What's Up: When hacker code names get too cute; job applicant takes on recruiting software algorithms; a potential breakthrough in solid-state batteries.

Good morning. At casual dining and fast-food restaurants, you can almost taste the AI.

The WSJ's Belle Lin reports that Dine Brands, the company behind Applebee’s and IHOP, plans to use artificial intelligence in its restaurants and behind the scenes to streamline operations and encourage repeat customers.

“AI is moving quickly, and I believe it’s going to be embedded in everything we do,” said Chief Information Officer Justin Skelton.

Dine Brands is adding AI-infused tech support, built with Amazon’s Q generative AI assistant, for all of its franchisees, as well as an AI-powered “personalization engine” that helps restaurants offer customized deals to diners, said Skelton.

It's not alone. McDonald’s and Yum Brands’ Pizza Hut and Taco Bell are similarly tapping AI in their restaurants and behind-the-scenes, part of an industry-wide effort to improve customer and employee experiences.

The AI push comes amid a tougher economic climate, particularly for casual dining brands. Restaurant locations run by the largest casual-dining chains dropped 1.2% last year, the first unit decline since 2020, according to market-research firm Technomic. Read the story.

Zuckerberg has offered $100 million packages to some people.

Meta also was in talks to acquire AI search engine Perplexity, Bloomberg reports. Zuckerberg later doled out $14 billion for a stake in AI startup Scale AI and its CEO Alexandr Wang, who is slated to run the new AI team that Zuckerberg is assembling. 

A lawsuit filed by a jobseeker against recruiting software firm Workday for discrimination, claiming its algorithm screened him out, based on his age, race and disabilities, was given the go ahead by a federal judge to proceed as a collective action. The WSJ reports that the ruling opens the door to millions of potential claims from job seekers over the age of 40.

A U.S. official told top global semiconductor makers he wanted to revoke waivers they have used to access American technology in China, people familiar with the matter told the WSJ. Currently, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing enjoy blanket waivers that allow them to ship American chip-making equipment to their factories in China without applying for a separate license each time.

👉 Earlier this month, the U.S. and China agreed to a fragile trade truce in London. Part of the deal involved each country agreeing to hold off from introducing new export controls and other measures designed to hurt the other.

Cartoonish naming conventions for potentially catastrophic cyberattacks are dividing security professionals, WSJ's Angus Loten reports. Proponents say hacker code names like "Fancy Bear," and "Charming Kitten" or "Vixen Panda" play a crucial role in delineating different cybercriminals’ techniques and strategies.

Others in the cybersecurity community just find the whole thing silly. 

👉 “If the actor’s name is Gingersnap, most board members aren’t going to find that group terribly nefarious,” said Ferhat Dikbiyik, chief research and intelligence officer at Black Kite, a Boston-based cybersecurity firm.

Thinking Machines Lab, the AI startup founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has raised $2 billion in one of the biggest seed rounds in Silicon Valley history, FT reports. Andreessen Horowitz led the round in a deal that values Thinking Machines at $10 billion.

Nvidia and TSMC are talking about deploying humanoid robots at a Houston facility that manufactures Nvidia AI servers, Reuters reports.

Accenture reported a 6% drop in bookings in the latest quarter, prompting investor concern amid a more uncertain relationship with the federal government, WSJ reports. 

Solid-state batteries —which trade the gooey center of conventional lithium-ion batteries for a solid core—have the potential to improve smartphones and EVs alike. But despite decades of research and investments, a commercially viable product remains elusive. WSJ Tech Columnist Christopher Mims visits the Maryland factory of Ion Storage Systems, one startup in the space that just might have a chance of breaking through.

Israel continued to strike Iran's military infrastructure but is looking to wrap up its war with Iran soon, officials said, as the U.N.'s atomic-agency chief said U.S. attacks on Iran’s Fordow enrichment site were expected to have caused “very significant damage.” (WSJ)

Iranian lawmakers on Sunday reportedly threatened a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strip of water connecting the energy-rich Persian Gulf to global markets, after the U.S. joined Israeli strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities. (WSJ)

Bank of New York Mellon approached Northern Trust last week to express interest in merging with its smaller rival, people familiar with the matter said, in what would be a monster deal for the financial-services industry. (WSJ)

President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is getting smaller just as Republicans head into a crucial week, after the Senate’s rules arbiter decided several controversial provisions don’t qualify for the special procedure the GOP is using to bypass Democratic opposition. (WSJ)

The WSJ CIO Journal Team is Steven Rosenbush, Isabelle Bousquette and Belle Lin.

The editor, Tom Loftus, can be reached at thomas.loftus@wsj.com.