When AI Writes Your Emails and Plays Soccer Too

Good day, curious minds

What do your inbox, a humanoid soccer team, Siri, and a digital note-taking assistant have in common? They're all getting an AI-fueled makeover that’s changing the way we live, work, and play.

Apple’s Siri Reboot May Not Be All Apple

• Apple is considering a major AI pivot: instead of relying solely on its in-house tech, it may tap OpenAI or Amazon-backed Anthropic to power a revamped Siri, Bloomberg reports. Talks are still in early stages, with Apple requesting both firms to adapt their language models for testing on Apple’s cloud. This marks a notable shift from Apple’s traditional closed-loop development.

• The move follows internal delays in Siri’s AI overhaul—now pushed to 2026—and executive shake-ups, including the sidelining of AI lead John Giannandrea in favor of Mike Rockwell. At WWDC, Apple signaled a more open AI future, offering developers access to both its tools and those from OpenAI. Investors seem intrigued: Apple shares rose 2% on the news.

AI Means Fewer Workers, More Bots at Amazon

• Amazon CEO Andy Jassy confirmed what many suspected: as generative AI gains ground, some jobs will disappear. Speaking to CNBC, Jassy said automation will lead to "fewer people doing some of the jobs" but also open doors to new roles, especially in AI and robotics.

• The company expects its workforce to shrink over time, echoing a broader tech trend—Salesforce, Klarna, and Microsoft are all leaning heavily into AI to boost efficiency and reduce headcount. Since 2022, Amazon has already cut 27,000 jobs. While Jassy frames AI as a tool to eliminate "rote work" and make jobs “more interesting,” the message is clear: adapt or be automated.

Stable Diffusion: Open Source Power with Pro-Level Tools

• Stable Diffusion, the AI image engine from Stability AI, remains a standout thanks to one major feature: it's open source. Unlike rivals like Midjourney or OpenAI’s DALL·E, anyone can tweak, deploy, or build on its models, making it a favorite for tinkerers and developers alike.

• The newest release, Stable Image Ultra, shows impressive creativity, fast output, and standout editing features, especially in the Stable Assistant app. It excels at vivid imagery, product mockups, and visual refinements, though it still struggles with accurate text rendering and clarity between platforms (Stable Assistant vs. DreamStudio).

• Legal clouds loom, though—Stability faces lawsuits over allegedly using copyrighted content without permission. Bottom line: Stability AI’s tools offer serious creative power, but tread carefully on legal terrain.

The AI Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed for School, Work, and Everything In Between

• NotebookLM, Google's Gemini-powered research assistant, is quietly becoming the go-to AI tool for students and professionals alike. Instead of scraping the internet, it works solely with sources you upload, like documents, videos, or URLs, turning them into smart summaries, timelines, study guides, and even podcast-style “Audio Overviews.”

• Its standout features include Mind Maps that dissect texts like The Odyssey and Interactive Audio mode, where users can jump into the conversation.

• Now with mobile apps, a cleaner design, and new features like customizable overviews and sharing options, NotebookLM is more than a note-taker—it’s a powerful, personalized learning and productivity machine. And best of all? Most of it is free.

Grammarly Wants to Run Your Workday, Not Just Fix Your Grammar

• Grammarly just took another bold step beyond redlining your typos by acquiring Superhuman, the sleek AI-powered email app promising to save users hours each week.

• This move, hot on the heels of its 2024 acquisition of productivity suite Coda, signals Grammarly's ambitions to evolve into a full-fledged AI productivity powerhouse, possibly even challenging Microsoft and Google in the workplace software arena.

• Superhuman CEO Rahul Vohra teased a future where AI agents streamline communication across all tools, not just inboxes. With AI adoption accelerating and competition heating up, Grammarly’s message is clear: it's not just about grammar anymore—it's about running the whole digital desk.

Robot Soccer Is Here, and It's Hilariously Offside

• At China’s first-ever RoBoLeague in Beijing, fully autonomous humanoid robots squared off in a 3-on-3 soccer showdown that was part science fair, part slapstick comedy.

• The semi-finals featured teams from Tsinghua University and Beijing Information & Science Technology University, showcasing AI bots that can walk, kick, fall—and crucially—get back up without the drama of a human dive.

• While their moves are more blooper reel than Mbappé highlight, the robots did show flashes of coordination, strategy, and resilience.

• The league is a warm-up act for next year’s World Humanoid Robot Games and a bold flex of China’s robotic ambitions in a global race to bring AI-powered humanoids from the pitch to the workplace.

From reshaping the tools we rely on to reimagining how robots play the world’s favorite game, this week proves AI isn’t just evolving—it’s everywhere, and it’s accelerating fast.