Apple shops a new brain for Siri

PLUS: Google bets big on fusion power

Good morning, tech enthusiasts. Siri is about to get a brain transplant, and Apple is shopping for intelligence. The company is reportedly deep in talks with OpenAI and Anthropic to power its aging voice assistant with their cutting-edge AI.

It could make Siri smarter, fast — but at what cost to Apple’s famously walled garden?

In today’s tech rundown:

  • Apple shopping from Anthropic and OpenAI

  • Google signs landmark fusion power deal

  • DOJ cracks down on North Korean tech scam

  • Netflix to stream NASA’s space missions

  • Quick hits on other major tech news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

APPLE

Image source: Ideogram/The Rundown

The Rundown: Apple is weighing a radical shift in its AI strategy by considering Anthropic and OpenAI as potential providers for the next-gen Siri, moving away from its long-standing reliance on proprietary in-house models, Bloomberg reports.

The details:

  • Apple has asked Anthropic and OpenAI to create custom versions of their large language models that can run on Apple’s own cloud infrastructure for testing.

  • This comes after a series of technical setbacks within Apple’s AI division, as the company struggles to keep pace with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

  • Internally, the project is being led by Mike Rockwell, who previously headed Vision Pro, with the company also continuing to develop its own “LLM Siri”.

  • Anthropic is reportedly asking Apple for a multibillion-dollar annual licensing fee, prompting Apple to keep OpenAI in the running for negotiating power.

Why it matters: Siri has lagged behind in the generative AI race, and Apple’s openness to outside AI shows just how high the stakes are. With a smarter, revamped Siri not arriving until 2026, Apple is scrambling to stay in the game as the AI competition heats up further.

GOOGLE

Image source: Commonwealth Fusion Systems

The Rundown: Google signed the largest fusion power purchase agreement in history, securing 200 megawatts from MIT spinoff Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS )'s first commercial ARC power plant, for an undisclosed amount.

The details:

  • The ARC plant is expected to generate a total of 400 megawatts, enough to power around 150K homes or major industrial operations.

  • CFS uses a donut-shaped reactor called tokamak to confine plasma at over 100M°C, allowing atomic nuclei to fuse and release massive amounts of energy.

  • CFS’s first commercial fusion power plant, ARC, is slated to come online in Chesterfield County, Virginia, in the early 2030s.

  • Google is also making a new, undisclosed investment in CFS as part of a fresh funding round, building on its participation in CFS’s $1.8B Series B in 2021.

Why it matters: The fusion sector has pulled in over $8B in private investment — with tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI leading the charge. They see fusion as essential to powering growing AI and data infrastructure loads. Google’s latest deal is the largest yet and could accelerate fusion’s path to commercial scale.

CYBERSECURITY

Image source: Ideogram/The Rundown

The Rundown: The U.S. Department of Justice launched a sweeping crackdown on North Korea’s covert IT worker scheme, which embedded a handful of North Korean operatives as remote employees inside more than 100 American tech firms.

The details:

  • These operatives, often using stolen or fake identities, infiltrated the U.S. workforce by posing as legitimate software engineers and IT specialists.

  • They allegedly siphoned millions, laundered crypto, and stole proprietary data, funneling the proceeds back to Pyongyang for its nuclear weapons program.

  • So far, federal agents has arrested one key U.S.-based facilitator, indicted a network of multinational collaborators, and seized nearly $8M in assets.

  • The DOJ said the scheme used U.S.-based “laptop farms,” fake companies to hide payments, and remote access tools to disguise workers’ real locations.

Why it matters: These operatives, hired by top U.S. firms and even a California military defense contractor, allegedly stole millions and sensitive IP and then funneled the proceeds to fund Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program — making American companies unwitting financiers of one of the world’s most dangerous regimes.

NETFLIX

Image source: NASA

The Rundown: Netflix is about to get a cosmic upgrade: NASA Plus’ live spacewalks, rocket launches, and stunning ISS views are landing on the world’s biggest streaming platform this summer — ad-free and at no extra cost.

The details:

  • The partnership is designed to make NASA’s scientific work more accessible for a global audience, leveraging Netflix’s reach of over 700M users worldwide.

  • NASA Plus, launched in November 2023, offers a mix of live feeds, documentaries, mission overviews, and behind-the-scenes science features.

  • It will continue to be available for free, without ads or a subscription, on NASA’s website, app, and supported streaming devices.

  • The move is part of NASA’s aim to expand its potential audience, reaching viewers in over 190 countries and making space science more mainstream.

Why it matters: The addition of NASA Plus to Netflix marks the first time the streaming giant is integrating a live feed from an outside programmer, reflecting both Netflix’s growing interest in live, real-time content and NASA’s goal to encourage some space exploration binge-watching.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in tech today

Canada dropped its planned digital tax on U.S. tech giants after Trump threatened to halt trade talks.

Tinder now requires all new users in California to verify their profiles with facial recognition technology.

Grammarly acquired email efficiency tool Superhuman, Reuters reports, as part of its strategy to develop an AI-powered productivity suite and expand its business.

Apple finally scored its first major box office hit with F1, the Brad Pitt-led racing drama that debuted at No. 1 and has so far raked in $144M worldwide.

Mira Murati’s AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is reportedly offering exceptionally high base salaries, with some roles reaching $500K, to draw in top talent.

OpenAI said it has no current plans to deploy Google’s in-house Tensor Processing Units at commercial scale, clarifying that the chips are only being used in early testing.

President Donald Trump said that a group of “very wealthy people” is set to buy video app TikTok, banned in the U.S. due to security risks.

Biopharma company Vertex Pharmaceuticals found that one infusion of a stem cell-based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with severe type 1 diabetes.

Anker announced a second product recall this month for five more power bank models because of potential risks of fire.

Joby Aviation delivered its first production eVTOL aircraft to Dubai, where it plans to launch a commercial air taxi service in early 2026. 

COMMUNITY

Check out our latest workshop on how to build advanced n8n agents that react, research, and automate like pros, with Dr. Alvaro Cintas, The Rundown’s AI professor.

Watch it here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

That's it for today's tech rundown!

We'd love to hear your feedback on today's newsletter so we can continue to improve The Rundown experience for you.

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

See you soon,

Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team

Reply

or to participate.