The Evening: Apple enters the A.I. race

Also, the F.D.A.'s advisers endorsed a new Alzheimer's drug.

View in browser|nytimes.com June 10, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday. An A.I. makeover for iPhones Blinken's talks on a Gaza cease-fire Plus, a five-day friendship challenge Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, today. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press Apple entered the A.I. fray After lagging behind its rivals in the artificial intelligence race for the last two years, Apple today announced that its smartphones would soon feature several tools powered by generative A.I. Apple's A.I. system will offer a rebuilt version of Siri that the company said will be capable of following a conversation. The technology will also be able to write, proofread, create images and write software code across applications. For requests that it can't handle — for example, plan a dinner with just a list of several ingredients — users can direct the request to OpenAI instead. Apple struck a deal with the company to support its A.I. endeavor. "These are the most ambitious changes that Apple has made to the iPhone in the past decade," said my colleague Tripp Mickle, who has been reporting on the company for many years. Apple's move will test whether the tech giant can once again enter a new market and redefine it — as it did with the iPod, the iPhone and the Apple Watch. One advantage the company has is its massive mainstream user base, Tripp said. "Despite Silicon Valley's rush to embrace A.I., the technology hasn't yet been at the fingertips of billions of users everyday," Tripp told me. "Apple plans to change that overnight this fall with a suite of new tools that can be summoned with a tap of a button." For more: Your smartphone is going to change soon. This is how. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt before traveling to Israel. Pool photo by Amr Nabil Blinken tours the Mideast to push for a deal Secretary of State Antony Blinken met today with the Israeli prime minister in Jerusalem, just hours after he sat down in Cairo with Egypt's president, a key mediator in the talks between Israel and Hamas. Blinken said his message to governments in the Middle East was that if they wanted a cease-fire, they should press Hamas to "say yes" to Israel's latest proposal. He also similarly pressed Israel on the deal, which it has yet to formally embrace. Peace prospects may have become more complicated over the weekend. Benny Gantz, a centrist Israeli leader, pulled his party out of the country's wartime government. Israel's military also carried out a raid on Saturday in which four hostages were rescued and dozens of people were killed, including women and children. In related news, the U.N. Security Council voted to approve a U.S.-led resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire and the release of hostages. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters The center holds, for now, in E.U. elections Europe's mainstream conservatives, the European People's Party, performed strongly and finished first in the European Parliament elections this weekend, according to preliminary results. It was a sign that the party's strategy to integrate more right-leaning policies in an effort to stop voters from shifting to further-right rivals had worked. Still, far-right parties with nationalist and anti-immigration agendas surged in France and in Germany. AfD, the German ultranationalist party that has been designated a "suspected" extremist group by the German authorities, soared to second place. In France, Marine Le Pen's right-wing party scored twice the support of the centrist coalition. In response, President Emmanuel Macron called for snap legislative elections — a huge gamble. Dadu Shin F.D.A. advisers endorsed a new Alzheimer's drug A committee of independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously today that the benefits of the newest experimental drug for Alzheimer's disease far outweigh the risks. The F.D.A. usually follows the advice of the agency's advisory committees but not always. In clinical trials, the drug, called donanemab, modestly slowed cognitive decline in patients in the early stages of the disease. It also had significant safety risks, including swelling and bleeding in the brain. A similar drug, lecanemab, has already been approved. My colleagues talked with doctors about how patients have been responding to it. More top news Hunter Biden: The jury began deliberations in his gun trial after closing arguments. Biden did not take the witness stand. Weather: Some parts of South Florida are expected to get up to a foot or more of rain this week. Regulation: America's campaign watchdog, notorious for often being deadlocked, has gotten moving — and it's rolling back limits on political spending. Law: The Supreme Court is expected to decide soon whether to hear a case that could affect more than two dozen youths in Arizona sentenced to die in prison. Aid: Programs are sprouting across the U.S. that provide nursing home and rehabilitation services to aging homeless people. Italy: Some residents of the city of Bari hope the president of Ukraine will drop by while at a summit in the area to tear down a plaque linked to Vladimir Putin. Rescue: A dog named Blue ran four miles with glass in his snout to get help after his owner crashed his truck into a ravine. TIME TO UNWIND Anna Parini Give your friendships a tuneup Each day this week, my colleagues on the Well desk will offer science-backed strategies to help revive fizzling friendships and deepen your close ties. Start the five-day friendship challenge by taking our quiz to discover your friendship style. Then dive into today's challenge, which can be just as powerful as it is counterintuitive: Pick up your phone. You can sign up here to take part in the friendship challenge. Philip Montgomery for The New York Times The darker side of Julia Louis-Dreyfus At 63, Julia Louis-Dreyfus says she is still trying to prove herself. Her most famous roles, in "Seinfeld" and "Veep," are comedic master classes, but in recent years she's gravitated toward more serious work. My colleague Lulu Garcia-Navarro caught up with Louis-Dreyfus in a lengthy interview about her career path and the release of her newest film, "Tuesday." "I'm certain nobody would have considered me for that role 20 years ago," Louis-Dreyfus said. "That's probably because they just thought of me only as a 'ha-ha' funny person." Check out the full interview. A scene from "The Outsiders."  Amir Hamja/The New York Times Dinner table topics Pick a fight: This is how the Broadway production of "The Outsiders" staged a dramatic brawl in the pouring rain. Make your dollar go farther: American travelers going abroad this summer will find their money buys more in some unexpected countries. A fashion mystery: Our fashion critic took a look at the case of the disappearing breast pocket. A bit of Brooklyn charm: Sam's Restaurant, a 94-year-old red-sauce joint, still serves the public, but mostly seems to exist to play itself in movies. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Cook: Roasted red peppers pair with beans and greens in this endlessly adaptable dish. Watch: Our latest sci-fi picks include alienoids, bionic athletes and a little creature named Godzilla. Read: These twisty thrillers will keep you on the edge of your seat. Protect: If you're worried about microplastics, there are some simple steps you can take to limit your exposure. Celebrate: During Pride Month, a flurry of New York shows highlight queer stories. Rest: Here are five cheap(ish) things to help keep your bedroom cool during the summer heat. Compete: Take this week's Flashback history quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING "Hey Margaret, how's the grass over there?" George Wittemyer/George Wittemyer, via Associated Press These elephants are on a first-name basis Elephants' low-pitched rumbles are difficult for humans to differentiate. But when a group of scientists put hundreds of the murmurs through machine-learning software, they found evidence to suggest that the animals were referring to each other by name. Take a listen. Some animals, like dolphins and parrots, use imitations of sounds made by other individuals as names. But in a study published today, scientists suggested that elephants could be the first nonhuman animals known to call one another by names as humans understand them, based on abstract sounds. Have a sociable evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Phil Pacheco was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Photo Editor: Brent Lewis Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. 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