Fortnightly wrap: why is AI suddenly... everywhere?

9-figure salaries, $14B dollar deals, plus my go-to prompt for better networking

↓

Hi Reader,

Happy Sunday!

6 months ago, it felt like no one was really talking about AI. Today, it seems to be in every conversation. So, why the shift?

This week, I dove deep into some pretty eye-opening data that shows why AI isn't just another tech trend. Plus, I'm sharing the networking strategy that landed me 10 new connections in two weeks, a book series that broke my reading slump, and why you need to stop those micro-scrolls immediately.

This might feel intimidating or even scary, but remember - you're already ahead of the curve by staying updated and actively reading this newsletter each week.

Let’s dive in

The AI News That Matters

Why AI Can't Wait: The $14 Billion Wake-Up Call

AI is on the rise. We all know this.

As I've started posting more about AI, I've been met with a lot of resistance and some negativity, which is normal. AI is new, people feel threatened, so the temptation to ignore it, shut it out of your mind, or even learn a few tools and call it a day is very real.

But this week I dove into a lot of data and found some crazy stats about why AI is far from just another tech trend, and why becoming AI literate really can't wait.

First, there's the absolutely insane things companies are doing to stay ahead in AI:

Meta just finalised a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI - that's not a typo. Fourteen. Billion. Dollars. For perspective, that's more than the GDP of some entire countries. They also poached Scale's 28-year-old CEO Alexandr Wang, who dropped out of MIT to co-found the company and achieved billionaire status in his 20s.

To top it all off, they've reportedly been offering top AI engineers 9-figure salary packages (yes, that's $100 million, for a single employee).

This, honestly, is pure desperation. Meta knows they've been falling behind in the AI race, and they're willing to pay almost anything to catch up. (Some have said they cared more about acquiring Scale AI’s team than the company itself).

Then, there's the sheer rate of adoption.

Mary Meeker, the legendary internet analyst turned venture capitalist, just released her first report in 5 years - a massive 340 pages focused entirely on the AI revolution. For context, Mary is basically the oracle of internet trends. When she speaks, Silicon Valley listens.

Here's what the report showed:

• ChatGPT became the fastest platform to reach 100 million users, by far. Remember when TikTok blew up? It hit 100 million users in 8 months. ChatGPT did it in 5 weeks.
• While the internet took approximately 23 years to reach a point where 90% of its users were outside North America, ChatGPT achieved this same 90% international user share in just 3 years.
• GenAI adoption has occurred twice as fast as internet adoption

If you're a visual person, I've included a few of the graphs below:

What does all of this mean?

Again, AI is not just another tech trend. We're watching the fastest technological adoption in human history. The companies making these massive investments are essentially showing us the roadmap to the future.

If you're a business owner, this is your moment to get ahead of the curve. AI isn't just about efficiency anymore, it gives you the power to completely rethink what you offer and how you offer it.

If you're a creator, you're sitting on a goldmine of opportunity. AI can amplify your creativity, your voice, help you understand your audience better, and free up time for the work that truly matters to you.

If you're an employee, you have the chance to become invaluable by developing skills that complement AI rather than compete with it. Understand how to work alongside these tools will give you an advantage - both at your current job, or when you’re interviewing for a new one.

The companies making billion-dollar bets aren't doing it for fun - they're doing it because they see the incredible possibilities ahead. They're positioning themselves not just to survive, but to lead in a world where AI integration opens up opportunities we're only beginning to imagine.

​

Updates you may have missed

• A new update to ChatGPT projects means it now remembers and can reference context from all chats within that project (this is massive). It also allows you to use voice mode in projects and do deep research blending your project context (files, chats, instructions) with public web sources.
• Amazon releases a free tool to create AI videos for product ads (currently only available in the US)
• Disney & Universal Studios have sued Midjourney (the largest image and video generation tool on the market right now) for copyright infringement, claiming that the training of Midjourney's AI tool on their characters (and every single production of a character by their users) is piracy. This will have major implications for Hollywood, AI and the entire creative industry moving forward.
• In some positive news, while the very real concerns about AI job displacement continue, the New York Times released an article this week about 22 new jobs AI will create - from trust directors to A.I. ethicists to world designers. Note that this only covers jobs directly created by the new need to manage AI itself (not the entirely new industries or demands that will inevitably arise to meet human needs amidst this massive change)

My Top Recommendations: 3 things I've Been Loving

1. Book: Powerless series

I was in the biggest reading slump after finishing Onyx Storm (seriously, name anyone who can match Xaden). This series got me out of it.

I'll be honest, I didn't like Powerless at first. I thought it was a rip-off of Hunger Games. But now I've just started the third book in the series and I’ll admit there’s been a few too many nights where I’ve stayed up past my bedtime just to keep reading.

If you're in a reading slump, give this series a shot.

2. Productivity: Stop the micro-scrolls

I don't spend much time on social media (or so I thought). But last week I realised just how much time I was wasting micro-scrolling. Not sitting down, intentionally scrolling for 30 minutes. But picking up my phone for 5, even 2 minutes every time I felt myself pushing against resistance - feeling bored or challenged with my work, or just needing to 'decompress'.

I could feel the damage this was doing to me. My brain had no space to breathe and my context switching left my attention scattered.

So this week, I set an intention to stop these micro-scrolls. I did an accountability challenge with my boss (pretty great way to keep yourself accountable I must say) and used the Opal app (a personal favourite) to avoid opening the apps out of habit.

The result? I've been more productive, more focused and have felt a lot less subconscious stress and anxiety.

If you try it this week, let me know how you go. The relief you'll feel when your brain finally has space to breathe is incredible.

3. Podcast: Modern Wisdom: Chris Williamson x Alex Hormozi

There aren't many things that get me as excited as a podcast that really makes you think about life.

Alex Hormozi is a founder, investor and author - basically the master of business. Chris Williamson is one of my favourite podcasters and interviewers. And this podcast covers so many of my favourite things - life lessons, psychology, business, human behaviour.

It is 4 hours long. But I've been listening to it as I've done my meal prep for the week. There's nothing better than combining deep thinking with mundane tasks - it makes both more enjoyable.

AI Use Case: Don't sleep on...

I trained ChatGPT to be my personal networking advisor

You don't have to be an extrovert to be a good networker. You just need the right strategy.

In the last 2 weeks, I've been to 3 networking events. A couple where I felt so out of my depth. I felt like I had nothing to say, nothing to offer. And I was way too busy to do the prep I knew was a non-negotiable.

So I did what I do best, and trained ChatGPT to be my personal networking advisor.

Here's the exact prompt I used:

This honestly left me feeling ten times more confident.

And that confidence had me walking out of each event with genuine connections, while avoiding all the awkward small talk.

(Hint: you can adjust this prompt to use it in any social situation).

Use this prompt, but don't forget: your energy makes all the difference.

Something I tell myself every single time I talk to someone new: your job isn't to be interesting, it's to be interested.

Go out and build those connections.

This Fortnight's Build Notes: High-Performance HQ

As I continue building out my High-Performance HQ, here's a quick peek at this fortnight's progress and learnings...

We're getting closer! This week I created my wealth & finance assistant, and have continued reviewing and improving my side hustle and content assistants. This means we've now completed:

• Life, health & productivity assistant
• Personal brand & content assistant
• Business / side hustle assistant
• Wealth & finance assistant
• News & updates assistant

Next up, is my career growth assistant - an assistant to accelerate my career with faster admin, sharper communication and better decision-making.

Interested in any of these assistants (or the whole system)? Join the interest list to unlock the full system. I'm testing the waters to get a sense of whether a need exists for this kind of resource.

Key lesson learned this week: It's been kind of crazy to see just how much easier life has started to get the more that I've been building. And the new ChatGPT projects update (better memory, voice note abilities, deep research) is making it even better.

The compound effect of systematising your productivity is insane - not only for your efficiency, but also creating mental space for the work that actually matters.

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: Have you noticed any micro-scrolling habits affecting your focus? What strategies have worked for you? I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for being here,

Tayla

Want personalised advice?

​Pick my brain on AI & productivity.

Looking for more?

You'll find all my AI resources, Notion templates and other free resources here.

Have feedback or a resource request?

Share it here. (I'm constantly looking for opportunities to serve you better. Your feedback influences my weekly content and free resources so I can give you exactly what you need).