OpenAI and former Apple design chief Jony Ive are reportedly building a screenless, doughnut-shaped AI speaker roughly the size of a hockey puck. The portable gadget features animated moving parts, sensors, a camera, and advanced ChatGPT voice models, targeting a 2027 launch for over $300 as the first in a planned hardware family.
Apple quietly deployed an internal AI chatbot code-named Veritas to stress-test advanced capabilities for a major Siri revamp. Running on Apple's new Linwood system that blends in-house models with third-party tech, the assistant is learning to search personal files and trigger in-app actions. The public rollout was pushed to as early as March 2026 after early testing proved unreliable.
Meta just signed a two-year deal worth $140 million with German startup Black Forest Labs to license its Flux image generation technology. The contract is backloaded, with Meta paying $35 million in year one and $105 million in year two. Why it matters: Following its recent Midjourney pact, Meta is pouring serious cash into leading visual labs to supercharge its creative tools.
Apple is set to expand Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2025 with major upgrades to translation and developer tooling, according to Bloomberg. Users could get automated Message translation, live phone call translation, and real-time conversation translation right through AirPods, alongside new APIs opening Genmoji-style tools to third-party apps.
Apple has developed internal LLMs with up to 150 billion parameters that approach ChatGPT's quality in internal testing. Employees are running prototype chatbots through a tool called Playground, but frequent factual hallucinations and executive hesitation are keeping the tech locked inside Apple for now.
Meta is reportedly releasing its first own-brand smart glasses, codenamed Hypernova, in late 2025 with a price tag between $1,000 and $1,400. The device adds a monocular heads-up display to the right lens and bundles an sEMG neural wristband for pinch-to-select gesture navigation. Why it matters: It bridges the gap between audio frames and full AR, testing whether consumers will pay top dollar for a wearable screen.
Apple is reportedly working on adding cameras to the Apple Watch to power features like Visual Intelligence within the next two years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Standard models could tuck lenses under the display, while the Ultra might mount one beside the digital crown. Apple basically wants wearables to see the physical world, aiming to drive the system with in-house models by 2027.
Apple is taking a slow-roll approach to Apple Intelligence, with Bloomberg reporting that Siri's full contextual awareness update won't land until iOS 18.3 in January 2025 at the earliest. While iOS 18.1 brings basic tweaks in October and iOS 18.2 adds ChatGPT integration by December, iPhone 16 buyers will basically have to wait months for the real AI showcase.
Humane is hunting for a buyer and asking between $750M and $1B, according to Bloomberg. The startup behind the $699 AI Pin faced severe criticism over sluggish responses and hardware flaws, making the high valuation a tough sell despite raising $230M from investors like Sam Altman.
Apple is reportedly planning to run its initial batch of iOS 18 AI features entirely on-device without cloud servers. Basic capabilities like smart text generation in Messages, Safari, and Siri will work offline to ensure privacy, while heavier tools may tap cloud partners. Apple is expected to detail the plans at WWDC on June 10.
Reddit just inked a $60 million content licensing deal with an unnamed major tech company to train AI models, according to Bloomberg. Ahead of its planned $5 billion IPO in March, the platform is turning its vast forum discussions into cash, though the move risks reigniting fury among users already frustrated by recent API price hikes.
YouTube is developing an AI voice-cloning tool that lets creators mimic famous musicians while recording audio, according to Bloomberg. The streaming giant is currently in talks with major record labels to license their music catalogs for AI training. Why it matters: Following a wave of viral AI deepfakes, YouTube is trying to legitimize voice cloning into an officially licensed creator tool—if record labels agree to sign on.
IBM is freezing hiring for back-office roles, with CEO Arvind Krishna revealing that AI and automation could replace roughly 7,800 jobs over the next five years. The cuts will target non-customer-facing positions like human resources, primarily by leaving vacated roles unfilled. Why it matters: It is one of the earliest direct admissions by a major tech chief that AI will outright replace administrative headcount.
Apple is reportedly building a paid AI-powered health coach codenamed Quartz, according to Bloomberg. The service will tap into Apple Watch data to tailor workouts, sleep, and diet suggestions, likely rolling out next year alongside a dedicated Health app for iPadOS 17.
Microsoft is threatening to cut off search engine rivals from Bing’s index if they keep using the data to power their own AI chatbots, according to Bloomberg. The tech giant reportedly warned partners that feeding Bing data into competing chat tools breaches their contracts, effectively walling off its search moat as the generative AI race heats up.
