Apple’s newest AI features

Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Apple just unveiled its first set of long-awaited AI features — but should you were expecting a groundbreaking shift, you would possibly have to wait a bit longer.

Is that this initial Apple Intelligence rollout just an appetizer for what’s to come back, or is the corporate’s AI hype about to fizzle? Let’s get into it…

In today’s AI rundown:

• Apple unveils first wave of Apple Intelligence features

• Meta builds AI Google Search rival

• Create AI-powered study sessions

• UMG, Klay Vision partner on ‘ethical’ AI music model

• 6 latest AI tools & 4 latest AI jobs

• More AI & tech news

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

APPLE

🍎 Apple unveils first wave of Apple Intelligence features

The Rundown: Apple just officially launched its highly-anticipated AI system, Apple Intelligence, with the newest iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates — introducing a set of latest features focused on productivity, creativity, and privacy enhancements.

The small print:

• The initial release brings systemwide writing tools for rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text, in addition to enhanced photo search capabilities.

• A redesigned Siri features latest typing support, higher context understanding, and upgraded product knowledge to reply questions on Apple devices.

• Only newer devices with the M1 / A17 Pro chips or later can access the AI features, with some users also facing a waitlist system after opting in.

• The following update, expected in December, will include more advanced features like ChatGPT integration, Image Playground, and Genmoji.

Why it matters: The long-awaited Apple Intelligence is finally here… kind of. This primary wave of integrations is a far cry from the hyped AI phone revolution expected with the brand new iPhones. While substantial features should arrive in just one other month, this initial release feels far more like a soft launch than a revolutionary upgrade.

TOGETHER WITH SONAR

📶 Ensure code quality with Sonar and AI assistants

The Rundown: Sonar complements your AI coding assistants by improving the standard and security of each AI-generated line of code — allowing you to spice up productivity while maintaining high standards.

Sonar means that you can:

• Speed up development cycles with AI-generated code

• Ensure quality and security standards are met, reducing rework

• Gain peace of mind through comprehensive code reviews

Learn More and secure your AI-assisted coding today.

META

🔎 Meta builds AI Google Search rival

The Rundown: Meta is reportedly developing its own AI-powered search engine, hoping to cut back its dependence on Google and Bing to power real-time information in Meta AI conversations.

The small print:

• Meta is developing proprietary web crawling tech to power its AI’s real-time knowledge of current events and web info without counting on competitors.

• Internal teams have reportedly been quietly constructing the search infrastructure since early 2024.

• Meta also recently partnered with Reuters for news content, suggesting a broader strategy to regulate its AI information sources.

• The event comes as Meta AI reaches 185M weekly energetic users across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Why it matters: The AI race is popping to a brand new battleground — search. With Meta’s quest (🥁) to construct a self-sufficient AI ecosystem and tech giants increasingly viewing AI as their core business, the race for search independence could spark latest competition in how the highest models access and deliver real-time info.

AI TRAINING

🎧 Create AI-powered study sessions

The Rundown: NotebookLM’s latest customizable Audio Overview feature enables you to transform your study materials into specific discussions between AI hosts, making exam preparation more efficient and enjoyable.

Step-by-step:

1. Create a brand new notebook in NotebookLM and upload your study materials (PDFs, notes, slides).

2. Find the Audio Overview feature and click on the customize icon.

3. Enter an in depth prompt, e.g., “Create a [topic] exam review specializing in [subjects]. Explain as if teaching a brand new student, include memory tricks and potential exam questions.”

4. Generate and hearken to your personalized study session, taking notes as you go.

Pro tip: Use the chat feature to ask follow-up questions and reinforce your learning.

PRESENTED BY IBM

💻 IBM’s most compact AI models goal enterprises

The Rundown: Meet IBM’s latest third generation of Granite with latest open, compact, and efficient 2B and 8B language models.

Designed to offer enterprises more ways to embed and scale AI of their businesses, these latest 2B and 8B compact models are:

• Trained with rigorously curated data;

• Cost-efficient;

• Designed to run high-performance solutions.;

Learn more about how these models may also help transform enterprise AI adoption.

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

🎶 UMG, Klay Vision partner on ‘ethical’ AI music model

The Rundown: Music industry giant Universal Music Group is partnering with AI startup Klay Vision to develop an ethical AI music generator, which comes as the corporate still actively fights lawsuits filed against Suno, Udio, and Anthropic.

The small print:

• The partnership goals to create AI music models that ‘lessen the threat to human creators’ and open ‘latest avenues for creativity and future monetization.’

• Klay Vision is actively working on a Large Music Model called KLayMM for business use that respects copyright and artist likeness rights.

• Klay Vision is led by former Sony Music and Google DeepMind execs, with the partnership following past AI deals with YouTube’s AI Incubator and SoundLabs.

• The deal comes as UMG continues legal motion against AI firms like Anthropic, Suno, and Udio for alleged unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

Why it matters: The music industry’s largest label is taking a ‘control the narrative’ approach to AI, partnering with those willing to play by its rules and aggressively pursuing those that don’t. But Hollywood and media firms have accepted that AI isn’t only a passing fad and at the moment are quickly re-positioning for the brand new era of creation.

NEW TOOLS & JOBS

Trending AI Tools

• ⚙️ APIPark – Open-source AI gateway to simply manage, integrate, and deploy AI services

• 🐝 SwarmStack – AI agent for product planning with tailored recommendations to take your idea to market efficiently

• 🗣️ Canonical AI – Improve voice agents with audio metrics, conversational metrics, and caller journeys

• 📚 ReadKidz – One-stop AI multimedia children’s story creation platform

• 🧠 Chat2DB – Write SQL and analyze data with AI

Recent AI Job Opportunities

• 🚀 Palantir Technologies – Deployment Strategist

• 🧩 Cohere – Senior Annotation Operations Lead (Modeling)

• 💼 Superannotate – Vice President of Sales

• 🎨 Imbue – Product Designer

QUICK HITS

A brand new mysterious ‘red_panda’ model surged to the highest of the Artificial Evaluation Text-to-Image Arena Leaderboard, beating out models like Flux, Ideogram, and Midjourney.

AI startup Sierra raised $175M, with OpenAI board chairman Bret Taylor’s customer support chatbot company now valued at $4.5B only a yr after its launch.

Google announced the expansion of its AI Overviews in Search to over 100 countries and more languages, aiming to succeed in greater than 1B users every month.

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar revealed that 75% of the corporate’s revenue comes from paying ChatGPT subscribers, with a 5–6% conversion rate from free users and 250M weekly energetic users.

xAI’s Grok chatbot gained latest vision capabilities, with Elon Musk sharing an example of the AI model breaking down a joke after being given a meme as input.

Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA signed a take care of AI company Ethovox to construct a foundational voice model for digital replicas, ensuring performer compensation through session fees and revenue sharing.

THAT’S A WRAP

See you soon,

Rowan, Joey, Zach, and Alvaro—aka The Rundown Team