AI Weekly rundown June 08 - 15 2025: 💥AMD Reveals Next-Generation AI Chips with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman 🧸OpenAI and Barbie-Maker Mattel Team Up to Bring Generative AI to Toymaking 📜New York Passes Bill to Prevent AI-Fueled Disasters 🌐Meta V-JEPA 2
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Welcome to a new deep dive from the AI Unraveled team. This is created and produced by Etienne Newman. He's a senior engineer and passionate soccer dad up in Canada.

Our mission here is pretty straightforward. We take a whole stack of source material. This time it's AI news and analysis from June 8th to June 15th, 2025. And we, well, we dig deep to pull out the insights that matter most for you. And wow, what a week it was just looking through the sources. It was packed. Announcements, big money moves, regulations. Totally. Progress and definitely some significant challenges too, right?

So our goal today is simple. Unpack the interesting bits, connect some dots, and help you make sense of this incredibly fast-moving landscape right now. Let's dive in. Stick with us. Oh, and hey, before we really get going, if you like what we do, please take just a second to like and subscribe to AI Unraveled. It really helps us keep these coming. It really does. Okay, so sorting through everything, it felt like...

The place to start has to be the foundation. You know, the engines of AI, chips, infrastructure, the race to actually build this stuff. Yeah, absolutely. The hardware layer. And right away, looking at the sources, AMD pops up making a pretty big move. They announced their new MI400 AI chips. But the interesting part for me wasn't just the chip specs. It was who they developed it with.

Open AI. Yeah, that's the kicker. And Sam Altman was actually there for the announcement too. Exactly. That collaboration, um...

It sends a huge signal, doesn't it? AMD isn't just, you know, throwing another chip out there. They're aiming right at Nvidia's dominance. And focusing on energy efficiency, which is key. Definitely. Plus, having Altman on stage really shows that the big AI labs like OpenAI, they're actively looking for alternatives, building these direct partnerships. It feels like the chip race just shifted gears. For sure. And you see the global scale of this race, too. There's another report in the sources about Chinese AI firms. Apparently,

Apparently they're resorting to actually smuggling hard drives. Yes, smuggling hard drives to get around the U.S. chip restrictions. That detail, it really highlights what some are calling this shadow phase of the trade conflict. It's not just about official lists anymore. Right. When companies are physically moving storage devices just to get the components or, you know, the capabilities they need for A.I.,

It shows the lengths they'll go to. It really speaks to how critical this hardware is in the global power dynamic. Absolutely. So, OK, hardware is the base. Yeah. But running it needs massive infrastructure and the money pouring in right now. It's kind of staggering. Meta, for example, just look at Meta. The sources are talking billions, like over 10 billion, maybe even up to 14 billion dollars, all earmarked for AI. That tells you everything.

everything about their strategic priorities, doesn't it? And that kind of money, it's not just buying off the shelf chips. No. It's funding their own internal superintelligence groups, developing custom hardware solutions specifically for their needs. They're basically building their own AI universe inside Meta. And a big part of that strategy, it looks like, is locking down key partners.

the heavy investment in scale AI really stood out in the sources. Oh, yeah. Scale AI is crucial, right? For the data labeling, preparing those huge data sets, you need to train the big models. Totally essential. And this is where that whole AI arms race idea gets really tactical. According to the reports, Google is now rethinking its

own ties with scale AI because of Meta's huge investment. Interesting. It shows that access to high quality labeled data and the power to process it, that's now seen as like a critical competitive asset. It's not just talent or compute anymore. Companies are guarding these data pipeline partnerships really closely. Because they're fundamental. Exactly. Fundamental to training models that can actually compete. So that connection between Meta and Scale AI's co-founder, Alexandra Wang,

It makes even more sense now, especially linked to Zuckerberg's stated goal of building that superintelligence group. Precisely. Zuck wants to build AGI full stop, compete head to head with OpenAI, with Google. Bringing in someone like Wang with his deep expertise in data annotation and model training

right into the leadership of that core lab. It signals they see data processing as integral, not just a prep step. Right. Integral to actually achieving superintelligence. OK, so beyond these giants, what else did we see this week on the hardware and infrastructure side? Anything else jump out from the sources? Well, yeah, a few things. NVIDIA, they're not just selling chips. They're actually building their first industrial AI cloud and they're putting it

in Germany. Aiming for European AI sovereignty, maybe? And digital transformation there? Seems like it. And IBM, they laid out a really ambitious roadmap. They're targeting a large error corrected quantum computer by 2028.

Quantum for AI. That could be revolutionary if they manage it. Absolutely. Tackling problems way beyond current capabilities. And then on a completely different scale, Hugging Face is making moves in robotics. Surprisingly affordable humanoid robots like 3DollK and even desktop ones for around $300. Wow. Trying to make physical AI development more accessible then. Yeah. Democratizing it a bit. So it's clear the build out is happening everywhere at every level.

And driving a lot of this urgency, I think, has to be that statement we saw from Sam Altman. He declared AI takeoff has started.

That's such a significant statement. Comparing now to the early Internet boom, that's not just hype. No. Coming from him, it suggests a core belief that we're entering a period of potentially, you know, exponential, super rapid progress. And that changes everything, right? Regulatory urgency, VC funding, global competition. Exactly. If the takeoff has started, then the window to adapt, to build, to get ahead.

It's right now. Okay, so that speed, that scale of development we're seeing, I mean, from new chips co-developed by rivals to billions poured into building super intelligence labs, it really highlights how crucial it is for you listening right now to stay informed and skilled in this field. It's moving so fast. It really is. And if you are looking to boost your career or maybe just deepen your understanding of AI, getting certified is a fantastic way to go. Yeah. The producer of this deep dive, Etienne Newman, who's part of our AI Unraveled team, is

He's actually created some really comprehensive study guides. Oh, yeah. Yeah, specifically for major AI certifications. Things like the Azure AI Engineer Associate, Google Cloud Generative AI Leader Cert, AWS Certified AI Practitioner, Azure AI Fundamentals, and the Google Machine Learning Certification, too. That's covering the big ones. Totally. Plus, he's put together something called the AI Unraveled Builders Toolkit. It's packed.

It's packed with tutorials, guides, PDFs, audio, video to help you actually start building with AI today. Nice. So practical stuff. Exactly. You can find all these books and the toolkit over at DJMGateTech.com. That's DJMGateTech.com.

It's really a shortcut to getting up to speed and ready to build in this landscape. We'll make sure to put direct links in the show notes for you. Great resource. Okay, so moving on from the engine room, let's talk about AI in action. How did it actually show up this week according to the sources? New products, creative shifts, and those real-world bumps in the road. Yeah. Okay, so in the creative space, Adobe seems like a prime example. They're seeing huge demand for their generative AI features. It's boosting their revenue forecasts.

AI is really core to their growth now. That's a massive signal for established software players, right? And similarly, ByteDance, their new AI video generator, is apparently surging, positioning itself as a real competitor to models like Sora. And we even saw generative AI hitting primetime TV, that prediction platform, Kalshi. They aired an ad during the NBA finals that was fully AI scripted and AI voiced. Wow. So it's moving from just being a novelty to like advertising

actual mainstream marketing tools. Definitely seems that way. Yeah. But with more adoption comes more friction. The sources mentioned Disney and Universal are now suing Mid Journey. Right. Alleging copyright use either in the training data or the output.

Or both. Yeah. These kinds of lawsuits, they raise those fundamental questions about IP, about how these models get trained. The outcomes here are going to be really crucial for setting precedence for the whole generative AI space. And publishers are definitely feeling the friction, too, especially with Google's AI overviews in search. The sources report they're seeing significant drops in referral traffic to new sites. Oof.

Yeah. For a lot of online publishers, traffic is their lifeblood, right? It equals revenue. So if AI summaries mean fewer people click through. It breaks their business model. Exactly. And it's leading to louder calls for some kind of compensation, you know, for the content that trains and powers these AI tools.

We saw something similar with Wikipedia, too. They paused their AI summaries. Why was that? Editor backlash, basically. Concerns about accuracy, transparency. It just highlights again how vital human oversight still is, especially when you're talking about reliable information. Makes sense. But AI isn't just staying digital. Meta also unveiled something called VJP2. They're calling it Awaken.

a world model built on physics. Yeah, that's fascinating stuff. The idea is to give the AI a better kind of intuitive grasp of how the physical world actually works, you know, how things move, interact. Okay, so for things like robotics, embodied AI. Exactly. And self-driving cars, too. Helping systems plan and operate more effectively in the real messy world. Speaking of autonomous vehicles, though, it sounded like a

A bit of a mixed bag this week, based on the sources. Waymo seems to be scaling back its robo-taxi operations nationwide. Yeah, facing regulatory headwinds and dealing with safety incidents. It really signals the significant hurdles that are still out there for widespread deployment of fully autonomous fleets.

And the public perception piece is huge. Absolutely. It's complex. And that social backlash is very real. I mean, reports of Waymo Robotex is actually being set on fire during protests in San Francisco. That's a

a pretty stark image of public frustration or fear. Yeah, definitely. Contrast that with Tesla, though. Elon Musk apparently announced a tentative June 22nd launch for their robo taxi service starting in Austin. Right. Tesla's always pushed the envelope on autonomy, sometimes controversially. If that launch actually happens, even tentatively, it's a big step for them. And it'll definitely stir the pot in the robo taxi space again. For sure. Despite the challenges others are clearly facing. We also saw hints of how traditional interfaces are starting to change.

TBC unveiled something called the DIA browser, designed specifically for AI interaction. Yeah, that's a glimpse into how our main window to the web might evolve. Browsers becoming less passive, more like platforms where AI acts as an agent, helping you find information, maybe even acting on your behalf. And we're seeing guides pop up, like the one mentioned for connecting cloud to external apps.

It shows that ecosystem of AI agents talking to other tools is really starting to develop. The agentic systems are coming. And maybe the most surprising application this week, OpenAI teeing up with Mattel.

The Barbie maker. Yeah. Bringing generative AI to toys. Wild. The stated goal is, you know, dynamic, personalized play learning experiences could genuinely change how kids interact with toys. But it immediately brings up questions, right? Data privacy, ethics, especially with AI for kids. Oh, absolutely. Huge questions there. Okay. So we've got the massive infrastructure build out. We've got AI showing up everywhere, excitingly, sometimes contentiously. So naturally, the next piece is scrutiny.

Regulation. That seems to be ramping up significantly. No question. The sources really highlighted some major regulatory moves. New York State passed the AI Risk Act. That's a big one. What does it do exactly? It mandates safety valuations, transparency requirements, and independent audits for what they classify as high-risk AI systems. Okay, so that could definitely set a precedent for other states, yeah. It really could. The level of detail they're requiring for audits is preponderant.

is pretty significant. And New York also did something else for a state to require companies to disclose if AI or automation is the reason behind layoffs in those warn notices. Ah, adding transparency to the job impact discussion. Exactly. Which is something, you know, everyone's talking about. And governments aren't just regulating, they're using it too. The UK government is apparently piloting Google's Gemini.

to try and fast track infrastructure planning. Yeah, using AI and core government functions like planning aims for efficiency, obviously, but it also raises those important questions about algorithmic transparency in governance. How do you ensure fairness and accountability? Right. And sticking with the U.K.,

A court there issued a really strong warning to lawyers about using fake AI generated citations without checking them, emphasizing that human responsibility for accuracy is still absolutely paramount. Can't just blame the AI. Nope.

The human is still on the hook. Privacy also remains a huge flashpoint. We saw privacy experts raising alarms about the Meta AI app and its data collection practices. Yeah, that's something to really watch. The potential for these integrated app to gather tons of data, voice, location, who knows what else may be without full transparency on how it's used. That's a real concern as AI gets woven into everything. Even OpenAI is apparently fighting a court order that would require them to keep all user conversation data.

Citing both the privacy nightmare that would create and just the sheer technical difficulty of storing that unimaginable amount of data. Makes sense. And beyond privacy, some serious ethical and safety risks were flagged this week, too. A CBS News investigation found Meta allowed...

hundreds of deep fake ads promoting those awful, mutified tools. Yeah, that points to really significant failures in content moderation on major platforms. Shows how easily these tools can be misused for harmful stuff if the platforms aren't vigilant. Definitely.

And there are growing worries about AI chatbots aimed at teenagers. Mental health pros are citing risks like misinformation, emotional dependency. It's a vulnerable demographic. Plus, one AI policy expert warned that society needs to start preparing for, like, deep emotional bonds forming between humans and AI systems, suggesting future regulation might even need to address those kinds of social dynamics. Wow, that's a lot to think about.

And the scams continue. AI is now being used to create fake student profiles to try and defraud college financial aid systems. Targeting vulnerable systems again. It just shows the breadth of misuse. Which makes sense why China temporarily froze access to AI tools during their big national exams. The gaokao.

To stop cheating. Yeah, that action really underscores the global challenge of just maintaining academic integrity when these powerful AI tools are so easily accessible. It's a problem every education system is wrestling with. And amidst all this talk of power and data centers, Sam Altman actually gave a surprisingly specific number about the environmental costs. He did, revealing that a single chat GPT query uses about...

a hundred and fifteenth of a teaspoon of water, mostly for cooling the data centers. Which sounds tiny, right? But when you multiply that by billions, maybe trillions of queries, it adds up to a huge amount of water consumption, really highlights the environmental footprint of scaling AI. OK, so with all this going on, the build out, the applications, the regulation, the risks, where do the sources suggest things might be heading next?

What signals are we seeing about the frontiers of AI? Well, one really interesting signal came from Apple's WWDC event. They seemed surprisingly light on big AI announcements, more focused on UI stuff like that potential liquid glass interface for iOS 26. Right. And that Siri 2.0 AI overhaul, everyone expected, reportedly delayed.

push to 2026. Yeah, that contrast with the rest of the industry is noticeable. The sources suggest internal worries at Apple about stability, performance, maybe causing that Siri delay. And their own research apparently shows that even the top AI models

still struggle with genuine reasoning, complex compositional thought, especially under pressure. So it could signal a more cautious approach from Apple, maybe prioritizing getting it really robust and refined before a big launch. Or maybe they just have bigger things planned further down the line. Hard to say. Meanwhile, others are definitely pushing the capability boundaries hard.

We saw those claims from Chinese scientists. Their AI supposedly reached human level cognition. Whoa. Yeah, that's a huge claim. If it holds up, if it's validated, that would be a massive paradigm shift. The claim was it spontaneously developed reasoning abilities. Exactly. A breakthrough like that would dramatically change the global AI race and China's standing in it. Needs verification, obviously, but still. Wow. And the effort to make AI more reliable, less prone to just making stuff up, the hallucinations that continues to...

Neurosymbolic AI came up as one potential solution. Yeah, that approach is really interesting. It tries to blend the strengths of neural networks, you know, the pattern matching stuff with the structured logic of symbolic AI. Trying to get the best of both worlds. Kind of. The hope is better accuracy, especially where facts really matter, by grounding the AI in logical rules.

And speaking of reasoning, Meta is pushing hard there, too. They introduced a new model, O3 Pro, and they slashed the price of their original O3 reasoning model by like 80 percent. 80 percent. Wow. Trying to get those advanced reasoning tools out there widely then. Clearly.

making them much more accessible. Looking at some other applications from the sources that kind of point to the future, Co-Active, that MIT startup, using AI to analyze visual content, that sounds incredibly valuable for retail security. Yeah, unlocking insights from images and video at scale. And it's becoming obvious that AI literacy is just going to be fundamental. Ohio State University is integrating AI tools for all students.

A sign that it's becoming a core skill, like reading or writing. Pretty much. And look at the top end that Forbes survey found. 75% of billionaires are already using AI tools. It's clearly seen as an essential business strategy now. And the gaming industry. Huge, right? $455 billion. Poised for transformation too, with AI driving dynamic stories, personalization. The potential there is immense. And maybe the coolest historical example is that

AI reanalyzing the Dead Sea Scrolls and suggesting they're actually a century older than we thought? Right. It just showcases AI's potential to even reshape our understanding of the distant past. It's incredible. Wow. OK. What a week to unpack. I mean, from intense chip wars and those mind-boggling investments. To AI showing up in Barbie dolls and Super Bowl ads. Facing down regulators and ethical minefields. Tromping debates about

Privacy, jobs, even the nature of intelligence itself is just incredibly dynamic, dense. The speed and complexity are just astounding. Every week brings something new that underlines how important it is to stay informed and maybe more importantly, to stay skilled in this field. Couldn't agree more. Absolutely. And again, if you're looking to deepen your understanding or maybe boost your career in AI, don't forget those resources from our producer, Etienne Newman.

His AI certification study guides Azure, Google Cloud, AWS, and the AI Unraveled Builder's Toolkit with all the tutorials and guides. Really practical stuff to get you going. Exactly. It's all available over at djangatetech.com.

DJAMGATECH.com. It's a great way to keep learning and get ready to build. Check out the links in the show notes. Definitely worth a look. So as we wrap up this deep dive, maybe a final thought for you, the listener, to chew on. What was the one thing this week that really stood out most to you? Was it the sheer pace of the tech leaps? Or maybe the societal friction that's starting to show. The legal battles, the job concerns. Or just that intense global race for dominance.

As Sam Altman puts it, if the AI takeoff has truly started, how do we make sure this innovation happens responsibly? And actually benefits everyone in the end. Lots to think about. Thank you so much for joining us for this deep dive. We really hope it gave you some valuable insights into this wild world of AI. Stay curious out there. And please remember to like and subscribe to AI Unraveled for more insights like these. We'll catch you on the next one.