EP 168 : Apple's AI "Gap Year", China's Exam Freeze & UK Infra Boost

In today's installment, we dive into a series of significant developments shaping the world of Artificial Intelligence.First, we tackle Apple's presence at WWDC 2025, where despite showcasing design, naming, and customization upgrades, the event was notably light on meaningful announcements regarding its lagging Apple Intelligence.This has fueled rumors of an AI "gap year" for Apple, feeling somewhat "out of touch in an AI-obsessed world". While there were some updates, such as Live Translation for real-time language conversion, Visual Intelligence for on-screen content analysis, AI-powered intelligent actions in the Shortcuts app, and the debut of "Workout Buddy" on Apple Watch for personalized voice coaching, these felt more like an "afterthought". Apple also opened access to its on-device model via a new developer framework.Next, we shift our focus to China, where major AI giants froze certain tools during the national gaokao university entrance exams to prevent cheating among over 13 million students. Tools like ByteDance's Doubao, DeepSeek, Qwen, Tencent's Yuanbao, and Moonshot's Kimi suspended features such as analyzing exam-related images or answering test questions. This move underscores how AI is causing significant disruption in the education system, challenging traditional testing methods.We then explore an "amazing government use case" for AI in the UK, where the government and Google unveiled an AI tool named "Extract." This tool leverages Gemini AI to digitize millions of planning documents, including blurry maps and handwritten notes, aiming to fast-track notoriously slow housing and infrastructure decisions. Officials estimate "Extract" can streamline processes that would take a planning professional two hours into just 40 seconds. It's currently being trialed and slated for a nationwide rollout by Spring 2026, with the goal of freeing up planners to focus on decision-making rather than tedious manual checks.Beyond these headlines, we delve into surprising new studies suggesting AI is getting remarkably good at math. While earlier models performed poorly, OpenAI’s o4-mini demonstrated a significant leap, solving an "open question in number theory — a good PhD level problem" in about 10 minutes by studying similar problems and tackling simplified versions first. This has led some to view the model as a "strong collaborator".We also cover Everything else in AI today, including OpenAI reaching $10 billion in annual recurring revenue, Ohio State University launching an AI Fluency Initiative, and Sam Altman’s Tools for Humanity rolling out its proof-of-personhood eye-scanners in the UK. Additionally, we touch on the release of EleutherAI’s Common Pile v0.1, a massive 8TB open dataset for AI model training, and Google’s Veo 3 Fast, capable of generating videos twice as fast.Finally, we highlight Today’s Trending AI Tools that offer practical applications:Clockwise: An AI assistant for calendar cleanup, scheduling meetings, and creating deep work time.Advanced Voice Mode: Features new expressiveness and translation capabilities.Cursor v1.0: Offers updates for remote coding and automatic PR reviews.Portraits: Provides AI coaching from trusted experts.Placed App: Automates job applications and interview preparation using AI.Zeno: Transforms YouTube videos into bite-sized learning and actionable insights.P20: Creates visuals and transforms videos and images instantly with AI.AISheets: Converts textbooks and study materials into interactive worksheets, mind maps, and flashcards.Tune in to "AI Brief" for a comprehensive look at the latest in Artificial Intelligence!

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