AI Daily Briefing — 2026-06-29

Artificial intelligence is quietly transforming retail, not through flashy consumer-facing features but by reengineering the core systems that power the industry. From search results and supply chains to software development and real-time customer response, AI is evolving from a set of isolated tools into an overarching operational philosophy. This shift is particularly evident at legacy retailers like Macy’s, where the focus is on embedding intelligence directly into decision-making processes rather than simply adding it on top of existing workflows.

Macy’s senior director of engineering, Murali Murugan, describes this as an “AI-first” approach. “It’s about redesigning how decisions happen so the business moves faster and every experience feels more relevant by default,” he says. The company has moved beyond early pilots in search recommendations and customer engagement—where quick wins in conversion and reduced friction built internal support—to scaling AI across personalization, operational planning, and even software development. The goal, Murugan explains, is to compress “the gap between the signal and the action.”

This momentum has led to tools like Ask Macy’s, an AI-powered shopping assistant that acts as a personal stylist, offering curated recommendations based on conversational input, past purchases, and context. Yet the company views AI as an invisible layer that augments human judgment rather than replacing it. The long-term vision is a seamless, adaptive, and personalized retail experience powered by systems customers may never notice.

“The real transformation comes from continuous improvement,” Murugan says. “It’s about learning from mistakes, quickly adapting to new technology standards, and executing in ways that compound into a meaningfully better customer experience.” This story was produced in partnership with Infosys as part of Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review.

A key executive behind Apple's Vision Pro headset is leaving the company to join OpenAI, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Paul Meade, the Apple vice president who oversaw the Vision Pro and reportedly led development of upcoming AI-powered smart glasses, will now work on OpenAI's hardware efforts. The move comes as Apple prepares for a leadership transition, with hardware engineering chief John Ternus expected to become CEO and reorganize his team, leaving some vice presidents feeling sidelined.

Apple's Vision Pro, a high-cost mixed-reality headset, failed to achieve mass-market success. The company has been betting on more affordable smart glasses to compete with Meta's wearable devices. Meade's departure signals potential disruption in those plans, though Apple has not commented on the report.

OpenAI, meanwhile, continues to build its hardware ambitions. The company is already collaborating with former Apple design chief Jony Ive on an AI device that CEO Sam Altman has described as more peaceful than an iPhone. However, reports from last fall indicated the project has faced challenges in nailing down the details. TechCrunch has reached out to both Apple and OpenAI for comment.

OpenAI has restricted the release of its latest GPT-5.6 family of models to a small group of vetted partners, complying with a request from the U.S. government. The lineup includes Sol, the flagship model; Terra, a balanced everyday option; and Luna, a faster, lower-cost variant. The company said the preview is limited to partners whose involvement has been disclosed to federal authorities, marking a significant step in government oversight of advanced AI systems.

The move follows the Trump administration's recent executive order, which asks leading AI firms to voluntarily submit frontier models for government review up to 30 days before release. Dean Ball, a former White House AI adviser who is set to join OpenAI, warned that this has created a de facto licensing regime without clear safety standards. He argued that vague requirements could lead to indefinite launch delays, potentially ceding ground to China in the AI race and threatening billions in infrastructure investments.

OpenAI made clear it is not satisfied with the arrangement. In a blog post, the company stated, "We don't believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default." It described the limited preview as a short-term step toward broader availability in the coming weeks, as it works with the administration to develop a new executive order framework on cybersecurity and a repeatable process for future releases.

The incident echoes recent tensions with Anthropic, which pulled its Fable 5 model after being ordered to restrict foreign national access. OpenAI emphasized that GPT-5.6 Sol includes its most robust security stack yet, hardened against adversarial attacks and optimized for defensive cybersecurity work. The company aims to balance government concerns with the need to keep powerful tools accessible to users, developers, and global partners.

A record-breaking heat wave sweeping across Europe is pushing power grids to their limits, with soaring temperatures forcing some nuclear plants offline. France experienced its hottest day since 1947 on June 23, with temperatures exceeding 44°C. The extreme heat has warmed rivers used for cooling nuclear reactors, leading to precautionary shutdowns and reduced output at several facilities.

Unit two of the Golfech nuclear plant in southern France was shut down after the Garonne River reached 28°C, exceeding regulatory limits for water returned to the river. EDF, the plant operator, has also reduced output at the Nogent-sur-Seine facility. While French grid operator RTE says these outages won't threaten overall power supply, other energy sources are also struggling. Hydropower generation across Europe dropped 13% in early 2025 due to low water levels, and five UK gas plants have cut output by 2.5 gigawatts.

The heat wave is driving unprecedented demand for cooling, with UK air-conditioning use doubling since 2022. Climate change is expected to worsen these challenges, with global cooling energy use projected to double by 2050. Experts urge utilities to prepare by reinforcing grids, deploying batteries, and climate-proofing power plant cooling systems.

In a world brimming with complex problems, human ingenuity remains a powerful force for progress. The new Engineering issue from MIT Technology Review AI highlights ambitious projects that aim to reshape our future. From tunneling beneath the seafloor to nanoscale chipmaking advances, and even replicating volcanic mechanisms to cool the planet, these stories showcase how collective effort can drive real change.

Meanwhile, a groundbreaking $500-million nonprofit backed by Stripe, Anthropic, and OpenAI is targeting respiratory infections. The initiative seeks to prevent the common cold and flu, with an ultimate goal of eliminating respiratory viruses entirely. Bill Gates has also joined this venture, exploring how modern technologies can tackle these persistent health threats.

In space, the dramatic tale of asteroid 2024 YR4 unfolds. Astronomers tracked the massive rock as it posed the highest impact risk in recorded history, only for experts to later declare the danger had passed. This inside story reveals the global network of scientists who found, followed, and ultimately dismissed the most dangerous asteroid ever discovered, all under intense time pressure.

These narratives underscore a central theme: while we cannot fix everything, we can be ambitious. By combining human creativity with cutting-edge technology, we can address challenges at every scale—from the microscopic to the planetary—and make meaningful progress.