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01 Jul 2026

OCBC Bank pours $771M into AI and avatar banking while hiring 600 wealth managers

Singapore's OCBC Bank is raising its annual technology spending above $771 million as new CEO Tan Teck Long doubles down on AI-powered wealth management. The bank unveiled an AI avatar app featuring virtual financial advisors named 'Wendy' and 'Wayne,' while simultaneously committing to hire 600 new relationship managers over three years, signaling a hybrid approach to growing its consumer-banking wealth business.

3 Sources

Australian Musicians Demand PM Albanese Reject $50bn AI Copyright Deal Threatening Creative Work

Australian creative industries are sounding the alarm over a government proposal that could allow AI companies to mine copyrighted work without permission. In exchange for over $50bn in datacenter investments and a $350m artist compensation fund, tech giants are seeking exemptions from copyright laws. Musicians including Bernard Fanning, Jessica Mauboy, and members of Spiderbait are urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to protect artists' rights.

3 Sources

Japan targets 10 million robots by 2040 with $6 billion sovereign AI investment

Japan announced an updated national robotics strategy aiming to deploy 10 million AI-equipped robots across 18 sectors by 2040. The government will invest $6 billion in a homegrown AI model developed by Noetra, a consortium led by SoftBank and Sony. The initiative addresses Japan's aging population and workforce shortages while reducing reliance on US and Chinese AI technology.

3 Sources

Fable 5 Returns with Heavy Restrictions After Government Ban Changed Everything

Anthropic's Fable 5 AI model is back after a three-week government shutdown, but it's not the same. New safety classifiers now block routine coding tasks, usage limits have tightened dramatically, and aggressive censorship filters are triggering on basic questions. The changes highlight tensions between AI innovation and security concerns.

6 Sources

Meta smart glasses face backlash as Conversation Focus gets rate limits and $20 monthly paywall

Meta has quietly introduced rate limits on Conversation Focus, a feature that amplifies voices in noisy environments for its AI-powered smart glasses. Free users get just three hours monthly, while Meta One Premium subscribers pay $19.99 for 15 hours. The move has sparked criticism since the feature runs entirely on-device without using Meta's servers or requiring internet connectivity.

10 Sources

Google Slides integrates Gemini AI to generate presentations from simple prompts

Google Slides now features Gemini AI integration that creates complete, editable presentations from a single prompt. The tool pulls content from Google Drive, suggests relevant files and emails, and lets users refine an interactive outline before generating slides. Available to Google Workspace and AI Pro subscribers, the feature aims to eliminate tedious slide-building tasks.

2 Sources

Acti launches AI keyboard that performs tasks directly from your smartphone keyboard

Singapore startup Acti has launched an AI-powered smartphone keyboard for iOS and Android that goes beyond text prediction. The keyboard uses Google Gemini to perform actions like sharing locations, stock prices, and meeting links directly within any app. With $5.3 million in seed funding from BITKRAFT Ventures, Acti aims to reinvent human-computer interaction by embedding AI into the interface users already rely on most.

2 Sources

Oracle launches AI-powered coaching assistant to help managers lead teams more effectively

Oracle unveiled Manager Edge, an AI-powered coaching assistant within Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM that delivers real-time personalized guidance to managers. The tool uses insights from employee feedback, goals, and performance reviews to help managers strengthen engagement, improve team performance, and drive retention across organizations.

2 Sources

Beth Hammack warns AI inflation could force Fed to raise interest rates as demand stays insatiable

Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack says surging AI infrastructure spending is driving inflation higher, with hyperscalers paying almost any price for data center equipment. She warns that if inflation persists above the Fed's 2% target, rate hikes may be necessary—a view that contrasts sharply with Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's belief that AI will ultimately prove disinflationary through productivity gains.

2 Sources

Microsoft set to cut thousands of jobs as AI investment reshapes workforce and Xbox division

Microsoft is preparing to cut less than 2.5% of its global workforce, impacting roughly 5,500 employees across Xbox, sales and consulting divisions. The Microsoft layoffs arrive as the company invests over $100 billion in AI infrastructure, with shares down 19% amid concerns about whether heavy AI spending will deliver returns.

5 Sources

Lenovo deploys AI-powered tech backbone for FIFA World Cup 2026 across 16 stadiums

Lenovo serves as the official technology partner for FIFA World Cup 2026, deploying over 17,000 devices and 350 engineers across 16 venues. The company uses AI to create 1,200+ digital athlete avatars, reduce referee camera jitter by 60%, and power real-time stadium operations for what organizers expect will reach 5 billion viewers worldwide.

2 Sources

Google Drive brings AI Overviews and Ask Gemini to Android and iOS with AI Pro

Google Drive is expanding its AI-powered features to mobile users on Android and iOS. After launching on the web in April, AI Overviews and Ask Gemini now deliver instant summaries from multiple files using natural language queries. Available in 29 languages for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, the update transforms how users search and interact with their Drive content.

2 Sources

Tim Cook holds talks with EU tech chief as Siri AI remains blocked for European iPhone users

Apple CEO Tim Cook and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen held a virtual meeting to discuss launching Siri AI in Europe while complying with the Digital Markets Act. The talks produced warm words but no breakthrough, leaving European iPhone and iPad users without access to Apple's new voice assistant when iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 arrive later this year.

5 Sources

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