Happy Sunday!
Did you know there’s been over 300 AI updates this fortnight? Today I’m breaking down the ones that matter most and what it means for you.
Plus, I’m sharing one of my top reads for financial freedom, how I used AI to organise my entire brain dump this week, and and a brand new behind the scenes section: Build Notes.
Warning: there was A LOT that happened in AI this week, so the ‘Stories That Matter’ section is a long one. Read if you want, or skip to the takeaways.
The Stories That Matter
Well, it’s been a massive fortnight in the AI world.
All the big AI players: Google, Microsoft, Claude and OpenAI dropped significant updates, and I’ve taken one overarching theme from it all:
AI is becoming more capable, more integrated, and more agentic – meaning it's designed to do things for you (not just answer your questions.)
There was a lot to explore, but I’ve tried to break down the announcements to focus in on what matters most to you and me.
1. Google I/O: They’re not playing around
Google announced 100, yes 100, updates at their Google-IO conference, and it feels a little like those futuristic movies are becoming a little more real.
They released a blog post with all 100 updates, but here’s are what stood out to me
AI mode: Google search is about to change forever
Google released AI in search, a mode that allows you to ask super specific, detailed questions (like, "Best conversation starters for networking events. I’m attending a dinner with 20 people from the tech industry, most of them based in Melbourne and working for big corporations.").
Instead of just links, AI Mode analyses the information, and delivers a synthesised, personalised answer tailored to your exact need.
From my understanding, this is like ChatGPT or perplexity, but in Google’s natural interface with features like maps and the google business overviews included.
This is currently rolling out to users in the U.S.
Gemini Live: A genius in your pocket
This new feature in the Gemini app allows you to talk things out with the AI assistant in a natural conversation, including sharing your screen and camera.
You can also use it to ask questions about what you're seeing, like a landmark, menu item, or work of art, or even ask it to help fix a squeaky chair.
Gemini in Workspace: A useful email assistant
We've all seen those 'AI-assisted email' features that until now have been... kind of useless.
Google's aiming to change that with AI email assistance that doesn't just guess a short reply, but can actually:
- Read and understand the context of long email threads
- Access relevant information from your Google Drive files (like a project brief or a past client communication)
- And even analyse your previous emails to match your tone of voice.
All meaning human-sounding responses with much less of your time in your inbox. This will be rolling out later in 2025.
Project Astra: Your Tony Stark dreams are officially here.
Project Astra is basically JARVIS v1. It’s the first iteration we’ve seen of a universal AI assistant that can see, understand, and help you with tasks in the real world.
The main difference from Gemini Live? It can actually do things (like call up a restaurant). If there’s one thing you do today, just watch this video (I’m so excited for this).
Imagen 4 & Veo 3: Is Hollywood about to change forever?
Gemini now has image generating capabilities rivalling that of ChatGPT, but there’s something even more crazy. Google’s Veo 3 can now generate video clips with audio and background sound that are starting to look like actual movie scenes.
For anyone creating content, or even just needing a powerful visual for a presentation, the creative possibilities are exploding.
My biggest concern? The internet could very soon be flooded with more useless content than ever before. A timely reminder to not just consume, but create.
Other notable announcements
The big catch? Pricing Tiers
While some features like Gemini Live and AI search are free, many advanced capabilities (including Veo 3, your personal Tony Stark and higher usage limits), will only be available as part of their new "Google AI Pro" ($20/month) or “Google AI Ultra” ($250/mo!!) plans.
2. OpenAI & Jony Ive: You’re telling me we need a third device?
If phones and laptops weren’t enough, we’re soon going to add another device to the mix.
OpenAI (the makers of ChatGPT) have teamed up with Jony Ive, the legendary designer behind many of Apple's iconic products (including the iPhone). They've actually acquired Ive's latest company, io, for $6.5 billion.
What are they building?
A new "family of devices" designed from the ground up for interacting with AI.
The vision is to move beyond our current reliance on screens and keyboards, towards more natural, perhaps voice-first and wearable, AI companions.
Why does it matter?
This points to a future where AI isn't just something you consciously sit down to use, but a more ambient, ever-present assistant.
We're still a couple of years out (first products maybe in 2026), but it’s a strong indicator of where human-AI interaction is heading.
My hope is that this will get our heads out of our screens and improve our human connections, but only time will tell.
3. Microsoft Build: All in on AI Agents
Microsoft is the corporate powerhouse, so it’s no surprise they doubled down on its vision for "agentic AI" with Copilot - a digital teammate that actually does things.
Here’s a few new features you may be able to use at your workplace.
AI Agents: Copilots with context
The new Microsoft 365 Copilot tuning will allow organisations to use their own company knowledge to train models made using their ‘Agent Builder’.
For example, a consulting firm could build a Q&A agent made specifically for retail-industry client projects.
By tuning the model on internal documents such as previous retail client reports, retail regulation requirements or manufacturing logistics, the Q&A agent could help consultants gain accurate answers to retail domain-specific questions.
What this all means? Employees (and therefore companies) will be able to perform specific tasks with increased speed and accuracy.
Multi-Agent Orchestration: Connecting the Copilots
Microsoft is also building the capability for different AI agents (from HR, IT, etc.) to work together behind the scenes to handle more complex processes for you, like streamlining everything needed when a new employee starts.
While AI agents and multi-agent orchestration is initially only for larger organisations, it shows the wider direction we’re heading in.
Copilot in Windows: Bringing AI to you
If you’ve ever wished you could:
- Right-click a PDF in your File Explorer and instantly getting an AI-generated summary
- Or ask AI to quickly find all documents related to a specific project without searching through manually
You’re in luck. This is the kind of in-context help coming to Windows.
The goal is to bring AI to where you already are, making your everyday tasks faster.
Smarter Microsoft 365: Making admin easier
Similar to Google’s upcoming email assistant, Copilot will soon be able to analyse information across your documents, emails, and company data to:
- Answer questions
- Provide you with expertise
- Help prepare you for meetings
- Or even draft initial responses based on project files.
Basically, an assistant who’s read all the relevant background material.
My take on Microsoft's updates:
Here’s what makes this interesting: until now, AI use at work has been mostly individual-driven - a bottom-up approach. You, as a worker, use AI to make you more productive. Employers could train employees, and encourage AI use, but their power was limited.
But now, organisations are starting to gain more control. AI Agents allow employers to implement AI tools through a top-down approach, meaning organisational strategy and structures may indeed start to change.
The impact of this change is still to be seen, but building your understanding of how to work with AI (through strategies such as prompt engineering) will only give you an advantage.
You can read more on updates from Microsoft Build here.
So, what does this all mean?
As I said earlier, it feels like the future really is here.
And honestly, it’s both exciting and very overwhelming.
If you read all of that update (or none of it), here’s what you can take away:
1. AI is actually starting to do things (by itself)
The move towards "agentic AI" means we're transitioning from manually using AI for specific queries to delegating entire multi-step tasks and workflows.
2. Your existing tools are getting a brain upgrade
You won't necessarily need to learn dozens of new apps. The software you use daily (Google Suite, Windows, Microsoft 365) is becoming inherently smarter.
The key will be learning the new ways to interact with these AI-upgraded tools.
3. This is an insane opportunity
The temptation when you see updates like these is to bury your head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist.
This is a real psychological tendency called the Ostrich Effect.
It's like avoiding the visit to the doctor's because you don't want to hear the potentially negative results.
But the honest reality is, whether we like it or not, things will just keep changing.
Everyone will learn to use these tools (just like everyone learned how to use a computer). But with every update comes a new window to jump on the opportunity before everyone else.
The learning curve is continuous, which is why it’s so important to Build Habits for Continuous Improvement.
Yes, it’s a lot to keep up with, but the goal isn't to become an AI engineer. It's about understanding the capabilities, identifying the best use cases and learning how they can practically offload your work, save you time, and free you up for higher-impact thinking.
This is where our community comes in! I'm eager to hear what you're all experimenting with and what's actually working in the real world.
Quick Updates You Might Have Missed
Anthropic's Claude 4 Models Arrive
Not to be outdone, Anthropic (another leading AI lab) released its new Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 models. Sonnet 4 (the free model) has a few key improvements:
- The ability to maintain focus across large blocks of text
- The ability to integrate with your other tools (like Gmail, Calendar, Google Drive, your project management software, etc.)
While not a massive update compared to the others that came out, this puts Claude back in my go-to list for writing quality and proof-reading, and makes it the leading model in connecting with other applications. I’ll report back once I’ve had the chance to explore more!
Shopify now builds stores with prompts
Their new AI tool creates entire websites from a single prompt, giving layout options with text and images.
Tech CEOs are sending their AI avatars to meetings
Klarna and Zoom CEOs deployed AI versions of themselves for their company earnings presentations.
My Top Recommendations: 3 things I've Been Loving
1. Book: We should all be Millionaires
Look past the cringey title - this book has been one of my favourite non-fiction reads of this year.
The author does an amazing job at challenging the systems and beliefs that hold people back from earning more and living well.
If you want a book that explores not just money mindset, but financial strategy and very real talk, add this to your booklist.
2. Mindset: Spending in alignment with your values
I moved to the Gold Coast recently and one of my first tasks was to find a new gym. Old me would've picked the cheapest option.
But this time, I chose the one that was slightly closer, had a sauna, and a vibe that I really enjoyed… even though it cost $8 more a week (an extra $416 per year).
Same thing with food. I've been prioritising gut- and hormone-supporting wholefoods.
They’re not always the cheapest option. But health is one of my highest values.
And I’d rather spend here, or on my learning and personal growth, than on a new outfit or extra meal out each week.
Consider the same when you’re deciding how to allocate your spending.
What do you value, and does your bank statement reflect that?
3. Reminder: Take the sick day
I woke up on Wednesday last week feeling terrible. And I won’t lie, I felt so guilty for calling in sick, taking time off work, skipping the gym, and doing the bare minimum.
But that rest got me back to 100% way faster, and my work and life didn’t fall apart because I took a day to breathe.
Remember that sometimes, your body needs you to pause, not push.
Don't sleep on...
Using AI to Sort Your Brain Dumps
Nothing feels better than a brain dump when your mind is overflowing.
The only problem is that you're then left with a jumble of thoughts, tasks and ideas. And those chaotic lists require you to actually do something with them.
If you've been following along for a while, you'll know that I use Notion to organise my life. I brain dump on a daily basis, and organise and action it all at the end of the week.
This week, I asked my AI assistant to step in.
Here’s the exact prompt I used:
You are a personal productivity expert. Here is a raw brain dump of thoughts, tasks, and ideas. Please help me:
1. Organise this into actionable categories (e.g., Tasks, Projects, Notes, Goals, Ideas, Questions, Reference lists).
2. Identify next actions using a GTD-style filter (Do, Delegate, Defer, Delete).
3. Flag any dependencies or items that may need clarification.
4. Suggest any habits, routines, or systems that would help manage recurring themes or chaos-prone areas
Ask for clarification where context is missing.
Tip: I've provided my AI assistant with context about my Notion Digital Home Base setup, so it sorted everything into my life organisation sections automatically.
You can do the same for your life organisation system / second brain.
This small action will save so much time and mental energy on a weekly basis.
This Week's Build Notes
Last week, I invited you to message me if you wanted insights into the real time, behind-the-scenes updates of my personal AI project: The High Performance OS.
My inbox got, well, kind of flooded. So I've decided to introduce a new section into my newsletters that gives you direct insight into what I've built, and more importantly what I've learned.
Keen to hear your feedback!
Building a content creation workflow
As I continue building out my High-Performance OS, here’s a quick peek at this week's progress:
What I built: My personal brand & content assistant
It includes a full workflow for:
- YouTube & newsletter content (from idea to publish)
- Repurposing across platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)
- Leveraging AI for headlines, outlines, scripts, editing, thumbnails, etc.
What I learned:
I think there's significant potential out there for creators, business owners, anyone looking to build their personal brand, to incorporate AI into workflows to reduce content burnout without losing your authentic voice and perspective.
But it's something that most people aren't currently doing.
I'm seeing a lot more AI-generated content on all social media platforms, and as someone who's pretty deep in the space, it's extremely obvious and it's making people lose their genuine connection with their audience.
A lot of this comes down the the prompting, and your starting point.
If I go through the process of developing a YouTube video using my own brain - going through the (sometimes painful) process of:
- Getting my ideas out of my head
- Adding, deleting and rearranging them - working out how to communicate so my ideas make sense to someone else
- Embedding my personal experiences, thoughts and perspectives
Then I can create an Instagram post that actually sounds like me.
Right now, a lack of knowledge or awareness is causing people to directly share AI-generated content without any personalisation.
There's a way to use AI the right way in content creation, whereby it amplifies your voice and personality, and I'm working hard to build that.
That’s it for this fortnight! If you enjoyed this edition, I’d love if you forwarded it to someone navigating the AI world too.
What’s one way you’re thinking about using AI differently this month? Reply and let me know - I read every response :)
Tayla
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