Maximilian Schreiner
Max is the managing editor of THE DECODER, bringing his background in philosophy to explore questions of consciousness and whether machines truly think or just pretend to.
Read full article about: Steel giants, automakers, and banks plan to build Japan's answer to US and Chinese AI dominance
Softbank is uniting Japan's industrial elite to build the country's own AI foundation, trying to reduce dependence on American and Chinese models.
Eight Japanese corporations, including NEC, Honda, Sony, three major banks, Nippon Steel, and Kobe Steel, have invested in a new Softbank unit. The goal is to develop a foundation model with roughly one trillion parameters by the end of the decade. The project focuses on "Physical AI," meaning artificial intelligence that can autonomously control robots and machinery.
Even large Japanese companies increasingly rely on foundation models from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Alibaba. But as AI handles more sensitive data like the operational status of industrial facilities, concerns about training data flowing to foreign servers are growing, according to Nikkei. All data processing is set to take place on Japanese soil, including at a data center Softbank is building in a former Sharp LCD factory in Sakai, near Osaka.
Through the funding agency NEDO, roughly one trillion yen (about $6.7 billion) is expected to flow into national AI development over the next five years. Softbank's new unit is considered a leading candidate for these funds.
Read full article about: OpenAI opens London office with room for over 500 employees
OpenAI is opening a new office in London with space for more than 500 employees - more than double its current headcount of around 200 in the British capital. According to CNBC, the company has signed a lease for roughly 8,200 square meters in the King's Cross neighborhood, home to Google DeepMind, Meta, Synthesia, and Wayve. Back in February, OpenAI announced plans to make London its largest research hub outside the United States.
The news comes just days after OpenAI paused its UK Stargate infrastructure project due to high energy costs and regulatory hurdles. Talks with project partner Nscale are still ongoing.
Read full article about: Apple is building smart glasses without a display to serve as an AI wearable
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is developing smart glasses that skip the display entirely and instead function as an AI wearable. The glasses are part of a three-device strategy - glasses, AirPods, and a camera pendant - all designed to capture the user's surroundings through computer vision and feed that data to Siri and Apple Intelligence. The goal is to enable features like better navigation instructions and visual reminders.
The glasses, internally codenamed N50, are expected to be announced in late 2026 or early 2027 and go on sale the same year. A distinguishing design feature will be vertically oriented oval camera lenses. Unlike Meta, Google, and Samsung, which partner with established eyewear manufacturers, Apple plans to handle the design in-house. The glasses will rely on the new version of Siri shipping with iOS 27.
Apple's former AI chief John Giannandrea is leaving the company for good this week, according to Gurman. His role had already been scaled back in 2025 following the underwhelming rollout of Apple Intelligence.
Read full article about: Claude now works across all three major Office apps
Anthropic brings Claude directly into Microsoft Word. Anthropic already offered Claude add-ins for Excel and PowerPoint. Now the company is rounding out its Microsoft Office integration with a Word add-in.
The AI can rewrite highlighted text, respond to comments in a document, and insert changes as tracked changes that users can accept or reject individually. Context can be shared across the Word, PowerPoint, and Excel add-ins.
Claude for Word is currently in beta for Team and Enterprise plans and can be installed through the Microsoft Marketplace. Supported file formats include .docx and .docm.
Read full article about: CIA plans to integrate AI assistants into all analysis platforms
According to CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis, the agency recently produced its first fully autonomous intelligence report using AI, Politico reports. Over the next few years, AI assistants will be integrated into all of the agency's analysis platforms. These tools are meant to help analysts with tasks like drafting assessments, verifying findings, and identifying trends.
Ellis stressed that humans will continue to make the important decisions. The CIA tested 300 AI projects over the past year, covering areas like data processing and language translation. The agency's expanded Center for Cyber Intelligence, which oversees the CIA's covert hacking operations, is also set to make greater use of AI and emerging technologies.
Ellis also took an indirect shot at Anthropic, saying the CIA won't let private companies dictate how it uses their technology. Anthropic is currently in a dispute with the Pentagon after the company tried to contractually restrict its models from being used for lethal strikes and mass surveillance. The Pentagon has since classified Anthropic as a supply chain risk. Ellis also warned that China has made significant technological gains.
Read full article about: Coreweave signs multi-year cloud deal with Anthropic to power Claude
Coreweave has signed a multi-year cloud deal with AI startup Anthropic. The agreement will provide Anthropic with compute capacity for its Claude model family starting later this year. Financial details were not disclosed. Coreweave's stock rose more than 5 percent in premarket trading. The buildout will happen in phases, with the option to expand later.
For Coreweave, the Anthropic deal is part of a string of major contracts: last year, the company signed an $11.9 billion deal with OpenAI, followed by a $6.3 billion order with Nvidia in September, and just the day before, an expanded $21 billion deal with Meta. The Anthropic contract helps Coreweave diversify its revenue - until now, around 67 percent of its income came from Microsoft. Coreweave's stock is up about 29 percent year to date.
OpenAI tells investors its infrastructure gives it an edge over Anthropic
OpenAI is pitching investors on the idea that its early infrastructure buildout gives it a decisive advantage over Anthropic. Meanwhile, the company is pausing its UK data center project, and Anthropic is exploring custom AI chips.