AI

Pansophy is a secure personal AI assistant that runs on your Mac (or other computer). Once installed, Pansophy acts like a constant companion that can help with writing, coding, research, planning and everyday problem-solving.

You can ask it to draft emails, clean up text, brainstorm marketing ideas, outline projects or walk through tricky concepts. It feels similar to chatting with a cloud-based model, only everything happens on your CPU.  It’s a fully local AI assistant that runs without accounts, subscriptions or cloud processing. And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to Pansophy for just $59.97 (regularly $199).

Apple’s smart-home platform has long trailed competitors like Amazon Alexa and Google Home in automation capabilities and intelligent features. But with further development of Apple Intelligence — the company’s suite of AI-powered tools — that gap may finally close, and Apple Intelligence truly could empower Apple Home.

While Apple hasn’t officially announced AI-driven Home automations, the groundwork is clearly being laid for a future where your smart home anticipates your needs rather than simply responding to commands.

iOS 26.4 could turn out to be a dud. The long-delayed artificial intelligence enhancements for Apple’s Siri digital assistant that had been eagerly expected to launch in the next iPhone software update are reportedly not anywhere close to being ready.

The new capabilities, originally slated for a spring release, are now being spread across multiple future updates as engineers work to resolve persistent technical issues, according to sources familiar with the company’s internal plans.

BrowserCopilot puts a powerful AI assistant right inside your web browser, helping you write, research and reply more quickly — without switching tabs or breaking your workflow.

It harnesses three of the most popular AIs around: ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. And for a limited time, you can secure lifetime access to BrowserCopilot for just $69. That’s an 88% discount off the regular price of $619.

Clawdbot. Moltbot. OpenClaw. The rapid rebranding might confuse you, but behind that name is a genuinely useful tool. OpenClaw is a self-hosted AI agent that you can run on your own Mac or PC.

More importantly, it can carry out actions on your behalf, like reading and modifying files, running shell commands, and even installing new tools. Think of OpenClaw as an AI agent running on your Mac that can act as your always-on digital butler.

ChatPlayground AI gives you easy access to more than 40 of the top AI models across 25 apps, all in one place — and all for one low price. It includes big names like ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity and Gemini, and it lets you send one prompt to multiple AIs simultaneously.

That means you can compare results to find the right AI tool for the job at hand, without jumping from one AI app to another. If you’re a heavy AI user, it will save you time as well as money. Normally $619, a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI’s Unlimited plan is on sale now for only $74.97 with code SAVE4.

On the latest episode of the Cult of Mac podcast: Apple makes a pretty bold move by adding third-party AI coding tools to Xcode. This will make it easier for professional developers to deal with drudge work.

It also makes it simpler for beginners to write their own apps. With AI in Xcode, anyone with a good idea can make their coding dream come true. And this raises all kinds of questions …

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• A new leak offers more info on the upcoming foldable iPhone. And another new leak indicates Apple might make a different style of folding phone, too. Do we really need such things?
• Apple updates some ancient iPhones, pretty much laying waste to the Cupertino conspiracy theory about forced obsolescence.
• And finally, Griffin shows an iPhone tip that could prove lifesaving for some — and definitely will prove useful for many.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said he’s excited about the “new categories of products and services that are enabled through AI” during a meeting with company employees Thursday.

He didn’t go into specifics, but some of the new AI-powered devices reportedly on drawing boards at Apple headquarters have already leaked out. Here’s what’s coming.

AI prompts generator Prompting Systems turns plain-text directions into effective directives that work with popular models like ChatGPT and Claude. 

It makes it simple to get the results you want without burning an afternoon iterating on prompts that don’t deliver the goods. And a lifetime subscription to this tool for AI mastery just dropped to $29.99 (regularly $360).

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday about the collaboration with Google that will upgrade the Siri voice assistant with the Gemini AI. He emphasized that the new Siri will “maintain our industry-leading privacy standards.”

Cook also said the company will continue to develop its own artificial intelligence models, even as it’s using Google’s.

Apple just paid $2 billion for Q.ai, an AI company with technology that could dramatically enhance the Siri voice assistant. It’s a stealth-mode Israeli artificial intelligence startup that develops advanced technologies to improve human/computer communication beyond basic speech recognition.

It’s the second largest acquisition in Apple history.

Finding good AI tools isn’t the problem. Even the free version of ChatGPT can do a lot. The real frustration is that if you want good results for generating copy, creating images, transcribing text and doing a myriad of other AI tasks, you often need a whole pile of subscriptions, and those costs add up. The alternative is to get an all-in-one tool that brings top AI models together in one interface. Enter 1minAI.

The major benefits of 1minAI are organizational and financial. It gives you access to ChatGPT, Gemini Pro, Llama, Mistral AI and more. So you get all your AI tools in one place, and you don’t need to pay for a subscription to each one separately. For a limited time, you can get a lifetime sub to 1minAI for just $24.97.

Switching to an AI speech-to-text tool could be the best productivity shift you make. VoiceType AI is a desktop-based dictation tool that turns your spoken words into clear, well-formatted text with 99.7% accuracy.

Most people type at around 40 words per minute. But VoiceType AI captures speech at up to 360 words per minute, giving you a serious productivity boost without sacrificing quality. And right now, it costs just $24.99 for a lifetime subscription (regularly $154).

Apple is reportedly exploring a new category of wearable hardware: an AirTag-sized AI pin designed to clip onto clothing and function hands-free without a screen.

After mostly sitting on the sidelines for years, Apple is apparently jumping into the AI game in a big way.

Forget the old, nearly useless Siri — Apple reportedly plans to upgrade the iPhone’s voice assistant into an AI-powered chatbot with iOS 27. Users will supposedly be able to converse with the new Siri, not just give it orders.

If true, this will let Apple compete directly against Android and Windows computers with built-in AI chatbots.

AI writing tools work wonders, but AI detectors can flag your content if it leans too heavily on robo-prose. If you want your AI writing to be undetectable, you must edit all that content yourself, but it takes time to add the human touch. Sometimes, there just isn’t room in the schedule, but that’s OK. There’s a robot for that, too. You can use an AI humanizer like Undetectable Humanizer.

The Undetectable Humanizer transforms your AI-generated text into natural, human-like prose to help it bypass AI detection systems. This tool is a great get for writers, content creators and business owners who need to save as much time as they can when creating engaging content. A lifetime subscription to this effective AI humanizer’s pro plan is on sale now for $139.99 (regularly $2,880).

New security research repository Firehound uncovered widespread data leaks affecting millions of iPhone users who downloaded AI-powered apps from the App Store.

If you’ve downloaded AI apps lately, as millions of others have, you might want to check to see if they made Firehound’s list.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: It’s finally official — Siri is getting a long-awaited AI brain transplant, courtesy of Google Gemini.

We discuss the pros and cons of the deal, but more importantly, we express our sincere hope that Siri will actually work in the future.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• The soon-to-launch Apple Creator Studio software bundle seems like an unbelievable deal — especially if you’re a student or teacher.
• OpenAI’s first piece of Jony Ive-designed hardware sounds like a legit head-scratcher. Can it really compete with AirPods? It’s anybody’s guess, but we’re not big fans of betting against the former Apple design god. Lots of unanswered questions remain, but hey, at least now we know what an egg stone is!
• And finally, Griffin wraps up the show with a hands-on demo of a 3D-printed mockup of the rumored folding iPhone. If the leaked specs prove true, this device is going to be a strange one. We’ve got plenty of questions (and not a few concerns).

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video stream, embedded below.

The fact that Google Gemini will power the revamped Siri is drawing criticism from people convinced that Apple should have developed its own AI in-house to bring the voice assistant up to speed.

Some of the critics seem to think Apple always made its own software before now. Therefore they regard the deal with Google as a major policy shift — and a sign of weakness that would horrify Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

No. Just … no. These critics will be shocked to learn that many Apple products are built on top of tech developed outside the company … and often, it was Steve Jobs who did it!

Update: Anker renamed the Soundcore Work AI Voice Recorder reviewed below as Soundcore Work AI Note Taker to more directly reflect the main use of the product, the company said Tuesday. Its listings tend to put it down now as “note taker/voice recorder.” Soundcore also noted the problem I had with Find My functionality should be fixed now on production units. 

Original review: In an ecosystem where seamless integration matters most, the new Soundcore voice recorder and note taker arrives with a compelling proposition for Apple users. As this Soundcore Work AI Note Taker review finds, the coin-sized device promises to transform how iPhone and Mac users capture, transcribe and organize voice recordings.

After examining its features through an Apple-centric lens, here’s what you need to know about whether this $159.99 recorder deserves a spot in your productivity arsenal.

AI image generator Imagiyo lets you create all kinds of images — even NSFW ones. That’s how unbounded this new AI tool is.

It doesn’t matter if you’re designing for a business, crafting unique artwork, or just exploring the creative potential of AI, this powerful tool puts complete control at your fingertips. No subscriptions, no watermarks, no limits — just a simple, intuitive platform that transforms text prompts into stunning, high-quality visuals.

Right now, you can get lifetime access to Imagiyo for just $19.97 (down from $345). With this deal, the AI generator will let you create up to 250 images per month (including NSFW ones), in any resolution you choose. Unlike other AI image generators that lock features behind expensive monthly plans, this deal allows you to create professional-quality artwork (including for commercial use) without recurring fees.

If you ever endured a long lecture or an hours-long all-hands meeting, you know this to be true: There’s no way you can jot down every single word your professor or colleague utters. Rather than scramble and stress about missing certain parts of a presentation, you could add an AI note taker like My Notes AI to your productivity tool kit.

This AI-powered note transcription and summarization app works with your iPhone, iPad and Mac to help you catch every single word. Think of it as your very own personal assistant! You can snag a lifetime subscription to My Notes AI for just $27.97 (regularly $299) with code NOTE. That’s the best price you’ll find online.

With the wealth of AI tools available, the problem isn’t finding one that will get the job done. The real issue is finding the best fit for your budget. You might be able to find independent AI tools like ChatGPT or Dall-E for generating copy, creating logos, building stories and more, but AI MagicX does it all under one subscription, and you only have to pay for it once. That makes it a perfect suite of AI tools for business.

This robust AI platform includes tools for designing logos, generating art, creating chatbots, writing articles and creating stories. There’s even a document editor. And for a limited time, you can get a lifetime subscription on sale for just $59.97 (regularly $972).

In 2025 an unprecedented talent exodus decimated Apple’s leadership ranks, with Meta Platforms emerging as the primary beneficiary of the iPhone maker’s retention struggles. The social media giant has successfully lured away four high-profile executives from Apple’s artificial intelligence and design divisions, raising serious questions about the Cupertino company’s competitive position in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Find out more about the top executives left Apple for Meta below.

Organize your week the fast and easy way with Smart Calendars AI, an app that works like your personal scheduling assistant. It works on iPhone, iPad and Mac and makes it simple to plan out your personal agenda.

This isn’t just another planner app. It’s an AI-powered assistant that thinks the way you do — capturing ideas, interpreting context and turning them into organized plans without the mental gymnastics.

And right now, you can bag a three-year subscription to Smart Calendars AI for just $29.99.