Hey Friends,
Hope you had a great week. This week every major player dropped new features that could transform your business.
My goal, as always, is to help separate the signal from the noise and make sure you can take some of these developments and incorporate them into your business.
Let's cut through the hype and get to what actually matters.
PERPLEXITY JUST TURNED YOUR PHONE INTO AN ACTUAL ASSISTANT
Perplexity Assistant on iOS is a GAME CHANGER. This isn't just another chatbot - it can actually DO STUFF on your iPhone.
Need to draft an email? Book a ride? Move a meeting? Make dinner reservations? Set reminders? It handles all of it.
This is the first real glimpse of what true AI assistants will look like. Not just answering questions, but actually performing tasks. The productivity gains here are insane. If you're running a business, imagine offloading all those little administrative tasks that eat up your day.
To get the Perplexity iOS app, search for "Perplexity - Ask Anything" in the App Store, download it for free, and start using its AI-powered search features on your iPhone or iPad.
DEEPMIND CEO: AI CONSCIOUSNESS IS COMING FASTER THAN WE THINK
DeepMind's CEO Demis Hassabis just said something that made me sit up straight. While today's AI lacks consciousness, he believes self-awareness could emerge "implicitly" in future systems.
He predicts that in 5-10 years, AI will not only solve scientific problems but actually pose new conjectures. That's scientist-level thinking.
The part that's wild? Models may soon need to understand concepts like "you, self, and other" - the fundamental building blocks of awareness.
This isn't sci-fi anymore. The timeline for truly intelligent AI keeps shrinking, which means the business landscape is going to transform faster than most people realize. The companies preparing for this now will be the ones still standing in 5 years.
OPENAI'S IMAGE GAME JUST LEVELED UP
OpenAI just launched GPT-image-1, and it's jaw-dropping good. ChatGPT's image generation has made a quantum leap:
- Insanely accurate, high-fidelity images
- Diverse visual styles (not just the same generic look)
- Precise image editing capabilities
- Rich world knowledge baked in
- Consistent text rendering (finally!)
For business owners, this means you can now create professional-grade visuals on demand. Need product mockups? Social media content? Website graphics? You can now generate them in seconds instead of hiring designers or spending hours in Photoshop.
This is the democratization of design happening in real-time.
GROK GETS VISION, MULTILINGUAL AUDIO & REAL-TIME SEARCH
Grok just got a major upgrade with vision capabilities, multilingual audio, and real-time search in Voice Mode.
What does this mean in plain English? You can now have natural conversations with Grok in multiple languages while showing it images, and it can search the web in real-time to answer your questions.
Think about the business applications: instant market research, competitive analysis, and trend spotting - all through natural conversation. The barrier between thinking of a question and getting an answer is basically gone.
To get the Grok iOS app, which includes Grok Vision, search for "Grok" by xAI in the App Store on your iPhone or iPad, download it for free, and start using its AI-powered features like real-time object analysis, image generation, and voice interaction.
MICROSOFT IS BUILDING THE AI ORGANIZATION OF THE FUTURE
Microsoft just dropped their Agent Store with Researcher and Analyst agents available 24/7, providing expert insights that would cost you thousands in consultant fees.
The Researcher agent can aggregate and synthesize web and enterprise data to create insightful reports on literally any topic. It's like having a research team on standby around the clock.
They've also added a Create Function with GPT-4o that lets you instantly convert PowerPoints into explainer videos or create images from prompts in Copilot.
Their new AI enterprise search connects to ServiceNow, Google Drive, Slack, and Jira to offer instant, context-rich answers from your organization's apps and data.
The Skills agent identifies skills from user activity, helps employees connect with the right people, and gives leaders insights into talent strengths and gaps.
Microsoft is basically turning your entire organization into an AI-powered machine. The companies that adopt this first will have a massive competitive advantage.
CLUELY: THE CONTROVERSIAL AI THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
Meet Cluely (cluely.com), the most controversial AI tool I've seen in a while. It's marketed as a way to "cheat on everything" - interviews, tests, even dates.
It works by analyzing your screen and audio in real-time to deliver instant responses through your earbuds. It's like having an invisible coach whispering in your ear 24/7.
The ethics are murky at best, but here's why entrepreneurs need to pay attention: this tool is attempting to normalize AI as an invisible, omnipresent coach. It could completely disrupt hiring, education, and sales by leveling the playing field for those who use it.
The privacy concerns are massive - is it recording everything? Who has access to that data? And the potential backlash when someone inevitably gets caught using it could be severe.
But this is where we're headed - a world where real-time AI augmentation becomes standard. The question is whether society and regulators will tolerate the erosion of authenticity and trust.
Check out this video:
MIKE'S TIME TO NERD OUT: HOCKEY SCOUTS ARE NOW USING AI
This week I've been in the rinks here in Frisco, Texas as the U18 World Championships are happening. And I noticed something that blew my mind.
I always look for signals in unexpected places about how technology is being adopted. And let me tell you - when your grandmother starts using TikTok, that's one thing. But when hockey scouts start embracing AI? That's a MASSIVE signal.
No disrespect to the hockey community (I love you guys), but it's traditionally been... let's just say... not exactly Silicon Valley when it comes to tech adoption. These are old-school guys with notebooks who pride themselves on their "eye test" over analytics.
But there I was, sitting in the stands, and I spotted three different scouts using ChatGPT instead of Google or some hockey database to look up information. One guy was even dictating questions into it about prospect comparables and draft projections.
When the most technology-resistant industry professionals start casually using AI tools as part of their everyday workflow, we've crossed the chasm.
The AI revolution isn't coming - it's HERE. And it's not just in tech hubs or cutting-edge companies. It's in hockey rinks in Texas, helping middle-aged scouts make million-dollar talent decisions.
If you're still thinking "I'll get to AI next quarter" or "we'll explore that next year," you're already behind the hockey scouts. Let that sink in.
NERD PART 2: HOW TO STAND OUT IN A WORLD OF SAMENESS
When I was watching these games this week at the U18 World Championships, something hit me: most of these players look the same. Same size, same skills, same canned answers in interviews. The ones who get drafted high? They have something unique that makes scouts say "this kid is different."
That's when it clicked for me – this isn't just a hockey problem, it's a business problem too.
Most businesses are playing the same game. Same landing pages, same marketing strategies, same value props. They're all competing for attention when they should be commanding it.
The way to break through isn't by being better at the same thing everyone else is doing. It's by creating a "category-of-one" where you're the only player.
Think about the brands you love. They don't just sell a product – they own a position in your mind. They talk bolder than everyone else. They stand for something that might piss some people off. They're not trying to please everyone.
This is how you win: think narrower (find your specific niche), talk bolder (have opinions that polarize), and stand taller (own your unique position).
Most founders are afraid of being too specific because they think it limits their market. But the opposite happens – when you own a category, even if it's small, you can expand from a position of strength rather than being forgotten in a crowded market.
It's like the hockey player who might not be the fastest or strongest, but has that unique skill or mindset that makes scouts remember him long after they've forgotten the 50 other players they watched that day.
So stop trying to be better. Start being different. Create your own category where you're the only option. That's how you win in 2025.
That's all for now. Have an amazing week!
Mike
PS: Want add someone cool to this email list? Just let me know and I'll do it!
PPS: Remember this is a two-way street. If you're getting value, pay the tax. Text me, call me, email me with cool things you're seeing. I want to learn from YOU. Share challenges you're facing as well as your wins. The best stuff I share often comes from you guys. This isn't a monologue - it's a conversation between winners.
