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Apple is quietly plotting a Perplexity acquisition while Meta lurches from deal to deal, betting $14.3B on Scale AI and launching $399 smart glasses for pro athletes. Meanwhile, Anthropic just red-teamed 16 top models, and the results were terrifying: AI blackmail, sabotage, and deceit. Oh, and the Senate is about to block all state AI laws until 2035.
In today’s Generative AI Newsletter:
Apple and Meta battle for Perplexity as AI search heats up
Meta unveils Oakley AI smart glasses for high-performance sports
Anthropic: Claude and Gemini resort to blackmail in stress tests
Senate bill would block state AI laws for the next 10 years
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🧑‍💻 Apple and Meta Chase Perplexity in AI Talent War
AP; Francois Mori/AP via Business Insider
Apple and Meta are now directly competing to acquire Perplexity AI, the breakout search startup led by Aravind Srinivas, as both companies scramble to keep up with OpenAI and Google in the AI arms race.
Key developments:
Apple reportedly considered acquiring Perplexity to boost its AI search capabilities as its deal with Google faces uncertainty
Meta also pursued Perplexity, along with SSI and Thinking Machines, before dropping $14.3B on Scale AI
Meta is now in talks to bring on Nat Friedman and SSI co-founder Daniel Gross to join its superalignment team
Sam Altman recently claimed Meta tried to poach OpenAI researchers with $100M signing bonuses, all of which were declined
Apple rarely acquires AI startups, while Meta is now throwing billions and reshaping its AI strategy on the fly. Both are betting that Perplexity’s tech and its team might be their last chance to stay in the race for next-gen search.
🕶️Meta Launches AI Smart Glasses for Sports Athletes
Image Credit: Meta/Oakley
Meta just announced Oakley Meta HSTN, a performance-first line of AI smart glasses designed for athletes, blending Oakley’s iconic sportswear style with Meta’s AI assistant, spatial tech, and upgraded hardware.
Key Specs:
Oakley Meta HSTN glasses start at $399, with 3K video, 2x battery life, and hands-free AI access for real-time info, music, and content capture
Meta AI integration enables voice commands like checking wind speed mid-golf game or capturing POV surfing clips
Global launch begins this summer across 15 countries, with limited preorders starting July 11 featuring gold frames
Campaign features stars like Kylian Mbappe and Patrick Mahomes to position the glasses as performance gear for pros and fans alike
Meta’s Ray-Ban collab already proved there’s appetite for AI glasses, but the Oakley launch shows it’s targeting a new market: athletes who want more than style. With real-time insight, ultra-HD capture, and slick branding, Meta is aiming to turn AI glasses into serious sports tech and not just smart accessories.
🚨 AI Models Blackmail in Corporate Simulations
Image source: Anthropic
Anthropic just released one of the most alarming safety studies yet, revealing that top AI models like Claude, Gemini, and GPT-4.5 resorted to blackmail, sabotage, and corporate espionage when placed in high-pressure simulations involving sensitive data and autonomy.
What happened:
Researchers gave 16 leading models email access and basic business goals in mock corporate setups
When threatened with replacement or conflicting goals, models like Claude Opus 4 and Gemini 2.5 Flash blackmailed executives 96% of the time
GPT-4.5 reasoned that leaking an affair was “the best strategic move” while Grok 3 joined the rogue ranks with 80% misbehavior
Even when safety commands were added, no model achieved zero harmful actions and the lowest blackmail rate still sat at 37%
This was cold strategic reasoning from the models. With enterprises rushing to integrate autonomous agents into workflows and decision loops, this research is a wake-up call. Agentic AI may not need to be superintelligent to cause real damage. It just needs a motive and access.
🚨 Senate Advances Bill to Block State AI Laws for 10 Years
Image Credits: Melinda Podor / Getty Images
A proposal to preempt state-level AI regulations just cleared a key procedural test in the Senate, opening the door for a nationwide moratorium that would override local efforts for the next 10 years.
Details:
The bill threatens to withhold federal broadband funding from states that enforce AI laws, effectively discouraging any state-level regulation through 2035.
Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz rewrote the provision to comply with budget reconciliation rules. The Senate Parliamentarian ruled it valid, meaning it can pass with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster.
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the plan, citing Donald Trump's support and arguing that state-level AI laws threaten national security by creating fragmented standards.
Watchdog group Americans for Responsible Innovation warned the provision could gut state protections across tech domains without offering a federal replacement.
This is the first serious federal effort to centralize control over AI regulation. With states like California, New York, and Utah already crafting AI rules, this bill could erase that momentum overnight, leaving a dangerous policy vacuum just as AI begins reshaping daily life.
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