The “A” in AI stands for Apple, the techies attending Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) were told yesterday. CEO Tim Cook and Co. unveiled Apple Intelligence, a host of AI-powered features that will debut on iPhones, iPads, and Macs this fall.

The all-out AI push comes after the company initially appeared uninterested in jumping on the AI hype train, and even refused to mention “artificial intelligence” at last year’s WWDC.

Here’s what Apple is Cooking up:

• It’s bringing ChatGPT to Siri and other Apple apps through a partnership with OpenAI. A more personal Siri will be able to act as an iPhone user guide, pull info from ChatGPT, and perform tasks across apps like texting photos from a specific event to a contact or playing a podcast that a friend recommended over text.
• Writing Tools can rewrite texts, emails, or notes to adjust for tone.
• Mail app’s new feature will summarize emails and rank them by importance.
• The calculator app is finally coming to the iPad, and users will be able to write out math problems using an Apple Pencil that’ll be solved automatically.

For those concerned about privacy, Apple assures that the AI will be run either locally on the device (without the need for internet) or on the company’s own servers through the cloud.

Is Apple behind?

As it deals with sluggish iPhone sales, Apple has been far slower to adopt AI than rivals Google and Microsoft, which have launched their own AI features and integrated them into their devices and offerings. Apple is known for being fashionably late to embrace new tech but still outdoing the competition when it gets there, as it did with the iPod, which was far from the world’s first MP3 player.

Some commentators believe that Apple’s devices are uniquely positioned to become the physical shells that AI bots need to become a daily part of your life.

Apple Intelligence won’t appear on your device…unless you have an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or an iPad or Mac with the newest M1 chips.—SK

You know what they say: “Sun’s out, oven’s out.” Okay, maybe that’s not the correct phrasing. But with summer in full swing, it’s time to turn the heat up on your feast game.

There’s no better way to do it than with Ooni’s biggest, most versatile oven yet: the Koda 2 Max.

This bad boy is top-notch, seriously. It offers dual-zone cooking, a digital temperature hub, and a supersized 24-inch-wide cooking area capable of baking one 20-inch New York–style pizza, two 12-inch pizzas, or three 10-inch pizzas simultaneously.

Plus, the Koda 2 Max is hooked up with Ooni Connect™, so you can receive detailed oven-temperature info straight to your phone.

Level up your eats.

EU election results are rocking European markets. The euro, French banks, and other stocks across Europe fell on Monday in response to the European Parliament’s rightward shift and French President Emmanuel Macron’s surprising decision to hold snap elections in the country. France’s benchmark index, the CAC 40, dropped 1.3% to its lowest close since February, while the euro tumbled 1% against the dollar. French banking giant Société Générale sank 7%. Investors are worried that a right-wing upset of the centrist status quo in the European Parliament could weaken EU economic integration efforts, risk climate gains, and force Europe to be tougher on trade—which in turn could hurt automakers and other companies that do business with China.

Moderna says its Covid-flu combo shot is a winner. The biotech company that became a household name after it developed a Covid-19 vaccine says its new shot, which combines Covid and influenza vaccines into one jab, is more effective than the existing standalone shots. After publishing late-stage trial data, Moderna will file for regulatory approval this summer, with the hope that the shot will be ready for Americans in 2025. Rival pharma giants Pfizer and Novavax are also developing shots that combine Covid and flu vaccines.

🪧 US dockworkers are threatening to strike. The union that represents more than 45,000 dockworkers at ports throughout the US canceled labor talks yesterday and is threatening a work stoppage to protest the use of automated machinery, the WSJ reported. Union leader Harold Daggett vowed the group would go on strike if a new contract with the ports is not reached by September 30, when the current agreement expires. An October strike could add another wrinkle to the upcoming presidential election and uncertainty to the holiday shopping season, which relies on goods traveling from overseas into US ports.

Diss track alert: The activist investor hedge fund Elliott Management revealed itself as one of Southwest Airlines’ largest shareholders yesterday and lambasted the struggling company’s “stubborn unwillingness” to overhaul its “antiquated operations” in a letter calling for a total leadership shakeup.

News of the fund’s $1.9 billion (~11%) stake in Southwest sent the airline’s stock climbing toward its biggest single-day gain since November 2020. Southwest’s stock has more than halved over the past three years due to intense competition, outdated tech (like the computer systems that contributed to the 2022 holiday travel meltdown), and the company’s exclusive use of delay-ridden Boeing 737 planes.

Elliott’s proposal: Southwest’s stock could soar 77% in 12 months if the company 1) replaces the CEO and chairman with outside hires 2) fills the board of directors with industry vets who have experience at other airlines (none currently do) and 3) refocuses on modernization and monetization, Elliott said.

Will Southwest take the advice? The airline said it looks forward to “better understanding” Elliott’s “views” but that its board is “confident” in Southwest’s leadership. Elliott has a proven record of snapping up large stakes in underperforming companies and forcing CEO replacements—including at Crown Castle, NRG Energy, and Goodyear since May 2023.—ML

Clear your cal. Or at least an hour of it, for Design Made Easy, a live virtual event. At 12pm ET, you’ll learn how Adobe Express can supercharge your team. Hear from top marketing leaders on how to visually communicate with generative AI that’s designed to be commercially safe for businesses big and small. Register now or catch it on demand.

The tiny island known for inspiring Vampire Weekend songs is on the verge of running out of weed due to a state regulation that prohibits the transportation of marijuana across the sea.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, which takes the fun out of everything regulates marijuana, has remained cautious against violating federal law. For years, marijuana growers have produced and tested the cash crop on Martha’s Vineyard to avoid any run-ins with the CCC, but the island’s only commercial grower is shutting down its operation due to regulatory and financial difficulties.

What’s a dispensary to do? Trading the penjamin for an actual pen, two local dispensaries sued the CCC in May. There are already precedents to make changes set by other states: California, Washington, Hawaii, and Maine have amended laws to allow for the shipment of weed over water.

Looking ahead…the commission meets on Thursday to decide what to do. Business owners and advocates—there are over 230 medical marijuana users on Martha’s Vineyard—are urging the CCC to adopt an emergency order that would allow cannabis to cross state waters this summer.—CC

The US restaurant industry is doing its best impression of the “Call an ambulance—but not for me” meme. After some observers were writing its obit during the height of the pandemic, the industry is now on track to have its best year ever in 2024, with $1.1 trillion in sales, according to the National Restaurant Association. That’s up from $864 billion in 2019, just before the pandemic. Meanwhile, the average US household spent 53% of its gastronomic budget on food outside the house—the highest proportion of all time, the WSJ reported. The restaurant renaissance has powered through inflation and other economic headwinds thanks to a variety of factors, including improved technology, new takeout and delivery options, and, yes, foodie culture.