Retter Reboot #36

Apple’s Siri Upgrade May Be Powered by Google Gemini

Apple is reportedly in talks with Google to use its Gemini AI models to power the upcoming upgrade to Siri. The integration would give Siri more advanced reasoning and conversational abilities as Apple works to catch up with rivals in the AI assistant race.

If finalized, the deal would mark a rare deep partnership between the two tech giants and could bring Gemini’s multimodal capabilities directly into iPhones.

Source: TechCrunch

OpenAI Acquires Statsig and Restructures Leadership Team

OpenAI has acquired Statsig, a product testing and experimentation startup, to strengthen its platform development and data-driven decision-making capabilities. Alongside the acquisition, OpenAI announced a leadership shake-up, with several senior executives shifting roles as the company scales its enterprise and consumer offerings.

The move highlights OpenAI’s push to professionalize its operations and compete more aggressively with tech giants by improving how it tests, measures, and rolls out new AI products.

Source: TechCrunch

Anthropic Raises $13B at $183B Valuation

Anthropic has secured $13 billion in Series F funding, boosting its valuation to $183 billion. The raise underscores investor confidence in the company’s Claude AI models as competition with OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft intensifies.

The funding will be used to expand Anthropic’s infrastructure, accelerate model development, and scale enterprise adoption of its AI systems globally.

Source: TechCrunch

Cloudflare Blocks Record-Breaking 115 Tbps DDoS Attack

Cloudflare says it successfully mitigated a record-breaking 115 Tbps distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, the largest ever recorded. The attack targeted multiple customers and leveraged a botnet of compromised devices, but Cloudflare’s network absorbed and neutralized the traffic without downtime. The incident highlights the growing scale of cyberattacks and the critical role of cloud security providers in protecting businesses from massive disruptions.

Source: BleepingComputer

Amazon Launches Lens Live for Visual Shopping

Amazon has introduced Lens Live, a new feature that lets shoppers scan real-world items with their phone camera to instantly find matches on Amazon. The tool uses AI-powered visual search to identify products and provide purchase options within seconds. The rollout enhances Amazon’s push into AI-driven shopping experiences, aiming to make product discovery faster and more seamless for users.

Source: PCMag

Atlassian Acquires Arc Browser Maker The Browser Company

Atlassian has acquired The Browser Company, the startup behind the Arc browser, in a deal aimed at expanding its footprint in productivity and collaboration tools. Arc, known for its minimalist design and AI-driven features, will continue to operate independently while integrating more deeply with Atlassian’s ecosystem. The acquisition highlights Atlassian’s strategy to move beyond workplace software into next-gen browsing and AI-powered productivity, competing with Google and Microsoft on how people work and interact online.

Source: The Verge

Coinbase Says AI Now Writes Nearly Half of Its Code

Coinbase revealed that AI tools are generating almost 50% of its code, significantly speeding up software development. The company uses AI for tasks like writing boilerplate code, debugging, and testing, freeing engineers to focus on higher-level architecture and product innovation. Executives say AI adoption has improved efficiency and reduced errors, positioning Coinbase as one of the most aggressive adopters of AI in the crypto and fintech sector.

Source: Cointelegraph

New AI Model Transforms Photos into 3D Worlds

Researchers have unveiled a new AI model that can turn standard photos into explorable 3D environments, allowing users to virtually move within scenes created from flat images. While the technology shows promise for gaming, VR, and digital twins, limitations remain around accuracy, realism, and computing requirements. The breakthrough highlights both the potential and the challenges of using AI to bridge 2D media and immersive 3D experiences.

Source: Ars Technica

Google Photos Adds AI Video Generation with Veo 3

Google has integrated its Veo 3 video generation model into Google Photos, allowing users to create short AI-generated videos directly from their photo libraries. The feature enables animations, highlight reels, and creative storytelling with minimal effort, further embedding AI into everyday Google services. The update positions Google Photos as not just a storage app but also a creative AI tool, competing with offerings from OpenAI, Adobe, and other media-focused platforms.

Source: TechCrunch