🍜 AI industry pours millions into U.S..

Welcome, Noodle Networkers.

The AI industry is sliding millions into U.S. politics ahead of the 2026 elections 🗳️—because nothing says democracy like a chatbot with a PAC and a lobbying strategy. Expect future debates to feature at least one candidate sponsored by a GPU. Over at Apple, things are getting awkward 🍏. Their top robotics researcher just walked out the door… straight into Meta’s waiting arms. Who needs a non-compete clause when you’ve got Llama-powered LinkedIn DMs? And in the UK, stroke centers are seeing real results thanks to AI 🏥. A new tool is speeding up care and improving recovery, proving that when AI isn’t writing emails or inventing fake photos, it can actually do something useful.

Are we watching AI clean up healthcare, steal talent, and run for office? Stay tuned...

In today’s AI digest:

• AI industry pours millions into U.S. politics ahead of 2026 elections 🗳️

• Apple’s top robotics researcher exits for Meta amid talent drain 🍏

• England’s stroke centers adopt AI tool boosting recovery rates to 50% 🏥

Read time: 5 minute

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY

AI in U.S.

AI industry pours millions into U.S. politics ahead of 2026 elections 🗳️

(source: TheGuardian)

🗳️ The Digest: The AI industry is dumping millions into U.S. politics ahead of the 2026 elections—and it’s giving “Super PAC meets Super Prompt” energy. Think less “democracy of the people” and more “democracy as a subscription model, $100M/year.”

Key Details:

💸 Super PACs With GPUs – A group called Leading the Future, backed by AI execs and VCs, has raised over $100M to back pro-AI candidates. Translation: they’re buying politicians the way the rest of us buy ChatGPT Plus.

🏦 Lobbyists on Overtime – Tech giants like Microsoft, Meta, and Nvidia have already burned through $36M in 2025 lobbying alone—roughly $320K per day. Imagine feeding that much money into an actual AI; it’d probably write better campaign speeches than half of Congress.

🎯 Target States, Targeted Prompts – Big money is being funneled into swing states like California, New York, Illinois, and Ohio. Because apparently the future of AI regulation will be decided between cornfields and bagel shops.

⚖️ Lawsuits and PACs: Two-Step Strategy – While fighting lawsuits over scraping content, Perplexity, OpenAI, and friends are simultaneously trying to elect AI-friendly lawmakers. Basically: “See you in court, but also here’s a check for your reelection campaign.”

Why It Matters: AI isn’t just writing essays and deepfakes anymore—it’s now writing checks to Congress. The industry knows regulation is coming, so they’re preloading the system with friendly politicians like it’s an RPG and they’re stacking stats before the boss fight. So yeah—2026 might not be “the AI election” because of deepfakes… it’ll be the AI election because half of Washington got a campaign donation from a chatbot’s favorite VC. 🧠💵🇺🇸

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Apple’s top robotics researcher exits for Meta amid talent drain 🍏

(source: Bloomberg)

🍏 The Digest: Apple just lost its top robotics researcher, Jian Zhang, to Meta—marking yet another defection in what’s starting to look less like a “talent drain” and more like a full-blown talent flood. It’s giving “Siri, play Another One Bites the Dust” energy. Meanwhile, Meta’s out here treating AI researchers like rare Pokémon—gotta catch ‘em all.

Key Details:

🤖 Robotics Brain Drain – Jian Zhang, Apple’s lead in robotics, has joined Meta’s Robotics Studio. Translation: Apple’s robots are now one genius short of knowing how to pick up a latte without spilling it.

🚪 More Exits Than an Ikea – Three more members from Apple’s Foundation Models team just bounced too—headed for OpenAI and Anthropic. If this keeps up, Apple’s AI division might need to replace its org chart with a “Now Hiring” sign.

💰 Meta’s Big Spender Era – Zuckerberg’s been dropping cash like a TikTok streamer with unlimited coins: $200M for one researcher, $250M for a 24-year-old wunderkind. Apple, by comparison, is still offering free AirPods with employment.

⌛ Siri Still Waiting for Her Glow-Up – The timing couldn’t be worse: Apple’s delayed its Siri AI overhaul, leaving its smart assistant sounding less “intelligent butler” and more “intern Googling on speakerphone.”

Why It Matters: Apple’s AI labs are turning into a revolving door, while Meta’s basically running a luxury talent Airbnb: move in, get paid, don’t forget to ship a robot. So yeah—while Apple polishes iPhone bezels, Meta’s building robot overlords with Apple’s old staff. At this rate, Siri might start updating her résumé too. 🍏➡️🤖💼

AI in England

England’s stroke centers adopt AI tool boosting recovery rates to 50% 🏥

(source: TheGuardian)

🏥 The Digest: England’s NHS just gave its stroke centers an AI upgrade—and the results are jaw-dropping. By analyzing brain scans nearly an hour faster than humans, the system has boosted recovery rates to 50%. It’s giving “Dr. House, but less grumpy and way faster” energy. Turns out, saving millions of brain cells per minute is one area where AI doesn’t just talk big—it actually delivers.

Key Details:

⏱️ Time Is Brain (Literally) – The AI tool cut treatment times from 140 minutes down to 79. That’s a whole Netflix episode saved—except instead of binge-watching, you’re, you know, saving your actual neurons.

🧠 From 16% to 48% Recovery – Patients walking away with little or no disability tripled. Basically, AI just gave stroke care the kind of buff you only get in a video game patch update.

🏥 Nationwide Rollout – Now live in all 107 stroke centers, the tool will help ~80,000 patients a year. That’s a lot of people who get to tell their grandkids: “Yep, AI saved me. Now go do your homework before ChatGPT does it for you.”

🧮 2 Million Brain Cells a Minute – Doctors say every minute wasted equals 2 million lost brain cells. AI just gave clinicians back 61 of those minutes—aka 122 million brain cells. Talk about ROI.

Why It Matters: This isn’t another “AI wrote a bad poem” headline—this is AI as a literal lifesaver. While ChatGPT is out here helping you draft emails to your boss, its hospital cousins are actually keeping people alive. So yeah, Siri might still butcher your request for “set a timer,” but in England’s hospitals, AI just became the most overqualified intern ever—quietly outperforming humans and not even asking for coffee breaks. ☕🤖🧠

THE NOODLE LAB

AI Hacks & How-Tos

How to Use monoya Connect (Artisan Sourcing Platform) 🌐

The Digest: monoya Connect is a platform that helps global brands collaborate directly with Japanese artisans—making bespoke, handcrafted products accessible for design-focused businesses. It features AI tools to simplify communication and logistics.

How-to:

1. Visit the Platform
   Go to the monoya website and navigate to the monoya Connect section to explore their bespoke sourcing services.

2. Reach Out with Your Needs
   Share details about your project—whether it's kitchenware, decor, or hotel accessories. Their team connects you with skilled artisans who can bring your vision to life.

3. Leverage AI Support
   Utilize their AI-powered language and workflow tools to bridge communication gaps and streamline collaboration with partners in Japan.

4. Finalize Product Design
   Work with artisans to customize or private-label products that fit your brand and customer needs.

5. Streamline Logistics
   monoya Connect helps simplify logistics and supply chain workflows, making international sourcing smoother.

Trending AI Tools

• Latam-GPT – LLM for Latin American languages and culture.

• Monoya Connect – AI helping artisans sell globally.

• Div-idy – Builds apps and sites from text prompts.

• Predis.ai – Creates and schedules social media content.

• Grok-Code-Fast-1 – xAI’s agent that writes code faster.