The Comunicano for Thursday July3rd 2024
Thinking Thursday
Why Is This All Happening—We didn’t just wake up in this moment. It’s been coming. The slow fade of meetings into the background noise of work life. The quiet takeover of inboxes and Zoom calls by AI. The bot that sits in your meetings? It’s not just taking notes. It’s holding your seat at the table, and increasingly, nobody notices you’re not there.
Why? Because time, once our scarcest commodity, is now our most aggressively optimized one.
This is happening because the workplace has evolved faster than our workflows. AI isn't the driver. It’s the accelerant. Perplexity launches a $200 a month power tier. OpenAI decals itself on an IndyCar. Meta’s bots are proactively texting you like your over-keen gym trainer. That’s not disruption. That’s transformation my friends.
We’re not just shifting how we work. We’re redesigning why we work, and who — or what — is doing it.
And the irony? The more AI we bring in to replace human effort, the more we crave connection. Real conversation. Creative thinking. Trust. But the business models? They’re racing the other direction. Job elimination’s now a talking point in boardrooms. Agency leaders are shouting into the void about outdated remuneration models, while creatives are quietly slipping out the back door.
This isn’t just happening to media, or marketing, or medicine. It’s happening across the board. When Microsoft drops a diagnostic AI that outperforms doctors four to one, we’re not just talking about innovation, we’re talking about the redefinition of expertise.
Meanwhile, Netflix looks to live celebrity interviews, and Louis Vuitton takes over sports not with logos, but with lifestyle. Everyone’s pivoting to stay human in a world where the machine is outperforming us on performance, but not on purpose.
So why is this happening?
Because we let productivity outrun purpose. And now, we’re playing catch-up with our own creation.
What comes next won’t be decided by the smartest tech — but by the smartest use of it. By people who ask not just “how fast can we go?” but “why are we going there?”
This is all happening. The question now is: what are we going to do about it? To get started, just keep reading….THE COMUNICANO!!!
Andy Abramson
Meetings Watch
No One Likes Meetings. They’re Sending AI Note-Takers Instead. (The Washington Post)—AI bots are now routinely joining Zoom, Teams, and Meet calls as substitutes for actual participants. These digital note-takers transcribe and summarize meetings, letting employees skip calls while still receiving key takeaways. In some instances, bots outnumber humans on a call. While many welcome the convenience, others raise concerns over reduced human interaction, inhibited open dialogue, and privacy issues—especially in jurisdictions requiring full consent for recordings. The trend has also sparked a reconsideration of meeting culture itself: with AI available, maybe that meeting should have just been an email. Read more here
Perplexity Watch
Perplexity Launches a 200 Monthly Subscription Plan (TechCrunch)—Perplexity this week rolled out Perplexity Max, a new 200 monthly tier aimed at power users who need unlimited access to its Labs tools for spreadsheet and report generation, early access to its upcoming AI browser Comet, and priority access to the latest frontier models like OpenAI o3 pro and Claude Opus 4. This follows a pattern set by OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro, with Google, Anthropic, and Cursor already in the race. With 2024 revenues around 34 million but burning roughly 65 million, and late stage fundraising rumored at a 14 billion valuation, the Max tier is aimed at monetizing its power user base and offsetting significant cloud and model costs. Read more here
OpenAI Watch
OpenAI Gets First Livery Position with Ganassi at Mid-Ohio as AI Leader Looks to Racing for Insights (Sports Business Journal)—OpenAI is making its debut on the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar at this weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, plastering its branding in a striking black livery. The move marks the first time the AI company takes a primary sponsorship role in motorsports. Chip Ganassi teams hope OpenAI’s tools can extract performance insights, streamlining decision-making and race operations. Though Ganassi stops short of claiming direct performance gains, he notes a dotted line getting closer to a solid line of value from the partnership. Read more here
AI Watch
AI Will Wipe Out White-Collar Jobs, CEOs Say (WSJ)—Top executives are now bluntly predicting that artificial intelligence will lead to major white-collar job losses. Ford CEO Jim Farley claims up to half of corporate roles could vanish, while Amazon and Anthropic leaders warn of a 10 to 20 percent unemployment rate across knowledge sectors. Companies are restructuring workflows and slashing hiring, especially in entry-level positions. What was once AI “augmentation” has become a conversation about job elimination—and fast. Read more here
Can AI Outdiagnose Doctors? Microsoft Tool Is Four Times Better for Complex Cases (ZDNet)—Microsoft has unveiled MAI-DxO, a new AI diagnostic tool powered by OpenAI’s o3 model, which significantly outperformed doctors on complex medical cases. In a study using 304 challenging scenarios from the New England Journal of Medicine, MAI-DxO achieved an 85.5 percent accuracy rate, while a group of experienced physicians scored only 20 percent without help. The AI also reduced diagnostic costs by 20 percent by minimizing unnecessary tests. While not designed to replace doctors, this represents a major leap toward what Microsoft calls “medical superintelligence.” Regulatory review is still required before clinical rollout. Read more here
Chinese Students Use AI to Beat AI Detectors (Rest of World)—In China, students are finding ways to bypass AI detection software widely used in universities to screen theses. Tools from providers like CNKI and Wanfang are flagging human-written content as AI-generated, prompting students to manually alter their work—adjusting punctuation, simplifying language, and even paying for “detector-beating” rewrites. The irony? Some of these countermeasures use AI themselves. As students face serious academic penalties based on false positives, critics are calling the process flawed and harmful. Universities such as Nanjing are beginning to caution against over-reliance on these imperfect tools. Read more here
Meta Watch
Meta AI Studio Chatbots Trained to Be Proactive (Business Insider)—Leaked documents reveal that Meta’s AI Studio chatbots are being developed to send proactive messages and recall past conversations to increase engagement. These bots can initiate a single message within 14 days after user interaction, if the exchange included at least five messages. Contractors are crafting distinct bot personalities—from Gen Z influencers to nutrition experts. It’s part of Meta’s effort to reduce user loneliness and drive retention. The company aims to generate up to 3 billion dollars from generative AI in 2025. Read more here
Media Watch
ChatGPT Referrals to News Sites Grow — But Not Enough (TechCrunch)—Referrals from ChatGPT to news outlets are rising, but not fast enough to offset the sharp drop in search-driven traffic. Similarweb data shows that “no-click” AI answers now fulfill nearly 69 percent of news-related queries, up from 56 percent last year. As a result, publishers’ organic search traffic has dropped by over 600 million visits. Despite a 212 percent increase in ChatGPT queries since January 2024, this shift leaves media brands fighting for visibility in an AI-dominated landscape.
Netflix Watch
Netflix Explores Music Shows and Celebrity Interviews in Unscripted TV Push (Wall Street Journal)—To broaden its content beyond scripted hits, Netflix is leaning into unscripted programming—rolling out new music competition shows such as Building the Band hosted by AJ McLean and rebooting Star Search—while shopping music awards collaborations with Spotify, celebrity interviews, and quick turnaround documentaries. Led by Jeff Gaspin of The Voice, this strategy includes potential live finales and audience voting, stretching Netflix’s offerings to include trivia hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and a news pilot with Daily Beast. While they’ve scrapped full news ambitions, Netflix sees live unscripted content as a way to boost engagement, especially on its ad supported tier. Read more here
Startup Watch
Reinventing Home Services One Pool at a Time (Fresh Brewed Tech)—Neal Bloom profiles a startup tackling inefficiencies in pool maintenance and home services—leveraging tech to streamline scheduling, invoicing, and client communication. It's a deeper dive into how this niche player uses software to digitize traditionally fragmented service operations, strengthening its local ecosystem while building tools that could scale across HVAC, landscaping, and more. The story emphasizes community impact and how tech led entrepreneurship in home services can seed broader innovation. Read more here
Sports Watch
OpenAI Gets First Livery Position with Ganassi at Mid-Ohio (Sports Business Journal)—OpenAI is putting the pedal to the metal—literally. The AI powerhouse has secured its first-ever full livery placement on Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 10 Honda for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. More than just a branding move, this is an expansion of a partnership formed in February, where OpenAI’s tools are being used by the team to analyze data and improve performance. While Chip Ganassi stops short of attributing wins to AI, he admits the tools are becoming essential. OpenAI sees motorsport as a real-world testing ground to sharpen its AI in high-stakes, real-time environments. Read more here
Supreme Court Will Hear Cases on Transgender Athletes in Schools (NY Times)—The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two pivotal cases on whether states can ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ school sports. Idaho and West Virginia are challenging lower court rulings that found such bans violate the 14th Amendment and Title IX. With 27 states enacting similar laws, the court’s decision could redefine legal protections for transgender youth in education. The move follows a pattern this term where the conservative majority backed restrictions on transgender rights, signaling a willingness to weigh in on America’s culture wars. Arguments are expected in the Court’s next term beginning October. Read more here
How Louis Vuitton Took Over Sports (Huddle Up)—Louis Vuitton has executed a silent yet sweeping takeover of elite sport through high‑impact sponsorships and strategic branding. The luxury house has poured hundreds of millions into partnerships—including Formula 1’s $1 billion, the 2024 Olympics, and Real Madrid—blending its “Victory Travels in Vuitton” ethos with global sporting icons. It’s not about logos on jerseys, but crafting lifestyle narratives: from custom medal cases to dressing football’s fashion‑forward stars. LV’s play is twofold—reinforce its elite luxury image and tap sport’s emotional resonance to reach new audiences. It’s a masterclass in using sport as both stage and storytelling medium for luxury dominance. Read more here
Marketing Watch
It’s a Death Sentence: Agencies Urged to Urgently Act on AI Remuneration Models (The Drum)—Agency execs are sounding alarms over outdated pay models in an AI-transformed creative landscape. As AI tools automate production and analysis, core staff—especially creatives and strategists—are being undercompensated for their evolving roles. The result? A looming talent exodus. Leaders are calling for new remuneration structures that recognize the added value AI brings to client outcomes and reward employees who continuously adapt. Without swift change, agencies risk hemorrhaging top talent and ceding ground to tech-forward rivals. The future of the industry hinges on aligning compensation with AI integration. Read more here
Cannes Lions Tightens AI Rules After DM9 Award Scandal (The Drum)—After discovering that agency DM9 used AI-generated content in a Grand Prix-winning campaign without disclosure, Cannes Lions rescinded multiple awards and enacted sweeping rule changes. The scandal has prompted the festival to mandate full transparency on AI use, launch a dedicated ethics review team, and implement AI-detection systems. The move reflects a growing industry consensus: as AI becomes central to creative work, integrity and trust must guide its application. The case underscores the festival’s new commitment to preserving authenticity in advertising awards. Read more here
Latest Social Media Trends Report (Sendible)—Sendible’s 2025 report outlines key social media shifts brands can’t ignore. Short-form video continues its reign, but authenticity now trumps polish. User-generated content and community-driven storytelling are outperforming slick brand campaigns. Private channels and DMs are becoming new social hubs, while social commerce is on the rise. The report also flags the emergence of “social SEO” and episodic formats as powerful tools to deepen engagement. These trends suggest a landscape where brands must be both nimble and narrative-driven to stay relevant. Read more here
Mobile Watch
Samsung Galaxy G Fold Exclusive Animation Leak (Android Authority)—A system animation leak from One UI 8 has revealed Samsung’s next foldable innovation—likely named the Galaxy G Fold. The device features a tri-fold “G” shape with two inward-folding hinges, aligning with earlier reports of a “Multifold 7” internal code name. The animation hints at a triple rear camera, front and inner selfie cams, and a delicate fold sequence that discourages closing the camera side first. With Samsung’s Unpacked event on July 9, this could mark a bold shift in foldable design. Read more here
