Digimasters Shorts - Meta’s $14B AI Bet, UK Accountants Axed by AI, Lawyer Wins $1.5M Case Using AI, Apple TV’s Liquid Glass Upgrade, Intel Outsources Marketing to AI-driven Accenture

Welcome to Digimasters Shorts, your quick hit of the latest in the digital world. Hosts Adam Nagus and Carly Wilson bring you concise updates on cutting-edge AI developments, major tech industry moves, and transformative innovations shaping our future. From corporate giants investing billions in AI talent and infrastructure to groundbreaking legal use cases and exciting new device features, Digimasters Shorts keeps you informed in a fast-paced digital landscape. Tune in for sharp insights and timely news—short, sweet, and to the point.

Transcript

Adam N2: 0:05

Welcome to Digimasters Shorts, we are your hosts Adam Nagus

Carly W: 0:08

and Carly Wilson delivering the latest scoop from the digital realm. Meta Platforms recently engaged in acquisition talks with AI startup Perplexity AI but ultimately did not finalize a deal. Instead, Meta chose to invest$14.3 billion for a 49 percent stake in Scale AI, a strategic move to boost its artificial intelligence capabilities. The agreement with Scale AI includes the company’s C.E.O, Alexandr Wang, joining a new AI team spearheaded by Meta C.E.O Mark Zuckerberg. This development aligns with Zuckerberg’s ongoing effort to expand Meta’s AI infrastructure, highlighted by a planned capital expenditure of$60 to$65 billion in 2025. Bloomberg reports that Zuckerberg is personally recruiting about 50 experts for a project focused on artificial general intelligence. Meanwhile, Open A.I C.E.O Sam Altman revealed that Meta has approached his top employees with offers including$100 million signing bonuses. Altman expressed relief that none of his key staff have accepted these lucrative offers. These moves demonstrate Meta's aggressive strategy to scale its AI capabilities through major investments and talent acquisition. The failed deal with Perplexity AI underscores the high stakes involved in the competitive AI sector. Zuckerberg’s push reflects the broader industry trend of tech giants vying for dominance in artificial intelligence innovation.

Adam N2: 1:32

The U.K's Big Four accountancy firms—Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC—are cutting hundreds of junior roles and scaling back graduate recruitment as artificial intelligence begins to replace entry-level tasks. Over the past two years, these firms have reduced early-career hiring by up to 29 percent, with Deloitte cutting its intake by 18 percent. These job reductions coincide with a post-Covid consulting slump and tighter client budgets, while partners aim to maintain their high earnings. Generative AI tools like Chat G.P.T are automating many administrative duties, accelerating this workforce shift. Alongside job cuts, the firms are offshoring more work to lower-cost countries such as India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Graduate job adverts in accountancy have dropped 44 percent year-on-year, exceeding declines seen elsewhere in the job market. In response to growing demand, Deloitte, PwC, and EY are developing AI assurance services to audit and verify AI systems. Deloitte’s audit partner describes AI assurance as critical to its wider adoption, and PwC plans to launch its own offering soon. These moves align with broader efforts to establish the U.K as a global AI hub, with AI predicted to add£200 billion to the economy. However, public trust remains low, with research showing only 42 percent of Britons trust AI, and most have little formal training in the technology. San Diego attorney Joseph McMullen successfully used AI-powered legal software to win a high-profile case involving the wrongful detention of two U.S-born siblings at the U.S-Mexico border. In 2019, the siblings, Julia and Oscar, were held for hours after an officer questioned the validity of a passport photo, leading to allegations of coercion by Customs and Border Protection. McMullen initially approached AI tools like Chat G.P.T with skepticism after encountering fabricated case law. However, he later adopted Clearbrief, a software that links every factual claim to underlying evidence and legal precedents, enhancing the persuasiveness and accuracy of his filings. The tool's ability to hyperlink citations and generate case timelines proved crucial in presenting a concise and compelling argument to U.S District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. In 2023, Curiel ruled in favor of the siblings, awarding them$1.5 million for false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The ruling highlighted the government's misconduct as unacceptable. McMullen emphasized that AI technology allowed him to focus more deeply on the evidence rather than administrative tasks. Despite widespread concerns about lawyers relying on AI-generated fake cases, McMullen's experience demonstrates that, when used carefully, AI can be a valuable asset in complex litigation.

Carly W: 4:18

Apple has unveiled a major upgrade for Apple TV with the release of TVOS 26. The update features a new design language called Liquid Glass, providing a vibrant, three-dimensional interface with translucent and rounded elements. Apple TV's interface now showcases cinematic poster art for a richer browsing experience, alongside simplified profile switching and app logins. Apple Music Sing introduces a karaoke-style feature, allowing users to sing along using their iPhones as microphones, with multiple devices able to connect simultaneously. Real-time emoji reactions can be sent to the TV screen during these sing-along sessions. FaceTime improvements include personalized Contact Posters and expanded Live Captions that support multiple languages such as Spanish, French, and German. The update also enhances the popular Aerial screensavers, letting users select specific categories to display. A new audio feature enables any AirPlay-enabled speaker to be set as the default output for Apple TV sound. Additionally, Apple TV+ announced new streaming content, including titles like"Foundation,""Chief of War," and"Slow Horses." These features collectively mark one of the most significant upgrades to Apple TV in recent years. Intel is set to transform its marketing operations by outsourcing a large portion to consulting firm Accenture, with artificial intelligence taking a leading role. This strategic shift, directed by new C.E.O Lip-Bu Tan, aims to streamline costs and improve customer engagement amid challenges in the semiconductor market. The restructuring will result in significant layoffs within Intel’s marketing division, with affected employees expecting notifications by July 11. Tan, who assumed leadership in March, is pushing bold changes to modernize Intel’s business and enhance competitiveness. Accenture’s AI-driven approach is expected to outperform Intel’s existing in-house marketing teams in connecting with customers. Intel plans to reduce team sizes to a lean core, though exact job losses have not been disclosed. AI integration will automate routine marketing tasks, analyze vast data, and personalize customer interactions at scale. Remaining Intel teams will focus on strategic and creative roles while some employees may assist in training Accenture staff. The move has sparked concerns over job security and the evolving role of human workers in AI-managed settings. The next few weeks will be critical as Intel finalizes this major operational overhaul.

Don: 6:47

Thank you for listening to today's AI and Tech News podcast summary... Please do leave us a comment and for additional feedback, please email us at podcast@digimasters.co.uk You can now follow us on Instagram and Threads by searching for@DigimastersShorts or Search for Digimasters on Linkedin. Be sure to tune in tomorrow and don't forget to follow or subscribe!