This Month's Latest Tech News in Chicago, IL - Saturday May 31st 2025 Edition

Chicago's AI ecosystem is accelerating at a pace that surpasses national trends, with 457 AI companies, $4.57 billion in total funding, two unicorns, and an impressive 8.5% exit rate - well above the national tech average.

In 2025 alone, the city witnessed a 769% year-over-year jump in AI equity funding by March, while new deep-tech resources like the $25 million Harper Court Ventures fund are backing University of Chicago spinouts at the pre-seed and seed stage.

Local incubators such as the Transform Data Science and AI Accelerator at the University of Chicago have seen applications surge 30%, a testament to the city's surging entrepreneurial energy; program participants note it is “extremely insightful and transformative,” helping startups reach funding milestones rapidly.

The diverse funding landscape includes significant recent rounds for AI healthcare leaders, SaaS innovators, and enterprise SaaS. Chicago's strong institutional partnerships, landmark state-level AI transparency laws, and a collaborative investment environment all foster inclusive, responsible tech growth.

For an in-depth look at Chicago's leading AI startups, recent funding rounds, and emerging investment activity, visit the top recently funded Chicago startups list, learn about the impact of the Transform Data Science and AI Accelerator for AI and data science, and explore comprehensive metrics tracking Chicago's AI market.

Visa is redefining digital payments with the pilot of its Intelligent Commerce platform, granting autonomous AI agents the ability to act as trusted shopping assistants capable of browsing, selecting, and securely purchasing products on users' behalf.

By collaborating with AI leaders including Anthropic, Microsoft, OpenAI, Samsung, and Perplexity, Visa leverages its payment rails and advanced tokenization, allowing users to set custom spending limits, approve or automate transactions, and maintain strong security comparable to Apple Pay.

As Visa's Chief Product and Strategy Officer Jack Forestell explains,

“We think this could be really important... transformational, on the order of magnitude of the advent of e-commerce itself.”

This pilot, which began April 30, 2025, aims to bridge the gap between AI-driven recommendations and the actual payment process, making agentic commerce more seamless and secure than ever.

According to experts, Visa's platform will include features like user-authenticated AI-Ready Cards - network tokens that protect sensitive information and ensure only approved agents act on your behalf.

For a closer look at the current landscape, see this table summarizing key partners and innovations:

AI Partners	Core Innovations	User Controls
Anthropic, Microsoft, OpenAI, Samsung, Perplexity, IBM, Mistral, Stripe	Tokenization, spend limits, agent authentication, real-time fraud detection	Approval prompts, spending ceilings, transaction monitoring

As the agent economy moves mainstream, Visa positions itself as a “trust infrastructure” for automated commerce - streamlining daily purchases while reassuring both consumers and businesses - a shift detailed in the launch overview of Visa's official pilot announcement, the practical breakdown from PYMNTS on Visa Intelligent Commerce APIs, and a trend perspective on how agentic shopping is going mainstream.

Microsoft is hitting pause on a wave of planned data center expansions, including a major project near Chicago, amid shifting AI demands and caution over potential industry oversupply.

The decision affects developments across Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Dakota, the UK, Indonesia, and Australia, as the tech giant recalibrates its infrastructure investments in response to evolving customer needs, grid limitations, and changing partnerships with key AI players like OpenAI. While Microsoft plans for $80 billion in global capital expenditures for fiscal year 2025 remain intact, the company is pivoting from building new centers toward fitting existing facilities with advanced servers and hardware.

As a Microsoft spokesperson explained,

“We plan our data centre capacity needs years in advance to ensure we have sufficient infrastructure in the right places. As AI demand continues to grow, and our data centre presence continues to expand, the changes we have made demonstrate the flexibility of our strategy.”

Analysts point to factors such as power constraints, construction delays, and OpenAI's expanded partnerships as reasons for the slowdown, and some industry leaders warn of a possible data center “bubble.” The table below summarizes notable project updates:

Location	Status/Update
Chicago, IL	Site construction paused
Licking County, OH	$1B project halted
Mount Pleasant, WI	Expansion on hold; $262M invested
London, UK	Lease talks for 210MW facility paused
Jakarta, Indonesia	Partial construction paused

For in-depth coverage on Microsoft's global realignment, see reports from Data Center Dynamics' report on Microsoft's global data center adjustments, TechCrunch article about Microsoft scaling back data center plans, and Cloud Computing News coverage of Microsoft's reconsideration of data centre plans.

Tempus AI, a Chicago-based leader in precision medicine, has announced the launch of Notetaker, an AI-powered clinical assistant purpose-built to ease the documentation burden in psychiatric care.

Integrated within Tempus Hub, Notetaker ambiently records patient sessions, produces real-time transcripts, and automatically generates structured clinical notes for integration into electronic health records (EHR), supporting over 30 languages and multiple care settings.

Key features include Magic Edit for refining notes, real-time care gap notifications leveraging pharmacogenomic data, and seamless support for telehealth and in-person visits, all under HIPAA-compliant protocols.

The aim, as Dr. Muneer Ali, Senior Director of Medical Affairs at Tempus, explains, is clear:

“Notetaker eases the burden of clinical documentation, helping providers reclaim their time and streamline their workflow so they can focus on what matters most: their patients.”

This innovation addresses long-standing administrative pain points in psychiatry, offering solutions that reduce clinician burnout and enhance therapeutic outcomes.

Learn more from the official Tempus Notetaker press release, read additional coverage at Nasdaq's launch announcement, and see industry context in CSIMarket's assessment of Tempus Notetaker.

At this year's ASCO25 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Massive Bio is spotlighting its AI-powered oncology innovations aimed at improving equity and efficiency in cancer research.

The company, exhibiting at Booth IH04, is demonstrating how its advanced AI platform and real-world data solution, DUO, drive more precise and inclusive clinical trial matching.

In partnership with the Precision Cancer Consortium, Massive Bio validated its system across 5,707 patient records, resulting in a 1.82-fold increase in trial eligibility and a striking 12.4-fold improvement in matching for targeted lung cancer therapies.

The company's leadership emphasized commitment to removing barriers to trial access -

“Technology has matured to a point where it can meet patients at the right time, with the right opportunity, no matter how complex the diagnosis,” said Dr. Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla in a recent presentation.

For a deeper dive into results and equity-focused initiatives, visit Massive Bio's AI-driven oncology showcase at ASCO25 as reported by BusinessWire's coverage of their ASCO25 presentations, review methodology and study data in the largest multi-sponsor clinical trial matching study, and explore the program schedule and leadership perspectives through their official ASCO25 announcement.

Massive Bio now operates in 17 countries, with over 160,000 cancer patients onboarded to its clinical trial platforms, and continues to set benchmarks for data-driven healthcare.

Study Data	Value
Patients analyzed	5,707
Total clinical trials in platform	14,000+
Increase in patient eligibility (multi-trial matching)	1.82-fold
Increase in targeted therapy matching (EGFR gene)	12.4-fold
Manual labor hours saved	19,500+

ServiceNow's recent acquisition of Chicago-based Logik.ai, announced April 3, 2025, spotlights the thriving innovation culture within the city's tech sector and underscores Chicago's growing role in AI-driven business solutions.

Logik.ai, known for its AI-powered Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) platform, has secured over $53 million in funding since its 2017 founding and counts industry leaders like Emergence Capital and Salesforce Ventures among its backers.

This strategic move will enable ServiceNow to expand its CRM capabilities, particularly around streamlining sales and order management through advanced rules-based automation - critical for industries grappling with complex product configurations and pricing.

In the words of ServiceNow's John Ball, “ServiceNow will further enhance our capability to sell, fulfill, and service on a single platform. We will redefine what a leading CRM solution can do.”

“The Logik technology combined with the ServiceNow platform is a perfect fit and will allow us to innovate our selling technology even faster.” – Christopher Shutts, CEO, Logik.ai

This deal further cements Chicago's reputation for nurturing fast-growth software startups poised for global impact.

For more details on the acquisition and its implications, explore ServiceNow's official acquisition announcement, ServiceNow's press release detailing the Logik.ai acquisition, a local perspective from Chicago Business Journal on the significance of the deal, and industry analysis highlighting ServiceNow's escalating competition with Salesforce CPQ via SalesforceBen's expert coverage.

Year Founded	Total Funding	Latest Round	Acquisition Date	Key Investors
2017	$53.8M (3 rounds)	Series B, $25M (Oct 2024)	Apr 3, 2025	Emergence Capital, Salesforce Ventures, ServiceNow, High Alpha

Illinois is advancing a measured approach to enhance safety on Chicago's DuSable Lake Shore Drive, as state lawmakers consider commissioning a pivotal study on the impact of AI-powered speed cameras rather than moving directly to installation.

This initiative, led by Senator Sara Feigenholtz, follows alarming crash data: from 2019 to 2024, over 16,000 crashes and nearly 7% of all citywide traffic fatalities occurred on Lake Shore Drive, despite it comprising less than 0.5% of Chicago's roadways.

The proposed six-month, $90,000 study by the University of Illinois Chicago's Urban Transportation Center will analyze crash hotspots and assess if AI-driven cameras can deter speeding and reckless behaviors without resorting to punitive ticketing, mirroring European models that reportedly reduced repeat offenses by 80%.

Community voices both support technology for safety and raise privacy concerns, with advocates urging a balance between harm reduction and safeguards against constant surveillance.

As Senator Feigenholtz emphasizes,

“DuSable Lake Shore Drive is one of Chicago's most vital roadways, and the high number of crashes due to dangerous and distracted driving patterns demands urgent action. We need research-driven solutions that improve safety outcomes without imposing overly punitive measures.”

Data highlights and study objectives are summarized below:

Period	Total Crashes	Injuries	Fatalities
2019–2024	16,000+	4,000+	59+

To learn more about the scope and technology driving this proposal, read the comprehensive overview from the Chicago Tribune's coverage of the AI speed camera bill, details on the bill's passage and next steps in the official statement from Senator Sara Feigenholtz, and analysis of neighborhood reactions and traffic data from Block Club Chicago's report on AI traffic camera legislation.

NielsenIQ CTO Mohit Kapoor has been named Executive of the Year at the Global Tech & AI Awards, recognizing his transformative leadership in bringing advanced AI-powered consumer intelligence to a global stage.

Under Kapoor's direction, NielsenIQ (NIQ) invested $400 million in digital transformation, migrating its vast client base to the Discover platform - a unified, cloud-based solution that processes data from 3 trillion transactions weekly and supports 23,000 CPG and retail clients across 90 countries.

The initiative was supported by a global team of 1,200 data scientists, 2,000 engineers, and 2,500 analytics experts, with strategic partnerships spanning Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Snowflake.

Kapoor reflected on the achievement:

“I am deeply honored to receive the Executive of the Year award at the Global Tech & AI Awards. This recognition is a testament to the incredible work and dedication of the entire NielsenIQ team. Together, we have redefined consumer and retail intelligence, leveraging AI to deliver unparalleled insights and drive meaningful change in the industry.”

As a result of this vision, Discover now provides real-time analytics that reduces decision-making time for major brands from months to hours, empowering innovation and global market responsiveness.

The scope of NIQ's impact is outlined below:

Metric	Value
Technology Investment	$400 million
Discover Clients	23,000 in 90 countries
Weekly Transactions Processed	3 trillion
Global Team	1,200 data scientists, 2,000 engineers, 2,500 analytics experts

Learn more about Kapoor's journey and NIQ's AI transformation in the official press release from NielsenIQ, explore additional coverage in MarketWatch's feature on the award, and review insights into the wider impact at Complete AI Training's executive news roundup.

Frank Naeymi-Rad, a visionary in healthcare informatics, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Computer Science by the Illinois Institute of Technology at its 156th Commencement on May 17, 2025, recognizing his profound impact on medical technology and digital health innovation.

As co-founder of Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO) - used by approximately 85% of U.S. healthcare professionals - Naeymi-Rad has driven advancements in electronic health records and championed the integration of AI in healthcare.

He also leads Leap of Faith Technologies, collaborating with Illinois Tech to provide hands-on AI experiences for students. Naeymi-Rad holds 11 patents, has authored over 50 scientific publications, and established the AMIA Pitch IT competition to foster clinical analytics entrepreneurship.

His legacy is reflected in both his board service with national health organizations and his mentorship of aspiring technologists. At the ceremony, Naeymi-Rad stated,

“It's a profound honor to receive this recognition from Illinois Tech, an institution that helped me imagine a more connected and equitable future for health care. I believe that data, thoughtfully used, can be one of the most powerful tools for healing - and I am committed to helping build a world where that potential is realized for all.”

Illinois Tech President Raj Echambadi praised Naeymi-Rad's ability to bridge research, entrepreneurship, and practical healthcare problem-solving, embodying the institution's mission of technological progress.

For more on the honor and Naeymi-Rad's influence, visit the official Illinois Tech press release on Frank Naeymi-Rad's Honorary Doctorate and further coverage by Newsbreak article on Frank Naeymi-Rad's healthcare innovations.

Highlights from Illinois Tech's 2025 commencement, including other notable honorary degree recipients, can be found on the university's Illinois Tech news page.

Chicago's academic institutions are embracing cutting-edge AI as Anthropic's Claude for Education gains traction across leading universities, setting the pace for innovation in higher education.

Unlike conventional AI models, Claude for Education is purpose-built to encourage critical thinking through its “learning mode,” guiding students step-by-step instead of supplying direct answers.

Universities such as Northeastern, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Champlain College - early adopters of full-campus Claude deployments - are leveraging AI to streamline administrative workflows, automate routine communication, and personalize student learning experiences.

As Michael Bennett, Associate Vice Chancellor for Data Science and AI Strategy at the University of Illinois Chicago notes,

“Research shows that students need chronic institutional guidance, substantive AI literacy training and, at a minimum, ideally, AI fluency, as well as practical training in what it means to engage with the technology responsibly and ethically. Generative AI for higher education has to hit all these targets.”

Claude's campus ambassador and API credit programs further empower students to lead AI-focused projects, fostering a culture of responsible AI fluency.

For an in-depth feature breakdown and institutional partnerships, see Claude for Education's official announcement, and for commentary on adoption trends and practical use cases, read TechCrunch's overview of Claude's education impact.

Community perspectives and future curriculum integration efforts are being tracked closely, as summarized in InfoQ's expert review of Claude for Education.

The table below highlights key features available to students, faculty, and staff at participating institutions:

User Group	Key Features
Students	Draft literature reviews, guided calculus solutions, thesis feedback, research templates
Faculty	Create rubrics, individualized essay feedback, chemistry problem generation
Administrators	Analyze enrollment trends, automate emails, convert policies into FAQs

At the Union League Club of Chicago on May 29, Certidox made headlines by unveiling its patented, open-source document verification platform, directly addressing the escalating threat of AI-assisted document fraud.

As fake diplomas, legal records, and bank documents generated by AI compound legal, financial, and reputational risks, Certidox offers a tamper-proof solution that enables instant authentication for digital and paper records, real-time change monitoring, and absolute confidentiality - delivering these assurances without reliance on third parties or storing plaintext data.

Founder Rémy Eisenstein emphasized,

“In a world where everything can be copied, altered, or forged in seconds by artificial intelligence, we offer a sovereign, transparent, and tamper-proof solution. Certidox restores value to documentary proof.”

The technology's transparency is reinforced by open-source code and seamless IT integration, broadening its appeal across multiple sectors, as highlighted below:

Sector	Document Types
Everyone	Email content
Banks	Account attestations, payment instructions, credit documents
Law Firms / Notaries	Powers of attorney, contracts, court rulings
Businesses	Purchase orders, quotes, regulated press releases
Education	Diplomas, transcripts, certificates

For more on Certidox's exclusive Chicago launch and its tamper-proof verification platform, visit the detailed press release at MarketWatch, read coverage of the Chicago unveiling on Lohud, and see full event details at USA Today.

Chicago is proving itself a national leader in AI and tech innovation, as evidenced by a flurry of transformative events and industry advancements in 2025. At iManage ConnectLive 2025, the Chicago-based platform showcased cutting-edge generative AI capabilities like Ask iManage and Smart Guided Actions to over 4,000 organizations worldwide, boasting 25.3% year-over-year ARR growth and deep Microsoft integration for enhanced productivity and security (iManage spotlights AI innovation at ConnectLive).

The city is also hosting premier forums such as Sustainability LIVE Chicago - where innovators explored how AI is powering climate modeling, predictive maintenance, and resource optimization - and the I-GUIDE Forum 2025, where experts will advance geospatial AI for global sustainability solutions (AI's role in Chicago sustainability initiatives; I-GUIDE Forum 2025 brings together geospatial AI leaders).

These gatherings reflect broader local momentum: Chicago companies are investing in upskilling for an AI-powered workforce, launching innovative multi-agent platforms, and expanding diversity in tech, according to industry spotlights.

Meanwhile, experts stress the importance of adopting ethical AI, tackling challenges like bias, transparency, and responsible deployment to ensure fair and sustainable smart city progress.

As leaders put it at ConnectLive,

“With the rapid evolution of AI, we're not just adding new features - we're using AI to enhance our core capabilities and make the work that legal professionals do every day faster, smarter and safer.”

With diverse sectors - law, sustainability, urban planning, and commerce - all advancing, Chicago is cementing its position as a hub where forward-looking tech shapes not just business, but the future of urban life.