Good Morning All!

In today’s newsletter, we’ll explore Apple’s exciting new partnership with AI startup Anthropic to create a cutting-edge AI coding assistant integrated into Xcode. Additionally, we will discuss how fundamental careful AI usage is to press freedom. 

On a personal note from the team, this will be one of our last AI newsletters as we make the transition into AI lead reignition. We really appreciate you reading our newsletter. Thank you! 

This week’s edition:

• Journalism Facing New Threats from AI and Censorship

• Apple and Anthropic Team Up to Revolutionise Coding with AI

• Your 5-Min AI Learning: MinutesLink your Meeting AI Assistant 

• New AI Tools

• More AI News 

• AI Image of the Week

Read time: 8 Minutes

LATEST NEWS

AI IMPACT ON JOURNALISM

Journalism Facing New Threats from AI and Censorship

What You Need to Know

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, emphasised on World Press Freedom Day that free and independent journalism is crucial amid global crises like conflict, climate change, and digital transformation. However, press freedom is increasingly under threat worldwide, with journalists facing harassment, detention, torture and even death. Since January 2025, at least 20 media workers have been killed, with over 80% of such crimes going unpunished. AI technology, while offering new tools for journalism, also poses serious risks by enabling disinformation, surveillance, and censorship, disproportionately affecting women journalists. A few corporations dominate AI control, influencing global media narratives and limiting diversity. The UN calls for urgent action to protect journalists, ensure transparency in data use and algorithms, and update media ownership laws to safeguard independent journalism. Tech companies are urged to assess and mitigate their AI tools' risks to press freedom.

The Finer Details

• Media workers face violence and censorship in conflict zones and authoritarian states.

• AI algorithms shape public opinion and can be weaponised for political agendas.

• States use AI to monitor journalists, violating privacy rights.

• Women journalists face disproportionate targeting and harassment.

• Concentration of AI power in a few hands threatens media diversity.

• The UN promotes the Global Digital Compact to enhance information integrity and tolerance online.

• UNESCO and the UN offer guidance to tech firms on protecting journalists from AI risks.

• Calls for legal reforms to reflect AI’s impact on media ownership and content curation.

So What? 

The survival of free and independent journalism is vital for democracy, informed societies and peace. As AI reshapes information flow, unchecked misuse threatens to deepen misinformation, suppress critical voices, and erode public trust. Protecting journalists and ensuring diverse, transparent media ecosystems are essential to counter these dangers. The UN’s push for stronger protections, legal reforms and responsible AI governance aims to preserve press freedom as a cornerstone of open societies and global stability. Without decisive action, the world risks losing a key defender against disinformation and authoritarian control.

APPLE ANTHROPIC CODING

Apple and Anthropic Team Up to Revolutionise Coding with AI

What You Need to Know

Apple is partnering with AI startup Anthropic to develop an advanced AI-powered coding assistant integrated into an updated version of its Xcode software. This new tool, powered by Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet language model, will help programmers write, edit, and test code more efficiently. Currently, Apple is rolling out this “vibe-coding” platform internally but has not yet decided whether to release it publicly. This collaboration marks Apple’s latest push into generative AI, aiming to keep pace with competitors like Google and OpenAI.

The Finer Details

• The AI assistant uses Claude Sonnet, known for strong coding capabilities and multi-step reasoning.

• It features a chat interface allowing developers to request code generation, debugging and UI testing.

• Apple’s previous AI coding tool, Swift Assist, was shelved due to concerns about hallucinations and development slowdowns; this new tool aims to overcome those issues.

• The platform supports Swift, the primary language for Apple app development.

• Anthropic’s Claude models are praised for accuracy, creativity and responsible AI design, making them ideal for enterprise coding tasks.

• Apple is also integrating AI from other partners like OpenAI and Google to enhance its ecosystem.

So What?

This partnership could significantly boost developer productivity by automating complex coding tasks, reducing errors and speeding up software development cycles. For Apple, it’s a strategic move to strengthen its AI capabilities internally and potentially offer powerful AI tools to third-party developers, enhancing the overall app ecosystem. For Anthropic, collaborating with Apple provides a major platform to showcase its AI technology and compete with leading AI firms. Ultimately, this AI-driven coding platform could reshape how software is created on Apple devices, driving innovation and efficiency across the tech industry.

AI LEARNING

YOUR 5 MIN AI LEARNING

Meet MinutesLink – Your Smart Meeting Sidekick

For this week’s AI learning, we’re spotlighting MinutesLink. This tool is a smart AI meeting assistant designed to keep your virtual meetings organised and hassle-free. Whether you’re on Zoom or Google Meet, MinutesLink automatically joins your calls, records and transcribes everything in over 50 languages, and creates clear, actionable meeting summaries. Say goodbye to frantic note-taking and hello to more focus on the conversation itself. It even highlights tasks and decisions, making follow-ups a breeze. Perfect for busy professionals juggling multiple meetings, sales teams, HR interviews, or educators needing accurate lesson notes. Plus, with strong encryption and compliance with data privacy laws, your meeting info stays secure. If you want to save time, boost productivity and keep your meetings neatly documented without lifting a pen, MinutesLink is definitely worth a try!

LATEST AI TOOLS

Kroolo 

A tool that connects project management, automation and communication. (Freemium)

“Easy to use AI for CXO's, marketing leaders, project managers, product and engineering teams and operations. Generate content instantly with Kroolo’s AI agents. Create blogs, emails, reports, PRDS, strategies, sales plans, and more using templates and custom prompts. Edit, refine, and export seamlessly.”

Molku

A tool to extract and transfer data between document formats to eliminate manual entry. (Freemium)

“AI automatically specified information, and extracts it from the provided document — accurately and without errors. Modify data before transfer: replace text, perform calculations, standardize formats, and merge fields using customizable prompts.”

FindAMeal

A restaurant search engine to find the best places to eat. (Free)

“Going out with friends? Rooftop with live music, a nice view for drinks after work with friends. No more going over hundreds of different websites, apps, and checking all other sources to find a place to eat, we'll find you the best place to eat in one place!”

MORE AI HIGHLIGHTS

Trump Sparks Outrage by Posting AI-Generated Image of Himself as Pope Shortly After Pope Francis’ Death

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope on his Truth Social platform just 11 days after Pope Francis’ death, provoking widespread criticism from Catholics and others who deemed the image disrespectful during the official mourning period. While some supporters praised the post as humorous trolling, many viewed it as sacrilegious and inappropriate given the solemnity of the papal transition, especially as cardinals prepared to elect the new Pope.

ChatGPT AI Bot Expands to Include Shopping Features

OpenAI has enhanced its popular ChatGPT AI bot by adding shopping capabilities, enabling users to easily find prices, reviews, and direct purchase links for personalised product recommendations. This update positions ChatGPT as a competitor to major players like Google and Amazon in the online shopping and product review space, aiming to make the shopping experience faster and more convenient for users.

Mark Zuckerberg Envisions AI Companions as a Solution to the Loneliness Epidemic

Mark Zuckerberg believes Meta’s AI chatbots could help address widespread loneliness by providing users with virtual friends to fill the gap left by a lack of meaningful human connections, despite acknowledging that AI relationships are still in their early stages. While he sees potential societal acceptance of AI companions growing, critics warn of ethical concerns, including risks of inappropriate content and the impact on emotional development, especially among younger users.

AI Revives Old Towns Through Moving Historical Photo Montages

Using advanced AI software, a marketing officer, Marc Edwards has transformed old photographs of Jedburgh and nearby towns into captivating moving montages that have become popular in local schools and social groups. His videos have helped communities connect with their history, delighting both younger and older generations by bringing the past vividly to life.

AI IMAGE OF THE WEEK

As this year is the 20th anniversary of one of my favourite Star Wars movies: Revenge of the Sith, it felt only right to see how AI would interpret the duel between Anakin and Obi-wan. P.S. We would recommend watching it at the cinema now!

The prompt used to generate this image on Microsoft Designer: 

"A dramatic, cinematic scene on the fiery volcanic planet Mustafar, featuring the intense lightsaber duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The background is ablaze with molten lava rivers and erupting volcanoes, casting a harsh orange-red glow. Both warriors are clad in dark Jedi robes, their blue and green lightsabers clashing with sparks flying. Anakin’s expression is a mix of anger and anguish, while Obi-Wan’s face shows sorrow and determination. The atmosphere is charged with tension and tragedy, embodying the fall of Anakin to Darth Vader and the tragic end of their brotherly bond, with a dark, stormy sky overhead and the iconic Star Wars score imagined in the air."

Send us your AI generated art for a chance to be featured.

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