Happy Sunday!
The corporate world has officially made its move on AI, and it's time we talk about what that means for all of us.
Plus, I'm sharing my current favourite AI model that's flying under the radar, a mindset shift that's transformed my workday, and a wellness trend that you should actually jump on.
Let's dive in!
The Stories That Matter
The CEOs have spoken: Use AI or Fall Behind
One year ago, most of us were bringing our own AI to work - hiding ChatGPT from our bosses and experimenting in secret.
That era is officially over.
In the space of one month, we’ve seen a huge, very public, shift in how major companies are approaching AI:
- Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke declared AI a "baseline skill," essentially saying if you're not using AI in your role, you're falling below the expected standard.
- Fiverr's CEO Micha Kaufman also publicised an internal memo (before it could be leaked) where he said: "AI is coming for your jobs. Heck, it's coming for mine too." He urged staff to upskill (and actually provided some tangible advice on how to do so).
- Duolingo announced an "AI-first" internal strategy going forward, quietly started replacing contract workers with AI tools (they've since received significant public backlash, which is an interesting implication for other companies to consider)
- At IBM Think 25, the company unveiled significant updates across it's watson ecosystem (an AI chatbot used by many large companies)
- And to top it all off, windows has officially started integrating AI into all of it's latest computer models
I think this marks a real turning point of AI shifting from experimental, to a core part of organisational strategy.
When we see companies start including AI proficiency in hiring criteria and performance reviews, it's a clear sign that expectations are shifting.
And these companies are just the first movers - they certainly won't be the last.
My Personal Response: From Experimenting to Intentional Integration
As a knowledge worker navigating these changes myself, I've started changing my approach to AI. Here's the shift I've made that you might consider for yourself:
From experimental use:
- Using ChatGPT or Claude to answer occasional questions
- Trying random prompts to see what happens
- Turning to AI as a last resort when stuck
To intentional use:
- Identifying my high-leverage tasks (time-consuming, repetitive, energy-draining, or high-impact)
- Creating a prompt library with my most effective prompts
- Building sustainable systems rather than one-off solutions
- Training my social media algorithm to show me more AI-related content
The most important aspect? Continuous learning. I'm constantly exploring how others use these tools and what's actually possible.
Because while everything is changing, one thing remains constant: being a continuous learner will always leave you in demand.
- Explore new tools and techniques.
- Take action and implement them.
- Document and build your portfolio.
- Reflect on the results.
- Repeat.
This change feels scary - we all feel it - but it doesn't have to be. You don't need to become an AI engineer. But you do need to know how to use the tools at your fingertips.
Whether it's ChatGPT for writing, Claude for strategy, or Perplexity for research, it's time to start being strategic with AI, not just experimental.
Updates you may have missed
- TikTok launched AI alive - allowing users to turn images into videos directly in the app.
- Notion rolled out a major AI update with enterprise search and AI meeting notes
- Spotify announced that use of it's AI DJ feature has nearly doubled in the past 12 months, releasing a new update that allows users to give voice requests for further personalisation.
My Top Recommendations: 3 things I've Been Loving
1. Book: The Daily Stoic
I've fallen in love with the Stoic mindset, centered around focusing on what you can control and accepting what you can't.
While I don't agree with 100% of Stoic philosophy (their views on emotional expression can be a bit rigid), overall it's a concept that has improved my life significantly.
This book offers a great introduction to Stoicism with one short lesson for every day of the year - each month centred around a specific theme.
I started listening to the audiobook this year, and it's now a staple in my morning routine.
2. Mindset: Challenge the status quo
I think knowledge work has a lot of underlying rules that just don’t make sense.
One being: work means sitting down at a desk in front of a laptop.
In reality, many of these rules were set decades ago.
At a time when work HAD to be done somewhere you could write, with access to the documents you worked on yesterday.
This habit started as a bit of an accident, but it’s turned into a daily ritual that makes work not even feel like work (especially if I make the extra effort to drive 15 minutes to the beach).
And that habit is starting each day going for a 60 minute walk, while writing content - often this newsletter.
I can honestly say, my brain just works better.
I’m more creative.
Ideas flow more easily.
I feel less temptation from distractions.
And as someone who also works a 9-5, getting my steps in while completing needle moving work has given me back valuable time in my day - time I’ve been spending connecting with new (& old) friends, building my new AI systems or relaxing (something I’m trying to be more intentional about).
So whether it’s your work habits, beliefs, diet, or any other part of your life, remember:
What works for others might not be the best option for you.
And the traditional way of doing things is often more broken than you think.
Challenge the status quo.
3. Health: Mouth Tape
Many wellness trends are complete scams.
We've all experienced them - the vitamin gummies, 10-day ab challenges, fad diets.
But mouth taping is one trend I can't recommend highly enough.
If you haven't heard of it, mouth taping is as weird as it sounds - placing a small piece of medical tape over your lips at night to encourage nasal breathing during sleep. This promotes better oxygen intake, reduces snoring, and can improve overall sleep quality.
I started mouth taping a couple of months ago, and as an occasional mouth breather, I've noticed such a difference in my sleep quality.
Pro tip: You don't need the expensive specialty products. I just use kinesiology tape from Amazon and cut it into strips. You may need to be careful if you have sensitive skin, but I haven't had any issues.
Don't sleep on...
Gemini 2.5: The AI model you should be using
With the popularity of ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, Google's Gemini seems to have been, well, forgotten.
But did you know that while social media was blowing up about ChatGPT's image generation capabilities, Google quietly released its Gemini 2.5 model to the public?
It has quickly become one of my favourite models (even as someone who pays for ChatGPT Plus).
Every generative AI model is built for different purposes and has unique strengths.
If we look at Open AI's models alone:
- GPT-4o (the baseline model on the free plan) excels at everyday tasks
- GPT-4.5 is ideal for creative tasks
- o3 is the best for complex, multi-step tasks
- o4-mini is the go-to for technical tasks
The list goes on.
You've probably also noticed that Claude's Sonnet 3.7 is the best option for writing.
Well, Google's new Gemini 2.5 is now my go-to for general purpose work.
In fact, it was fundamental in helping me set up the structure and project plan for the High Performance HQ I'm working on behind the scenes (this video shares more about why I started this project and what I'm hoping to build).
It performed far better than ChatGPT when I asked it to:
- Draft a detailed HQ architecture (helping me structure my Notion setup and custom GPTs)
- Design a tailored build-in-public playbook (so I can document the
- Produce a 90-day project plan covering both creating the HQ and building in public (so I can focus on executing, not overthinking)
The back-and-forth refinement process was impressively smooth, and I've also used it to plan a go-to-market strategy - again, it did not disappoint.
So if you're looking for a thought partner, or for help with strategic work, I highly recommend giving Gemini 2.5 a try.
That's it for this fortnight! If you found this newsletter valuable, I'd love if you'd share it with a friend or colleague who's navigating the AI transition.
(I write this on my weeknights and weekends, so your support in spreading the word is always appreciated).
Reply to this email and let me know: What's your current favourite AI use case? I'd love to hear from you.
See you next week,
Tayla
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