Your daily briefing on what's happening in AI — from groundbreaking research to industry moves, curated from the world's most trusted sources. Here are the top stories for 2026-08-15.
1. Apple trained its own AI model for China with help from Alibaba
Apple has reportedly trained a custom AI model for the China market alongside domestic tech giant Alibaba, a rare cross-border partnership that cuts across growing tensions between Beijing and Washington. The China-focused large language model was developed in partnership with Alibaba and trained wi
Source: Apple trained its own AI model for China with help from Alibaba
2. You can now turn off Google Gemini’s visible watermarks
Google will now allow you to remove visible watermarks from the images, videos, and music made with AI tools. With the update, you can toggle off a new "Media watermark" setting in Gemini and Google's AI video generator, Flow. When toggled off, Google will remove the "sparkle" watermark that appears
Source: You can now turn off Google Gemini’s visible watermarks
3. From Apple to Ford: How Chinese tech is becoming harder for global companies to ignore
Global companies are increasingly tapping Chinese technology for its growing capabilities and scale, even as geopolitical risks remain.
Source: From Apple to Ford: How Chinese tech is becoming harder for global companies to ignore
4. Data centers in space could be a new frontier for insurers — if they can price the risk
The push to build data centers has moved to lower Earth orbit, and insurers could be facing a new market with plenty of complexity.
Source: Data centers in space could be a new frontier for insurers — if they can price the risk
5. Anthropic's investor talks, Workday's stock surge, Apple's new facility and more in Morning Squawk
Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day.
Source: Anthropic's investor talks, Workday's stock surge, Apple's new facility and more in Morning Squawk
6. Hyperscalers might regret embracing natural gas if new forecast proves correct
Natural gas prices could triple in some parts of the U.S., which could saddle hyperscalers with massive bills to power their AI data centers.
Source: Hyperscalers might regret embracing natural gas if new forecast proves correct
7. OpenAI and Anthropic in price war as Chinese AI rivals gain ground
US groups release cheaper models after new challenges to their trillion-dollar ambitions.
Source: OpenAI and Anthropic in price war as Chinese AI rivals gain ground
8. Kog is going deeper to squeeze more inference out of GPUs
The idea that GPUs are poorly suited for agentic workflows may be a misconception, according to French startup Kog.
Source: Kog is going deeper to squeeze more inference out of GPUs
9. Tech Visionary Says the Big AI Labs Don’t Get What People Want
Tim O’Reilly built a publishing empire that AI is helping to destroy. Yet he loves AI—as long as it’s open source.
Source: Tech Visionary Says the Big AI Labs Don’t Get What People Want
10. ChatGPT's new Computer History tracks your Mac activity to create a timeline - but should you let it?
Rolling out to ChatGPT's Mac app, Computer History creates a timeline from your activities across the apps and websites you use on your Mac. Is that a privacy risk?
💬 What Do You Think?
Which of today's stories matters most for developers? Are any of these trends overhyped? Drop a comment below — I read and reply to every discussion.
📡 Today's sources: arstechnica.com, cnbc.com, techcrunch.com, theverge.com, wired.com, zdnet.com
AI Daily Digest is compiled daily from first-party AI company blogs, major news agencies, and technology press. Edited and curated by a human. Last updated: 2026-08-15.