🗞️In this edition

• Apple looks to Google for Siri AI upgrade

• Workflow Wednesday #35 ‘AI for Everyday Life’

• New DeepSeek model targets autonomous AI

• In other AI news –

  • Google Photos adds free Veo 3 animations

  • Atlassian buys Arc-maker Browser Company for $610M

  • FTC to probe AI firms on child impact

• 4 must-try AI tools

Apple may tap Google to power Siri’s next big AI upgrade

♨️News – Apple is working on a major AI upgrade for Siri, and reports suggest it could lean on Google to make it happen. The project, known internally as World Knowledge Answers, would allow Siri to deliver AI-powered search results and summaries, with a rollout expected as early as March 2026.

👨‍💻Fast facts –

• Apple has reportedly struck a deal with Google to test a Gemini model for Siri.

• The new feature will pull information from the web and present it through summaries that include text, images, videos, and points of interest.

• Apple intends to use its own models to search user data but is also weighing Anthropic’s Claude and Gemini for Siri’s planning system.

• The upgraded Siri will combine a planner, a search tool, and a summarizer to process prompts and deliver results.

• The feature is expected to launch with iOS 26.4 after the iPhone 17 announcement.

🤓OpenTools POV – Apple’s willingness to test Google’s AI shows how quickly alliances are shifting in the race to dominate AI search. It also underlines the high stakes as companies try to turn voice assistants into powerful, everyday AI tools.

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This Week in Workflow Wednesday #35: AI for Everyday Life

Workflow 1: Turn Chaos Into Clarity with NotebookLM
Drowning in notes, articles, and PDFs? Google’s free NotebookLM pulls them all together and gives you instant summaries, insights, and answers.

Step 1: Add Sources
Drop in your docs, links, or text. NotebookLM builds a guide so you can see the big picture without reading it all.

 Step 2: Ask Questions
Forget scanning pages, just ask:

• “What’s the core argument?”

• “Which file mentions deadlines?”

And here’s the kicker: NotebookLM goes beyond summaries to….We break it all down in this week’s issue, along with 2 other AI workflows.

DeepSeek developing AI agent model to compete with OpenAI and US rivals

☕News – DeepSeek is preparing a new AI model that focuses on advanced agent features, aiming to compete with US rivals like OpenAI. The system is designed to carry out multi-step tasks with little user input and improve through learning, with a release targeted for late 2025.

👨‍💻Fast facts –

• DeepSeek gained attention in January with R1, a reasoning model built at relatively low cost.

• The new software is intended to handle more complex, real-world actions.

• Founder Liang Wenfeng has set the goal of unveiling it in the final quarter of this year.

• Tech giants including OpenAI, Anthropic and Microsoft are also investing heavily in AI agents.

• DeepSeek has not provided a public response to inquiries about the project.

🤓OpenTools POV – The industry is shifting toward AI that does more than answer questions. DeepSeek’s move shows how quickly competition in this space is intensifying and signals how agent technology could soon reshape everyday automation.

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📢 What else is happening?

• Google Photos now lets you animate your camera roll with Veo 3 for free // Free users of Google Photos can create silent 4-second videos from their images using Veo 3

• Atlassian to buy Arc developer The Browser Company for $610M // The Browser Company’s CEO Josh Miller, said on a post on X that his company will operate independently under Atlassian and will continue to develop Dia, the browser it started working on last year after deciding to stop development of its previous browser, Arc

• FTC Prepares to Question AI Companies Over Impact on Children // Regulator expected to send letters to OpenAI, Meta and other makers of AI chatbots

👩🏼‍🚒Discover mind-blowing AI tools

1. Kaedim - An AI-powered tool that enables users to generate high-definition 3D models from 2D images

2. Zarla - An AI-powered website builder that helps users create beautiful websites in seconds

3. Abacus.AI - A data science platform that enables the building and deployment of applied AI at scale

4. Hexometer - A website monitoring tool that works 24/7 to detect and resolve issues before they impact businesses