AI This Week

Apple has struck a multi-year deal to use Google’s Gemini AI and cloud tech to build a more personalized Siri arriving this year. The companies say Gemini will support Apple Foundation Models and future Apple Intelligence features while core processing stays on devices and Private Cloud Compute. Apple has spent a year rebuilding Siri to take actions and understand personal context, but Apple delayed the rollout last March. It also tested a custom Gemini for “World Knowledge Answers” that searches the web and produces AI summaries. Google launched Gemini 3 in November, and it tops key benchmarks. Apple reshuffled leadership, with Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell replacing John Giannandrea after his departure. Apple continues talks with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity for integrations.

Meta announced a far-reaching plan to secure nuclear power for its data centers, aiming to meet the surging electricity demand from AI training and inference. The company intends to pursue long-term power deals and partnerships with nuclear operators, targeting firm, carbon-free supply that can scale. The plan seeks round-the-clock power for new and existing sites. It also spotlights the escalating energy race among tech giants and the strain AI could put on grids. The plan faces hurdles, including regulatory approvals, project timelines, and high upfront costs. If it proceeds, it could reshape how digital infrastructure draws power.

MiniMax Group, the second of China’s “AI tigers” to go public, has seen its shares skyrocket. The stock doubled in value during its first day of trading in Hong Kong. Investors enthusiastically pursued the startup, which develops popular consumer AI applications like the video tool Hailuo AI and the character interaction app Talkie. The company raised $620 million in its initial public offering to fund further research and development. MiniMax’s successful debut outshined that of Zhipu AI, the first AI tiger to list. The high investor demand highlights a strong appetite for consumer-facing AI technology. Analysts suggest MiniMax’s consumer focus presents higher growth opportunities compared to Zhipu's enterprise-oriented model.

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Health, a new feature in the US that analyzes personal medical records. The system can also review data from health apps like Apple Health and MyFitnessPal to provide users with personalized advice. OpenAI states the new feature is not for diagnosis or treatment. The company also claims health-related conversations will be stored separately and will not be used to train its AI models. Currently available to a small group of US users via a waitlist, the feature has not been introduced in the UK or Europe, which have stricter data protection rules

OpenAI has launched an improved memory feature for ChatGPT. CEO Sam Altman announced the upgrade, which allows the AI to better recall previous conversations and user information. The feature is rolling out to Pro users first, with Plus subscribers gaining access soon. OpenAI views this as a significant step towards more personalized AI systems. Users can opt out or use temporary conversations if desired. The upgrade aims to make ChatGPT more useful by building a comprehensive understanding of each user over time.

A new artificial intelligence model can forecast a person's risk for serious diseases, including dementia and heart failure, using data from a single night of sleep. Researchers developed the system, called SleepFM, by training it on a vast library of over half a million hours of sleep studies from 65,000 individuals. The model examines complex biological signals recorded overnight, including brain waves, heart rhythms, and breathing patterns. From this single snapshot, it identifies subtle indicators of future health problems. The results are startling. SleepFM predicted all-cause mortality with a C-index of 0.84 and dementia at 0.85. It also demonstrated strong predictive performance for heart attack, stroke, and chronic kidney disease. A novel design allows it to function effectively even when a patient's sleep data is incomplete.

The world’s largest technology conference is presenting the next wave of gadgets in Las Vegas. CES 2026 is filled with advancements in artificial intelligence, from a new AI pet that physically grows as you care for it to a smart ring that records and transcribes your work meetings. Robotics also had a key presence. Boston Dynamics debuted its new Atlas robot, and Qualcomm-powered humanoids demonstrated backward-bending flexibility. Other notable reveals include LG's ultra-thin wallpaper TV, a pocket-sized lab that detects food allergens, and exoskeletons built to make hiking easier. Samsung also exhibited a creaseless foldable phone concept and a massive 130-inch television.

Amazon pushed its AI ambitions into new territory with a suite of updates that bring its advanced assistant beyond the smart speaker and into browsers, phones, and wearable tech. The company rolled out a redesigned Alexa mobile app that makes the assistant central to the experience and launched Alexa+ in web browsers, letting users chat, upload documents, control calendars and smart devices, and even book tasks. It also revealed progress on Bee, a wearable AI that transcribes conversations and offers insights. These moves signal a fresh push to catch up with popular AI rivals and leverage its huge installed device base.

Elon Musk confirmed xAI acquired a third facility, dubbed "Macrohardrr," pushing its AI training capacity toward a massive 2 gigawatts. The purchase significantly expands the company's growing data center footprint in the Memphis area, a central piece of its Colossus AI infrastructure project. xAI is financing this ambition with aggressive fundraising efforts. Recent reports indicate the company is in advanced talks to raise about $15 billion in equity funding. The expansion gains further momentum from important government contracts. The U.S. Department of War recently struck a deal to deploy xAI’s Grok models on its official defense platform, marking a key adoption of the technology.

China now mandates its chipmakers use at least 50% domestically made equipment to expand capacity in a major move to build a self-sufficient semiconductor supply chain. The undocumented rule forces companies seeking state approval for new factories to prove they meet the threshold. This policy directly advances Beijing’s goal of reducing reliance on foreign technology, especially after recent U.S. export restrictions. The directive is compelling Chinese manufacturers to select local suppliers over available foreign options. While authorities offer some flexibility for the most advanced production lines where domestic tools are scarce, the long-term objective points toward 100% domestic sourcing, significantly altering the global market.