On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Americans’ feelings towards AI have changed this year, the gaps in concern between AI experts and the general public, and the best ways to get started with AI. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Grace Harmon, and Senior Vice President of Media Content and Strategy Henry Powderly. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The news: Meta is in talks to invest upwards of $10 billion in Scale AI, a data labeling startup. The deal would be Meta’s biggest ever external AI investment and could help it position its Llama large language model (LLM) as an industry standard, per Bloomberg. Scale AI has already partnered with Meta to develop Defense Llama, an LLM designed for military use that’s built on Llama 3, and also works with Meta competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI. Our take: Meta’s massive investment could draw antitrust scrutiny in an era of acqui-hires. The outcome of active probes in Big Tech partnerships could influence regulatory action, especially if this investment contains any exclusivity that limits model training resources for other companies.
The news: Apple’s highly anticipated AI enhancements, particularly for Siri, remain unfinished. During WWDC 2025, SVP Craig Federighi confirmed delays, stating Apple needs “more time to reach a high-quality bar.” No major voice assistant upgrades were announced. Apple’s most relevant AI move wasn’t a product—it was a warning: Ahead of its event, Apple published a research paper arguing that top models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7, and Google’s Gemini don’t truly “reason.” Instead, they create an “illusion of thinking.” Our take: Apple is hedging its AI bets by being cautious with core offerings like Siri while quietly enabling developers with on-device LLMs and privacy-first tools. Instead of overpromising, Apple is pointing out potential problems with the latest AI models while exercising restraint.
The news: Tesla stock rebounded about 5% Friday after a 14.3% crash during a public social media feud between President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk over the “Big Beautiful Bill.” The EV giant lost $152.4 billion in market value Thursday—its biggest one-day decline ever, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: The Musk-Trump quarrel could drag on or it could end as abruptly as it started. Its effects on Tesla’s stock are a reminder that Musk is the company’s de facto spokesperson and that his persona is inseparable from Tesla’s brand. The Big Beautiful Bill, paired with cautious US consumer spending and economic uncertainty, could slow Tesla’s EV adoption just when the company can least afford it.
Tools like Smart+ and Content Suite help brands find trending creator content, predict ad success, and target more precisely.
It will rely on automated systems to approve algorithm updates and safety features, potentially sidelining privacy teams and risking half-baked feature launches.
XChat introduces file sharing, disappearing messages, and calls—but user skepticism over privacy and vague “Bitcoin-style” encryption may hinder adoption.
Apple’s appeal against DMA rules frames interoperability as a privacy risk, testing how far regulators can go in dismantling its tightly guarded ecosystem.
30% of employees use AI productivity tools secretly out of fear that their job might be reduced or cut, per a February Ivanti survey.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss where GIFs came from, how GIF user behavior changes, and which ones work best for brands. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, Analyst Emmy Liederman, and the Vice President of Client Solutions at Giphy Alix McAlpine. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Choosing the right tech solutions can be like entering a long-term relationship with vendor partners. “There has to be a long-term gain more than just a nice-to-have quick incremental add,” said Ann Marie Ippoliti, vice president of ecommerce and marketing for Michael Kors at The Lead Summit in New York City earlier this week.
Fewer content removals signal better precision, but reduced proactivity could slow responses to hate speech and misinformation.
Most consumers divide their time across gaming, music, podcasts, and social, but streaming remains on top—even as mobile becomes the default for short- and long-form video.
Neon fuses AI search, code generation, and digital agent tools into one browser—aiming to outpace Google by doing the work, not just finding it.
The $8 billion Informatica buy signals a pivot from flashy AI tools to reliable, compliant data—core to scaling enterprise automation without sacrificing transparency.
By snapping up staff and software without a full buyout, Google may have found a gray zone. Regulators want to know if it’s a loophole or a land grab.
Half of young UK consumers accept AI in customer service, but 81% of all UK adults want full disclosure—because comfort doesn’t cancel the need for trust.
Meta pays creators for traffic, Spotify wins in-app freedom post-Epic ruling, and Amazon’s Zoox expands robotaxi testing despite software recalls.
Copilot, Edge, and Azure upgrades show Microsoft is building an AI pipeline to control development, infrastructure, and productivity.