Europe's Digital Sovereignty Plan. Copilot Cowork Automates M365. Silencing Gemini in Docs. Anthropic Models Forced Offline.

Show notes

The AI news for June 18th, 2026

--- This episode is sponsored by ---

Rocket Routine GmbH
Find our more about our today's sponsor Rocket Routine at
Away from Big Tech: Germany and France adopt a sovereignty plan.
Source: https://www.heise.de/news/Weg-von-Big-Tech-Deutschland-und-Frankreich-beschliessen-Souveraenitaets-Plan-11336262.html?wt_mc=rss.red.ho.themen.k%C3%BCnstliche+intelligenz.beitrag.beitrag
Why did we choose this article?
A concrete policy push by Germany and France to reduce dependence on Big Tech will affect procurement, cloud and AI vendor choices for businesses and governments across Europe — impacting where data and services are hosted and which suppliers get favored contracts.

From chat to agent: Copilot Cowork for Microsoft 365 is here.
Source: https://www.heise.de/news/Vom-Chat-zum-Agenten-Copilot-Cowork-fuer-Microsoft-365-ist-da-11335405.html?wt_mc=rss.red.ho.themen.k%C3%BCnstliche+intelligenz.beitrag.beitrag
Why did we choose this article?
Microsoft is moving Copilot Cowork out of preview, enabling Microsoft 365 users to run agent-style automations for multi-step tasks inside familiar apps while keeping security controls — a direct productivity change for knowledge workers and IT managers.

How to turn off AI in your Google Docs
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/17/how-to-turn-off-ai-in-your-google-docs/
Why did we choose this article?
Practical, step-by-step guidance for end users to disable intrusive AI suggestions in Google Docs — immediately useful for anyone who wants to avoid Gemini pop-ups and regain control of their editing experience.

Anthropic got hit by export rules nobody understands
Source: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/951703/anthropic-shutdown-export-controls
Why did we choose this article?
A major example of export-control driven disruption: U.S. rules forced Anthropic to cut access to its models for foreign nationals (and even some US users), highlighting how geopolitical and regulatory actions can suddenly interrupt AI services that businesses and individuals rely on.

Do you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for improvement? We welcome your feedback at podcast@pickert.de.