The smartest Claude yet is free to test until June 22

Weekly AI Highlights: June 6 - 12, 2026

What Small Business Owners Need to Know Right Now

by Jen Lehner

Reader,

When Claude released Fable (Mythos) last Tuesday, I texted my son, Jake, to see if he’d tried it yet. He’s been using Claude a lot these days so I wanted to get his take. Here’s the exchange:

Then he followed up with a phone call on Tuesday to share with me exactly how he was using it and how impressed he was. He’s not one for hype, but he was as excited as ever seen him.

He is not the only one impressed. Ethan Mollick, a Wharton professor and one of the sharpest AI writers I follow, got early access before launch and wrote about what it actually feels like to work with this model. If you have extra time (hahaha), it is a fascinating read.

So let's start with this Anthropic/Fable/Mythos news…

1. Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5, Its Most Powerful Public Model Ever

Anthropic just released Claude Fable 5, and it is the most capable model the company has ever made available to the public. Quick definition: a model is the brain behind an AI tool. Same Claude app, much smarter brain. Fable 5 beats Anthropic's previous best at coding, research, reading images, and long complicated projects, and it can work on its own for longer stretches without you checking in on it.

Two things make this launch unusual. First, there is a twin version called Claude Mythos 5. Same brain, fewer restrictions, and it is reserved for vetted cybersecurity partners and select researchers because of what it can do in high risk areas. Second, the public version ships with guardrails. If you ask Fable 5 about certain sensitive topics, your question quietly gets answered by an older model, Claude Opus 4.8, instead. Anthropic says this happens in fewer than five percent of conversations.

Source Link: https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-fable-5-mythos-5

MY TAKE

My son is not the only one talking about this. The part I keep coming back to is not the benchmarks. It is that Anthropic built something so capable they had to test it privately with banks and security teams for two months before letting the rest of us touch it. I haven’t taken it out for a really thorough test-drive yet (that’s what my Saturday is for), but I am noticing a higher quality of conversation in the brief interactions I’ve had so far with Fable.

ACTION STEP:

Test Claude Fable 5 this week, not later. Anthropic is including it on Pro, Max, Team, and seat-based Enterprise plans at no extra cost only through June 22. On June 23 it comes off those plans, and using it will require usage credits. So if you pay for Claude, open it now, switch the model to Claude Fable 5, and hand it the most complicated project on your plate while the free window is open.

2. Apple Finally Unveils Siri AI at WWDC 2026

Apple held its annual developers conference this week (WWDC, the event where Apple previews the software coming to your iPhone, iPad, and Mac). The headline was the Siri overhaul Apple has been promising since 2024, plus a long list of AI features under the Apple Intelligence name, which is Apple's umbrella term for AI built into its devices. Here is what stood out:

Siri AI is real this time. The rebuilt Siri holds an actual conversation, understands what is on your screen, and can take multi-step actions across your apps, like finding a photo, editing it, and texting it to your sister in one request.
Apple Intelligence is spreading through the apps you already use. Safari gets smarter tab management, Passwords gets one-tap updating, Photos lets you make complex edits just by describing them, and Calendar, Messages, and accessibility tools all pick up new AI features.
Parents got real controls. Apple announced stronger parental controls across its devices, one of the bigger Trust and Safety pushes it has made.
Everything got faster. Design refinements, quicker app performance, and improved search across the system.

The timing: developer betas are out now, a public beta arrives in July, and everything ships to your devices in September with iOS 27.

Source Link: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/06/apple-unveils-next-generation-of-apple-intelligence-siri-ai-and-more/

MY TAKE

Apple promised this exact Siri two years ago and shipped excuses instead, so forgive me for holding my applause until September. But here is why I am still paying attention. If this version actually works, Siri AI will be the first real AI assistant for millions of people who have never opened ChatGPT or Claude. Not because it is the best. Because it is already in their pocket.

3. NotebookLM Just Became a Real Research Assistant

NotebookLM is Google's research tool. You upload your own documents (PDFs, notes, web pages) and it answers questions using only what you gave it, with citations, so you can trust where the answers came from. This week Google gave it its biggest upgrade yet. Four updates worth knowing:

It can now do real analysis, not just summaries. Each notebook gets its own secure cloud computer, which means NotebookLM can write and run code to crunch your material, like analyzing sales data you upload instead of just describing it.
It hands you finished files. You can ask for downloads in formats you actually use: PDF reports with charts, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint decks, Word docs, Markdown, images, CSV, and JSON.
It helps you start from scratch. Begin with a loose idea or a question, and NotebookLM will suggest web sources to build your notebook. You approve or reject every source, so you stay in control of what it learns from.
It organizes itself. Once a notebook holds five or more sources, NotebookLM can auto-label and categorize them, so a big messy notebook stays manageable.

The catch: the new agentic features are rolling out first to Google AI Ultra subscribers and certain Workspace business plans, with wider availability promised later.

Source Link: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/notebooklm/better-research-notebooklm/

MY TAKE

I’m probably one of NotebookLM’s biggest fans, and I would consider myself a power user. It’s simply incredible. I’m loving all of these updates, especially being able to auto-label and categorize the sources within each notebook.

Google just handed us a gift. Most creators will ignore it

Here's something I need you to know about.

Google quietly rolled out a feature called Preferred Sources. It lets YOUR readers tell Google: "I trust this site. Show me more of them."

And when they do, Google badges your content right inside their search results, even inside AI answers. Google's own data says those readers are twice as likely to click through to your site.

Any site that publishes fresh content is eligible. You don't need to be CNN. You don't need a million followers. You just need readers who like you.

See for yourself how it works (and help us out at the same time)...

Click the button below and add us as your preferred source. That's it. You'll see more of our content when you search, and you'll be helping us cut through all the noise.

And if you have your own blog or website, you'll want to set this up for YOUR readers too. The whole thing is just one small snippet of code that you paste into your site, so it works no matter what platform you're on. My step-by-step guide walks you through it on WordPress, Squarespace, and Kajabi, but the same code works anywhere you can add custom code to your site.

[Get the step-by-step guide]

This is one of those rare moments where being early actually matters. Don't sit on it.

PROMPT OF THE WEEK

The Permission Brief

Since every story this week is about AI taking action on its own, this prompt is about staying in charge when it does.

What it does: Gives you a one-page set of rules for an AI agent before you let it loose on your accounts. An AI agent is an AI tool that does more than answer questions. It can take actions, like logging in and clicking around on your behalf. Think of this prompt like onboarding a new hire. You decide what it can do, what it has to check with you first, and what it must never touch.

When to use it: Before you connect an AI agent to anything real, like your email, your customer list, or a tool that handles your money.

What you get back: A clear one-page brief you can save and follow, so the agent has guardrails in place before it ever touches your accounts.

Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Gemini. Paste it in and answer the questions it asks you.

You are my agent-risk reviewer. I am thinking about giving an AI agent
access to [name the system, tool, or account]. Create a one-page
permission brief with:

1. Actions the agent is allowed to take.

2. Actions the agent must ask my approval for first.

3. Actions the agent is never allowed to take.

4. Any limits on spending, data, or impact on my customers.

5. A record of what the agent does, and where that record should be kept.

6. What could go wrong, and the exact steps to undo it.

7. A first-week test plan using small, low-risk tasks.

Ask me clarifying questions before you finalize if any permission
is unclear.

Comments

If any of this made you think differently about how you want to work with AI, hit reply and let me know. I read every message. Your questions shape what I cover next.

Have a great weekend,

Founder, Front Row AI Club

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