Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
Good morning. In case you missed the breaking news last night, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s ban on Anthropic, ruling that the Pentagon’s designation of Anthropic’s AI technology as a supply chain risk seems “Orwellian” and punitive. It’s just a temporary pause while lawyers from all sides prepare to fight the main legal battle, but the judge’s choice of words certainly don’t bode well for the government’s case.
Meanwhile, in other ICYMI news, I’m proud to report that two Fortune feature stories about tech were recognized by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing in its 2025 Best in Business awards.
Jeff John Roberts’ story on prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket won the award in the Investing/Markets category for medium-sized publications. The judges called it an “entertaining read” with “impressive sourcing” and a “clarity of thought” about the battle at the forefront of the emerging industry.”
You can read Jeff’s story here.
And Jessica Mathews and Leo Schwartz’s investigation into Elon Musk’s Boring Co won Honorable Mention in the Transportation category for “strong reporting on the risks faced by those building and maintaining tunnels underneath Las Vegas, a $400,000 disappearing fine, and the cozy relationship between company and state officials.”
You can read Jessica and Leo’s investigation here.
Today’s news below.
Alexei Oreskovic
@lexnfx
alexei.oreskovic@fortune.com
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AI company Anthropic is developing and has begun testing with early access customers a new AI model more capable than any it has released previously, the company said, following a data leak that revealed the model’s existence.
An Anthropic spokesperson said the new model represented “a step change” in AI performance and was “the most capable we’ve built to date.” The company said the model is currently being trialed by “early access customers.”
Descriptions of the model were inadvertently stored in a publicly-accessible data cache and were reviewed by Fortune.
A draft blog post that was available in an unsecured and publicly-searchable data store prior to Thursday evening said the new model is called “Claude Mythos” and that the company believes it poses unprecedented cybersecurity risks.
The same cache of unsecured, publicly discoverable documents revealed details of a planned, invite-only CEO summit in Europe that is part of the company’s drive to sell its AI models to large corporate customers.
In response to questions about the draft blog post, the company acknowledged training and testing a new model. “We’re developing a general purpose model with meaningful advances in reasoning, coding, and cybersecurity,” an Anthropic spokesperson said. “Given the strength of its capabilities, we’re being deliberate about how we release it. As is standard practice across the industry, we’re working with a small group of early access customers to test the model. We consider this model a step change and the most capable we’ve built to date.”—Beatrice Nolan
Apple is making a big change to Siri, allowing users to connect its aging virtual assistant (first released in 2011!) to other companies' AI tools, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The change to Siri, which could be rolled out in June as part of Apple's new iOS 27 software, will let users tap into third-party AI apps like Anthropic's Claude or Google's Gemini to perform specific tasks or answer queries. Apple currently routes many such Siri requests through OpenAI's ChatGPT as a result of a partnership that Apple and OpenAI announced in 2024.
The iPhone maker is famous for tightly controlling the core features on its platform, but Apple's struggles developing its own in-house AI tools have forced the company to swallow its pride and make concessions. Apple also announced earlier this year that it would partner with Google to provide some of the iPhone's core AI functionality (known as Apple Intelligence). That partnership is separate from the planned Siri changes reported by Bloomberg, which relate to how Siri interacts with the web and other external data.
While Apple continues to struggle with developing its own AI, the Siri changes could have a silver lining by boosting Apple's services revenue. That's because it's possible Apple could charge AI companies a fee to have direct Siri-integration.—AO
OpenAI has indefinitely paused its plans to launch an erotic chatbot, according to a report from the Financial Times. The decision reportedly follows unease among employees and investors about the potential social impact of sexualized AI, including the risk of users forming unhealthy emotional bonds and the possibility of minors accessing explicit content. The company confirmed they planned to pause the chatbot to the outlet, saying it would prioritize long-term research into how people interact with sexually explicit AI before deciding whether to proceed.
The move reflects a broader shift in strategy for the company, with OpenAI pulling back from projects like its video-model Sora to focus on core offerings like ChatGPT and developer tools.
The proposed “adult mode” had reportedly already faced various technical hurdles, particularly around safely training models to handle explicit material while filtering illegal or harmful content. There were also questions over age verification systems, which are not fully reliable.—Beatrice Nolan
Global conflicts are awakening governments—and investors—to the importance of modernizing military forces, says Brandon Tseng, the cofounder and president of ShieldAI, a maker of AI-powered drones that announced Thursday that it had raised $1.5 billion in Series G funding at a $12.7 billion valuation.
The new funding more than doubles the valuation of the San Diego, Calif. defense startup, which was founded in 2015 and was previously valued at $5.6 billion by investors. Shield AI is projecting more than 80% revenue growth by the end of 2026, Shield AI cofounder Brandon Tseng and CFO Kingsley Afemikhe told Fortune. That would equate to at least $540 million in revenue this year, based on Shield AI’s 2025 revenue figures.
“We don’t expect growth to slow down,” Tseng said in an interview. —Jessica Mathews
—Elon Musk wants SpaceX IPO investors to visit factories. IPO expected in June.
—Netflix raising prices. Again.
—Where is our AI and Crypto Czar? David Sacks notes in interview that he relinquished role.
—WhatsApp's new trick. Can draft AI responses based on your conversations.
—Wikipedia bans AI-generated articles. Basic copy edits only.
—Anthropic exploring Q4 IPO. See you in October.
Alexei Oreskovic is the Tech editor at Fortune.
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