The Comunicano for Thursday July 17th 2025

You know, there’s a moment in every great game, doesn’t matter if it’s baseball, hockey, basketball, or life, when the tempo shifts. Something clicks. The field opens up. And what seemed like chaos suddenly becomes a system. That’s what this moment feels like right now.

We’re watching the world rewrite its playbook.

Google just gave its search engine a brain transplant. We’re not talking about a faster page load or a cleaner interface. We’re talking about deep search—multi-step, multi-layer, reasoning machines that do the research for you. Want to know the best fly-fishing spot near Tokyo next fall and which hotels serve turmeric shots before sunrise yoga? You’ll get that, with citations.

Meanwhile, SoftBank’s talking about a billion AI agents—one thousand per employee. That’s not augmentation. That’s orchestration. It’s like giving every goalie ten more gloves, each one already in the right place.

But this isn’t just numbers and chips. It’s culture. Hollywood’s at a fork in the road, asking: Can code coexist with creativity? Can a digital double ever have soul? There’s tension. There’s fear. But there’s also potential—for faster workflows, sharper edits, and new forms of storytelling that we’ve barely imagined.

Out in the fields, AI tractors are running night shifts. Think about that. The oldest job in human history—farming—is now a 24-hour operation driven by satellite, drone, and algorithm. It's as if agriculture just entered its Formula 1 era.

Even travel’s evolving. Hotels are swapping pillow mints for cryotherapy and circadian lighting. You don’t just check in anymore—you plug in to reboot.

And sports? Sports tech just hit $52 billion in the first half of the year. That’s not hype. That’s evolution. We’re investing not just in performance, but in precision—on the field, and off.

Here’s the thing: we are all fans. Of progress. Of play. Of stories. And we’re all travelers too, moving through this new terrain, together.

So ask yourself: What game are you playing? And what future are you building—on purpose? Find out more, by reading, THE COMUNICANO!!!

Andy Abramson

Google Watch

AI and Search (Google Blog)—Google is ushering in a new era for its Search platform, adding Gemini 2.5 Pro, Deep Search, and an agentic business-calling feature—currently available to US-based AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers enrolled in Search Labs. Gemini 2.5 Pro, designed for advanced reasoning, math, and coding, can be selected within AI Mode. Deep Search lets the model conduct multi-step research, crunch data, and deliver comprehensive, fully cited reports. Additionally, Google Search can now autonomously call local businesses—like pet groomers and dry cleaners—to check pricing and availability on the user's behalf, summarizing results without requiring direct human contact. Businesses can opt out via their profiles. Read more here

AI Watch

SoftBank to Deploy 1 Billion AI Agents by End of 2025 (Digital Trends)—SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son announced a sweeping plan to equip all 50,000 of the company’s employees with a combined 1 billion AI agents—roughly 1,000 agents per person—by the end of 2025. These agents will autonomously perform tasks such as writing emails, negotiating, coding, and managing digital systems around the clock. Built on OpenAI’s technology through their Japan-based joint venture, the agents will operate under a custom SoftBank-developed OS. Son calls this the start of a “thousand-arm era” where workers are augmented, not replaced. Read more here

Hollywood at a Crossroads: Can AI and Creativity Coexist? (The Hollywood Reporter)—AI is forcing Hollywood to rethink everything. From storyboarding and visual effects to dialogue polishing and digital doubles, studios are tapping into machine learning to save time and money. But many creatives fear the erasure of human artistry. Indie companies like Staircase Studio are finding a middle path—using AI for efficiency while keeping human creators in charge. As tools evolve, the debate sharpens: will AI empower storytellers or replace them? Unions and studios are being pushed to set boundaries that protect jobs and preserve creative integrity. Read more here

AI and Robots Are Powering the Next Farming Revolution (WSJ)—Farms are going driverless. From autonomous tractors and robotic harvesters to AI-powered drones, agriculture is undergoing a high-tech overhaul. These machines plant, weed, monitor crops, and even pick fruit with precision—operating 24/7 with minimal human input. AI analyzes soil health, weather, and crop growth in real time to boost yields and lower costs. While the promise of efficiency and sustainability is clear, scaling these technologies requires solving challenges around regulation, cybersecurity, and farmer training. The transformation could redefine how food is grown worldwide. Read more here

Figma Make Now Supports Supabase for Backend Development (Supabase Blog)—Supabase has teamed up with Figma Make to let designers and developers build full-stack applications—right from the Figma canvas. Users can now spin up live Supabase backends with Postgres databases, authentication, file storage, and real-time APIs using natural language prompts. No context switching or coding required. The integration allows creators to design frontends and auto-generate working backend logic, making app prototyping and deployment dramatically faster. It bridges the gap between UI design and production-ready infrastructure. Read more here

Uber Watch

Uber to Invest in Lucid and Nuro for Massive Robotaxi Rollout (The Verge)—Uber is making a bold leap in autonomous ride-hailing with a multimillion-dollar investment in Lucid and Nuro, aiming to launch over 20,000 robotaxis in the U.S. by 2031. The fleet, built on Lucid’s luxury Gravity SUV and powered by Nuro’s autonomy, will debut in 2026 and be integrated exclusively into Uber’s app. Uber injects $300 million into Lucid, with an even larger investment in Nuro that grants them a board seat. This deal marks a major shift as Uber doubles down on partnerships over in-house development, leveraging scale to drive adoption. Read more here

Roblox Watch

Roblox Adds New Tools to Help Teens Safely Connect with Real-Life Friends (Fast Company)—Roblox has introduced "Trusted Connections," a feature allowing users aged 13 and up to engage in less restricted voice and text chats—but only with people they know offline. To unlock this, users must verify their age through AI-powered video selfies or a government-issued ID. Privacy and safety remain central: no media sharing is allowed, chats are moderated, and screen-time limits plus parental oversight tools are now in place. Roblox also rebranded “Friends” to “Connections” to better reflect real-world ties, aiming to reduce risky off-platform communication. Read more here

China Watch

China's AI Ambitions (The Star)—China is aggressively pouring billions into becoming a global AI powerhouse, employing the same industrial strategy that propelled its EV and solar industries. The government has funneled state subsidies, massive computing infrastructure, top-tier engineering talent, and vast data collections into AI over the past decade. Major Chinese tech firms like DeepSeek and Alibaba are now producing high-caliber open-source AI systems that rival global leaders. The coordinated push—rooted in policies like Made in China 2025—has Chinese entities rapidly closing in on US dominance in the race to emulate human-level AI. Read more here

Travel Watch

Wellness and Hotels (HotelsMag)—Luxury hospitality is embracing a wellness-centric evolution, moving beyond traditional spas to integrate immersive recovery and rejuvenation into the guest journey. Guests now enjoy personalized in-room tech rituals, cryotherapy, relaxation treatments, and performance-recovery amenities aimed at enhancing restorative sleep and overall well-being. Whether via guided mindfulness, advanced fitness diagnostics, or bespoke nutrition, these offerings marry opulence with health, transforming stays into holistic experiences. This wellness pivot aligns with a broader industry shift toward evidence-based luxury that prioritizes long-term guest transformation over short-term indulgence. Read more here

Travel Curious Acquires Redeam and Relocates Headquarters to U.S. (Phocuswire)—Travel Curious has acquired Redeam, a leading provider of connectivity and ticket redemption technology for the travel experiences sector. As part of the deal, Travel Curious will move its global headquarters to the United States. The acquisition combines Redeam’s API infrastructure with Travel Curious’s tour and activity booking platform, creating a full-stack solution for tour operators and resellers. The move aims to simplify global distribution and position the company as a top player in the increasingly competitive experiences space. Read more here

Sports Watch

Sports Tech M&A and Financing Hit $52 Billion in First Half of 2025 (SportsPro)—The sports technology sector saw explosive deal activity in H1 2025, with 233 mergers, acquisitions, and funding rounds totaling $52 billion, according to DrakeStar. Key transactions included TSG Consumer’s $1.5 billion acquisition of EOS Fitness, IMG Academy's deal for SportsRecruits, and KKR’s buyout of MaxPreps. Roughly $6.6 billion was raised in private capital, underscoring surging investor interest in performance tech, women's sports, and youth development platforms. Consolidation across digital fitness, media, and analytics reflects a maturing ecosystem. Read more here

Fox's MLB All-Star Game Audience Drops 3 Percent from 2024—(Sports Business Journal)—The 2025 MLB All-Star Game attracted 7.19 million viewers on Fox, a 3 percent drop from 2024's 7.44 million. Despite being the second-lowest audience on record for the event, the game still outperformed the NBA All-Star Game and the NFL Pro Bowl, each drawing around 4.7 million. Ratings held strong through the broadcast thanks to added drama from the first-ever “swing-off” tiebreaker. Fox also logged its best MLB telecast numbers since 2021 during the All-Star break. Read more here