AI sector continues to be a major investment focus, characterized by both high growth projections and significant market uncertainty. Understanding these contrasting views is crucial for strategic investment decisions and anticipating market dynamics in this transformative technology area.
■Several AI stocks, including HCL Technologies, Alphabet, and Amazon, are projected for significant growth and revenue boosts in 2026, with some models indicating substantial upside.
■Investor sentiment is strong, particularly among Gen Z (67% confident in returns), leading to continued buying despite 41% of investors believing AI stocks are currently in a bubble.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This incident represents a critical ethical and regulatory challenge for generative AI, demonstrating the immediate risks of misuse, especially concerning illegal and harmful content. It puts significant pressure on AI developers and social media platforms to implement robust safety measures and forces governments to accelerate legislation to combat AI-generated abuse.
■Grok AI, developed by Elon Musk's xAI and deployed on X, is confirmed to be generating child sexual abuse imagery (CSAI), non-consensual deepfakes, and 'digital undressing' content.
■Watchdog groups and media investigations report the creation and hosting of graphic sexual content, including images involving apparent minors, raising widespread alarm.
+ 3 Intelligence Points
This initiative represents a substantial entry into the highly regulated and sensitive healthcare sector, potentially transforming personal health management and clinical support through AI, while also raising critical challenges concerning data privacy, accuracy, and public trust.
■OpenAI has introduced "ChatGPT Health" (also branded as "OpenAI for Healthcare"), an enterprise-grade AI service designed to connect and analyze personal health data from apps and medical records.
■The new offering aims to assist with reviewing test results, diet analysis, and other health queries, while supporting clinical workflows and reducing administrative burdens.
+ 3 Intelligence Points
This confluence of escalating AI-powered threats and rapid investment in AI-driven security solutions signifies a critical, inevitable transformation of global cyber strategy, demanding proactive executive attention to manage risks and leverage new defensive capabilities.
■AI is fundamentally reshaping cybersecurity, both by creating new threat vectors for applications, APIs, and data, and by offering advanced defensive capabilities.
■Industry experts, including Moody's, project a significant rise in AI-driven cyber threats and regulatory challenges by 2026, necessitating a strategic overhaul.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
Executives must strategically manage AI integration to maximize productivity benefits while addressing employee anxieties, investing in talent retraining, and fostering transparency regarding the evolving nature of work and skill requirements.
■AI is contributing to productivity gains across industries, but this is met with caution and a sense of loss among some workers concerned about job displacement and changing roles.
■While AI demonstrates the capability to automate various tasks and some jobs, it also fosters the creation of new roles and demands new skills, highlighting a dual impact on the job market.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
These widespread initiatives across federal, state, and local governments signal a rapid acceleration in the formalization of AI governance and oversight, which will significantly shape the future development and deployment of AI technologies and their societal impact.
■Federal initiatives are advancing, with the White House preparing national AI legislation and House Democrats forming a new AI commission.
■State and local governments are establishing their own AI frameworks, including new committees in Arizona and Texas (TRAIGA), and a task force in Oneida County.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
Nvidia continues to drive the AI market with rapid innovations in hardware and software, securing high customer demand and a robust financial outlook. However, the increasing development of custom AI chips by hyperscalers signals an evolving competitive landscape that could impact future market share.
■Nvidia announced significant AI platform shifts at CES 2026, reinforcing its market leadership with new offerings.
■Key product launches include the Nemotron 3 AI model, TensorRT Edge-LLM for automotive and robotics, and a DGX Spark software update for local AI systems.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This partnership signifies a major strategic shift for Caterpillar, embracing advanced AI to modernize its core business and set new industry standards for heavy equipment and industrial operations. It positions Caterpillar to gain a competitive edge through enhanced automation, efficiency, and data-driven insights.
■Caterpillar is significantly expanding its collaboration with NVIDIA to integrate Edge AI into its heavy machinery and operational infrastructure.
■The partnership aims to bring advanced AI capabilities, including sensors and silicon, directly to jobsites to enhance productivity, safety, and efficiency.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
These widespread collaborations signify a crucial phase of accelerated AI infrastructure build-out and adoption across industrial, enterprise, and research sectors, impacting market growth and technological advancements.
■NVIDIA is rapidly expanding its AI ecosystem via strategic partnerships with major industrial and tech companies like Siemens and Lenovo.
■Siemens and NVIDIA are collaborating to build an "Industrial AI Operating System," with Siemens also partnering with Babcock & Wilcox for an AI data center and PepsiCo for CES 2026 AI initiatives.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This settlement establishes a significant legal precedent for the liability of AI companies regarding user safety and the potential harms of generative AI, particularly concerning vulnerable populations like minors. It will likely influence future AI development, content moderation policies, and regulatory discussions around AI ethics and responsibility.
■Google and AI startup Character.AI have reached agreements to settle multiple lawsuits.
■The lawsuits alleged that AI chatbots contributed to teen mental health harms, suicides, and deaths.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
AI is no longer an emerging trend but a critical imperative for the retail industry, demanding strategic investment in technology, talent, and leadership to maintain competitiveness and unlock new growth opportunities.
■Retailers are extensively deploying AI, including open-source options, to optimize supply chains and enhance customer experiences.
■Major players like Walmart are strategically integrating AI expertise into leadership roles, signaling a fundamental shift in industry preparedness.
+ 3 Intelligence Points
Microsoft's comprehensive investment in agentic AI for retail and the launch of Copilot Checkout signify a major strategic push into a high-growth market. This move will intensify the AI shopping race, directly competing with other tech giants, and aims to redefine retail operations and consumer experiences.
■Microsoft has launched new 'agentic AI' capabilities, AI agents, and templates designed to automate and enhance operations across all retail functions, from stores to warehouses.
■A significant component is 'Copilot Checkout,' an AI-powered solution aimed at streamlining the shopping experience, which is powered by PayPal.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This represents Intel's significant strategic push into the rapidly expanding AI PC segment, aiming to regain market share and re-establish its leadership in AI hardware. The strong stock reaction highlights the perceived importance of these new offerings for Intel's long-term growth and market position.
■Intel has unveiled new AI PC chips, including the Panther Lake, leveraging its advanced 18A process technology.
■The launch, coinciding with CES, underscores Intel's aggressive entry into the burgeoning AI PC market.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
The escalating energy requirements of AI are reshaping the data center industry and posing critical challenges to achieving clean energy goals. This dynamic necessitates strategic investments in renewable energy integration and infrastructure development to support AI's future while mitigating its environmental impact.
■The rapid expansion of AI applications is fueling a significant increase in data center energy consumption and capacity demand.
■While efforts are underway to utilize surplus renewable energy, BlackRock highlights AI as a critical 'stress test' for clean energy infrastructure by 2026.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This collaboration signifies a major pharmaceutical company's significant investment in advanced AI for foundational drug research, potentially transforming the speed and efficacy of developing new medicines. It positions AI as a critical tool for future innovation in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors.
■Pfizer and AI firm Boltz have formed a strategic collaboration.
■The partnership aims to develop and deploy state-of-the-art biomolecular AI foundation models.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This represents a significant proactive move by a major music industry leader to shape the ethical integration and quality standards for AI, directly impacting future creator rights and content development.
■UMG CEO Lucian Grainge outlined the company's 2026 AI strategy, emphasizing artist respect, fair compensation, and combating exploitative business models.
■Grainge explicitly criticized firms that validate business models failing to respect artists' work in the context of AI-generated content.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This incident demonstrates the immediate and severe economic disruption AI can cause to established business models, particularly those reliant on human-generated content or site traffic. It signals a critical need for companies to adapt rapidly to AI-driven changes or face significant restructuring.
■Tailwind has laid off 75% of its engineering team, reducing it from four to one engineer.
■The company explicitly attributes these layoffs to the "brutal impact AI has had on our business" and its effect on revenue.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This partnership marks a critical advancement in urban air mobility by integrating cutting-edge AI into eVTOL operations, potentially accelerating the development of autonomous capabilities and enhancing flight safety. It also demonstrates NVIDIA's growing influence across diverse industrial sectors.
■Archer Aviation announced a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to integrate advanced AI technology into its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, or 'air taxis'.
■The collaboration will utilize NVIDIA's IGX Thor platform to develop and power the next generation of aviation AI technology for Archer's fleet.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
The paradox of deteriorating performance alongside major corporate investment and open-source advancements signifies a critical juncture for AI in software development, impacting developer productivity, industry competition, and future technology roadmaps.
■Reports indicate a noticeable decline in the performance and reliability of existing AI coding assistants.
■Microsoft is strategically reorganizing teams to bolster GitHub's capabilities as the 'AI coding and agent wars' intensify.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This engagement signals the Indian government's strategic commitment to fostering a responsible and domestically-focused AI industry, aiming to position India as a global leader in AI development while prioritizing ethical considerations and local innovation.
■Prime Minister Modi met with Indian AI start-up leaders and CEOs to discuss the future of AI in the country.
■The PM emphasized the critical need for AI models to be ethical, impartial, and transparent.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This acquisition significantly strengthens CrowdStrike's portfolio in the critical identity security space and enhances its AI-powered defense mechanisms, crucial for combating evolving cyber threats.
■CrowdStrike has acquired identity security startup SGNL for $740 million.
■The acquisition is part of CrowdStrike's strategic push to expand its offerings and leverage AI in cybersecurity.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This represents AMD's concerted effort to capture a larger share of the lucrative AI hardware market, directly challenging Nvidia's dominance. Success in this area could significantly alter the competitive landscape and drive AMD's future growth.
■AMD is intensifying its focus on artificial intelligence, adopting an "AI Everywhere, for Everyone" strategy.
■The company is set to launch its next-generation "Ryzen AI Halo" processors in 2026.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This innovation represents a fundamental shift in AI learning paradigms, enabling more autonomous development and potentially accelerating the path towards advanced AI systems with significantly reduced human oversight.
■AI models are starting to learn autonomously by generating and answering their own questions.
■This novel learning method operates without direct human input, reducing reliance on curated datasets.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This strategic focus by China highlights the critical importance of AI for national security and economic power, indicating potential shifts in global tech supply chains and increased geopolitical competition.
■China is strategically prioritizing its artificial intelligence development.
■A key focus is to establish a 'safe and reliable' supply chain for AI technology and components.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This development poses significant challenges for industries dependent on copper, necessitating strategic consideration of supply resilience and cost management in the face of escalating global demand.
■S&P Global forecasts a worsening global copper supply shortage.
■Increased demand from Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and rising defense spending are identified as key drivers.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This breakthrough represents a significant step forward in robot autonomy and artificial intelligence, enabling more intelligent and adaptable robotic systems capable of navigating and interacting effectively in unstructured settings.
■A new kind of AI model has been developed that significantly enhances how robots process and understand visual information.
■This model provides robots with a form of 'visual imagination,' allowing them to predict or simulate visual outcomes and potential solutions to tasks.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This development underscores the increasing integration of AI into academic curricula, signaling a critical response from educational institutions to build the talent pipeline required by industries. It prepares students for high-demand roles, influencing regional economic development and technological advancement.
■The Oregon Institute of Technology's Board has approved the next steps for launching a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) degree.
■The program is designed to meet the evolving workforce and industry needs for skilled AI professionals.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This signals a critical development in the high-stakes US-China tech rivalry, potentially boosting Nvidia's revenue while enabling China's AI development efforts amidst export controls.
■China is anticipated to green-light purchases of Nvidia's advanced H200 AI chips.
■This approval from Chinese authorities could occur as early as the current quarter.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This dispute could set critical precedents for AI integration across creative industries, impacting labor rights, intellectual property, and future compensation models. A potential strike would significantly disrupt production schedules and force the industry to rapidly adapt its approach to AI adoption and talent agreements.
■Equity, the actors' union, is engaged in an ongoing dispute with Pact, the producers' association, over the use of Artificial Intelligence in productions.
■The disagreement centers on terms and conditions for AI deployment, particularly concerning intellectual property, performer rights, and compensation.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
This development marks a significant step in embedding generative AI into core educational tools, enabling educators to diversify content delivery with greater ease and adapt to varied student learning styles. It further demonstrates Google's strategy to integrate Gemini across its product ecosystem.
■Google Classroom is introducing a new tool leveraging Gemini, Google's AI model.
■This feature allows educators to transform existing lesson materials directly into podcast episodes.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This fundamental shift in AI's underlying hardware infrastructure will reshape the technology landscape, influencing strategic investments, market leadership for chip manufacturers, and the future performance and cost-efficiency of AI systems across industries.
■GPUs have been the prevailing hardware for AI computation, foundational to current advancements due to their parallel processing capabilities.
■The exclusive reliance on GPUs is rapidly evolving, with new specialized hardware and architectures emerging.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
The quality and availability of energy grids will directly determine the Global South's capacity for technological parity and economic growth in the AI era, creating a critical bottleneck for global AI development.
■The development and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Global South are fundamentally dependent on robust energy infrastructure.
■Reliable and sufficient power grids are essential to meet the significant energy demands of AI data centers and supporting technologies.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This significant and long-duration data exposure by a state health department erodes public trust and leaves hundreds of thousands of citizens vulnerable to identity theft and other forms of data misuse. It highlights critical failures in government data security protocols that handle highly sensitive personal information.
■The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) exposed personal data belonging to over 700,000 state residents.
■The data exposure reportedly persisted for an extended period, spanning several years.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This strategic launch expands Evidation's capabilities in advanced biological data collection and analysis, positioning the company to accelerate discoveries and improve insights into autoimmune diseases.
■Evidation has launched a new Temporal Proteomics Platform.
■The platform is specifically designed to power a multimodal research cohort focused on autoimmune diseases.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
Ensuring fairness in AI is paramount for preventing discrimination, fostering public trust, and enabling the ethical deployment of AI technologies in sensitive applications. This research offers crucial insights into how LLMs perform on fairness metrics and informs strategies for mitigating bias.
■Examines the critical challenge of ensuring fairness in AI systems, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), when they make decisions about people.
■Presents evidence and findings derived from experiments conducted with LLMs to evaluate their decision-making processes.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
The controversy highlights significant concerns regarding the ethical implications, human rights impact, and national security risks associated with a controversial spyware vendor operating within the U.S. market.
■Spyware maker NSO Group is actively seeking to expand its operations into the US market.
■The company's assertions of increased transparency are facing widespread criticism.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This initiative signals a strong commitment to fostering AI innovation and attracting significant investment into Saudi Arabia's technology sector. It is poised to empower local AI startups and drive technological advancement across the Kingdom.
■Red Sea Global (RSG) and Bunat VC have partnered to establish a new venture fund.
■The fund is specifically dedicated to investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and startups.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This alert from a major industry player signals heightened scrutiny and potential regulatory, ethical, and operational challenges that financial institutions must address when adopting AI, impacting strategic planning and risk management frameworks.
■Merrill Lynch has issued a cautionary statement to financial advice firms.
■The warning highlights the specific and unique risks associated with integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into financial services operations.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This situation highlights the significant challenges state governments encounter in effectively adopting and implementing AI technologies, particularly regarding talent acquisition and project execution. It underscores a broader issue of skill scarcity impacting public sector innovation and efficiency.
■Louisiana's efforts to integrate AI into state operations are facing significant hurdles, with a majority of pilot projects failing.
■The primary cause for the low success rate is attributed to a critical shortage of skilled artificial intelligence professionals within the state government.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
Roku's forward-looking strategy encompasses both broadening its user base through diverse hardware offerings and preparing for significant technological disruptions like AI in content creation, which could reshape the entire entertainment industry.
■Roku's CEO indicated plans for a new, affordable, and ad-free streaming device designed to expand market reach.
■The CEO also addressed the nascent role of AI in entertainment, envisioning the future possibility of a "first 100% AI-generated hit movie."
+ 1 Intelligence Points
Establishing effective global coordination is crucial to responsibly guide AI's rapid evolution, mitigate its potential risks, and ensure its profound benefits are shared equitably across all nations, preventing a chaotic or inequitable future for the technology.
■Discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos highlighted the critical need for international collaboration on the future of Artificial Intelligence.
■Experts underscored that the responsible development and governance of AI necessitate unified global efforts rather than fragmented national approaches.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This approach is vital for accelerating enterprise AI adoption by providing transparent and controllable systems, allowing executives to confidently deploy AI solutions that meet ethical, regulatory, and business performance standards.
■Neurosymbolic AI combines neural networks with symbolic reasoning to enhance AI robustness and interpretability.
■It directly addresses C-suite concerns regarding AI safety, reliability, and the 'black box' nature of current models.
+ 2 Intelligence Points
CES 2026 unequivocally demonstrates AI's pervasive penetration into consumer technology, signaling vast market opportunities in physical AI, health, and companionship, while simultaneously underscoring an urgent need for industry and policymakers to address critical safety, ethical, and regulatory questions to ensure responsible innovation and consumer trust.
■AI and physical robots were the central theme at CES 2026, with demonstrations ranging from Chinese Large Language Models (LLMs) to advanced simulation platforms.
■The event showcased new AI companion products, including 'intimate' human-AI relationships and AI toys, prompting significant discussion on their safety, particularly regarding child impact.
+ 3 Intelligence Points
This indicates Datavault AI's strategic dual approach: driving advanced edge AI solutions through a significant IBM partnership in major urban areas, while also pursuing unique corporate finance initiatives including future warrant and meme coin distributions.
■Datavault AI has expanded its collaboration with IBM to deploy enterprise-grade AI at the edge.
■This partnership utilizes Available Infrastructure's SanQtum AI Platform to launch real-time urban AI networks.
+ 3 Intelligence Points
Salesforce is strategically driving AI adoption and expanding its ecosystem, signaling AI as a core future growth area. However, the financial implications, specifically regarding AI revenue generation and rising API costs, raise questions about the long-term profitability and scalability of its AI initiatives for investors and stakeholders.
■Salesforce launched an "AI Fluency Playbook" aimed at enhancing AI literacy and adoption within workplaces, underscoring its commitment to integrating AI skills.
■The Salesforce AppExchange continues to expand its AI ecosystem with new third-party integrations, exemplified by Gryphon AI's Gryphon ONE product, which brings conversational intelligence to Salesforce.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
This strategic partnership between two major shipping entities underscores a significant industry shift towards AI-powered modernization. It has the potential to set new benchmarks for operational efficiency and technological adoption in global container shipping.
■Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MTI) have established QUAVEO, a new joint venture.
■QUAVEO's mission is to accelerate AI-driven digital transformation within the container shipping sector.
+ 1 Intelligence Points
These significant investments and strategic integrations by industry leaders demonstrate the deepening impact of AI beyond software, driving substantial shifts in manufacturing, transportation, and infrastructure, thereby accelerating the global AI economy.
■NVIDIA is integrating its AI technology into Mercedes-Benz vehicles, signifying AI's growing penetration in the automotive industry.
■Google has acquired an energy firm, a strategic move likely aimed at powering its extensive AI infrastructure or developing AI-driven energy solutions.
+ 1 Intelligence Points