Apple announced “Siri AI,” a more conversational version of its voice assistant planned for this fall. The update is tied to a two-tier AI model overhaul powered in part by Google technology. The move signals Apple’s attempt to close the gap with modern AI assistants while preserving its system-level integration and privacy-focused positioning.
ElevenLabs introduced Agent Workflows for its Agents platform, a visual editor for mapping conversation flows and decision points. Instead of relying on one large agent prompt, teams can route tasks to specialized subagents with scoped prompts, tools, knowledge bases, and credentials. The feature emphasizes auditability, security policy enforcement, human escalation, and per-step model choices to balance cost, latency, and accuracy.
ElevenLabs announced a $500 million Series D at an $11 billion valuation, more than triple its valuation from a year earlier. The round was led by Sequoia Capital, with A16Z, ICONIQ, Lightspeed, BOND, and others participating. The company says it will invest in ElevenAgents, ElevenCreative, ElevenAPI, voice agents, conversational models, dubbing, audio research, and international expansion.
Sesame, a conversational AI startup from Oculus founders, has launched a new iOS app for the public. The app brings its AI agents to users with a focus on more natural back-and-forth interactions. Based on the available summary, the product is positioned less like a traditional chatbot and more like talking to a person.
Google DeepMind has announced that its latest-generation model, Gemini 2.5, has achieved new breakthroughs in AI-driven audio dialog and audio generation. This…