Welcome to Get The Gist, where every weekday we share an easy-to-read summary of the latest and greatest developments in AI—news, innovations, and trends—all delivered in under 5 minutes! ⏱

In today’s edition:

• Google Gemini’s Standalone iPhone App Coming Soon

• Microsoft Brings ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot to Windows Terminal

• Elon Musk’s xAI Chatbot ‘Grok’ Goes Free

• Anthropic to Provide its Claude AI Model to US Defense Agencies

• And more AI news….

Top Developments

Google Gemini

Google Gemini’s Standalone iPhone App Nears Launch, Bringing New AI Features

The Gist: Google is testing a standalone Gemini app for iPhones, currently available only in the Philippines. This app could bring advanced AI functions like Gemini Live to more users, with a potential global launch soon.

Key Details:

• The dedicated Gemini app allows direct access to the AI chatbot on iPhones, including the live interaction feature, Gemini Live.

• Currently, the app is only in testing and has some bugs, which Google aims to fix before a wider release.

• Future upgrades, like Project Jarvis powered by Gemini 2.0, may allow users to perform tasks like booking flights and shopping.

• The app could see a worldwide launch as soon as December, enhancing AI accessibility for iPhone users.

Microsoft

Microsoft Brings ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot to Windows Terminal

The Gist: Microsoft has added Terminal Chat, an AI-powered assistant with ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot, to Windows Terminal. This tool offers real-time command suggestions and guidance based on the user’s specific shell environment.

Key Details:

• Terminal Chat adapts to the active shell, providing tailored command suggestions for PowerShell, Command Prompt, Linux, or Azure Cloud Shell.

• The tool assists with tasks like scripting, troubleshooting, and automating workflows through natural language queries.

• Available in the Windows Terminal Canary version, Terminal Chat requires a paid API key from services like OpenAI or GitHub Copilot.

• Privacy measures include not saving chat histories by default, with an option to export conversations as text files if needed.

Grok

Elon Musk’s xAI Chatbot ‘Grok’ Goes Free

The Gist: Social networking platform X is testing its AI chatbot, Grok, for free users in New Zealand, aiming to boost accessibility and gather feedback. This move marks a significant shift from its previous exclusivity to paying subscribers.

Key Details:

• Free access to Grok is currently available to select users in New Zealand, with limited query allowances.

• To use the free version, accounts must be a week old and linked to a valid phone number.

• Grok-2, the upgraded model with image capabilities, was previously available only to premium members.

• This strategy aims to enhance competition with other AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Quick Gist

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok, integrated into X, has excited the crypto community by showcasing its ability to explain memes and provide medical opinions from scanned images (Read More).

Google is rolling out its Gemini AI-powered Vids app, enabling users to create video presentations and auto-generate scripts and voiceovers, with availability starting November 7th and potential feature limits in 2026 (Read More).

Google is integrating its Gemini AI model into more products, allowing Android users to create custom backgrounds in Google Meet using AI-generated imagery based on user prompts (Read More).

Google is integrating its generative AI chatbot, Gemini, into Google Maps to enhance navigation and answer complex queries, aiming to compete with Apple's AI advancements (Read More).

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, projects that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could emerge within five years, though its societal impact is expected to be gradual rather than revolutionary (Read More).

OpenAI rejected over 250,000 requests to generate images of 2024 US election candidates amid rising concerns over AI-generated misinformation and election interference (Read More).

Anthropic will provide its Claude AI models to US intelligence and defense agencies through a partnership with Palantir and AWS, enhancing data analysis capabilities while pursuing a new funding round valued at up to $40 billion (Read More).

Apple plans to upgrade its AI cloud infrastructure with the new M4 chip and is negotiating with Foxconn to produce AI servers in Taiwan, aimed at enhancing its AI capabilities and reducing reliance on China (Read More).

THAT’S IT FOR TODAY!