Table of Contents

• AI News

• Senior Living News

• Wage / Salary Comps

• Job Listings

AI NEWS

Detroit Seniors Embrace AI Literacy in First-of-Its-Kind Workshop – More than 70 older adults in Detroit are diving into the world of artificial intelligence at a special half-day workshop today. Backed by the Chapman Family Foundation and Google.org, the “AI in the D” program is providing hands-on training to help seniors learn how to use AI in their daily lives. Participants are gaining practical skills – from spotting and preventing online scams to using AI tools for managing personal finances and health. Organizers say the goal is to bridge the digital divide for older people, ensuring they’re not left behind by the AI revolution. The workshop offers one-on-one guidance and take-home resources in plain language. By empowering Detroit’s seniors with AI literacy, the program hopes to boost their confidence and independence in an increasingly tech-driven world. It’s a groundbreaking effort that could become a model for senior-focused AI education nationwide.

OpenAI CEO: Meta Tried Luring Our Team with $100M Bonuses – The competitive race for AI talent is heating up. OpenAI chief Sam Altman revealed that Meta Platforms offered astronomical signing bonuses – reportedly up to $100 million – to woo key OpenAI engineers. Altman called the poaching attempt “crazy,” noting that even higher total compensation packages were floated to entice his staff. The revelation underscores how fierce the battle for top AI researchers has become among tech giants. Meta, which launched its own advanced AI model recently, has been aggressively hiring to catch up in the AI space. OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, has so far held onto its talent, but Altman’s comments highlight the lengths competitors will go in the escalating AI talent war.

BBC Clashes with AI Startup Over Scraped Content – The BBC is taking a stand against AI companies using its news content without permission. The British broadcaster has threatened legal action against Perplexity AI, an AI search and chatbot startup, alleging that Perplexity’s AI was trained on BBC articles scraped from the web. The BBC says its content was used to generate answers, effectively republishing its journalism without credit. Perplexity AI denies wrongdoing, calling the claims a misunderstanding. This dispute marks the BBC’s first big push to protect its material in the AI era. It highlights a growing tension in media: news organizations are seeking to prevent AI firms from freely mining their reporting, while AI developers argue such web data use falls under fair practices. The outcome could set an important precedent for how AI models use copyrighted news content.

Alibaba Debuts New AI Model as China’s Tech Giants Rival US – Chinese tech powerhouse Alibaba has unveiled its latest large language model, Qwen-3 Omni, in a bid to compete with Western AI leaders. The new AI model is described as more advanced in understanding both Chinese and English prompts, and it can perform a wide range of tasks from complex reasoning to content creation. Alibaba’s stock ticked up on the news as investors view AI as key to the company’s future. Qwen-3 Omni is part of a broader trend of China’s big tech firms racing to develop homegrown AI systems amid intense global competition. By rolling out a sophisticated model, Alibaba aims to strengthen its cloud and enterprise AI offerings, and possibly reduce reliance on American AI technologies. Analysts say the move shows China’s AI industry rapidly closing the gap with the US in the AI arms race.

Nvidia and OpenAI Team Up on Massive AI Supercomputer – In a blockbuster partnership, Nvidia and OpenAI announced plans to build an enormous AI computing infrastructure to power the next generation of AI models. Nvidia, the leading maker of AI chips, could invest up to $100 billion in providing OpenAI with cutting-edge GPU systems under a new deal. The goal is to deploy at least 10 gigawatts of AI computing capacity – an unheard-of scale equivalent to about 10 large power plants – dedicated to OpenAI’s research. This “AI supercomputer” would exponentially boost OpenAI’s ability to train more powerful models (like future ChatGPT versions) and serve millions of users. The project highlights the growing need for massive hardware investment to keep advancing AI capabilities. It also further binds OpenAI to Nvidia’s platform for the foreseeable future. Both companies frame it as a strategic alliance to push the boundaries of AI development with unprecedented computing muscle.

Microsoft Unveils Its Own AI Models to Reduce Dependence on OpenAI – Marking a new chapter in its AI strategy, Microsoft introduced a set of homegrown artificial intelligence models for the first time. One highlight is MAI-Voice-1, a speech generation model that can create a full minute of realistic audio in under a second using a single graphics processor. Microsoft also revealed an advanced text understanding model called MAI-1-Preview. These in-house models are notable because Microsoft has heavily relied on OpenAI’s technology (like GPT-4) for its AI features. By developing proprietary models, Microsoft gains more control over AI deployments in products like Windows and Office. The company says its MAI models are highly efficient, meaning they could run cost-effectively at large scale. Microsoft’s move to build its own AI brainpower signals a deeper push to integrate AI across its products – and a willingness to challenge OpenAI and Google with innovations brewed in-house.

AI Passes One of Finance’s Hardest Exams – Wall Street may have a new kind of analyst: artificial intelligence. In a recent study, cutting-edge AI models proved capable of passing the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level III exam, one of the finance world’s most challenging tests. The CFA exam’s highest level is notorious for its low pass rates among humans, covering complex investment analysis, ethics, and portfolio management. Researchers fed practice exams and problems to a large language model (similar to GPT-4), and the AI’s answers achieved scores meeting the passing threshold. The AI excelled especially at quantitative calculations and financial concepts, though it struggled a bit with nuanced ethical case studies. This development shows how far AI’s reasoning and knowledge have advanced in specialized fields. While AI isn’t about to replace human charterholders, the fact it can earn a CFA designation highlights the potential of AI to assist with sophisticated financial analysis in the future. It’s another example of AI models mastering high-level professional tasks that once seemed exclusively human.

SENIOR LIVING NEWS

Omnicare Pharmacy Files Chapter 11, Rocking Senior Care Sector – Omnicare, a major pharmacy provider for senior living communities and nursing homes, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, acquired by CVS Health in 2015, has long been the largest dispenser of medications for long-term care facilities. In recent years, Omnicare struggled with declining occupancy at skilled nursing facilities and increased competition, leading to heavy financial losses. CVS had signaled plans to exit or revamp the Omnicare business, and now a court-supervised reorganization is underway. Many assisted living and memory care communities that rely on Omnicare for timely medication delivery are watching closely. The bankruptcy could lead to Omnicare selling off parts of its pharmacy business or restructuring its service contracts. Industry experts say communities should have contingency plans for pharmacy services to avoid disruptions in resident care during Omnicare’s restructuring.

Top 10 Nonprofits Operate One-Third of Senior Living Units – A new report on nonprofit senior living providers found that just ten organizations account for nearly one-third of all not-for-profit senior housing units nationwide. Topping the list is National Senior Communities, the umbrella entity affiliated with HumanGood, which along with Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society and Acts Retirement Services rounds out the three largest nonprofits. These big players each serve tens of thousands of residents across multiple states. The annual ranking, based on total occupancy and number of communities, highlights the significant scale of the leading church-affiliated and mission-driven senior living operators. Analysts note that large nonprofits have continued to grow through expansions and affiliations, even as some smaller standalone nonprofits face challenges. The influence of these ten organizations is substantial – by providing roughly one in three nonprofit senior living apartments or care beds, their strategies and performance have a major impact on the overall sector’s success.

Senior Living Deals Pick Up, But Mega-Mergers on Hold – Merger and acquisition activity in the senior living and care industry is on pace to surpass last year’s levels, according to a mid-year analysis. In the first half of 2025, there were 733 reported transactions involving senior housing or care properties – a noticeable increase in deal volume. However, the average size of each deal has shrunk. Unlike some past years that saw giant portfolio sales, most recent transactions are single-property sales or small regional portfolio swaps. Many owners are offloading underperforming assisted living or memory care communities in secondary markets, which attract local and regional operators rather than big national chains. Investors say this trend reflects a “rightsizing” of portfolios after the pandemic, as companies focus on core assets. While big mergers (like multi-billion-dollar REIT acquisitions) have cooled off for now, the steady drumbeat of smaller deals indicates a healthy appetite among buyers to expand in senior living – albeit one property at a time.

Investors See Slower Rent Growth and Lower Yields Ahead – A new investor sentiment survey suggests the senior housing market is entering a period of more moderate growth. Nearly half of investors polled said they expect rent increases to slow down to more normal levels in 2025. Over the last two years, many assisted living operators pushed through unusually large rent hikes (often 5% or more) to counteract pandemic-related costs and labor inflation. Now, with occupancy rebounding and inflation easing, owners predict rent growth will stabilize to a milder pace (perhaps 2-3% annually). The survey respondents also foresee cap rates – a measure of property yield – possibly compressing slightly as the industry’s outlook improves. A majority still rate senior living as an attractive investment, but they are planning with the assumption of lower returns than the post-pandemic bump provided. In short, expectations are recalibrating: investors anticipate solid but not skyrocketing performance, focusing on operational improvements and efficiency to drive value rather than relying on heavy rent-driven gains.

Dining Goes Gourmet: Senior Living Ups its Culinary Game – Forget the old stereotypes of bland cafeteria fare – senior living dining is experiencing a creative renaissance. Operators are rolling out innovative culinary programs to cater to modern senior tastes. For example, Discovery Senior Living and Life Care Services (LCS) are experimenting with pop-up bistros and chef’s table events in their communities, turning mealtime into an experience. Atria Senior Living has introduced on-trend offerings like tapas-style small plates and globally inspired menus to bring more variety and excitement to residents’ palates. Culinary directors are incorporating fresh, locally sourced ingredients and made-to-order options more than ever before. There’s also a push to make dining venues more upscale – think wine bars, wood-fired pizza ovens, and open-kitchen concepts where residents can see chefs in action. Industry leaders say today’s seniors expect restaurant-quality food and ambiance, and meeting those expectations is key to customer satisfaction. The result is that retirement community dining rooms are looking and tasting more like hot new restaurants, focused on experience as much as nutrition.

Assisted Living Improves Staff Retention with Better Onboarding – Good news on the workforce front: assisted living communities are starting to see higher retention of new hires, thanks to focused efforts on training and culture. According to a recent industry survey, the percentage of new caregiving staff who stay beyond their first 90 days on the job has risen compared to a year ago. Communities that improved their onboarding processes report the most gains. Successful strategies include pairing each new hire with a mentor or “buddy” on staff, providing clearer communication from day one, and recognizing early achievements to make employees feel valued. One large operator found that celebrating small wins – like a shout-out in the first month for completing training – helped boost morale and commitment. Offering defined career pathways (for example, a caregiver-to-medication-aide track) also gives new employees a vision of growth if they stay. While staffing remains challenging, these positive retention trends suggest that investing in new hires’ first weeks can pay off in keeping crucial frontline caregivers for the longer term.

Bonaventure Expands Footprint with New Communities – Pacific Northwest operator Bonaventure Senior Living is in growth mode, opening two new senior living communities and building a third. This month Bonaventure cut the ribbon on a community in Maple Valley, Washington, as well as a new assisted living and memory care center in Milwaukie, Oregon. Both feature modern amenities like restaurant-style dining, movie theaters, and fitness studios aimed at attracting active retirees. Bonaventure’s leadership said demand is strong in mid-sized markets just outside major cities, which is where these projects are located. The company isn’t stopping there – construction is underway on another community in Corvallis, Oregon, expected to open next year. Bonaventure now operates over 20 communities across the Northwest and Mountain states. Its expansion comes as senior housing occupancy in the region continues to climb back to pre-pandemic levels. By expanding carefully in select markets, Bonaventure is positioning itself to serve the growing senior population with brand-new, hospitality-oriented communities.