The Comunicano for Thursday April 17th 2025

It's a Thursday

Imagine a moment not far from now. You wake up. You check your wrist. Your device knows more about your life than your calendar ever did. But suddenly, it’s offering more than help—it’s showing your secrets. Safari’s latest update reveals your search history front and center, uninvited. A feature meant to “help” becomes a privacy problem. But fear not—the fix is a flick away in Settings. A reminder: your data isn’t just valuable, it’s vulnerable.

Now imagine intelligence that sees—not just reads. That’s the promise of OpenAI’s new model, o3. It looks at your scribbles, your sketches, even your whiteboards, and thinks. Not guesses—reasons. This is no longer artificial intelligence. This is augmented insight. The leap isn’t just in power—it’s in purpose. o3 is no longer reading our world; it’s beginning to interpret it.

Yet as the race accelerates, so does the responsibility. Wikipedia and Kaggle are offering structured, ethical data so AI doesn’t chew through the internet without chewing responsibly. And in that same spirit, xAI’s Grok gets memory—not just intelligence, but context. Like a good friend, it remembers.

Meanwhile, Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol lets AI tap directly into the apps we use without barriers. Not through a GUI. Through understanding. The interface is disappearing—and the intelligence is stepping forward.

Contracts? DocuSign's new AI agents don’t just file them. They understand them. They negotiate them. The chaos of compliance becomes calm.

And while machines evolve, the threats persist. In San Diego, bots pretend to be students. Not to learn, but to steal. Fraud isn't virtual. It's personal. Look at our cities—Paris is cleaner, calmer, bike-friendlier. Because change isn’t only digital—it’s civic. And sports? Even our baseballs are engineered for drama. Behind every pitch, there's a plan.

What’s the lesson? We are building machines that think. But we must remain the ones who care. That protect privacy. That demand responsibility. That know the story behind every stat, every scan, every silicon decision.

Because the future isn't just coming. We’re already wearing it. And reading it. Every day. In THE COMUNICANO!!!

Andy Abramson

Apple Watch

Why Safari is Suddenly Surfacing Your Search History—and How to Stop It (Macworld.com)—Updated to iOS 18.4.1 and noticed Safari showing your recent searches front and center? You're not alone. Apple quietly introduced a change where recent search queries now appear immediately when you tap the address bar. While it’s meant to help you rediscover past lookups, many users find it intrusive. Luckily, turning it off is easy: head to Settings > Safari and disable “Show Recent Searches.” Prefer to go incognito? Private Browsing still has your back. It’s a minor tweak with big privacy implications. Read more here

OpenAI Watch

OpenAI’s New o3 Model “Thinks with Images,” Leaps Ahead in AI Race (CNBC.com)—OpenAI’s latest AI model, o3, is redefining how machines reason—this time with visuals. Dubbed its most advanced yet, o3 can analyze low-quality sketches, whiteboards, and diagrams as part of its problem-solving process. Launched alongside the faster, cost-effective o4-mini, the models represent a major leap from text-only to full multimedia reasoning. Users can upload images for analysis, while the models wield tools like web browsing, Python, and image editing. Despite naming jokes, OpenAI’s intent is serious—outthink rivals like Google and xAI, while walking a tightrope on safety and transparency. Read more here

AI Watch

Wikipedia and Kaggle Team Up to Tame the AI Scraper Surge (TheVerge.com) Wikimedia is fighting back against bot overload with a smarter solution: a structured dataset for AI devs, launched in partnership with Kaggle. The new release features English and French Wikipedia content tailored for machine learning workflows—infoboxes, summaries, image links, and article sections, all openly licensed. By making this data easily accessible, Wikimedia hopes to reduce server strain from AI scraping while supporting indie developers and startups with quality content. It’s open data with a purpose, and a big win for responsible AI. Read more here

xAI Adds Memory to Grok, Closing the Gap With ChatGPT and Gemini (TechCrunch.com)—Elon Musk’s xAI is giving Grok a serious upgrade: memory. The new feature lets Grok remember past user interactions, enabling more personalized and context-aware responses. Rolling out in beta (outside the EU and UK), Grok’s memory system is transparent—users can view, delete, or disable what it remembers. This puts Grok in line with ChatGPT and Gemini, both of which already offer persistent memory. The move marks xAI’s push to catch up in the AI arms race, with Grok now remembering more than just your last prompt. Read more here

Open Protocol Lets AI Tap Into Your Apps—No Hand-Holding Required (Axios.com)—Anthropic’s new open-source “Model Context Protocol” (MCP) is quietly transforming how AI tools connect with the digital world. Backed by OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft, MCP lets users link AI bots like ChatGPT and Claude to apps like Notion or Dropbox—no heavy coding required. Think of it as middleware for the AI age, bypassing clunky interfaces so bots can just get things done. While it raises security and privacy flags, it also promises a future where AI handles real tasks with real tools. Big shift, small friction. Read more here

Contracts Watch

DocuSign Launches AI Agents to Tackle Contract Chaos (ConstellationR.com) DocuSign is taking a bold leap beyond signatures with its new AI Contract Agents. Integrated into its Intelligent Agreement Management platform, the agents are powered by Iris, a purpose-built AI engine that identifies risks, flags issues, and helps automate complex contract workflows. This isn't just AI hype—it’s real-world automation for legal teams, procurement, and customer service. It’s a strategic play to cement DocuSign’s role in enterprise agreement ecosystems and shows how agentic AI is moving from theory to practical utility. Read more here

Scam Watch

Bot Enrollment Crisis Disrupts San Diego Community Colleges (VoiceofSanDiego.org)—Community colleges like Southwestern in Chula Vista are battling a wave of “bot” students—fake enrollees targeting financial aid. After identifying the rest as fraudulent, Professor Elizabeth Smith saw her 104-student online roster shrink to just 15 real learners. This scam has ballooned since the pandemic’s pivot to virtual education, leaving faculty feeling more like fraud investigators than educators. While some colleges ramp up defenses, many feel leadership is dragging its feet. The threat isn’t just digital—it’s gutting real students’ access and turning higher ed upside down. Read more here

Streaming Watch

Koreans Favor YouTube Over Netflix Despite Homegrown Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ (Deadline.com)—Even with Korean dramas dominating Netflix globally, South Korean viewers are tuning into YouTube far more. New data from Digital-i shows Koreans spent 210 minutes daily on YouTube in Q4 2024—more than double the 96 minutes they devoted to Netflix. Japan showed similar trends, while Western markets remained more balanced. YouTube’s surge is fueled by long-form content, now 68% of its viewership. Meanwhile, Netflix’s push into live sports—led by events like Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson—is boosting subs. The streaming game is shifting fast, and traditional platforms are feeling the squeeze. Read more here

EV Watch

China Cracks Down on Auto Ad Hype After Xiaomi EV Crash (Reuters.com)—China is putting the brakes on automaker lingo, banning terms like "smart driving" and "autonomous driving" in car ads. The crackdown comes after a deadly crash involving Xiaomi's SU7 sedan and aims to curb exaggerated marketing of driver-assist tech. Automakers must now get government approval for remote software updates and prove system reliability before rollout. As China's EV market booms past expectations, regulators are dialing up scrutiny, signaling a new era of tighter oversight in automotive AI. Read more here

Environment Watch

Paris Chokes Less, Bikes More: Pollution Down 50% Amid Urban Overhaul (FastCompany.com)—Paris has slashed air pollution by 50% thanks to a sweeping, bike-friendly transformation. Since Mayor Anne Hidalgo took charge, over 100 streets were closed to cars, tens of thousands of parking spots vanished, and bike lanes surged. Particulate matter dropped 55%, and nitrogen dioxide dropped 50%. Inspired by the 15-minute city concept, Paris isn’t just cleaner—it’s more livable. Commuters now favor pedals over petrol, and the city’s streets echo less with horns and more with handlebars. The message is clear: rethinking urban mobility pays off. Read more here

Sports Watch

MLB’s Ball Control Game: How the League Quietly Tweaks Offense Behind the Scenes (HuddleUp.Substack.com)—MLB’s $400M acquisition of Rawlings wasn’t just a supply chain move—it gave the league control over how baseballs are made, and subtly, how the game is played. Evidence shows MLB tweaks seam height and core bounce (COR) to engineer more or fewer runs, even debuting a “Goldilocks” ball for Aaron Judge’s 2022 record chase. Each ball is handmade in Costa Rica, mudded with a secret Jersey blend, and stored in humidors to regulate flight. Behind the seams? A quiet power play that could reshape records, rivalries, and the game’s soul. Read more here.