Sunday, June 9, 2024

Apple's World Wide Developers Conference kicks off Monday. There's extra pressure on this year's keynote, where the company is expected to make big announcements around generative AI. Apple has largely been absent from the AI race until now, but CEO Tim Cook has promised to "break new ground" this year.

The rumored AI announcements include a big upgrade to Siri — Apple's voice assistant was a precursor to the current chatbot craze, but it's fallen short of its promise. AI is also reportedly coming to other Apple apps, including Safari (where it's supposed to power smarter search), Messages (where you'll be able to create and customize your own emojis), and Mail (where AI will suggest email replies).

We'll see if Apple's AI rollout goes more smoothly than Google's. And as Ivan Mehta writes, let's hope the features are more useful than flashy.

Read on to see what else TechCrunch has been covering this weekend.

Weekend news and opinion

Image Credits: Bereave

Bereave helps employers navigate death: A new startup aims to make workplaces more supportive for employees after a loved one dies. Amanda Silberling talked to Bereave's founders about the resources they offer, including modules for team members explaining how to talk about loss. Read more

Cat-sitting startup Meowtel reaches profitability: Apparently, the startup struggled to raise funding from dog-focused VCs — but Meowtel's founder told Rebecca Szkutak that cats deserve their own pet-sitting services, especially since the competition is so dog-centric. Read more

Wazer upgrades its affordable desktop water jet cutter: The company launched the first desktop water jet cutter in 2016 and is now launching the Wazer Pro, which the founders describe as a 21st-century band saw. (And if you're wondering what a water jet cutter even is, don't worry: Haje Jan Kamps explains it.) Read more

What else we're reading

Image Credits: Getty Images / PM Images

We've written about the terrible reviews that greeted Humane's Ai Pin when it launched in April and how the company might be looking to sell. Now The New York Times goes behind the scenes to try to explain what went wrong. Read more

Meanwhile, Wired profiles Bellingcat, the world's largest open source investigation agency. Read more

Before you go

Yes, all the positive press coverage finally convinced me to watch YouTuber Jenny Nicholson's four-hour video about the failed Star Wars hotel. (I watched most of it, at least — I'll admit I skipped around about a bit.) You should watch it, too!